More than 80 years after her death, a New Jersey nun credited with curing a boy's eye disease is set to be beatified today.
	Sister Miriam Teresa Demjanovich, who died in 1927 at age 26, is scheduled to be beatified in a ceremony led by Cardinal Angelo Amato at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark. The ceremony is the third in the four-step process to sainthood.
	Sister Miriam Teresa is credited with curing a boy's macular degeneration in the 1960s, according to the Archdiocese of Newark. The boy, Michael Mencer, was given a lock of the sister's hair and prayed to her. The effects of the eye disease soon began to fade, church officials say.
	"Within a period of six weeks, it was totally reversed," said Sister Mary Canavan, of the Sisters of Charity.
	Mencer did not return calls for comment.
	The beatification comes less than a year after the event was certified as a miracle by Pope Francis, though church officials started the process in 1945 when the bishop of Paterson 

US nun credited with curing boy to be beatified

PTI Automatic

Peruvian officials say suspected Shining Path rebels killed two police officers and wounded a third in an ambush of a convoy transporting ballot boxes for tomorrow's regional and municipal elections.
	Police say the attackers opened fire with assault rifles just before dawn yesterday on four vehicles carrying 28 police officers near the town of Machente in the southeastern region of Ayacucho.
	As much as one-fifth of the world's cocaine is produced in the region known as the Apurimac and Ene river valley, and authorities say the Shining Path remnants operating there are principally drug traffickers.
	Officials say this election campaign has been the most violent since 2000, the year then-President Alberto Fujimori fled into exile in a corruption scandal. Two mayoral candidates have been killed in gangland-style slayings this campaign.

2 police killed in pre-election Peru attack

A fire has burned three administrative buildings at the Pennsylvania memorial for Flight 93, which crashed in a field in the 9/11 terror attacks.
	National Park Service spokesman Mike Litterst says no injuries were reported yesterday afternoon. He doesn't know the cause of the fire or the extent of the damage.
	He says the affected buildings serve as the Flight 93 National Memorial's headquarters and include the superintendent's office.
	Litterst says the flames didn't affect the memorial or construction of the visitors center.
	Flight 93 was travelling from New Jersey, to San Francisco when terrorists took control, with the likely goal of crashing it into the White House or Capitol. The 9/11 Commission concluded the hijackers downed the plane in Pennsylvania as the 33 passengers and seven crew members revolted.

Fire burns 3 buildings at Flight 93 memorial

In a medical first, a woman in Sweden has given birth after receiving a womb transplant, the doctor who performed the pioneering procedure said today.
	The 36-year-old mother received a uterus from a close family friend last year. Her baby boy was born prematurely but healthy last month, and mother and child are now at home and well. The identities of the woman and her male partner were not disclosed.
	"The baby is fantastic," said Dr. Mats Brannstrom, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Gothenburg and Stockholm IVF who led the research and delivered the baby with the help of his wife, a midwife. "But it is even better to see the joy in the parents and how happy he made them."
	Brannstrom said it was "still sinking in that we have actually done it."
	The feat opens up a new but still experimental alternative for some of the thousands of women each year who are unable to have children because they lost a uterus to cancer or were born without one.
	Before this .

Medical first: Baby born to woman who got new womb

The renowned Metropolitan musseum of Art in New York purchased a collection of 4,000-year-old Egyptian artifacts found a century ago by a British explorer, averting a plan to auction the antiquities that had drawn criticism from historians.
	The Treasure of Harageh collection consists of 37 items such as flasks, vases and jewelry inlaid with lapis lazuli, a rare mineral. Discovered by famed British archaeologist Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie, the relics date to roughly 1900 BC, excavated from a tomb near the city of Fayum.
	Portions of the excavated antiquities were given in 1914 to donors in St. Louis who helped underwrite the dig. The planned auction had been condemned by US and British historians who feared the loss of a valuable cultural resource to the private marketplace.
	British auction house Bonhams withdrew the treasure Thursday, the planned day of sale, and announced the new deal Friday. Bonhams did not disclose the purchase price, but it had valued the items at USD ..

