Former US president Jimmy Carter has been hospitalized for treatment of a urinary tract infection, the Carter Center said-- the latest in a series of health issues for the 95-year-old Democrat.
Carter "was admitted to Phoebe Sumter Medical Center in Americus, Georgia, this past weekend," his center said in a statement.
"He is feeling better and looks forward to returning home soon." Last week, Carter -- the first US president to reach the age of 95 -- left the hospital after undergoing successful surgery to relieve pressure on his brain caused by multiple falls.
In August 2015, Carter revealed he had cancer on his brain and was undergoing radiation treatment -- an illness he recovered from, seemingly against the odds.
In office from 1977 to 1981, Carter placed a commitment to human rights and social justice at the core of his presidency, and founded the Carter Center in 1982 after he left office to pursue his vision of world diplomacy.

Former US president Jimmy Carter again hospitalised

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A NASA satellite orbiting the Moon has found India's Vikram lander which crashed on the lunar surface in September, the US space agency has said.
NASA released an image taken by its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) that showed the site of the spacecraft's impact (September 6 in India and September 7 in the US) and associated debris field, with parts scattered over almost two dozen locations spanning several kilometers.
In a statement, NASA said it released a mosaic image of the site on September 26, inviting the public to search it for signs of the lander.
It added that a person named Shanmuga Subramanian contacted the LRO project with a positive identification of debris -- with the first piece found about 750 meters northwest of the main crash site.
Blasting off in July, emerging Asian giant India had hoped with its Chandrayaan-2 ("Moon Vehicle 2") mission to become just the fourth country after the United States, Russia and regional rival China to make a successful Moon landing, ..

NASA satellite finds crashed Indian Moon lander

US President Donald Trump landed in Britain ahead of the NATO summit, arriving in London just 10 days before a crucial general election.
En route, Trump boasted that he had convinced European allies to boost their defence spending, tweeting: "Since I took office, the number of NATO allies fulfilling their obligations more than DOUBLED.

Trump in London for NATO summit amid election race

The United States has urged Iraq to probe the "abhorrent" killing of protesters, condemning what it called excessive force in the flashpoint southern city of Nasiriyah.
"The use of excessive force over the weekend in Nasiriyah was shocking and abhorrent," said David Schenker, the top US diplomat in charge of the Middle East on Monday.
"We call on the government of Iraq to investigate and hold accountable those who attempt to brutally silence peaceful protesters," he said.

US urges Iraq to probe 'abhorrent' killings of protesters

Mahindra South Africa has won several accolades in the annual 'Fuel Economy Tour' hosted by motor financier WesBank.
Mahindra's KUV100 NXT K6 took top honours in the A1 class, the category for smaller vehicles which have become very popular in South Africa due to consistently rising fuel prices.
With its 1.2 diesel engine, the KUV100 NXT used the least fuel in its class and it delivered an average fuel consumption figure of only 5.2249 litres per 100 km, which was a winning margin of 14 per cent over its closest competitor.
This category win for the KUV100 NXT adds to the compact crossover's impressive budget-saving credentials, which included first prize in the recent 2019 AA Kinsey Report.
The report found that the KUV100 NXT was the most affordable vehicle to service and repair in its class and one of the most affordable vehicles in the country overall.
"The KUV100 NXT has once again proven that it is a true budget-friendly champion. From its affordable purchase price, its long ...

Mahindra South Africa wins top accolades for fuel efficiency

The mayor of Chicago has fired the police chief of the third-largest city in the United States, six weeks after he was found asleep slumped over the wheel of his vehicle.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot said police superintendent Eddie Johnson, who had been scheduled to retire at the end of the year, had been dismissed with immediate effect.
"It has become clear that Mr. Johnson engaged in a series of ethical lapses that are intolerable," Lightfoot said in a statement on Monday.
Johnson, who was named to head Chicago's 13,400-strong police force in 2016, was found asleep in his vehicle at a stop sign in October.
He initially said it was because he had failed to take prescription medication but later admitted he had a couple of drinks.
"Mr. Johnson was intentionally dishonest with me and communicated a narrative replete with false statements regarding material aspects of the incident that happened in the early morning hours of October 17," Lightfoot said.
"Had I known all the facts at the time, I 

Chicago mayor fires police chief for 'ethical lapses'

United States World Cup icon Megan Rapinoe has won the women's Ballon d'Or prize at an awards ceremony in Paris.
Rapinoe (34), succeeds Norway's Ada Hegerberg, the inaugural winner of the women's prize last year, after starring on and off the field as the US retained the World Cup in France in July.

