French comedian Dieudonne, who has been convicted for racist and anti-Semitic comments in the past, has announced that he plans to travel to North Korea next month.
	Dieudonne M'Bala M'Bala will travel there on September 9 along with far-right writer Alain Soral, who has already visited Pyongyang to "work for peace", the comedian said in a video posted on YouTube last week.
	"At a time when the United States is organising military exercises on the Korean peninsula, I believe we have to take action," Dieudonne said, adding that he would take part in a "peace festival" in Pyongyang.
	Early on Tuesday, the reclusive state fired a missile over Japan, the latest n a series of launches, prompting US President Donald Trump to insist that "all options" were on the table in an implied threat of military action.
	The UN Security Council denounced North Korea's latest missile test, unanimously demanding that Pyongyang halt its missile programme.
	The comedian has often made headlines, most ...

Controversial French comedian set to travel to N Korea

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Japan's coastguard expelled hundreds of North Korean fishing vessels from its waters this summer, officials said today, as tensions soar in response to Pyongyang launching a missile over its neighbour.
	The agency said it fired water cannon at some boats whose crew refused orders to leave the Yamato Banks, a rich fishing ground in the Sea of Japan (East Sea), adding that the expulsions started in mid-July.
	It was the first time the coastguard revealed it has being booting the North Korean ships from Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
	The announcement came two days after North Korea launched a missile over Japanese territory, drawing global condemnation and stoking calls for more sanctions against the regime.
	Japan's coastguard said it issued at least 820 warnings to North Korean boats trawling illegally in its economic zone, which extends some 200 nautical miles from its coastline.
	The agency added that a particular boat might have received more than one warning.
	"Since ...

Japan says expelled North Korean fishing flotilla

A man arrested wielding a sword outside Queen Elizabeth II's Buckingham Palace residence has been charged with a terror offence and is due in court later today, London police said.
	Mohiussunnath Choudhury, 26, is accused of "engaging in conduct in preparation for giving effect to his intention to commit an act or acts of terrorism", police said.

Buckingham Palace sword man charged with terror offence

China condemned "destructive" calls for new sanctions on North Korea today, warning Japan, the US and Britain that diplomacy was needed to avert crisis days after nuclear-armed Pyongyang fired a missile over Japan.
	Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said sanctions alone "cannot fundamentally resolve the issue", amid reports the three countries were pushing for new restrictions on North Korean oil imports and foreign workers.
	"It is a pity that some countries selectively ignore the requirements for dialogue in the resolutions -- they only emphasise sanctions," she told a regular press briefing, adding "these words and deeds play a destructive role instead of a constructive role in solving the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue".
	"The current situation on the Korean peninsula is not a screenplay, it's not a computer game. It is a real situation that directly bears on the security of the people on the peninsula and the whole regional peace and tranquility," she said.
	Her comments .

Beijing slams calls for new North Korea sanctions

A Swedish policeman was stabbed in a bustling Stockholm square today, police said, indicating that a man had been arrested in connection with the attack.
	"A police officer has been stabbed in the back and the neck," inspector Ronnie Tellberger told AFP, saying the assailant had attacked him from behind.
	The motive for the attack was not immediately clear.
	Sweden has been on edge since April when an Uzbek asylum seeker deliberately ploughed a truck into shoppers in central Stockholm, killing five people including an 11-year-old girl.
	The incident occurred around 10:30 am (0830 GMT) near a subway exit in Medborgarplatsen Square in the Sodermalm neighbourhood.
	"A preliminary enquiry has been opened into attempted murder," Stockholm police said in a statement.
	The police officer was taken to hospital, but his life was not in danger, it said.
	A witness told AFP he saw police arrest a man at the scene.
	"It happened so quickly, there was barely time to notice anything," he said.