Auction of ancient Egyptian relics averted

Former Defence Secretary Leon Panetta is criticising President Barack Obama for failing to order military action after Syria used toxic chemicals against its own people.
	In his new book, due out next week, Panetta says that by failing to respond, it sent the wrong message to the world. Obama said in August 2012 that if Syria used chemical weapons, that would be a "red line" for the US. But even after Assad used them, killing hundreds of Syrian civilians, Obama didn't take military action.
	Panetta says it was a "blow to American credibility."
	Panetta also chided Obama for not keeping a residual US force behind in Iraq, which he said could have helped stem the Islamic State group's recent takeover of parts of northern and western Iraq.

Panetta: Obama vacillated on Syria

A US judge today ordered the public release of videotapes of a hunger-striking Guantanamo Bay prisoner strike being forcibly removed from his cell and force-fed.
	Lawyers for the prisoner, Abu Wa'el Dhiab, have challenged his treatment as abusive.
	Numerous news media outlets, including The Associated Press, asked the court on June 20 to unseal the tapes. US District Court Judge Gladys Kessler granted the news media's request, although Kessler said the tapes will remain sealed until some information on them is redacted.
	The material to be removed includes identifying information of everyone on the tapes except for the prisoner. She said faces other than Dhiab's will be obscured, as will voices and names.
	"We are very gratified by this decision, which will enable the American people to see with their own eyes the sorts of abuses that are being heaped on these peacefully hunger-striking detainees," said Dhiab's lawyer Jon Eisenberg.
	"Once the truth is fully brought to light, we ...

Judge orders release of Guantanamo videotapes

About a dozen protesters were jailed after being arrested during the latest protests in Ferguson, and it has some rights groups and local officials questioning if police overreached.
	A small number of people gathered outside Ferguson police headquarters Thursday, the most recent of several protests since the Aug. 9 shooting death of Michael Brown by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. Protesters want Wilson, who is white, to be charged in the killing of Brown, 18, who was black and unarmed. A grand jury investigation is expected to last into November.
	Just before midnight, officers began moving toward the protesters, who were chanting, used plastic restraints on their wrists and put them in a van, according to Gabrielle Hanson, who was at the scene while her mother, freelance videographer Mary Moore, shot video. Moore was among those arrested, Hanson was not.
	The reason for the arrests wasn't immediately clear. Patricia Bynes, a Democratic committeewoman from the Ferguson area ..

Some questioning latest round of Ferguson arrests

The host of the popular BBC television program "Top Gear" and other members of the crew have fled Argentina after being pelted with rocks by people who believed one of their cars had a license plate alluding to the Falklands War.
	Officials said a crowd of about 50 people began hurling rocks at the BBC group Thursday as they drove in a caravan under police escort to the Chilean border in the southernmost province of Tierra del Fuego.
	They were forced to leave the cars behind in an area between Tolhuin and Rio Grande. One minor injury was reported and images by local newspapers showed broken windows and other damage to the cars, which were taken into police custody.
	"The feeling over Malvinas is still very strong here," said Oscar Heredia, a spokesman for the town of Tolhuin, referring to the islands known in English as the Falklands. "The license plate was taken as a provocation."
	The "Top Gear" crew was using three cars, one of them a Porsche bearing the license plate "H982 FKL," .

'Top Gear' crew flees Argentina after cars stoned

Iran's official news agency is reporting a delegation from the United Nations nuclear watchdog will visit the country next week for more talks on Tehran's nuclear program.
	The Friday report by IRNA quotes Reza Najafi, Iran's envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency, in Vienna. He says that the IAEA's Tero Tapio Varjoranta, the agency's deputy director-general and head of the department of safeguards, will head the delegation.
	Iran has vowed to cooperate with the IAEA as part of talks with world powers aimed at reaching a lasting agreement on its contested nuclear program. Western nations long have suspected Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons, a charge Iran denies.
	Iran and world powers have set a deadline in November to reach a final deal after reaching an interim accord last year.

Iran says UN nuclear officials coming to Tehran

Hillary Rodham Clinton is hitting the campaign trail for Democrats this month.
	Clinton's lending her name and support in key races for Senate and governor as she considers another White House bid in 2016.
	The former secretary of state plans to campaign for Senate candidates in six states: Iowa, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Colorado, Georgia and Kentucky. She will also help gubernatorial campaigns in Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Illinois.
	Her travels will also take her to California, where she will headline a fundraiser for Senate Democrats on Oct. 20. Dates and events were first reported by Politico. Some are still being finalized.
	Clinton has said she plans to decide whether to run for president again around the beginning of next year.

