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NEW DELHI, Oct 9 (Reuters) – Afghanistan's Taliban foreign minister arrived in India on Thursday for talks aiming to foster economic ties with New Delhi in the first such visit by a leader of the Islamist group since it seized power in 2021. The six-day trip by Amir Khan Muttaqi highlights the Taliban's efforts to spur engagement with regional powers to secure eventual diplomatic recognition. He is set to meet Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and other officials to discuss a range of political, economic and trade matters. "We look forward to engaging discussions with him on bilateral relations and regional issues," foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X welcoming the minister. Muttaqi is also expected to speak with Indian business representatives, visit the ancient monument to love, the Taj Mahal, and a historic Islamic seminary, media said. He arrives in New Delhi after talks in Moscow with diplomats from Afghanistan's neighbours, who appeared to unite against U.S. President Donald Trump's stated aim of taking over the Bagram military base near Kabul, the capital. Russia is the only country to have yet recognised the Taliban administration, whose members are under U.N. sanctions including a travel ban and asset freeze, including Muttaqi, who got a temporary exemption to visit India. Historically, India and Afghanistan have had friendly ties but New Delhi does not recognise the Taliban and shut its embassy in Kabul after the U.S. withdrawal from the war-shattered country in 2021. New Delhi opened a small mission a year later to ease the way for trade, medical support and humanitarian aid, while its senior officials have held two-way talks with Taliban leaders. (Reporting by Shivam Patel in New Delhi; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

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The Chicago Cubs have started fast in each of the first three games of the National League Division Series, but they have only one win to show for it. They will look to bolt out of the blocks once again in Game 4 on Thursday when they attempt to even their best-of-five series against the visiting Milwaukee Brewers. Michael Busch belted a homer to lead off the series opener and the Cubs scored three runs in the first inning of Game 2, only to lose both contests. Busch went deep to open Game 3 as part of a four-run first inning, and Chicago held on for a 4-3 victory on Wednesday. "I'm going to tell our guys it's the first inning every inning (on Thursday)," Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. "I think that's our best formula right now offensively. "But Michael's … look, you can just tell how they manage the game. He's become the guy in the lineup that everyone's thinking about, and they're pitching around him, and that's a credit to the player. … He's put us off to a great start in a whole bunch of these games." Busch, who led the team with 34 homers during the regular season, has gone deep three times in the playoffs. "I thought we were just locked in from the beginning," Busch said. "They happened to give us four runs to win it, but I thought right off the bat, all nine of us kind of gave really good at-bats." Unfortunately for the Cubs, the Brewers also have started quickly in the series. Milwaukee erupted for six runs in the first inning of Game 1, matched Chicago's three-run output in the opening frame of Game 2 and scratched for a run in the first inning of Game 3. So that begs the question: Who will start Game 4 for each team? Well, neither team tipped its hand in the postgame press conferences and locker room interviews on Wednesday. For Milwaukee, right-hander Freddy Peralta would be in line to take the mound on four days' rest should he get the nod. Peralta (1-0, 3.18 ERA postseason) followed up a 17-win regular season by allowing two runs on four hits in 5 2/3 innings in a 9-3 victory over the Cubs in the series opener on Saturday. Peralta, 29, finished 3-1 with a 3.43 ERA in four regular-season starts vs. Chicago this season. He is 9-3 with a 3.21 ERA in 22 career regular-season appearances (17 starts) against the Cubs. Chicago left-hander Matthew Boyd likely will get the nod Thursday in a rematch of the series opener. Boyd (0-1, 5.40 ERA postseason) would love a better result after permitting six runs, two earned, on four hits in two-thirds of an inning on Saturday. In that contest, he was pitching on three days' rest for the first time this year. Boyd, 34, went 1-1 with a 7.84 ERA in two regular-season starts vs. Milwaukee in 2025. He is 2-2 with a 9.00 ERA in five career regular-season appearances (all starts) against the Brewers. Brewers first baseman Jake Bauers is 1-for-11 in his career against Boyd. Bauers homered and drove in two runs on Wednesday, but he failed to come through with the bases loaded in the eighth, striking out to end the inning. "Obviously going down three in the first (inning) is not good, but no one in there lost confidence," Bauers said. –Field Level Media

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BRUSSELS, Oct 9 (Reuters) – Israel and Hamas agreeing to the first phase of the U.S. Gaza plan is a significant breakthrough, and a real chance to end the war and release all the hostages, the EU's foreign affairs chief said on Thursday, calling it "a major diplomatic accomplishment". "The EU will do what it can to support its implementation," Kaja Kallas also said. (Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout. Editing by Mark Potter)