Megan Rapinoe wins women's Ballon d'Or

President Donald Trump's administration has released USD 100 million in military assistance to Lebanon that had been frozen without public explanation, sources have said.
A congressional aide, speaking on condition of anonymity, on Monday said that the assistance has been unblocked by the White House's Office of Management and Budget.
The Trump administration has been tight-lipped on the reason for the hold-up in support for Lebanon but has been pressing the government to distance itself from Hezbollah, the Shiite militant movement close to Iran.
Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who included Hezbollah members in his cabinet, resigned a month ago in the face of major street protests, although it was not clear that the aid decision was connected to the Lebanese government's composition or decisions.
David Hale, the number-three official of the State Department, confirmed the delay in the aid when he was questioned under oath by Congress last month in the impeachment inquiry into Trump.
Asked 

US ends freeze on USD 100 mn in Lebanon aid

As world leaders gather in Spain to discuss how to slow the warming of the planet, a spotlight falls on China  the top emitter of greenhouse gases.
China burns about half the coal used globally each year. Between 2000 and 2018, its annual carbon emissions nearly tripled, and it now accounts for about 30 per cent of the world's total.
Yet it's also the leading market for solar panels, wind turbines and electric vehicles, and it manufactures about two-thirds of solar cells installed worldwide.
"We are witnessing many contradictions in China's energy development," said Kevin Tu, a Beijing-based fellow with the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University.
"It's the largest coal market and the largest clean energy market in the world." That apparent paradox is possible because of the sheer scale of China's energy demands.
But as China's economy slows to the lowest level in a quarter century  around 6 per cent growth, according to government statistics  policymakers are doubling ..

China's climate paradox: A leader in coal and clean energy

Irish police were on Monday questioning a former soldier who became a suspected Islamic State group (IS) bride in Syria.
Lisa Smith, 38, was arrested at Dublin Airport on Sunday after being deported from Turkey along with her two-year-old daughter, officials said.
"An Irish citizen (38-year-old female) arrested on suspicion of terrorist offences following her deportation from Turkey remains detained," police said in a statement on Twitter.
Ireland's Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan said "established procedures" were being followed to care for her child.
"This is a sensitive case and I want to reassure people that all relevant state agencies are closely involved," he added.
Flanagan noted that personnel with experience in "the complex issue of radicalisation" were part of the multi-agency team working on the case.
Smith, a member of the Irish Defence Forces until 2011, reportedly went to war-plagued Syria in 2015 after converting to Islam.
She is thought to have been captured and ...

Irish police hold suspected IS bride on return to Dublin

Suspected Boko Haram jihadists killed four Chadian troops early Monday in a newly established military outpost on Lake Chad, the military and local officials said.
Boko Haram has training camps on several of the islands that dot the vast, shallow Lake Chad, which straddles the borders of Nigeria, Niger and Cameroon as well as Chad.
"We killed 13 Boko Haram elements and we deplore the loss of four soldiers," a military source said, adding that three soldiers were injured in the attack at around 1:00 am Monday local time.
Nouki Charfadine, the governor of the Lake Chad region, also confirmed the toll.
"We set up this military post between Ngouboua and Bagassoula village after the kidnapping" of a doctor, a nurse and their driver in the area on October 31, the governor said.
Five villagers were also killed in the area in the middle of November.
The jihadist insurgency, which broke out in northeastern Nigeria a decade ago, has spilled over into neighbouring countries.
In 2015, the Lake ...

