An Israeli tank has shelled a post  of the Islamist Hamas movement in Gaza after Palestinians  attempted to fire a rocket into Israel, its army said.
The rocket, initially believed to have hit southern  Israel late Sunday, fell inside the Gaza Strip but had been  intended for the Jewish state, it said in a statement.
"As the rocket fire endangered Israeli citizens and  violated Israeli sovereignty, a tank targeted and destroyed a  Hamas observation point in the southern Gaza Strip," the  English-language statement said.
There was no word on Monday morning of any casualties.
Israel and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008.
A fragile ceasefire has been observed along the largely  closed border since the most recent conflict in 2014.
Missiles and rockets are periodically fired into Israel,  generally by hardline Salafist Islamist groups opposed to  Hamas.
But Israel holds Hamas responsible for all rocket fire  from Gaza, regardless of who carried it out, and usually  retaliates within 

Israel shells Gaza after failed rocket attempt: army

PTI Automatic

At least 12 people died and  scores were missing today after a boat packed with Rohingya  refugees -- many of them children -- capsized, the latest  tragedy to strike those fleeing violence in Myanmar's Rakhine  state.
Coast guard and border guard officials said the boat was  overloaded with about 100 people when it sank late Sunday in  the mouth of the Naf river that separates Myanmar from  Bangladesh.
Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) official Abdul Jalil told  AFP 12 bodies had been recovered after an all-night rescue  operation, saying "they include 10 children, an elderly woman  and a man".
Area coast guard commander Alauddin Nayan said the boat  capsized near the coastal village of Galachar with nearly 100  people on board.
He said some 40 people in the boat were adult Rohingya  Muslims fleeing their villages in Rakhine.
"The rest were children," he said.
Border guard boats have rescued 13 Rohingya including  three women and two children after scouring the estuary of the  Naf river,

At least 12 dead, scores missing in Rohingya capsize:officials

Press Trust of India

The International Cricket Council  (ICC) is set to approve plans for its long-awaited World Test  Championship at a meeting in New Zealand this week, it was  reported today.
The sport's governing body has argued for years that a  Test championship is needed to boost the five-day format's  popularity as crowds and television viewers flock to the big-  hitting Twenty20 version of the game.
But squabbling over formats and fears that some nations  will be disadvantaged have twice stymied efforts to launch a  league structure since 2010.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that plans for a  nine-nation Test championship were now well advanced and the  ICC was set to give the concept a green light on Friday at a  meeting in Auckland.
It said the first edition of the competition would run  over a two-year cycle beginning in 2019, culminating in a  final between the top two teams at Lord's.
Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland said  the league competition would give Test series a 

ICC to approve Test championship, report says

A French tourist who had reportedly  taken hallucinogenic drugs suffered serious burns to almost  half of her body when she fell into a campfire three times,  Australian officials said today.
The woman was at the Mushroom Valley music festival on  Australia's east coast when she "wandered away into bushland  to another campsite", the Central Queensland Helicopter Rescue  Service said in a statement.
"The 21-year-old woman suffered serious burns to her  legs, torso and forearms after she fell into a campfire three  times," they added of the weekend incident near Yalboroo town.
"She also sustained serious cuts and lacerations to her  arms and legs from a barbed wire fence."
The woman, who has not been named, was returned to the  festival by campers and taken by helicopter to a nearby  hospital with "serious burns to 40 percent of her body", the  rescue service said.
Local newspaper the Mackay Daily Mercury said she had  taken hallucinogenic drugs.
The festival's organisers said some ...

French tourist burnt after falling into campfire three times

Robert Lewandowski scored a European  qualifying record 16th goal as Poland defeated Montenegro 4-2  to reach next year's World Cup, while reigning champions  Germany secured a 10th successive win.
Bayern Munich striker Lewandowski struck again in what  has been a remarkable qualifying campaign as Poland recovered  from throwing away a two-goal lead in Warsaw to secure a first  trip to the World Cup finals since 2006.
"I was angry. We were leading 2-0 at home and then let  them equalise for 2-all. We had to score that third goal to  calm things down," said Lewandowski, who moved back ahead of  Cristiano Ronaldo's 15-goal tally.
Krzysztof Maczynski and Kamil Grosicki struck early as  Poland made a dream start, but Montenegro hit back through  goals from Stefan Mugosa and Zarko Tomasevic to pull level  with just seven minutes left.
Lewandowski restored Poland's advantage on 85 minutes  before a late own goal from Filip Stojkovic sealed victory,  although Denmark's 1-1 draw at home to ...