Clinton planning lengthy campaign push this month

Pro-Russian rebels pressed today to seize a key airport in eastern Ukraine despite fierce resistance by government forces.
	An AP reporter on Friday saw three rebel tanks firing their cannons at the main terminal of Donetsk airport, where government forces have holed up. Sniper shots rang around the area.
	Rebels have made some gains in the area near the airport, seizing some buildings on its fringes and using them to target the main terminal.
	Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council spokesman Col. Andriy Lysenko said two Ukrainian servicemen have been killed and another nine wounded since Thursday. He said that Ukrainian forces at the airport have undergone rotation and firmly stood their ground.
	The airport, located just north of Donetsk, the largest city in the east, gives the Ukrainian forces a convenient vantage point to target rebel positions. Its loss would be a major blow to Ukraine and would also allow the rebels to receive large cargo planes with supplies in ...

Fighting rages around airport in eastern Ukraine

Lebanese towns and villages increasingly impose curfews on Syrian refugees in the country, restricting their movements, an international human rights group said today.
	Human Rights Watch said the curfews "contribute to a climate of discriminatory and retaliatory practices against them." The New York-based group said in a statement that it has identified at least 45 towns and villages across Lebanon that have imposed such curfews.
	"The authorities have presented no evidence that curfews for Syrian refugees are necessary for public order or security in Lebanon," said Nadim Houry, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "These curfews are just contributing to an increasingly hostile environment for Syrian refugees in the country."
	Lebanon is home to more than 1 million Syrian refugees, who are already seen by many Lebanese as a burden on the tiny country with a population of just 4.5 million people.
	Attacks against Syrians, as well as curfews, have intensified since Aug. ..

Rights group: Lebanon imposing curfews on Syrians

Islamic State group militants armed with a rocket launcher shot down an Iraqi military attack helicopter today in the country's north, authorities said, highlighting their ability attack aircraft as a US led coalition expands its efforts to combat the extremists.
	Fighters downed the Mi-35 helicopter between the towns of Beiji and al-Senniyah in northern Iraq, an official with the Iraqi Defense Ministry said. An official with the Iraqi air force corroborated the information, saying the helicopter's pilot and co-pilot were killed in the crash.
	Beiji, located 200 kilometres north of Baghdad, is home to Iraq's biggest oil refinery.
	Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they are not authorised to speak with journalists.
	Militants with Islamic State group have taken over parts of western and northern Iraq this year, causing the Iraqi military to fracture while tensions intensified between Muslim sects. When fighters conquered Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city, in June, the ..

Officials: Islamic State group downs Iraqi chopper

Sweden's new prime minister said today that his government will recognize a Palestinian state, a move that drew praise from Palestinian officials.
	In a declaration listing his government's priorities, Social Democratic leader Stefan Lofven told lawmakers that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can only be resolved through a two-state solution requiring "mutual recognition" and a will from both sides to co-exist peacefully.
	"Therefore Sweden will recognize the state of Palestine," Lofven said.
	He didn't say when or how that would happen.
	Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki welcomed Lofven's announcement and called on other European Union countries to follow suit.
	"In the name of the Palestinian people and the Palestinian leadership, we thank and salute the Swedish position," Malki said in a statement.
	He said the only other Western European countries that have recognized a Palestinian state are Malta and Cyprus. Some Eastern European countries did so during the Cold ...

Sweden to recognize Palestinian state

Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters called off planned talks with the government on electoral reforms today after mobs of people tried to drive them from streets they had occupied in one of the city's main shopping areas.
	The Hong Kong Federation of Students, one of the groups leading the protests that swelled to the tens of thousands earlier this week, said they saw no choice but to cancel the talks.
	"The government is demanding the streets be cleared. We call upon all Hong Kong people to immediately come to protect our positions and fight to the end," the group said in a statement.
	Hong Kong's leader, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, proposed the talks late yesterday, seeking to defuse the standoff, the biggest challenge to Beijing's authority since China took control of the former British colony in 1997.
	His refusal to yield to calls for his resignation angered many protesters. They demanded that the government hold someone responsible for the scuffles today in Kowloon's crowded 

