Presidential race tightens in Florida, Ohio, Arizona

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By Chris Kahn | NEW YORK

The U.S. presidential race tightened in a number of traditional battleground states, though Democrat Hillary Clinton remained the favorite to win the White House, according to the latest Reuters/Ipsos States of the Nation project poll released on Monday.

The project, which uses a national online opinion poll of more than 15,000 people, showed that, as of Thursday, Clinton and Republican rival Donald Trump were running nearly even in support in Florida and Ohio: states where she had held an advantage. Arizona, where Trump had held an advantage, was also considered a toss-up.

Meanwhile, Maine, Oregon and Pennsylvania were considered states that Clinton would likely win. They had previously been considered toss-ups.

Overall, the project showed that Clinton continued to hold the advantage over Trump in the Electoral College, the body that ultimately picks the president.

If the U.S. presidential election were held today, Clinton would lead Trump 246 to 180 in the Electoral College, and had an 88 percent chance of gaining the 270 electoral votes needed to become the U.S. chief executive.

A separate Reuters/Ipsos online poll showed that a majority of Americans felt that Clinton won last week’s presidential debate. Over the past several weeks, the Democrat had maintained a lead of 4 to 5 percentage points in support over Trump among likely voters.

(Editing by Jonathan Oatis)

At least 13 killed after blast in wedding hall in Syria's Hasaka city

A suicide bomber killed at least 13 people when an explosive device was detonated inside a Kurdish wedding hall in the northeastern Syrian city of Hasaka, state media and a monitor said on Monday.

State television, quoting a police source in the city, said the initial toll also included 55 injured. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 14 were killed in the blast, adding the number was expected to rise with many of the wounded in critical condition.

The city is mainly in the hands of the Kurdish YPG militia after it evicted the Syrian army last August and leaving them with a symbolic foothold in a security zone in the center of the city.

(Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi; Editing by Catherine Evans)

नया शराबबंदी कानून: विज्ञापन पर भी कडी सजा का प्रावधान

पटना, 3 अक्तूबर :भाषा: बिहार में लागू नए शराबबंदी कानून में शराब अथवा मादक द्रव्य के प्रयोग को लेकर विज्ञापन देने और उसे प्रकाशित करने पर भी कडी सजा का प्रावधान किया गया है।

नए शराबबंदी कानून की धारा 40 के तहत किसी भी तरह से प्रत्यक्ष अथवा अप्रत्यक्ष किसी शराब अथवा मादक द्रव्य के प्रयोग की याचना करने वाला कोई विज्ञापन देता है तो वह कम से कम तीन से पांच वर्ष के कारावास और दस लाख रूपये के जुर्माने से दंडित किया जा सकता है। नए शराबबंदी कानून की धारा 44 के तहत अवैध शराब व्यापार में अवयस्क अथवा महिलाओं को नियोजित करने पर कम से कम दस वषरें के कारावास जिसे बढाकर आजीवन कारावास किया जा सकता है तथा एक से दस लाख रूपये तक जुर्माना अथवा दोनों हो सकते है।

Russia welcomes surgical strike by India in PoK

New Delhi, Oct 3 (PTI) Days after it asked lslamabad to take "effective" steps to stop the activities of terrorist groups on its territory, Russia today said it "welcomes" the surgical strike by India as every country has a right to defend itself.

Russia's Ambassador to New Delhi Alexander M Kadakin also said his country had always been with India in fighting cross-border terrorism.

"Greatest human rights violations take place when terrorists attack military installations and attack peaceful civilians in India. We welcome the surgical strike. Every country has right to defend itself," Russian embassy quoted Kadakin as having told a news channel.

He also assured India that it does not need to worry about Russia-Pakistan joint military exercise, saying it did not take place in "Pakistan-Occupied Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir".

Last week, a Russian Foreign Ministry statement had said Russia stands for "decisive struggle" against terrorism in all its manifestations.

"We are concerned with the aggravation lately of the situation along the line of control between India and Pakistan.

"We are calling on the parties not to allow any escalation of tension and to settle the existing problems by political and diplomatic means through negotiations. We stand for decisive struggle against terrorism in all its manifestations.

"We expect that the Government of Pakistan should take effective steps in order to stop the activities of terrorist groups in the territory of the country," the statement said.

Archive PAP/EPA

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Poland's Radwanska returns to world number 3 in WTA ranking

Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska has moved up from fourth place back to world number three in the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) ranking.