Four soldiers 'killed by Boko Haram' at Lake Chad base

There's a powerful new player watching what you buy so it can tailor product offerings for you: the bank behind your credit or debit card.
For years, Google and Facebook have been showing ads based on your online behaviour. Retailers from Amazon to Walgreens also regularly suction up your transaction history to steer future spending and hold your loyalty.
Now banks, too, want to turn data they already have on your spending habits into extra revenue by identifying likely customers for retailers.
Banks are increasingly aware that they could be sitting on a gold mine of information that can be used to predict  or sway  where you spend.
Historically, such data has been used mostly for fraud protection.
Suppose you were to treat yourself to lunch on Cyber Monday, the busiest online shopping day of the year.
If you order ahead at Chipotle  paying, of course, with your credit card  you might soon find your bank dangling 10 per cent off lunch at Little Caesars.
The bank would earn fees from ..

For banks, data on your spending habits could be a gold mine

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy says he never spoke with President Donald Trump from the position of a quid pro quo."
Trump later claimed Zelenskiy had said Trump had done nothing wrong. But Zelenskiy didn't go that far in a Time interview published Monday.
Zelenskiy said, "I never talked to the President from the position of a quid pro quo. That's not my thing.  I don't want us to look like beggars."
Trump later tweeted, "The President of Ukraine has just again announced that President Trump has done nothing wrong with respect to Ukraine and our interactions or calls."
Trump's July 25 call with Zelenskiy is at the center of the House impeachment probe. He presses Ukraine for investigations into Democrats as U.S. aid to Ukraine is withheld.

Ukraine leader says he didn't speak about a 'quid pro quo'

Despite calls for their relocation before winter, hundreds of migrants remain stuck in a makeshift tent camp in northwestern Bosnia as a spate of snowy and cold weather hits the region.
Their tents bending under wet snow, migrants at the Vucjak camp near the Bosnian town of Bihac on Monday lit fires and wrapped themselves in blankets to try to stay warm and dry.
Coughing can be heard coming from inside the tents.
International officials and aid groups have repeatedly demanded that the Vucjak camp be closed down. It has almost no facilities and is located on a former landfill by a mine field from Bosnia's 1992-95 war.
Bosnian Security Minister Dragan Mektic says a new facility for migrants near Sarajevo won't be ready for at least another 20 days.

Migrants remain in Bosnia make-shift camp amid snow and cold

The death toll from a weekend gunbattle between a heavily armed drug cartel assault group and security forces near the US-Mexico border has risen to 22, the state's governor said Monday.
Coahuila Gov. Miguel Riquelme said two additional gunmen died overnight.
He did not say whether they had died of injuries from Saturday's clash or in subsequent operations. Police and soldiers have been sweeping the area surrounding Villa Union for those involved.
Around midday Saturday, a convoy of dozens of vehicles carrying heavily armed men arrived in Villa Union and began shooting up city hall. Riquelme said state security forces arrived within an hour and surrounded the town, which is about an hour's drive southwest of Eagle Pass, Texas.
The town of about 5,000 people was still littered with burned-out vehicles Monday and the city hall's facade was riddled with bullet holes.
They wanted to send a message to the state (government), Riquelme told Radio Formula. He said the Cartel of the Northeast .

Death toll in Mexican border region battle rises to 22

The Trump campaign on Monday announced it will not provide media credentials to correspondents of Bloomberg News, a major American news outlet that is owned by former New York City Mayor and now Democratic presidential aspirant Michael Bloomberg.
The decision by the Trump campaign comes after Bloomberg News said it won't investigate Bloomberg or other Democrat presidential candidates, but will continue critical reporting on the incumbent president.
"Since they have declared their bias openly, the Trump campaign will no longer credential representatives of Bloomberg News for rallies or other campaign events," Trump 2020 campaign manager Brad Parscale said.
"We will determine whether to engage with individual reporters or answer inquiries from Bloomberg News on a case-by-case basis. This will remain the policy of the Trump campaign until Bloomberg News publicly rescinds its decision," Parscale said.
In a statement, the Trump campaign said the decision by Bloomberg News to formalise ...