Poland head to World Cup, perfection for Germany

The once unfathomable prospect of  a World Cup without Lionel Messi and Argentina could become  reality tomorrow as South America's thrilling 2018  qualification battle reaches its climax.
Two years after Argentina kicked off their troubled  campaign with a 2-0 defeat at home to Ecuador, Jorge  Sampaoli's side travel to Quito to face La Tri once more with  their hopes hanging precariously.
The two-time World Cup-winners head into the final round  of games in sixth place overall, outside the top four  positions which grant automatic qualification and trailing  fifth-placed Peru, who occupy the playoff spot, on goal  difference.
Yet with only two points separating third-placed Chile  (26 points) with seventh-placed Paraguay (24), any number of  permutations are possible.
Argentina can simplify the equation for their fans,  however, if they manage to take all three points.
A victory would guarantee they finish no worse than fifth  place, putting them into a two-legged play-off against ...

Moment of truth as Argentina seek World Cup berth

Hollywood producer Harvey  Weinstein was fired from his film studio the Weinstein Company  following reports that he sexually harassed women over several  decades, according to US media.
"In light of new information about misconduct by Harvey  Weinstein that has emerged in the past few days, the directors  of The Weinstein Company -- Robert Weinstein, Lance Maerov,  Richard Koenigsberg and Tarak Ben Ammar -- have determined,  and have informed Harvey Weinstein, that his employment with  The Weinstein Company is terminated, effective immediately,"  the company's board said in a statement quoted by US media  yesterday.
The firing came after the New York Times published a  bombshell report earlier this week that alleged Weinstein,  whose company produced such hits as "The King's Speech" and  "Django Unchained," preyed on young women hoping to break into  the film industry.
The accusers say Weinstein pressured them to massage him,  watch him naked and promised to help advance their ...

Hollywood mogul Weinstein fired after sex harassment claims:

Troubled Australian tennis star Nick  Kyrgios says he has finally found a purpose in life and will  build a facility for disadvantaged kids after being struck by  the death of a young boy from cancer.
The combustible but talented 22-year-old, who had another  meltdown in losing the China Open final to Rafael Nadal on  Sunday, has long struggled with his demons, repeatedly losing  focus mid-match and arguing with umpires and fans.
He has made no bones about not taking tennis seriously  enough, and on Monday said it was down to feeling like he had  no real purpose in life.
Now he has one.
"You've no doubt noticed that I'm not all that good at  hiding the fact I'd rather be somewhere else a lot of the  time. So, what have I been doing it for?" he wrote in  www.playersvoice.com.au, a website for sportspeople to air  their views.
"You hear people talk about being motivated for their  kids, or a cause, or something more than just themselves.
"It's inspiration, pure and simple, and it gives .

Cancer victim gives Kyrgios 'higher purpose'

Two weeks after winning elections  with a reduced majority, Chancellor Angela Merkel has agreed  to limit Germany's refugee intake in a bid to unite her  conservative camp ahead of tough coalition talks to form a new  government.
Merkel's team huddled with her Bavarian CSU allies led by  Horst Seehofer yesterday, who has angrily blamed her decision  to allow in over one million asylum seekers since 2015 for the  rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
After 10 hours of closed-door talks, Merkel's CDU and the  CSU agreed they would aim to cap refugees coming to Europe's  top economy at 200,000 a year, according to a draft paper -- a  formulation close to a long-time Seehofer demand that Merkel  had repeatedly rejected.
The goal of the meeting was to settle bitter squabbles so  the estranged conservative sister parties can again present a  united front in upcoming coalition talks with two smaller  parties -- the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) and the  left-leaning .

Merkel agrees 'refugee cap' in concession to allies

South Africa and Chad have  signed an agreement that will see the re-introduction next  year of critically endangered black rhino to the central  African country, decades after it was last seen there.
Environment ministers from the two countries signed a  memorandum of understanding "which will allow for the  translocation of six black rhino from South Africa to Chad,"  said a government statement yesterday.
The last time a rhino was spotted in Chad was in 1972,  according to official documents Chad submitted to South  Africa.
The animals should be airlifted to Chad's Zakouma  National Park "sometime next year. We are looking at around  March, April or May" environmental affairs ministry spokesman  Albi Modise told AFP.
Black rhino are officially listed as critically  endangered but are still native to the mainly eastern and  southern African countries of Angola, Kenya, Mozambique,  Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
They have been re-introduced to several other southern  ..