The ranking is led by Germany's Angelique Kerber, who is followed by Serena Williams of the United States. (PAP

Belarus Parliament approves 2017 budget bill in first reading

 MINSK, 3 October (BelTA) - Members of the House of Representatives approved the national budget 2017 bill in the first reading, BelTA has learned. In 2017 the budget will retain its social focus. The priority areas for financing are healthcare and education. The draft budget provides for the family capital in the amount of Br457.8 million. A significant portion of the budget will be spent to finance wages, pensions, scholarships, grants, other payments. The budget surplus is projected at Br1,496.2 million. The revenues of the draft budget 2017 are forecast at Br18,235.2 million, or up by 6.1% from 2016. The main sources of tax revenue are the value added tax (31.5%), excises (7.6%), tax revenues from foreign economic activity (10.5%). Finance Minister Vladimir Amarin explained that the flow of tax revenues from foreign economic activity is projected to decrease as compared to 2016. This is due to lower revenues from export duties on oil and oil products, taking into account the projected oil price and the final stage of the tax maneuver in Russia. “The revenue base of the budget is very sensitive to the changes in prices and volumes of exports of potash fertilizers and oil products, the exchange rate of the Belarusian ruble,” the minister said. The budget expenditures are forecast at Br6,739.1 million in 2017, or 98.9% of the 2016 budget expenditures. The key objectives in 2017 will be to recover the economic growth, enhance the competitiveness of the economy and create the conditions for achieving the goals set out in Belarus' social and economic development program 2016-2020.
Read full text at: http://eng.belta.by/economics/view/belarus-parliament-approves-2017-budget-bill-in-first-reading-95037-2016/

IMF publishes memorandum of cooperation with Ukraine

The International Monetary Fund has published a memorandum of cooperation with Ukraine.

The document is available on the IMF website.

The memorandum includes a Letter of Intent of the government of Ukraine, which describes the policies that Ukraine intends to implement in the context of its request for financial support from the IMF. The document was signed by President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman, Head of the NBU Valeria Gontareva and Finance Minister Oleksandr Danylyuk.

The text of the memorandum stipulates that Ukraine is committed to raise the retirement age and allow the sale of land by November, as well as to complete the verification of recipients of pensions and social payments by the end of December of this year.

As knows, in September, the IMF Executive Board adopted a positive decision to extend the program of cooperation with Ukraine and to allocate the financial assistance to the country.

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Ambassador Deshchytsia tells ‘recipe’ to cut queues on Ukrainian-Polish border

03.10.2016 17:42129

Improving infrastructure, increasing the number of border checkpoints and regulating small border traffic are the steps allowing us to resolve the issue of long queues on the border, Ambassador of Ukraine to Poland Andrii Deshchytsia has stated in an interview with Ukrinform.

“First of all, border infrastructure should be improved. For this purpose, there are funds from the Polish loan, which should be used effectively,” Deshchytsia said, adding that certain changes should be made to the budget to use the loan worth EUR 100 million.

            According to Deshchytsia, relevant proposals have already been submitted to Parliament and are expected to be approved soon.

DETAILS

Chabahar Project will make Iran a global player

New Delhi, Oct 3, IRNA - A senior Indian columnist and TV panelist believes that the successful implementation of the Chabahar Port Project in Iran will make the Islamic Republic a major global player in, not only in the Western and the Central Asia, but also in the Indian Ocean.

In an exclusive interview with IRNA here on the importance of the Chabahar Port Development Project, Gautam Mukherjee said: “Most definitely, the biggest gainer from the development of Chabahar Port will be Iran itself, as it is located in Iran. Because of its strategic location, Iran will also become a global player in the progress of the Central Asia, the West Asia –particularly the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean.”

“India, if it is invited to have a long-term presence in Chabahar by Iran, will also help to counterbalance both Saudi Arabia’s influence/dominance in the Persian Gulf and hostility towards Iran.” The seasoned analyst of the world affairs added.

Terming the Chabahar Port Project as a bold move by Iran and India, Gautam Mukhrjee said: “The long-standing and close relationship between India and Iran over centuries has been illustrated dramatically in this bold and futuristic cooperation between the two countries. Even during the recent period that Iran was under the international economic sanctions, India’s relationship with Iran was largely unchanged, despite international pressures. India will bring its design, engineering and project management skills to bear at Chabahar Port.”

“For India too, it will provide a strategic presence in West Asia and easier access to the petroleum resources, including natural gas from Iran. And both petroleum and other strategic raw materials from the Central Asia as well.”

