GLOBAL SNAPSHOT

Arrests after riot

ADDIS ABABA: Ethiopian authorities have arrested more than 1500 people since declaring a state of emergency less than two weeks ago, according to a statement published by the statecontrolled Fana broadcaster. The state of emergency was imposed after a surge in violence after a stampede at an Oromo religious festival killed over 50 people on October 2 and was blamed on police firing tear gas at anti-government protesters.

Bollywood ban

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s media regulation authority has imposed a blanket ban on Bollywood films and other Indian content on its television networks and radio stations amid increasing tension between the two nuclear-armed rivals on the issue of the disputed region of Kashmir.

Chips not off block

STOCKHOLM: A brewery has created what are believed to be the most costly potato chips ever created – and there are only five in a packet. St Erik’s brewery in Sweden recently launched the product – which are said to fully complement their beer – which will set you back $A90. They are made with Ammarnas potatoes mixed with matsutake (a mushroom that tastes similar to mature cheese), truffle seaweed, crown dill, Leksand onion and India pale ale. Only 100 boxes of “the world’s most exclusive chip” were made and they sold out almost immediately.

Mars data still good

PARIS: Scientists at the European Space Agency have downplayed the loss of its Mars lander, saying a wealth of data sent back by the experimental probe would help them prepare for a future mission to the red planet. The probe’s signal was lost shortly before touchdown.

US soldier killed

BAGHDAD: A US military member assisting Iraqi forces in their push to retake Mosul was killed by a roadside bomb on Thursday, marking the first American combat casualty in the campaign to oust the Islamic State group from its last major stronghold in northern Iraq. He was operating as an explosive ordnance disposal specialist in support of Kurdish Peshmerga fighters who are part of an effort to recapture Mosul.

Court withdrawal

PRETORIA: South Africa is withdrawing from the International Criminal Court, according to a document seen by Reuters. The move would take effect one year after it is formally received by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. A UN spokesman declined to confirm receipt of the document.