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 ...

US launches dumping probe into Canadian paper imports

PTI Automatic

Coastguards in Bangladesh today found the bodies of 16 Rohingya, many of them children, who drowned when their boat capsized as they fled an upsurge in violence in Myanmar that has forced at least 18,500 to seek refuge across the border.
	Officials in Bangladesh say growing numbers of Rohingya are trying to cross the Naf river that divides the two countries in rickety boats, which often do not survive the rough waters as they become increasingly desperate to escape.
	The International Organization for Migration said Wednesday that at least 18,500 Rohingya had crossed into Bangladesh since fighting erupted in Myanmar's neighbouring Rakhine state six days earlier.
	But some do not make it. On Wednesday, the bodies of two Rohingya women and two children washed up in Bangladesh after their rickety boat capsized.
	And on Thursday Nurul Amin Rohingya, a local official, said another boat had capsized killing 16 Rohingya.
	"We have found 16 bodies washed ashore this morning," he told AFP.
	A .

16 Rohingya, including children, drown fleeing Myanmar

Six month after a deadly shooting at a Quebec City mosque, its president's car was deliberately set on fire, officials said today.
	"Another hateful act" targeted the mosque and its president Mohamed Labidi in addition to "a long series" of other incidents, the Islamic Cultural Center of Quebec said in a statement.
	The fire was set on August 6 but was only made public on Wednesday in order to allow police to investigate.
	Mosque officials and the mayor linked the fire to an August 4 announcement of the upcoming opening of the city's first Muslim cemetary.
	"It would be a strange coincidence" if the two were not somehow related, said Quebec City mayor Regis Labeaume.
	Police are not ruling out any motive, whether it was a hate crime against Muslims or just a random act of vandalism, said police spokesman Jean-Francois Vezina.
	Labeaume had championed the new Muslim cemetary as a sign of support for Quebec City's relatively small Muslim community following an avowed white supremacist's 

Quebec mosque president's car deliberately set ablaze:

If Kevin Anderson reaches the US Open last 16 on Friday, he'll give a hat tip to his younger brother, whose dreams of also making it as a professional were shattered by injury.
     The 31-year-old South African won't have to go too far to celebrate with sibling Greg, who now works as a tennis academy director in nearby Connecticut.
     "We grew up together and spent thousands of hours practicing," Anderson told AFP on Wednesday after making the third round with a 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 victory over Ernests Gulbis of Latvia.
     Greg, younger by 18 months, played on the third-tier Futures tour after college in the United States but injuries ended his hopes of going further.
     However, he always hits with his big brother when he comes the US Open.
     "We keep it pretty casual. He had aspirations to become a professional but a pretty big injury put him behind the curve ball," said Anderson.
     "It was really tough for him but we have a hit here. He has a great eye for the game and ...

Bond of brothers as Anderson thrives on family matters

Former world number one Maria Sharapova battled back to reach the third round of the US Open while next-generation rising stars Alexander Zverev and Nick Kyrgios crashed out.
     Sharapova, who downed second-ranked Simona Halep in her first Grand Slam match after a 15-month doping ban, defeated Hungary's 59th-ranked Timea Babos 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 6-1 at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
     "It wasn't my best tennis," Sharapova said. "It was scrappy tennis but sometimes those kind of matches are a lot of fun and this was one of those days."
     The 30-year-old Russian, who next faces Russian-born US teen Sofia Kenin, tested positive for meldonium at the 2016 Australian Open, her most recent Grand Slam appearance until this week.
     "Every day I have the chance I have to play at the US Open is a special day and I'll look forward to the next one," 146th-ranked Sharapova said.
     Sharapova, whose five Grand Slam titles include the 2006 US Open, played only one Open tuneup match after a forearm ...

Sharapova battles on while Zverev, Kyrgios crash at US Open

Reza from Iran is torn between the joy of taking part in this year's annual hajj pilgrimage to Islam's holiest sites and bitter memories of the 2015 stampede that killed hundreds of his compatriots.
	Iranian pilgrims stayed away from the 2016 hajj after regional rivals Saudi Arabia, custodian of the sites in the west of the kingdom, and Iran failed to agree on arrangements and logistics.
	Arrangements for the hajj, a religious duty which devout Muslims must accomplish at least once in their lifetime, are thorny and security paramount for the two million pilgrims who throng Islam's holiest sites in western Saudi Arabia.
	In 2015, a human river of pilgrims was performing the final major rite of the hajj, the "Stoning of the Devil", near Mecca when a stampede killed hundreds of Muslims from across the world.
	Riyadh issued a death toll of 769, while figures compiled from foreign officials in more than 30 countries gave a tally of around 2,300 dead.
	Tehran reported the largest number of .