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* US sanctions on NIS part of broader isolation of Russian energy assets * JANAF granted temporary license to transport crude to Serbia * NIS collaborates with partners to mitigate impact of sanctions (Adds oil stocks, background and comments throughout) ATHENS, Oct 9 (Reuters) – Serbia-based Russian oil company NIS said on Thursday it had failed to secure another waiver from U.S. sanctions, which could complicate its long-term efforts to secure oil deliveries. The U.S. imposed sanctions on NIS, one of Russia's last remaining energy assets in Europe, in January, part of a wider move to isolate Russian energy assets. But a series of waivers delayed the measures until October 9. "The special license from the U.S. Department of the Treasury, which enables seamless operational business, has not yet been extended," NIS said in a statement. However, the U.S. on Wednesday extended a license for Croatian oil pipeline operator JANAF, NIS' main supplier, to continue transporting crude to Serbia for another week, as it seeks to complete the delivery of contracted volumes. NIS said on Thursday it had secured sufficient stocks of oil for processing and gas stations in the country were regularly supplied with all types of petroleum products as U.S. sanctions take effect and the company worked to overcome the situation with partners, the Serbian government and shareholders. Gazprom Neft holds a 44.9% stake, and an investment unit of Gazprom has about 11.3% in NIS. The Serbian government has a 29.9% stake. (Reporting by Aleksandar Vasovic and Ivana Sekularace; Writing by Angelik Koutantou; Editing by Jamie Freed and Rashmi Aich)

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Oct 9 (OPTA) – Summaries for the MLS on Thursday (start times are EST) Los Angeles (1) 2 Scorers: J. Ebobisse 13, F. Amaya 69 Yellow card: Delgado 17 Missed penalty: D. Martínez 60 Subs used: Amaya 66 (Martínez), Hollingshead 66 (Smoliakov), Băluță 76 (Ebobisse), Yeboah 76 (Moran), Jailson 84 (Delgado) Toronto (0) 0 Red card: Alonso Coello 99 Yellow card: Thompson 58 Subs used: Cimermancic 76 (Cifuentes), Kerr 76 (Vilsaint), Henry 83 (Dominguez) Referee: Filip Dujic ……………………………………………………….. Saturday, October 11 fixtures (EST/GMT) Inter Miami v Atlanta United (2330) Orlando City v Vancouver Whitecaps (2330) Sunday, October 12 fixtures (EST/GMT) Seattle Sounders v Real Salt Lake (0130) LA Galaxy v Dallas (0230) Austin v Los Angeles (2300)

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ISRAELI MILITARY SAYS IT CONTINUES TO BE DEPLOYED IN THE REGION AND PREPARE FOR ANY OPERATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

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Oct 9 (Reuters) – Alten SA: * TO APPOINT SIMON AZOULAY AS CHAIRMAN * SEPARATION OF THE FUNCTIONS OF CHAIRMAN AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER * CYRIL MALARGÉ APPOINTED CEO * DECISIONS WILL TAKE EFFECT NO LATER THAN JANUARY 31, 2026. Source text: Further company coverage: (Gdansk Newsroom Rédaction de Gdańsk)

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LONDON, Oct 9 (Reuters) – Andrew Flintoff has decided to step down as Northern Superchargers coach in The Hundred suggesting he did not feel valued by the franchise's new Indian owners. The former England all-rounder coached the men's team of the Headingley-based franchise in the last two editions of the tournament. Appearing on the Beard Before Wicket podcast, co-hosted by Superchargers spinner Adil Rashid, Flintoff confirmed his talks with the Sun Group, which bought the full 100% stake in Superchargers in February this year, had broken down. "I genuinely don't do it for the money, although it's nice, but I'm worth more than just over a quarter of the (salary of) other head coaches," the 47-year-old said. "I wasn't encouraged they wanted me anyway, but then also you want to feel valued. "So I said that it's not going to work for me, and they weren't going to move on it." The BBC quoted a Sun Group spokesperson as saying, "We had discussions with Freddie and extended an offer, which was an increase over his current salary at Northern Superchargers. "While we would have loved to have him on board, we respect his decision." Flintoff, also the head coach of the England Lions, is tipped as a future coach for the England national team. (Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; Editing by Kate Mayberry)