On the roles that Iran and India can play to stabilize the situation in Afghanistan, he said: “Thanks to its road access to Chabahar, Afghanistan is no longer land-locked or solely dependent on Pakistani land-routes and ports to move its goods and services beyond its own borders. That is why Afghanistan was able to persuade Pakistan that it would trade with India sending goods via Pakistani land-routes through to the Wagah Border near Lahore/Amritsar, most recently.”

“Afghanistan, therefore, cannot afford to isolate itself from the world. Iran, as an immediate neighbor, can be a very big help to Afghanistan going forward, particularly now that the influence of the Afghan Taliban is no longer strong. India, on its part, has a very old and warm relationship with Afghanistan going back centuries too, and is trusted by the government of people of Afghanistan.”

On the possible ways to end the current crisis in Afghanistan, Gautam Mukherjee said: “The government of Afghanistan, politically speaking, surely must involve all shades of Afghan opinions that are willing to discuss matters in a democratic manner. However, those who want to talk only with bullets cannot, of course, be included.”

“Today, Afghanistan is also recognised as one of the most mineral and other resource rich countries in the world. Afghanistan can prosper with its natural wealth, but it will need foreign technology, know-how and management to exploit its resources. He added.
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Japan's Osumi Wins Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

Tokyo, Oct. 3 (Jiji Press)--Sweden's Karolinska Institute said Monday it will give the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine to Yoshinori Osumi, honorary professor at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, for his discoveries of mechanisms for autophagy, a process for degrading and recycling unnecessary proteins within cells.
   Osumi, 71, is the fourth Japanese winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, after Satoshi Omura, professor emeritus at Kitasato University, who won it in 2015, Kyoto University Prof. Shinya Yamanaka, who received it in 2012, and Susumu Tonegawa, director of Riken's Brain Science Institute, who won it in 1987.
   It is the third straight year for a Nobel Prize to be won by a Japanese. Osumi is the 25th Japanese to win a Nobel Prize.
   "I'm very honored. I feel a special weight for the Nobel Prize," Osumi told a press conference at the Tokyo Institute of Technology.
   Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called Osumi and congratulated him for winning the prize. Abe told Osumi that he is proud of the achievement as a fellow Japanese.

Japan Unveils Plan to Increase Olympic Medalists

  Tokyo, Oct. 3 (Jiji Press)--Japan Sports Agency Commissioner Daichi Suzuki unveiled Monday an eight-year athlete support plan to bring more Olympic and Paralympic medals to the country.
   In the plan, each sport association in the country will be asked to draw up an eight-year athlete enhancement program for the 2020 Tokyo Games and 2024 Games.
   The Japan Sport Council, the Japanese Olympic Committee and the Japanese Paralympic Committee will form a team to provide advice and funding to the associations, depending on the level of achievement of their programs.
   In scouting young talents, the team will collaborate with the Japan Sports Association, which runs a network across prefectures. Certain high school athletes will be asked to switch to other sports after aptitude tests.
   For the 2020 Tokyo Games, the plan designates fiscal 2016-2017 as the period to establish a basis for a leap, and fiscal 2019-2020 as the final spurt period. Support in the latter period will be focused on sports considered to be having potential medalists.

State of emergency to be extended 3 months: Deputy PM

    

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ANKARA

Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus announced Monday that Turkey's state of emergency, initially declared after the July 15 defeated coup, will be extended for 3 more months.

Speaking to reporters after a Cabinet meeting in the capital Ankara, Kurtulmus said that the assembled ministers decided that the state of emergency would be extended as of Oct. 19 for 90 more days, with parliament’s approval.

“Turkey will determinately fight against all terror organizations,” Kurtulmus said.

The National Security Council last week had advised extending the state of emergency.

After the deadly July 15 coup attempt – blamed by the government on the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) – which martyred more than 240 people and injured nearly 2,200 others, Turkey declared a state of emergency on July 20. 

According to the Turkish Constitution, a state of emergency can be declared for a maximum period of six months, but can also be extended if needed.

Parliament must ratify states of emergency, and the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party has a comfortable majority for doing so.

To enact the state of emergency, the government must see serious indications of widespread violence which could interfere with Turkey's democratic environment or its citizens' basic rights and freedoms as established by the Constitution. 

- Gulen extradition

On the extradition of the U.S.-based Fetullah Gulen, who is accused of leading the terrorist FETO organization, Kurtulmus said that negotiations with the U.S. authorities are ongoing.

He added that documents Turkey sent to the U.S. on Sept. 10 concerned arresting Gulen in the U.S., where he has lived in self-exile since 1999.

The network led by Gulen is accused of wiretapping senior Turkish government figures, including the former prime minister and current president, National Intelligence Organization (MIT) chief, and Cabinet ministers, as well as journalists via state officials.

