German Chancellor Angela Merkel's  hoped-for fourth government suffered a first defeat today  before even being sworn in, as prospective foreign minister  Martin Schulz stepped back after a series of U-turns.
The perception among Social Democratic Party activists  that party chief Schulz had fashioned himself a life raft from  the wreckage of an election disaster threatened chances the  rank and file would green-light a controversial coalition deal  sealed just two days ago.
"I hereby renounce joining the federal government and at  the same time implore that this should be an end to debates  about personalities," Schulz said in a statement.
"My own personal ambitions must be placed behind the  interests of the party."
Schulz managed this week to clinch a coalition deal with  Merkel's CDU/CSU that gave his centre-left SPD six ministries  as well as securing a string of policy concessions.
But reneging on his vow not to serve as a minister in a  Merkel-led cabinet prompted a wave of ...

First defeat for Merkel 4.0 as would-be foreign minister quits

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As the Pyeongchang Olympics  opened today the sight of two bellicose "world leaders"  putting aside the threat of nuclear war warmed the cockles on  a freezing cold night.
As excited spectators filed into the Olympic Stadium for  the gala ceremony, many did a double-take.
Could it really be US President Donald Trump and North  Korean leader Kim Jong Un?
Normally obsessed with comparing the size of their  nuclear buttons, here the pair looked more like atomic  kittens.
In fact it was two spitting-image lookalikes -- not the  actual bickering enemies -- who were turning heads, shaking  hands and taking selfies.
And as protesters raged against the presence in  Pyeongchang of North Korean athletes and dignitaries,  including Kim's sister Kim Yo Jong, the two fake leaders were  given a warm reception by stunned onlookers.
"When we arrived at the station we were treated like rock  stars," Kim lookalike Howard, dressed in all black, told AFP.
"Some people were fooled but most people can see .

Atomic kittens: 'Trump and Kim' play nice at Olympics

Tongan cross-country skier Pita  Taufatofua stole the show at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympic  opening ceremony today when he entered the stadium bare-  chested again, despite icy sub-zero temperatures.
The 34-year-old beefcake caused a stir at the 2016 Rio  Games when he oiled himself up and went topless as Tonga's  flag-bearer.
With the Pyeongchang Olympics threatening to be one of  the coldest Games on record, Taufatofua had said he would be  keeping his clothes on for the gala opening after swapping  taekwondo for a pair of skis.
But lo and behold, once more he strode into the arena  glistening with oil and bare-chested, wearing just a  traditional male ta'ovala skirt, his muscles rippling as he  waved Tonga's flag around like a spear.
A self-proclaimed beach bum, Taufatofua became an instant  online hit in Rio, racking up 45 million mentions on Twitter  and later leading to appearances on international talk shows  and other lucrative opportunities.
The naked Tongan's brave cameo ..

Tongan goes topless again at Olympics -- in icy cold

English county side Worcestershire  announced the signing of Australian international Travis Head  for the 2018 season today, with the all-rounder targeting a  place in his Test team.
The 24-year-old captained Adelaide Strikers to glory in  this year's Big Bash League and was the competition's fourth  highest run-scorer while he impressed with an innings of 96 in  Australia's consolation win over England in the recent one-day  series.
Head, who has 34 one-day international and 10 Twenty20  caps, could boost his Test prospects as he will feature in all  three formats for Worcestershire.
Worcestershire, promoted last season to division one of  the country championship, said they would be looking for  "another leading overseas player" in Head's likely absence for  Australia's five ODIs and one T20 in England midway through  the campaign.
"We are delighted to have signed Travis," said  Worcestershire vice-chairman Tim Curtis.
"Travis will start the season with us in April and will  be ...

Australia's Travis Head signs for Worcestershire

Amazon is preparing a limited  launch of a delivery service that would compete directly with  services like Fedex and UPS, a report said today.
Citing unnamed sources, the Wall Street Journal  newspaper said the US online and retail giant expects to begin  a delivery service in Los Angeles in coming weeks with third-  party merchants that sell goods on its website.
The service is likely to expand to other cities as  well, sources told the newspaper.
Over time, the service could be expanded to other  businesses, putting Amazon in direct competition with delivery  companies, according to the report.
While Amazon delivers some of its own orders in parts  of the United States and relies on its complex logistics  network, it uses third-party firms for many deliveries.
The "Shipping with Amazon" service has already been  tested in London, according to the Journal.
Contacted by AFP, Amazon did not directly comment on  the report but said, "We're always innovating and  experimenting on behalf 

Amazon set to launch its own delivery service: report

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte  today declared himself beyond the jurisdiction of an  International Criminal Court probe into thousands of deaths in  his "drugs war", claiming local laws do not specifically ban  extrajudicial killings.
In a typically bombastic speech today, a day after the  ICC announced a preliminary inquiry into alleged crimes  against humanity, Duterte renewed threats to withdraw from the  world's sole war crimes tribunal.
Duterte, who has overseen the bloody anti-drug crackdown  since taking power in 2016, acknowledged that a previous  Manila government ratified the treaty that established the  ICC, but claimed it had not passed into local law because of a  technicality.
"There is no fucking provision of extrajudicial killing.  It is not defined anywhere so how can you now accuse me of a  crime," said Duterte, speaking in his home city of Davao.
Police say they have killed nearly 4,000 drug suspects in  the narcotics crackdown, while rights groups claim the .

