UN, October 31. /TASS/. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in a letter to UN Security Council members that he had decided to appoint Norwegian diplomat Geir Pedersen as his new special envoy for Syria, diplomatic sources told TASS.

According to the sources, the secretary general delivered the news in a letter to UN Security Council members.

"In taking this decision, I have consulted broadly, including with the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic," reads the letter, a copy of which was obtained by TASS.

MOSCOW, October 30. /TASS/. The festival of the world’s greatest clowns will be held in the Big St. Petersburg State Circus (a branch of the Russian State Circus Company) in early December, the company said on its official Instagram page on Tuesday.

"The Big St. Petersburg Circus on the Fontanka River will open its doors at the festival of the world’s best clowns at the beginning of December. This grand and beautiful event will be a wonderful start for beginning celebrations to mark the circus’ centenary," the report said.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — It was a scene unthinkable just weeks ago: an Israeli Cabinet minister, tears of joy filling her eyes, proudly singing her country’s national anthem at a sports event in the heart of the Arab world.

The spectacle of Miri Regev singing “HaTikva,” which describes the Jewish yearning for a homeland in Zion, was just one in a series of taboo-busting public appearances by Israeli officials in Gulf Arab states that have thrust the once-secret back channels of outreach into public view.

BEIJING, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- Chinese procuratorates have approved the arrest of over 57,000 people suspected of gang crimes in some 17,000 cases in the first nine months this year, the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) said Tuesday.

Meanwhile, more than 200 people were arrested for sheltering criminal organizations by concealing their crimes or shielding them from punishment, the SPP said.

Of those arrested for gang crimes, over 32,000 have been prosecuted, according to the SPP.

BANGKOK (AP) — The Pacific rim trade pact abandoned by President Donald Trump will take effect at the year’s end after Australia became the sixth nation to ratify it.

Australia announced Wednesday that it had completed procedures needed for the trade arrangement, the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership, to progress. It will take effect Dec. 30.

The deal is aimed at streamlining trade and slashing tariffs to facilitate more business activities between member nations with a combined population of nearly 500 million people and GDP of $13.5 trillion.

31 years ago; 42 Muslims were rounded up by Uttar Pradesh PAC and taken to Ganga canal. They were lined up and shot. Their dead bodies were thrown in the canal.

Incident took place just after Meeruth riots in 1987. 42 victims were picked up from their homes and ordered to march with their hands up. Police vehicle took them to the canal where they were shot in cold blood.

Mhow (MP), Oct 30 (PTI) Congress president Rahul Gandhi Tuesday appealed to journalists to guard the truth without "fear", like the Army protects the border.

He was addressing a public meeting here in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh.

The Congress chief alleged that Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam accused Mehul Choksi had deposited money in a minister's bank account.

HAVANA, October 31. /TASS/. The contract on supplying Russia’s S-400 missile systems to India has been signed in rubles, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov said on Wednesday.

"The contract has been signed in rubles," Borisov said.

Earlier reports said Russia would switch to settlements in national currencies instead of the dollar with its partners in military and technical cooperation.

CBI Additional SP SS Guram lodged petition with Delhi HC against CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana.

According to Punjab Kesary, Guram has accused Asthana of misleading the court.

Guram was caught between Asthana – Alok Verma tussle , and has been transferred to Jabalpur.

MOSCOW, October 31. /TASS/. During a joint Russian-Pakistani military exercise, Friendship-2018, Russian special forces and their Pakistani colleagues practiced an operation against a sabotage and reconnaissance group operating in mountainous terrain, the press service of the Southern Military District said on Wednesday.

"The personnel performed its reconnaissance tasks wearing advanced combat gear, Ratnik," a spokesperson said.

SINGAPORE, October 31. /TASS/. Rescuers have established a presumable location of fuselage of the Lion Air Boeing 737 Max 8 that crashed in the Java Sea on October 29, Commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto said on Wednesday.

"This morning we received a report about the discovery of a bright spot, which is believed to be the plane’s fuselage," the Detik news portal quoted the official as saying. "Rescuers need time to confirm the coordinates that were received."

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An Afghan army helicopter crashed Wednesday in bad weather in the western Farah province, killing all 25 people on board, including the deputy corps commander of the western zone, a provincial spokesman said.

Mohammad Naser Mehri, spokesman for the Farah governor, said the helicopter crashed around 9:10 a.m. (0440 GMT), shortly after taking off from the mountainous Anar Dara district heading toward the nearby Herat province.