Iran pilgrims make return to hajj with bitter memories

Pope Francis launches an emotionally charged visit next week to Colombia, to call for reconciliation as the country emerges from Latin America's longest civil war in a contested peace process.
	In his fourth visit to his native region of the world since becoming pope four years ago, the 80-year-old Argentine now heads to one of Latin America's most troubled countries.
	On a five-day tour starting Tuesday, he will meet with victims of the war at a delicate time as the country gradually turns the page on more than half a century of conflict.
	Colombia's biggest guerrilla group, the FARC, has disarmed under a historic peace accord, though critics say the rebels are getting off too lightly.
	"It is true that the pope is coming to a very polarised country, but he knows that all Colombians desire peace, in the spirit of unity and justice," said Monsignor Octavio Ruiz, a member of the papal delegation.
	"Such a peace is only possible if the causes of social injustice, inequality and ...

Pope heads to Colombia to anoint peace process

Alexander Zverev appeared to have the perfect draw for a deep run at the US Open, but now the 20-year-old German star can only ponder what might have been.
     Fourth-seeded Zverev, the highest-ranked player in his half of the draw after Britain's second-ranked Andy Murray withdrew Saturday, crashed out of the year's final Grand Slam event Wednesday, falling to Croatia's 61st-ranked Borna Coric 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7/1), 7-6 (7/4).
     "It's upsetting. Today was upsetting. The way I played was upsetting. The tournament so far is upsetting for me," Zverev said.
     "I was the highest-ranked player in the bottom half of the draw after Andy retired. Now I'm out of the draw."
     Zverev reached the New York hardcourts off his best Grand Slam result, a fourth-round run at Wimbledon, and his five ATP titles this year included back-to-back US Open tuneup crowns at Washington and Montreal, beating Roger Federer in the Canadian final.
     "I know that I could have done some big things here. I ..

Missed opportunity haunts Zverev after US Open exit

Maria Sharapova made the US Open last 32 Wednesday, insisting she has instilled renewed fear into her rivals and rekindled the love from her fans.
     The former world number one and five-time major winner pulled off a 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 6-1 win over Timea Babos of Hungary.
     It was her second three-set match, having seen off world number two Simona Halep on Monday in what was her first Grand Slam match since being hit with a 15-month doping ban.
     "I think with the way that I played Monday night, I don't think there are any more questions," said the 30-year-old when pushed on whether her spot in the tournament was justified.
     The 2006 champion, and guaranteed arena-filler, needed a wild card to play in New York after her prolonged absence from the sport had left her with a world ranking of 146.
     It was a decision widely criticized with many insisting she should work her way back into the main draw and not be given a helping hand.
     "I definitely feel the respect from ..

'No question that I'm feared again' says Sharapova

Underperforming Carlos Tevez has returned to China following treatment in Argentina and is back training with Shanghai Shenhua, the club confirmed Thursday, allaying doubts about his immediate future.
     The 33-year-old forward had returned home to Argentina for two weeks to seek treatment on a leg-muscle injury, triggering speculation that he may not come back to China, where he has failed to settle.
     The former international, one of the highest-paid players in the world on reported weekly wages of about 730,000 euros, has scored just two goals since joining Shenhua at the start of this season and has missed half of the team's games through injury.
     He flew to Argentina for treatment with the consent of the club, utilising a break in the Chinese Super League (CSL) season, but had agreed to return on August 30, Shenhua said earlier.
     "Tevez returned to Shanghai yesterday (Wednesday) and he starts training today," a club spokesman told AFP.
     "The injuries are healed ..

Fit-again Tevez back in China after Argentina stay

Economic losses in Texas from Hurricane Harvey, which is still pounding the water-logged US state with rain, will be some USD 58 billion (49 billion euros), according to a report released by disaster analysts in Germany today.
	If that estimate holds, it would make Harvey the world's 9th most expensive natural disaster since 1900, according to the Center for Disaster Management and Risk Reduction Technology (CEDIM) in Karlsruhe, Germany.
	"The damage is extensive at around $58 billion, and is over 90 percent due to flooding," said James Daniell, senior risk engineer at CEDIM, and head of its Forensic Disaster Analysis Group.
	Other calculations of total economic loss have been considerably lower.
	German insurance giant Hannover Re's initial figure for damages was USD 3 bn (2.5 bn euros), while JP Morgan estimated the insurance sector could be out $10-20 bn (8.4-16.8 bn euros).
	Disaster risk specialists Enki Holdings, based in Savannah, Georgia, puts the total tab at above $30 bn (25 