Philippines' Duterte claims he cannot be tried by war crimes

Roshen Silva hit an unbeaten half-  century to put Sri Lanka in command of the second Test after  stretching their lead to 312 against Bangladesh in Dhaka  today.
The visitors reached 200-8 at stumps on day two in their  second innings. The batting effort came after debutant spinner  Akila Dananjaya led an inspirational attack to dismiss  Bangladesh for 110 in the morning session.
Silva was batting on 58, his second fifty in the game,  which came amid a regular fall of wickets on what seemed a  difficult batting pitch at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.
The highest successful run-chase at the ground is  England's 209-1 against the hosts in 2010.
"I don't think it is possible to get more than 300 runs  on this wicket. It is common sense but cricket is a funny  game," Silva told reporters.
"We bowled them out for 100 and we wanted to get more  than 300-plus runs actually.
"We passed it," added Silva, playing just his third Test  since his debut in India last year.
Suranga Lakmal, who 

Silva fifty puts Sri Lanka on top in second Test

President Jacob Zuma's exit  from office edged closer today as South African ruling party  leaders cancelled a series of public appearances, fuelling  speculation they were finalising his departure.
African National Congress (ANC) party officials met with  Zuma over the weekend to request his resignation, but he  refused, triggering a week of dramatic political manoeuvering.
The embattled president has remained defiant in the face  of pressure to resign according to party MPs quoted by several  local media outlets.
On Thursday, the ANC said it was awaiting the "imminent  conclusion" of negotiations between Zuma and his deputy Cyril  Ramaphosa, the president-in-waiting.
The sudden decision by the party's "Top Six" leadership  to abandon plans to join celebrations in Cape Town marking the  100th anniversary of Nelson Mandela's birth has prompted  speculation they will join efforts to ease out Zuma.
"The national officials of the ANC will no longer  participate... This is because of ...

ANC bosses clear diaries as Zuma exit looms

The two Koreas  marched together and South Korea's president shared a historic  handshake with Kim Jong Un's sister as the Pyeongchang Winter  Olympics opened in a spirit of intense rapprochement today.
At a glittering but sub-zero ceremony, South and North  Korea brought the crowd to its feet as they entered behind the  blue-and-white Korean unification flag.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in shook the hand of a  smiling Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean  leader Kim Jong Un, as he entered the VIP seating section, and  again as the Korean athletes marched.
It cemented what has been a rapid improvement in Korean  ties since North Korea -- after months of fierce nuclear  rhetoric and missile tests -- agreed last month to attend its  first Olympics in the South.
Kim Yo Jong, the first member of the North's ruling  dynasty to venture South since the Korean War, forms part of  the highest level delegation ever to cross the border.
South and North Korea last marched together 

Korean unity, historic handshake as Pyeongchang Olympics open

Twin bomb blasts struck a mosque in  Benghazi in eastern Libya today, killing one person and  wounding more than 62, the city's main hospital said.
The explosions hit the mosque at the start of weekly  prayers in Libya's second city, which lies 1,000 kilometres  (620 miles) east of Tripoli, a security source told AFP.
One bomb was hidden in a coffin in the courtyard of the  mosque and another in a shoe cabinet at the entrance, the  source added.
At least one person was killed and 62 wounded, according  to a spokeswoman for the city's Al-Jala hospital, Fadia al-  Barghathi.
The blast follows twin car bombings on January 24 outside  a mosque in Benghazi that left nearly 40 people dead.
There was no claim of responsibility for that attack,  which underscored the ongoing chaos in the Benghazi region  which is controlled by the forces of military strongman  Khalifa Haftar.
Haftar, who opposes a UN-backed unity government based in  Tripoli, announced Benghazi's "liberation" from jihadists ..

One dead, 62 wounded in mosque attack in Libya's Benghazi

US President Donald Trump signed  a crucial spending bill today, reopening the US government  after a brief shutdown, the second in three weeks, and a night  of high drama in Congress.
Trump announced the signing on his Twitter account,  hailing the bill's passage in the early hours of Friday as a  boost for the US military and "JOBS, JOBS, JOBS!"
The House voted 240 to 186 in support of a bipartisan  package that extends funding until March 23, hours after a  conservative senator forced Congress to miss a midnight  deadline, sparking the shutdown.
Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky had blocked a vote in the  upper house, briefly bringing the government to a halt to  protest big increases in spending on the military and domestic  programs.
The compromise approved overnight also leaves many  Democrats frustrated by failing to address the fate of  hundreds of thousands of young immigrants threatened with  deportation.
Trump defended the deal, but said it contained "much  waste in order to ...