Policeman stabbed in Stockholm, man arrested

World 800m champion Pierre- Ambroise Bosse sustained "multiple facial fractures" after a vicious late-night attack in the southwest Gironde region of France last weekend.
     Bosse, 25, said on his Facebook page yesterday that he was the "victim of a violent attack" while on holiday and had been "brutally assaulted by three individuals".
     He said he had suffered "unspeakable psychological damage" as a result of the incident and had been forced to put an early end to his season.
     "Me who has always loved people, I love three less of them today," Bosse wrote.
     A police investigation is continuing after a complaint was filed, with authorities still on the hunt for the assailants.
     According to the website of the Sud Ouest newspaper, the attack occurred at around 4:00 am (0200 GMT) on Sunday morning in the car park of the Gujan-Mestras casino.
     Bosse had reportedly spent the night out with friends when he was approached by the three people, posing for a photo ...

World 800m champion Bosse 'brutally assaulted'

French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said that major labour market reforms unveiled today were "ambitious, balanced and fair" after they met with mixed reaction from trade unions.
	The moderate CFDT trade union said it was "disappointed" by the reforms, a pre-election promise by new President Emmanuel Macron, but said it would not join protests planned next month.

French PM says labour reforms 'ambitious, balanced, fair'

Badminton legend Lin Dan was so jet-lagged from a European trip that he feared falling asleep on-court at China's National Games, and fuelled retirement speculation by saying it was likely his last appearance in the event.
     Regarded as the best badminton player of all time, the 33-year-old nicknamed "Super Dan" is at China's so-called mini Olympics just days after losing the final of the World Championships in Scotland.
     After failing to win a sixth world crown on Sunday in Glasgow, Lin hinted that it might be his last tilt at the world title.
     Back in China, the two-time Olympic champion said: "This should be my last National Games. I have played at the Games for 20 years."
     The tattooed Lin, who has fallen from the summit to fourth in the world rankings, was pushed all the way by little-known Sheng Xiaodong before struggling to an 18-21, 21 -15, 21-7 first-round victory in the men's team event in Tianjin on Wednesday.
     "Just now I'm afraid of falling asleep on ...

Jet-lagged Lin Dan feared dozing off on court

A British man was due in court today after being extradited from Germany for allegedly launching cyber attacks against two of Britain's best known high-street banks and attempting to blackmail them.
	Services at Lloyds and Barclays banks were disrupted by the cyber attacks in January, the National Crime Agency said in a statement following a joint investigation with Germany's federal crime bureau BKA.
	The attack on Lloyds Banking Group lasted three days and prevented some customers using their online accounts, although a bank spokeswoman said that no customer details or accounts were compromised.
	Daniel Kaye, 29, allegedly orchestrated so-called distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks.
	He also faces a charge that he "endangered human welfare" with an alleged cyber attack against Lonestar MTN, Liberia's biggest internet provider, the NCA said in its statement yesterday.
	He was extradited yesterday on a European arrest warrant.
	"The investigation leading to these charges was ..

Briton extradited from Germany for hacking 2 UK banks

Australia's "overpaid prima donna" cricketers were shamed by their humbling first Test defeat to Bangladesh, Australian media said today, while saluting the historic achievement.
     Lowly Bangladesh claimed their first-ever Test win over one-time power Australia and only their 10th in 101 Tests against all nations, beating Steve Smith's men by 20 runs on the fourth day in Dhaka yesterday.
     Australia are currently ranked fourth to Bangladesh's ninth in the ICC Test rankings.
     While applauding Bangladesh's feat, Australia's media focused on the huge financial disparity between the two sides.
     "What happened in Dhaka was on one hand wonderful for world cricket and on the other embarrassing for a pack of overpaid prima donnas," the Melbourne Herald-Sun thundered.
     "Australia, if you're going to go strike over their pay packets, you want to make sure you back it up in the field of play. Losing to Bangladesh is hardly doing that."
     Australia left for the Bangladesh ...