Harvey to cost Texas USD 58 billion in losses: report

Britain will give Nigeria aid worth 200 million over five years to help it cope with the brutal insurgency being waged by Boko Haram jihadists, the foreign ministry in London has said.
	Foreign Minister Boris Johnson visited Maiduguri, the capital of Nigeria's northeast Borno State and epicentre of the Boko Haram organisation, to meet some of those involved in the fight.
	The Islamist militant group has increasingly used child suicide bombers and targeted civilians in its eight-year insurgency which has left at least 20,000 dead and displaced more than 2.6 million.
	"In Maiduguri I met casualties of Boko Haram violence, including bomb and gunshot victims, and saw for myself the displacement of people that brutality and poverty have created," Johnson said in a statement yesterday.
	The 200 million (USD 260 million, 220 million euros) will help supply food to 1.5 million people facing famine as a result of the bloody insurgency, while providing treatment for 120,000 children at risk of .

Britain will give Nigeria aid worth 200 million over five years to help it cope with the brutal insurgency being waged by Boko Haram jihadists, the foreign ministry in London has said.

Gunmen ambushed and killed four soldiers and a civilian in Nigeria's oil-rich south, local sources have said, breaking months of uneasy calm after unrest over the distribution of the country's oil revenues.
	Armed men ambushed the military contingent in the Ekeremor waterways area of Bayelsa State as they returned from an assignment in the Letugbene community on Monday.
	The gunmen, who outnumbered the soldiers, forced the servicemen to surrender, marched them to a creek, executed them and stole their weapons and military gear.
	A civilian boat driver with the military detachment attempted to escape but was also shot and killed by the attackers.
	Nigeria's oil-rich south and southeast had been ravaged by violence orchestrated by groups seeking to force the government to more evenly share petroleum revenues with local residents.
	But violence had fallen away sharply in recent months after Vice President Yemi Osinbajo led negotiations with armed groups that reduced the frequency of ...

Four soldiers, civilian killed in Nigeria oil region ambush

Turkey has hit out against a fresh indictment from the US Justice Department against Turkish security personnel accused of assaulting protesters during a Washington visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in May.
	A total of 19 people including Turkish security officials were identified from video footage of the May 16 clashes with Kurdish protesters outside the residence of Turkey's ambassador, following a meeting between Erdogan and President Donald Trump.
	Three more names were added to the case on Tuesday after US officials said videos showed Turkish guards beating and kicking protesters on the ground in the "Embassy Row" section of downtown Washington.
	The Turkish foreign ministry reacted angrily to the move in a statement yesterday.
	"We protest in the strongest terms that such an unjust and biased indictment, with names of people that have never been to the US, has been accepted," the ministry said, adding that it had conveyed its reaction to the US ambassador to ...

Turkey slams 'biased' US indictment over Washington brawl

The UN Security Council has extended the peacekeeping mission in Lebanon for another year amid pressure from the United States for the UN force to take action against Hezbollah militants.
	The council unanimously backed a French-drafted resolution  yesterday after much wrangling with the United States over the mandate of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) tasked with monitoring a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel.
	France argued that UNIFIL had succeeded in maintaining calm in south Lebanon but the United States pushed for action by the mission against Hezbollah militants it accuses of stockpiling weapons and readying for war.
	"Conditions in south Lebanon are very dangerous today. The clouds of war are gathering," US Ambassador Nikki Haley told the council after the vote.
	"UNIFIL exists to help prevent war from happening again and it is supposed to do that."
	The resolution highlights that UNIFIL has the authority to "take all necessary actions" in areas where its forces .

UN renews peacekeeping mission in Lebanon as US warns of war

Venezuela has offered USD 5 million worth of aid for people affected by hurricane Harvey in the United States, calling it a gesture of "solidarity" despite recent US sanctions against Caracas.
	Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza yesterday said funds would be made available from Citgo, the US subsidiary of Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA.
	Washington has slapped sanctions on PDVSA, part of a series of measures against Venezuela and its President Nicolas Maduro over his handling of a deadly political crisis.
	Arreaza cited a previous program under which Venezuela provided heating fuel to victims of the deadly hurricane Katrina in 2005.
	"On the basis of that precedent, there will be direct support from Citgo, a contribution of up to $5 million to support families affected in Houston and Corpus Christi," Texas, he said on television.
	"This is an expression of solidarity by Venezuela, beyond any political differences we have, in the face of a devastating phenomenon."
	He also proposed ...