Black rhino to return to Chad after South Africa deal

An Italian, a Swiss and a Venezuelan  journalist, arrested Friday while attempting to report from a  notorious prison in northern Venezuela, were released, human  rights and press freedom groups said.
A court ordered the release of Roberto Di Matteo of  Italy, Filippo Rossi of Switzerland and Jesus Medina of  Venezuela yesterday, according to the National Union of Press  Workers, which tweeted a picture of a relieved Medina posing  with his release card.
Swiss and Italian diplomats said they had intervened to  ensure the men's proper treatment and secure what the Swiss  foreign ministry described as a swift resolution.
Italy's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Angelino Alfano,  added his government had paid "great attention" to the case.
"For us it is good news," he said.
The rights group Foro Penal, which had provided legal  assistance, said the men and their  television crew had  entered Tocoron prison -- considered one of the country's most  violent -- to conduct an ...

Venezuela frees three journalists held while investigating

A strong 6.6-magnitude earthquake  struck off the west coast of the US State of Alaska,  seismologists said, but no tsunami warning was issued.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake struck at  a depth of 111.8 kilometers (69 miles) and 60 kilometers east  of the remote Buldir Island in the Aleutian archipelago that  is home to some 8,000 people.
"Overall, the population in this region resides in  structures that are resistant to earthquake shaking, though  vulnerable structures exist," USGS said.
"The predominant  vulnerable building types are unreinforced brick masonry and  reinforced masonry construction."
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not immediately  issue any warnings.
"There is a low likelihood of casualties and damage,"  USGS added, assigning the event a "Green alert.

6.6-magnitude quake strikes off Alaska: USGS

The United States and Turkey have  scaled back visa issuing services in each other's countries in  a deepening diplomatic row sparked by the arrest of a Turkish  staffer at the American mission in Istanbul.
The American embassy in Ankara said yesterday that  "recent events" forced the US government to reassess Turkey's  "commitment" to the security of US mission services and  personnel in the country.
In order to minimise the number of visitors while the  assessment is carried out, "effective immediately we have  suspended all non-immigrant visa services at all US diplomatic  facilities in Turkey," it said.
Non-immigrant visas are issued to all those travelling to  the United States for tourism, medical treatment, business,  temporary work or study. Immigrant visa services are only for  those seeking to live in the US permanently.
Turkey responded by suspending "all visa services" for  Americans in the US, saying the measures also apply to visas  issued online and at the border.
In an 

US, Turkey mutually suspend visa services in escalating row

US Vice President Mike Pence  walked out of an Indianapolis Colts game when some players  kneeled for the national anthem, stoking controversy over the  gesture.
In the third NFL weekend since US President Donald Trump  said league owners should fire players who kneel during  pre-game playings of the US national anthem, Pence tweeted  that he departed after seeing players kneel during "The Star-  Spangled Banner".
"I left today's Colts game because President Trump and I  will not dignify any event that disrespects our soldiers, our  Flag, or our National Anthem," Pence wrote on Twitter.
While Colts players stood arm-in-arm at their home game  in Indianapolis, more than 20 of the 49ers players knelt  during the song as they have for weeks, a move that should  have been little shock to Pence, an Indiana native who tweeted  his photo in Colts cap and shirt before the game.
"While everyone is entitled to their own opinions, I  don't think it's too much to ask NFL players to respect the  ..

NFL: VP Pence exits game after anthem protest

A Swiss humanitarian aid worker has  been abducted in Darfur, officials have said, just weeks after  the United Nations began downsizing its peacekeeping force in  Sudan's war-torn region.
The kidnapping, the first such reported incident since  the UN began to reduce its troop numbers in Darfur, comes just  days after Washington lifted a 20-year-old trade embargo on  Khartoum.
The Swiss foreign ministry told AFP in Geneva in an email  yesterday that it was "aware of the case of a Swiss woman  kidnapped in Sudan (Darfur)".
"Our local representatives are in contact with the local  authorities," it said, adding that the case was being  investigated.
The foreign ministry did not provide any details on the  identity of the abducted woman or the circumstances  surrounding her kidnapping.
The UN's top aid official in Sudan, Marta Ruedas, also  confirmed the abduction to AFP.
The Swiss national had lived in Sudan for many years and  was "abducted by unidentified armed perpetrators near her  ..