Hong Kong protesters cancel talks with government

It was a speech that got lost in translation. The boss of British retail chain John Lewis apologised today for saying France is "in decline" and "finished."
	The Times newspaper reported that managing director Andy Street had made the critical comments at an event for entrepreneurs in London this week.
	It said he described France as "sclerotic, hopeless and downbeat," and said "nothing works and worse, nobody cares about it."
	Street also described the Gare du Nord station in Paris terminus for Eurostar trains from London as "the squalor pit of Europe" and told his audience: "If you've got investments in French businesses, get them out quickly."
	In a statement today, Street said his comments "were supposed to be lighthearted views, and tongue in cheek."
	"On reflection I clearly went too far," he said. "I regret the comments, and apologize unreservedly."
	The French embassy in London was unamused by the comments.
	It told the Times that France had the world's fifth-largest economy, .

British retail boss sorry for anti-French remarks

An attorney for the family of a California teenager who was declared brain-dead says doctors have found signs of brain functions and is seeking an unprecedented court order declaring her alive.
	Attorney Chris Dolan said yesterday that doctors at the nonprofit International Brain Research Foundation made the findings after running a series of tests on the 13-year-old Jahi McMath at Rutgers University last week.
	The discovery came months after three doctors, including one appointed by a judge, declared McMath brain-dead, and Alameda County issued a death certificate after her December 9 sleep apnea surgery went awry.
	Since then, Jahi's mother has pushed for keeping her daughter's organs functioning on life support, first at Children's Hospital in Oakland and later at an undisclosed medical facility in New Jersey.
	Dolan said Jahi and her parents moved to a house in New Jersey about a month ago where the girl remains on life support.
	Yesterday, Dolan showed video clips to a small ...

Brain activity found in girl declared brain-dead

The father of John Cantlie, a British photojournalist held by the Islamic State militant group, appealed for his release in a video issued today, saying he was a friend of Syria.
	Paul Cantlie read the statement from his hospital bed after undergoing throat surgery.
	"To those holding John, please know that he is a good man," he said.
	He said his son was an "impartial and respected journalist" who wanted to tell the world about Syria, "for the good of the people, as a friend and as a civilian."
	"I want John to know how very proud I am of him," the 80-year-old said. He urged his son's captors "to help us and allow him to return safely to those he loves and those who love him."
	John Cantlie, who has worked for a variety of British publications, appeared in a video released last month by the militant group. He said he had come to Syria in November 2012, where he was subsequently captured.
	Cantlie was previously held by militants for several days in July 2012 along with a Dutch ...

Father of UK journalist asks militants to free him

Syria has warned Turkey that deploying troops inside its borders will be seen as an "aggression," calling on the international community to "put limits to the adventures" of the Turkish leadership.
	The Syrian Foreign Ministry's statement, issued today, came a day after Turkey's parliament gave the government new powers to launch military incursions into Syria and Iraq. Syria's Foreign Ministry said the Turkish decision is an "aggression against a founding member of the United Nations."
	Turkey has been one of the strongest backers of Syrian opposition groups trying to remove President Bashar Assad for power.
	The Turkish decision came nearly two weeks after a US led coalition began airstrikes against Islamic State group positions in Syria. The group controls large areas of Syria and Iraq.

Syria: Turkish forces will be seen as 'aggression'

Men on motorbikes ambushed a convoy of UN peacekeepers in northern Mali today, UN officials said, killing nine in the deadliest attack yet on the force.
	It was the latest in a string of deadly attacks on the peacekeeping force tasked with bringing stability to the West African country following a coup and jihadist offensive, in what has become one of bloodiest UN missions.
	The force said in a statement that air support was immediately deployed to secure the area where the attack took place 15 kilometres east of Indelimane in the northern Gao region.
	The convoy of troops from Niger was traveling from Menaka to Asongo when the ambush happened this morning, the statement said.
	The attackers were carrying heavy arms, said Olivier Salgado, a spokesman for the force, known as MINUSMA. "This is the deadliest attack that MINUSMA has suffered since the beginning of the mission," he said. "The toll is rather serious."
	Although there were initially thought to be troops wounded in the ...

AP

AP

Page 2452 - Ap/pti Reuters