Aussie 'prima donnas' humbled by Bangladesh - media

A Palestinian clown accused by Israel of membership in a banned leftist group and held without charge for 20 months has been released.
	Mohammad Abu Sakha, 26, told AFP today he was released the day before from administrative detention, the controversial measure under which Israel detains suspects without trial for periods of several months, renewable indefinitely.
	He said following his release he returned to the northern West Bank city of Jenin, where family and friends were waiting to welcome him.
	"It was like a party," he said.
	Abu Sakha had been part of the Palestinian Circus School in Bir Zeit in the occupied West Bank since 2008, first as a student and later as a clown and teacher.
	He said Israeli forces never told him the exact reason for his arrest in December 2015 or how long he would be detained.
	Israel's Shin Bet security agency accused him of being a member of the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which the Jewish state considers a terrorist group 

Israel frees Palestinian clown held without charge for 20mnths

A suicide bomber killed two Algerian policemen today, including one who threw himself on the attacker whose explosives belt then detonated, state media said, citing the security services.
	The officers had intervened when the attacker tried to enter the police headquarters in the region of Tiaret, about 350 kilometres (220 miles) southwest of the capital Algiers, the official APS news agency reported.
	The agency said the "terrorist" had been carrying a weapon as well as wearing an explosives belt.
	"The policemen on duty responded quickly, and one of them, in an act of bravery, threw himself on the assailant at the entrance of the headquarters and lost his life," the general directorate of national security said, quoted by the agency.
	The other police officer died of his wounds later, it added.
	The attack was the second time this year that a suicide bomber has targeted police in the North African country.
	In February a policeman foiled an attempted suicide attack on a police ...

Two Algerian policemen killed in suicide bombing: state media

British Prime Minister Theresa May attended Japan's top security meeting today, as the two countries vowed to work together to confront nuclear-armed North Korea over its firing of a missile over the Asian nation.
	May, who is in Japan on an official visit, is reportedly only the second foreign leader to attend a meeting of the National Security Council after Australia's then-prime minister Tony Abbott in 2014.
	The Council, which was created at the end of 2013, consists of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and key ministers.
	"Just two days ago, North Korea again went ahead with a reckless act of firing missiles, this time over Japan, and I do hope Japan and the United Kingdom can work together to deal with the threat" from Pyongyang, Abe said at the start of the meeting.
	"With the participation of Theresa, I will look forward to having a discussion on the way forward of how we can strongly and aggressively advance our security cooperation," he added.
	May described Japan as "the UK's ...

Britain's May attends top security meeting in Japan

Britain and Japan will work together on stepping up the pace of sanctions against nuclear-armed North Korea after its "outrageous" firing of a missile over Japan, British Prime Minister Theresa May said today.
	"In response to this illegal action, Prime Minister (Shinzo) Abe and I had agreed to work together and with others in the international community to strengthen pressure against North Korea including by increasing the pace of sanctions" against Pyongyang, May said during an official visit to Japan.

UK, Japan to 'increase pace of sanctions' against N Korea: May

An Algerian policeman was killed today when he threw himself on a suicide bomber before the attacker's explosives belt detonated, state media said, citing the police department.
	The officer had intervened when the attacker tried to enter the police headquarters in the region of Tiaret, about 350 kilometres (220 miles) southwest of the capital Algiers, the official APS news agency reported.

Algeria policeman killed stopping suicide bombing: state media

US security agencies warned Spain in May that the Islamic State group was planning an attack in Barcelona, where the jihadists claimed a deadly van rampage earlier this month, local media said today.
	The daily El Periodico de Cataluna reported that the US National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) alerted Spanish intelligence officers to the threat weeks before a man ploughed his vehicle into crowds of tourists along Barcelona's Las Ramblas boulevard on August 17, killing 14 people.
	"Unsubstantiated information of unknown veracity from late May 2017 indicted that the Islamic State of Irak and ash-Sham (IS) was planning to conducted unspecified terrorist attacks during the summer against crowded tourist sites in Barcelona, Spain, specifically (Las Ramblas) street," according to an NCTC briefing note published by the paper.
	A spokesman for Spain's CNI intelligence agency, contacted by AFP, refused to "confirm or deny anything on communication with other intelligence services".
	The ...