Trump signs bill ending government shutdown

The two Koreas marched together  and South Korea's president shared a historic handshake with  Kim Jong Un's sister as the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics  opening ceremony was held in a spirit of intense rapprochement  today.
At a glittering but sub-zero ceremony, South and North  Korea brought the crowd to its feet as they entered behind the  blue-and-white Korean unification flag.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in shook the hand of a  smiling Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean  leader Kim Jong Un, as he entered the VIP seating section, and  again as the Korean athletes marched.
It cemented what has been a rapid improvement in Korean  ties since North Korea -- after months of fierce nuclear  rhetoric and missile tests -- agreed last month to attend its  first Olympics in the South.
Kim Yo Jong, the first member of the North's ruling  dynasty to venture South since the Korean War, forms part of  the highest level delegation ever to cross the border.
South and North Korea ..

Korean unity, historic handshake at Winter Olympics opening

The American ambassador to  Israel attacked an Israeli leftwing newspaper today,  questioning whether it had any "dignity" after a vitriolic  column.
The quarrel erupted after Haaretz newspaper criticised  US Ambassador David Friedman, personally selected by President  Donald Trump, for his support of settlements in the occupied  Palestinian territories.
In the wake of the murder of an Israeli rabbi and  father of four from the Har Bracha settlement on Monday,  Friedman tweeted that he had provided an ambulance for the  community 20 years ago.
Friedman then criticised Palestinian "leaders" for  praising the killing, although Palestinian president Mahmud  Abbas said nothing about it.
In response Haaretz, which opposes settlement building  in the Palestinian territories, ran a column by commentator  Gideon Levy saying that "with Friedman's ambulance or without  it, Har Bracha (literally, 'Mountain of Blessing') is a  mountain of curses."
It accused Friedman, who was Trump's personal ...

US ambassador attacks leftwing Israeli newspaper

Spain's coastguards rescued 82  migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean today but found the  bodies of three other people on board one boat.
In a tweet, the coastguards said the migrants were on two  separate boats and were rescued in the Alboran Sea, between  Morocco and Spain's Andalusian coast.
"They are being transferred to Almeria (on the coast),"  they added.
It was as yet unclear what the three people had died of.
Spain is the third busiest gateway for migrants arriving  in Europe, still far behind Italy but catching up fast with  Greece.
Many Africans undertaking the long route to Europe are  choosing to avoid crossing danger-ridden Libya to get to Italy  along the so-called central Mediterranean route, and choosing  instead to get there via Morocco and Spain.
According to the International Organization for Migration  (IOM), more than 22,400 people arrived in Spain by sea last  year, almost triple the number in 2016.
Some 223 people died along the way.
So far this year, at .

Spain coastguards find three dead migrants on boat, save 82

The UN said Friday that surging  violence across Yemen had pushed some 85,000 people from their  homes in the past 10 weeks, with hundreds continuing to flee  each day.
The UN refugee agency said more than 70 percent of those  displaced since December 1 had fled a military escalation in  the Hodeida and Taez governorates on Yemen's west coast.
UNHCR voiced particular concern for displaced people  remaining in areas close to the hostilities in the two  governorates, where conditions are continuing to rapidly  deteriorate, "exposing people to violence and disease, without  basic services."
"Most of those displaced in the governorates of Hodeida  and Taez remain hosted by relatives or friends, trapped inside  homes or in caves as ground clashes, aerial bombardment and  sniper fire rage around them," UNHCR spokeswoman Cecile  Pouilly told reporters in Geneva.
The UN agency also said it was observing a spike in new  displacements from other frontline areas across Yemen,  including in the ..

85,000 displaced in 10 weeks of raging violence in Yemen: UN

Fresh air strikes hit the  Syrian rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta on Friday, the fifth  straight day of a bombing campaign that has killed more than  220 civilians.
Syrian warplanes have battered the enclave's towns since  Monday, trapping thousands of families in makeshift bomb  shelters and overwhelming rescue workers.
World powers failed to back an appeal by UN officials for  a month-long ceasefire to allow for desperately needed aid  deliveries and medical evacuations.
Bombing raids resumed on several Eastern Ghouta towns on  Friday morning after a few hours of calm, AFP correspondents  reported.
Residents had taken advantage of the lull to begin  clearing rubble from their doorsteps and sweeping away broken  glass.
In Douma, some civilians were seen scouring for  salvageable items, while others rushed to the market to find  food and other supplies.
But around mid-morning, an announcement blasted over  mosque minarets warned of incoming strikes: "Surveillance  plane in the sky. ...