Swiss aid worker abducted in Darfur

Three thousand people were evacuated  from a shopping centre in Moscow after a massive fire broke  out, Russia's emergency services ministry said.
About 55,000 square metres (592,000 square feet) of the  commercial centre, which specialises in building materials,  was engulfed in flames from around 1850 GMT yesterday, the  ministry said in a statement.
Billowing clouds of thick black smoke rose into the sky  above the partially collapsed roof of the structure, an AFP  journalist observed.
"In total, 3,000 people were evacuated from the  building," the ministry said, adding that the fire caused  "injuries according to preliminary information".
More than 290 firefighters, 170 firefighting vehicles and  three helicopters were dispatched to the scene.

Blaze at Moscow shopping centre forces 3,000 to evacuate

Clashes erupted between army  troops and rebels accused of being behind the disappearance of  20 civilians in the Democratic Republic of Congo's restive  east, military and civilian sources told AFP.
The fighting occurred in the territory of Beni yesterday,  the North-Kivu province near the border with Uganda, which has  suffered a wave of violence since 2014 with more than 700  civilians killed, many of them hacked to death.
The killings have been blamed on a shadowy rebel group,  the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), which is dominated by  hardline Ugandan Muslims.
The clashes between the ADF and army troops yesterday  took place 40 kilometres (24 miles) from the Mbau-Kamango  road.
"The fighting is intense, with heavy and light weapons.  The enemy has cut large trees to block the road. We have not  yet cleared the road," said army spokesman Mak Hazukay, who  did not give a death toll.
On Saturday, the ADF attacked around 10 motorbike taxis  on the Mbau-Kamango road, according to Beni 

Intense fighting in DR Congo after 20 kidnapped

A boat packed with  Rohingya refugees fleeing violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state  capsized today in a river near the coast of Bangladesh,  leaving at least two people dead and scores missing, officials  said.
Coast guard and border guard officials said the boat was  overloaded with about 100 people when it sank in the mouth of  the Naf river that divides Myanmar from its South Asian  neighbour Bangladesh.
"It capsized near Galachar (coastal village in  Bangladesh) with nearly 100 people. We recovered two dead  bodies. Two people were rescued alive," area Coast Guard  commander Alauddin Nayan told AFP.
Nayan said some 40 people in the boat were adult Rohingya  Muslims fleeing their villages in Rakhine for Bangladesh.
"The rest were children," he said, adding that the coast  guards have launched a search and rescue operation.
Nearly 520,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh  in the last six weeks after the military in Buddhist-majority  Myanmar launched a  crackdown after ...

Two dead, scores missing as boat packed with Rohingya sinks

Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah  converted a stoppage-time penalty to give Egypt a dramatic 2-1  win over Congo Brazzaville today and a place at the 2018 World  Cup in Russia.
Salah put Egypt ahead during the second half in  Alexandria only for Arnold Bouka Moutou to equalise two  minutes from the end of regular time.
Victory gave Egypt an uncatchable four-point lead over  Uganda in Group E with one round of fixtures remaining.

Football: Salah goals take Egypt to 2018 World Cup

White supremacists carrying Tiki  torches rallied again on Saturday in Charlottesville,  Virginia, but in numbers far smaller than during the turbulent  August demonstration that left a young counter-protester dead.
Charlottesville police said in a statement that the rally  drew no more than 50 people and lasted five to 10 minutes;  they reported "no disorders." Officers followed the marchers  after they boarded a bus "to ensure that the group was leaving  the city," the statement said.
Richard Spencer, who led the August march that sparked a  weekend of clashes, addressed the group on Saturday.
He later posted a 20-minute video on Twitter showing him  carrying a torch as he led the procession. It showed the group  chanting "You will not replace us" -- a chant that during the  August protest morphed into "Jews will not replace us."
That earlier protest quickly turned chaotic. A 32-year-  old woman was killed when a car plowed into counter-  protesters, and two police officers died in .

White supremacists march again in Virginia, but turnout is

The speaker of Ethiopia's lower  house of parliament announced his resignation without giving  any reason today.
Abadula Gemeda was the speaker of the House of People's  Representatives from 2010 and was previously army chief of  staff and president of the country's most-populous region,  Oromia.
"I have submitted a letter of resignation to the House of  People's Representatives and the concerned body to quit my job  as the speaker of the House," he told a press conference.
"I don't want to continue in this position and I have  lost interest," he said, adding that he would disclose the  precise reasons for his departure once his resignation is  accepted.
Abadula said he would stay in parliament as a member of  the Oromo People's Democratic Organisation (OPDO), which he  helped found.
The OPDO is one of four ethnically based parties that  comprise the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary and  Democratic Front (EPRDF) coalition, which together with its  allies controls all seats in ..

AFP

AFP

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