Will not provide credentials to Bloomberg News reporters: Trump campaign

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made clear Monday that the United States did not plan a military intervention in Venezuela even as he vowed that leftist leader Nicolas Maduro would one day fall.
In a speech on Latin America, Pompeo renewed President Donald Trump's promise to battle socialism across the hemisphere but said his policy in Venezuela was "mixed with restraint."
"We've seen folks calling for regime change through violent means, and we've said that all options are on the table to help the Venezuelan people recover their democracy and prosperity," Pompeo said at the University of Louisville.
"That is certainly still true. But we've learned from history that the risks from using military force are significant," he said.
Pointing to hard-hitting US sanctions that include curbs on Venezuela's key export of oil, Pompeo said that US efforts have been "realistic, within the capacity of American power."
Trump since January has been demanding the resignation of Maduro, a leftist ...

Pompeo defends military restraint on Venezuela

A World Trade Organization panel ruled Monday that the European Union has not complied with an order to end illegal subsidies for plane maker Airbus, which prompted the Trump administration to impose tariffs on nearly USD 7.5 billion worth of EU goods in October.
In its ruling, a WTO compliance panel found that the EU had not taken sufficient steps to end harm to Boeing, the major rival to Europe's Airbus. The EU is expected to appeal, though the United States is on the cusp of preventing the WTO's appeals court  the Appellate Body  from ruling on any new appeals.
Responding to Monday's ruling, the EU's executive Commission faulted the panel for making a number of serious legal errors in its assessment of EU compliance, and said its recommended ways of compliance would be very problematic for a larger part of the WTO membership.
The European Commission will decide on its course of action in light of this assessment, including the possibility of bringing an appeal in order to have ...

WTO panel: EU fails to end illegal subsidies for Airbus

President Jair Bolsonaro on Monday said he would appeal to US President Donald Trump to show understanding towards Brazil in a looming row over fresh steel and aluminum tariffs.
"I hope that he understands and does not penalize us," Bolsonaro said in a radio interview.
Trump announced earlier he would reinstate tariffs on steel and aluminum from Brazil and Argentina after currency depreciations made their exports to the United States more competitive.

Brazil's Bolsonaro in plea for Trump understanding on tariffs

Air strikes killed 19 civilians Monday in Syria's last major opposition bastion, the site of the deadliest clashes between regime forces and armed groups since an August ceasefire came into force, a monitoring group said.
More than 100 kilometres (60 miles) to the north, a separate Turkish artillery attack on a Kurdish-held city in Aleppo province killed 11 civilians, including eight children, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Syria's bloody eight-year-long conflict has killed more than 370,000 people and displaced millions since it started in 2011.
It continues to claim scores of civilian lives, especially in areas outside government control.
In the province of Idlib, largely under the control of a group dominated by a former Al-Qaeda affiliate, regime air raids killed 13 civilians in a market in the town of Maaret al-Numan, the Britain-based Observatory said.
An AFP correspondent saw rescue workers carry a wounded man away on a stretcher while a body lay motionless amid .

Thirty killed across Syria as violence rages

An American woman who claims she was trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein to have sex with Prince Andrew criticised the royal's "ridiculous excuses" in an interview to be broadcast Monday.
The interview was recorded before Andrew's own BBC interview, which prompted him to stand down from public duties because of a backlash at his defence of his friendship with Epstein.
But Virginia Giuffre called on the British public to support her as she dismissed claims initially made by the prince's backers that a photograph apparently showing him with his arm around her might not be genuine.
"The people on the inside are going to keep coming up with these ridiculous excuses like his arm was elongated or the photo was doctored," she told the BBC's Panorama programme.
"I'm calling BS (bullshit) on this. He knows what happened, I know what happened. And there's only one of us telling the truth," she said in clips released in advance.
Andrew himself doubted the authenticity of the photograph during his ...

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