Air strikes batter Syria rebel enclave for fifth day

The US Congress passed a crucial  federal spending bill Friday after hours of delay, sending the  measure for President Donald Trump's signature to end the  nation's second government shutdown in three weeks.
The House voted 240 to 186 in support of a bipartisan  package that extends funding until March 23, and which will  reopen government hours after a conservative senator forced  Congress to miss a midnight deadline, sparking the shutdown.
Trump supports the measure and is expected to sign it  into law on Friday, ending a serious and embarrassing drama on  Capitol Hill over federal spending.
House Speaker Paul Ryan, the top Republican in Congress,  acknowledged the perversity of the "entirely needless"  shutdown, which may enter the history books as just a blip but  speaks volumes about the political gridlock that defines  Washington.
"A fifth CR, while one party controls all levels of  government, shows the Republicans' inability to govern," said  House Democrat Nita Lowey, ...

US Congress passes funding bill to reopen government after

Two Reuters journalists detained for  two months by Myanmar authorities were arrested over their  investigation of a massacre of 10 Rohingya men, the news  agency said in a report that detailed the grisly killings.
It is the first time Reuters has publicly confirmed what  Myanmar nationals Wa Lone, 31, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 27, were  working on when they were arrested on December 12 on the  outskirts of Yangon.
The pair are now facing up to 14 years in prison on  charges of possessing classified documents in violation of the  colonial-era Official Secrets Act.
Their plight has sparked global alarm over withering  press freedoms in Myanmar and government efforts to curb  reporting in northern Rakhine state -- a crisis-hit region  where troops are accused of waging an ethnic cleansing  campaign against Rohingya Muslims.
Nearly 700,000 Rohingya have fled the area since last  August, carrying stories of atrocities at the hands of troops  and vigilante groups in the Buddhist-majority ...

Reuters says Myanmar held journalists for probing Rohingya

A war of words between a Hong Kong  bishop and the Vatican escalated today with the outspoken  Cardinal Joseph Zen calling the Pope's warming ties to  Communist China "evil".
Beijing and the Vatican severed diplomatic relations in  1951, and although ties have improved in recent years as  China's Catholic population has grown, they remain at odds  over which side has the authority to ordain bishops.
The Vatican relaunched long-stalled negotiations three  years ago and now seems to be nearing concrete steps towards  solving the major stumbling block of how to designate bishops.
The issue has flared up again after two underground  Chinese bishops, recognised by the pope, were asked by a top  Vatican diplomat to resign in favour of state-sanctioned  prelates, including one who was excommunicated by the Vatican  in 2011.
Cardinal Joseph Zen, bishop emeritus of semi-autonomous  Hong Kong and a staunch opponent of any rapprochement between  the Vatican and Beijing, last month accused the ...

Hong Kong cardinal says Vatican deal with China 'evil'

News Corp's chief executive  today took a swipe at Google and Facebook for fostering a  "dysfunctional" and "debased" online environment which harms  the news media and responsible journalism.
Robert Thompson, CEO of the publishing arm of Rupert  Murdoch's media empire, stepped up his criticism of the online  giants as the company released its quarterly earnings.
Thompson said the steps announced by Google and  Facebook to stem misinformation and improve the quality of  online news were "modest steps toward changing a digital  environment that is dysfunctional at its core."
"The bot-infested badlands are hardly a safe space for  advertisers, whose brands are being tainted by association  with the extreme, the violent and the repulsive."
Thompson said News Corp is seeing growth in online  visits and subscriptions to its media properties such as the  Wall Street Journal and The Sun of Britain, but added that  "the potential returns for our journalism would be far higher  in a less ...

News Corp CEO rails at 'dysfunctional' online environment

An Indonesian woman  charged with the killing of the North Korean leader's half-  brother was paid by a suspected Pyongyang agent to take part  in multiple "pranks" just weeks before the murder, a court  heard today.
Siti Aisyah and Vietnamese woman Doan Thi Huong are on  trial for the Cold War-style assassination of Kim Jong-Nam at  Kuala Lumpur airport on February 13 last year while he was  waiting for a flight to Macau.
Defence lawyers have argued that the women were recruited  to take part in what they thought were prank TV shows but were  instead tricked into becoming inadvertent assassins, in an  elaborate plot by a group of North Korean agents.
"The significance of today's evidence is we are telling  the court how this girl was tricked into doing pranks and  persuaded to go to the airport on February 13," defence lawyer  Gooi Soon Seng told reporters after presenting witnesses and  text messages at the hearing.
The pair allegedly smeared Kim's face with the banned  nerve agent .

AFP

AFP

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