US warned Spain of Barcelona attack risk: report

Local emergency officials today reported two explosions at a flooded chemical plant in the Texas town of Crosby, its operators Arkema Inc said.
	"At approximately 2 am CDT (0700 GMT), we were notified by the Harris County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) of two explosions and black smoke coming from the Arkema Inc plant in Crosby, Texas," the company statement said.
	As a precautionary measure officials had already ordered the evacuation of an area within three kilometers of the organic peroxides plant, which operators had said was at risk of exploding due to a "critical issue" triggered by monster storm Harvey's torrential rains.

2 explosions reported at Texas chemical plant

Israeli forces have shut down a Palestinian radio station in the occupied West Bank for six months, the army and sources at the station said today.
	Al-Hurria station in the southern West Bank city of Hebron was closed "for content inciting violence and encouraging terrorism," an army spokeswoman said without providing further details.
	A source at the station said technical equipment had been confiscated during a raid on the station's offices.
	Israel's army regularly acts against media it accuses of encouraging young Palestinians to take up arms against Israeli forces in the West Bank.
	Al-Hurria, which means freedom in Arabic, was one of two channels similarly closed for six months in November 2015 shortly after the start of a fresh wave of Israeli-Palestinian violence.
	The unrest has continued, killing more than 294 Palestinians or Arab Israelis, 47 Israelis, two Americans, two Jordanians, an Eritrean, a Sudanese and a Briton, according to an AFP toll.
	Israeli authorities say ...

Israel again shuts down Palestinian radio station

Pyongyang has sentenced four South Korean journalists to death for book reviews that insulted the North, state media said today.
	The Chosun Ilbo and the Dong-A Ilbo, both of them conservative newspapers, reviewed the new Korean edition of "North Korea Confidential", a book by two Seoul-based British journalists first published in 2015.
	The work details the growing role of the market in daily lives in the North, where South Korean television dramas are circulated on the black market, and fashion items and hairstyles from the South are copied.
	Those caught in possession of DVDs or USBs containing South Korean TV dramas can bribe their way out of any trouble, it says.
	For the Korean edition the book has been retitled "Capitalist Republic of Korea", in a play on the North's official designation as a democratic republic, and its cover replaces the red star in the North's coat of arms with a dollar sign.
	By reviewing the book, newspapers "committed a hideous crime of seriously ...

Pyongyang 'sentences' four S.Korean journalists to death

Thirteen civilians from the same family were killed and another 15 wounded in a US air strike on Taliban fighters in eastern Afghanistan, Afghan authorities said today.
	US Forces-Afghanistan said it has launched an investigation into the incident which an Afghan official said also killed more than a dozen insurgents hiding in a house in Dasht-e-Bari village in volatile Logar province near Kabul yesterday.
	It comes days after Afghan officials said the country's own air force killed up to 13 civilians in separate strikes targeting a Taliban base in the western province of Herat.
	"In the operation the US forces came under the attack by the Taliban and foreign forces returned fire and forced the Taliban insurgents to hide in the civilian houses nearby," Saleem Saleh, a spokesman for the Logar provincial governor, told AFP.
	"Then the foreign forces called in air support and bombed the civilian house which led to civilian casualties."
	Saleh said the victims were from the same family ...

US air strike kills 13 civilians: Afghan officials

The US Department of Commerce has announced an investigation into whether imports of uncoated groundwood paper from Canada were being dumped in the United States.
	The probe, focused on whether Canadian producers received subsidies allowing them to sell their paper in the US market at a cut rate, could result in anti-dumping and countervailing duties.
	The department said in a statement it had received a complaint from a paper company in the northwestern United States, which alleged that Canadian products had sold from between 23.5 percent and 55 percent below market rate.
	The value of uncoated groundwood paper imports to the US from Canada was an estimated $1.27 billion last year, according to the statement.
	The announcement comes as negotiators engage in tense talks aimed at revamping the North American Free Trade Agreement that links the US, Canada and Mexico.
	The US has already slapped tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber as part of a trade conflict between the neighboring ...

AFP

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