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Oct 9 (OPTA) – Summaries for the Friendlies on Wednesday (start times are GMT) Friendlies 2 ……………………………………………………….. Gibraltar (0) 0 Subs used: Richards 46 (Vinet), Annesley 46 (Lopes), del Rio 62 (Borge), Perera 62 (Bent), Ronan 62 (Clinton) New Caledonia (0) 2 Scorers: J. Katrawa 61, G. Haéwégéné 90+5 Subs used: Richard 66 (Iwa), Wélépane 66 (Waia), Béaruné 78 (Kenon), Haéwégéné 78 (Katrawa) Referee: Michele Beltrano ……………………………………………………….. Friendlies 3 ……………………………………………………….. Grenada (22:00) British Virgin Islands ……………………………………………………….. Friendlies 2 ……………………………………………………….. St. Vincent / Grenadines (0) 1 Scorers: O. Anderson 75 Cuba (0) 0 ……………………………………………………….. Friday, October 10 fixtures (GMT) Japan v Paraguay (1020) Korea Republic v Brazil (1100) Uruguay v Dominican Republic (1245) Jordan v Bolivia (1600) Russia v IR Iran (1700) Chile v Peru (2300) Canada v Australia (2330) Saturday, October 11 fixtures (GMT) Argentina v Venezuela (0000) United States v Ecuador (0030) Grenada v Cuba (2330) Sunday, October 12 fixtures (GMT) Mexico v Colombia (0100) Malta v Bosnia-Herzegovina (1700) Monday, October 13 fixtures (GMT) Uzbekistan v Uruguay (1245) Montenegro v Liechtenstein (1600) Puerto Rico v Argentina (2300) Tuesday, October 14 fixtures (GMT) IR Iran v Tanzania Venezuela v Belize (0100) Japan v Brazil (1030) Korea Republic v Paraguay (1100) Norway v New Zealand (1600) Albania v Jordan (1700) Russia v Bolivia (1700)

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(.) * MSCI Asia equities index rises 0.3% * BSP to stand pat on rates – Reuters poll * Peso flat, stocks inch higher ahead of BSP call By Rishav Chatterjee Oct 9 (Reuters) – Taiwan stocks scaled another fresh record on Thursday, spearheading gains across Asia as markets regained momentum on renewed optimism around AI-driven headlines, while Philippine equities edged up ahead of a closely-contested rate decision. The MSCI index of emerging Asian equities, which had slipped more than 1% in the previous session, rose 0.3%, while the broader MSCI Asia-Pacific ex-Japan index also nudged higher. Overnight, Wall Street notched fresh peaks as a renewed rally in AI-linked tech stocks overshadowed concerns over a prolonged U.S. government shutdown and the absence of major economic data. In Taipei, the benchmark climbed as much as 1.5%, marking its fourth record in five sessions amid a feverish AI-driven run. Shares in Indonesia and Malaysia advanced 0.6% and 0.2%, respectively, while Thailand’s benchmark jumped 0.7%. Singapore’s index, however, eased slightly. The Monetary Authority of Singapore is set to meet on October 14, with analysts at OCBC predicting it to be a close call between flattening the slope and staying on hold. Elsewhere, Manila’s benchmark traded without a clear direction as investors awaited the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ rate call. Fourteen of 23 economists polled by Reuters expect the central bank to keep its policy rate steady at 5%, as the country battles elevated inflation and political unrest over an infrastructure-corruption probe. The peso was flat. Weak growth in Philippines, worsened by the infrastructure corruption scandal, argues for further easing, but the same scandal has rattled the peso, making rate cuts risky for currency stability, said Vishnu Varathan, managing director, head of macro research, Asia ex-Japan at Mizuho Securities. In effect, the scandal has deepened both growth and FX pressures, sharpening the policy trade-off, he added. In currency markets, the Thai baht weakened to its lowest since late August, last trading at 32.48 per U.S. dollar, after the Bank of Thailand surprised markets on Wednesday by holding rates unchanged but signalling readiness to ease if growth falters further. Analysts still expect two rate cuts by year-end. Other currencies in emerging Asia eked out modest gains against a steady U.S. dollar on Thursday. The Singapore dollar and its Taiwanese counterpart gained 0.1% and 0.2%, respectively, while the Indonesian rupiah added 0.2%. The Malaysian ringgit traded flat. Asian ex-Japan currencies are likely to continue range-bound, two-way trading in the absence of major data catalysts, with moves guided by overall equity market sentiment, said Christopher Wong, currency strategist with OCBC. Attention remains on the duration of the U.S. government shutdown, as a prolonged impasse could start to weigh on economic activity, Wong said. HIGHLIGHTS: ** Thailand to start buying bad household debt this month ** Thailand to support technology investments, finance minister says Asia stock indexes and currencies at 0421 GMT COUNTRY FX RIC FX DAILY FX YTD % INDEX STOCKS STOCKS % DAILY YTD % % Japan +0.10 +3.05 1.43 23.18 China India +0.04 -3.55 0.14 6.08 Indonesi +0.21 -2.60 0.55 15.97 a Malaysia +0.05 +6.08 0.18 -0.73 Philippi +0.00 +0.25 -0.11 -6.69 nes S.Korea Singapor +0.14 +5.53 -0.19 17.43 e Taiwan +0.10 +7.46 0.94 18.59 Thailand -0.23 +5.36 0.69 -6.16 (Reporting by Sameer Manekar in Bengaluru; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala)

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