Venezuela offers USD 5m aid for US hurricane victims

Police in Houston said today they have recovered the bodies of six family members whose van was swept away in flooding unleashed by Harvey over the weekend.
	Manuel and Belia Saldivar and four of their great- grandchildren ranging from six to 16 years in age went missing Sunday as they were attempting to escape from rising waters.
	Their relatives returned to the scene of the tragedy today as floodwaters subsided and alerted police that the van was now visible, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said.
	"We were able to retrieve the van, pull it out of the water," he said. "We have a total confirmed six dead here at the scene inside this van."
	"Our worst fears have been realized," he said.
	The white van became stuck in muddy water in a wooded area Sunday morning, and started floating away in the current, according to accounts by police and Rick Saldivar, whose brother Sammy was driving it at the time.
	Sammy Saldivar was able to climb out of the driver's seat, but was not to extricate 

Six family members found dead in missing van: Houston police

The Pentagon sharply raised its estimate of the number of US troops currently in Afghanistan today, ahead of a decision on adding thousands more under President Donald Trump's new strategy for the war-ridden country.
	Pentagon Joint Staff Director Lieutenant General Kenneth McKenzie said a comprehensive review showed there were approximately 11,000 uniformed US servicemen and women in Afghanistan, compared to the 8,400 number used since last year.
	The new count, which includes temporary and covert units as well as regular forces, was made to establish the basis for an increase in troops -- possibly by around 4,000 -- under Trump's revised strategy to better support Afghan troops in the fight against the Taliban.

US has 11,000 troops in Afghanistan, more than previous count

Ukraine's fourth-seeded Elina Svitolina, fighting to become world number one, and Austrian sixth seed Dominic Thiem captured rain-interrupted matches Wednesday to reach the second round of the US Open.
     Svitolina, seeking her sixth title of the year and first Grand Slam crown, held off 42nd-ranked Czech Katerina Siniakova 6-0, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3 while Thiem finished off Australian Alex de Minaur 6-4, 6-1, 6-1 under sunny skies.
     There were 87 matches scheduled Wednesday in the year's final Grand Slam event after rain washed out most of Tuesday's agenda, 11 of them halted first-round affairs.
     Former world number one Maria Sharapova, who in her Grand Slam return from a 15-month doping ban upset second-ranked Simona Halep, was set to face Hungary's 59th-ranked Timea Babos in a later second-round match at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
     Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam champion, tested positive for blood booster meldonium in the 2016 Australian Open, her most recent Grand Slam ...

Svitolina fights through, Thiem cruises at US Open

More than two million Muslims from around the world began the Haj pilgrimage at Islam's holiest sites today, a religious duty and an epic multi-stage journey.
	This year sees pilgrims from Shiite Iran return to Mecca in Saudi Arabia after a hiatus following a diplomatic spat between the regional rivals and a deadly stampede in 2015.
	It also comes with the Gulf mired in a major political crisis that has seen thousands of faithful who would usually make the journey from neighbouring Qatar stay away.
	On the esplanade of Mecca's Grand Mosque, the excitement was palpable as crowds from all four corners of the world gathered for a pilgrimage that all able Muslims are required to perform at least once in their lives.
	Tidjani Traore, a public service consultant from Benin, said he was on his 22nd pilgrimage at the age of 53.
	"Every time, there are new emotions," he said. "There are new innovations for organising and hosting the pilgrims. Now, for example, the tents are ...

More than 2 million Muslims begin Haj pilgrimage

Israel has arrested a Palestinian wedding singer after he performed a song about an assailant who fatally stabbed three Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank, a Palestinian NGO said today.
	The singer was among four Palestinians arrested yesterday in the West Bank city of Ramallah, three of whom perform in a band together, a Palestinian Prisoners Club spokeswoman said.
	Palestinian media said the band, led by singer Mohammed al-Barghouti, had been singing about Omar al-Abed, a Palestinian who stabbed to death the three settlers last month.
	A video of the band performing the song, which praises Abed, has been posted on social media.
	"I heard the sound of the machine-gun in the Arab village Kobar... It's Omar who crossed the woods and carried out the operation," the lyrics say, referring to Abed's hometown.
	The Israeli army did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
	Abed sneaked into a Jewish settlement during a Sabbath meal and stabbed four people, killing three of ..

AFP

AFP

Page 1091 - Afp