Last October, an Istanbul court issued an arrest warrant for Gulen after approving a 1,453-page indictment charging him with "attempting to overthrow the government of the Republic of Turkey or obstructing it from conducting its duties by force".

- Operation Euphrates Shield

On developments in Iraq and Syria, Kurtulmus said that Turkey’s Operation Euphrates Shield, which was launched on Aug. 24, is aimed at protecting Syria’s territorial integrity as well Turkey’s lands from terror organizations such as Daesh and the PYD/PKK. 

“In our view, the operation is ongoing successfully,” he said.

Kurtulmus added that Turkey’s priority aim is ridding the region of Daesh, and ensuring civilians can return to their homes in such cities as Jarabulus.

“Our position is clear and open on possible anti-Daesh operations in Mosul [in Iraq] and Raqqa,” he said.

“Turkey has been stating at every opportunity that Daesh [forming] is a consequence of political instability and fragmentation in Syria and Iraq, not a reason,” he added.

Turkey is always ready to cooperate with the international coalition to rid the region of terrorist groups, he said. 

News fromTurky- Erdogan calls on Muslim countries to unite

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday urged Islamic nations to unite and show solidarity with each other, Anadolu reported.

In an interview with the Saudi Arabia-based television channel, Rotana, Erdogan said despicable developments are being formed against the Islamic world.

“Turkey and Saudi Arabia are being targeted. We see that all pitfalls and plans are pointed against the Islamic world,” he said.

At least 600,000 people have been killed in Syria due to the ongoing war, he said, and the Islamic world should cooperate even more closely before it is too late.

Turkey and the U.S. launched an operation in northern Syria in late August to clear the area of Daesh elements. Ankara has no expansionist designs for Syria, Erdogan said as he indicated his country currently hosts nearly 3 million refugees at a cost of $12.5 billion because of an “Islamic and emotional duty”.

He added that the West evades responsibility to refugees and those countries are closing their borders.

Regarding the situation in Iraq, he said Mosul belongs to its residents.

“After Mosul will be rescued from Daesh, only Sunni Arabs, Turkmen and Sunni Kurds should remain there,” he said.

Turning to developments in Washington, a U.S. bill passed last week that allows victims of terrorist attacks to sue foreign governments deemed responsible was a point of concern for Erdogan as he joined Saudi officials in voicing apprehension about the legislation.

“We expressed disapproval due to adaptation of the 9/11 victims bill,” Erdogan said.

The U.S. Congress voted overwhelmingly in favor to override President Barack Obama’s veto of the Justice against State Sponsors of Terrorism Act that is supported by the families of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York and Washington who hope to sue the Saudi government for its alleged role in the attacks.

Obama has argued that the bill would open U.S. military personnel and officials to lawsuits by foreign governments.

Governor says S. Korea should prepare for nuclear armament

SUWON, South Korea, Oct. 3 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean governor who is believed to be a potential presidential candidate for the ruling party has said the country should prepare for nuclear armament in the face of North Korea's growing nuclear threats.

Gov. Nam Kyung-pil of Gyeonggi Province made the remarks in an interview with Yonhap News Agency Sunday, citing concerns the United States may withdraw its nuclear umbrella from over South Korea.

"It's time for us to consider various options, and one of them is to prepare for nuclear armament," he said. "Preparations for nuclear armament should begin with the next government, or, in fact, now."

Court orders U.N. chief's nephew to pay $590,000 over fraud

SEOUL, Oct. 3 (Yonhap) -- A local court has ordered a nephew of U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to pay US$590,000 in damages to a South Korean construction firm that was at the center of a major lobbying scandal last year, sources said Monday.

The Seoul Northern District Court handed down the sentence to Ban Joo-hyun, son of Ban's younger brother Ban Ki-sang, on charges of fabricating documents that allegedly expressed the Qatari government's intention to buy a high-rise building belonging to the firm, Keangnam Enterprises Inc., according to legal sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Ban Joo-hyun, who was an executive of a U.S. real estate investment company at the time, is accused of receiving the money from Keangnam Enterprises in 2014 in exchange for arranging the sale of the skyscraper in Vietnam to the Qatari government. In the process, he reportedly told Keangnam that he could use the influence of his uncle to directly contact the Qatari king.

In March 2015, the debt-ridden firm went into receivership, and its chairman Sung Wan-jong committed suicide a month later amid allegations of embezzlement.

Ban Joo-hyun has yet to respond to the sentence, which was delivered in his absence.