The UN human rights chief said today that President Donald Trump's relentless attacks on the media could trigger violence against journalists, suggesting the US leader would be responsible.
	In a broad condemnation of Trump's conduct in office, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said he viewed the US presidency as the driver of "the bus of humanity", accusing Trump of "reckless driving".
	Zeid, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, also blasted Trump's decision to pardon former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was convicted of criminal contempt last month for illegally profiling Hispanic immigrants.
	On the media, Zeid voiced particular alarm over Trump's verbal assaults on CNN, the New York Times and Washington Post.
	"To call these news organisations 'fake' does tremendous damage and to refer to individual journalists in this way, I have to ask the question, is this not an incitement for others to attack journalists?
	"And let's assume a journalist is harmed from one of these ...

Trump may be inciting 'violence' against media: UN

PTI Automatic

After pouring record rains on Texas, Tropical Storm Harvey made a second landfall today to strike Louisiana, a state that still bears deep scars from 2005's Hurricane Katrina.
	The second hit comes five days after the monster storm slammed onshore as a Category Four hurricane, pummelling the US Gulf coast with torrential rains that turned neighbourhoods into lakes in America's fourth largest city, Houston.
	Harvey made its second landfall just west of the town of Cameron, the National Hurricane Center said, with "flooding rains" drenching parts of southeastern Texas and neighbouring southwestern Louisiana.
	Louisiana residents braced for Harvey's ferocious maximum sustained winds nearing 45 miles (72 kilometres) per hour, with forecasters predicting another five to 10 inches (13 to 25 centimetres) of rain could pour on the region.
	They expect Harvey will gradually weaken to a tropical depression by tonight, meaning maximum sustained winds should slow.
	But low-lying New Orleans was ..

Louisiana braces for heavy winds, rain as Harvey strikes again

The US military shot down a medium-range ballistic missile target off the coast of Hawaii early today, in a successful test of a missile interception system Japan is seeking to bolster its defence against North Korea.
	The test was performed by the US Missile Defence Agency (MDA) and the US Navy from the USS John Paul Jones, a guided- missile destroyer, just one day after North Korea fired a ballistic missile over Japan.
	Using Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) guided missiles, the test intercepted a medium-range ballistic missile launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai, Hawaii by using the USS John Paul Jones's onboard AN/SPY-1 radar.
	North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has promised more missile flights over Japan, insisting his nuclear-armed nation's provocation was a mere "curtain-raiser," in the face of United Nations condemnation and US warnings of severe repercussions.
	The MDA said the test gives the naval component of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defence System "enhanced 

US shoots down missile in test off Hawaii coast

Uber hired Expedia boss Dara Khosrowshahi as its new chief executive late, in the hopes he can steer the ride-sharing service away from the string of controversies it has faced in the past year.
	Khosrowshahi will be at Uber's headquarters in San Francisco today for an "all-hands" gathering to meet workers at the embattled company.
	"We are delighted to announce that Uber's Board has voted unanimously to appoint Dara Khosrowshahi to be our new CEO," Uber executives said in an email sent to employees late yesterday.
	Khosrowshahi is credited with turning Expedia into a global travel services behemoth, winning admiration from employees along the way.
	Khosrowshahi replaces Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick, who was pressured to resign as chief of the leading smartphone-summoned ride service.
	Kalanick was the driving force behind Uber, taking a spur-of-moment idea and turning it into the world's most valuable venture-funded tech startup.
	But his brash personality and freewheeling ...

Uber hires Dara Khosrowshahi as chief

Two of the world's largest energy producers, Qatar and Russia, today vowed to increase trade ties at a time when the emirate is facing an economic boycott from neighbouring states.
	Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made the commitment after a "lengthy" meeting in Doha with his Qatari counterpart, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, and before that, the country's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al- Thani.
	"We are committed to bolstering trade and economic ties," Lavrov told reporters afterwards.
	He added that Moscow "attached great importance" to economic cooperation, including energy, between the two countries, a sentiment echoed by Sheikh Mohammed.
	Russia and Qatar are two of the world's top four gas producing countries.
	Both are also major oil producers, and last year Qatar spent billions on taking a stake in Russia's state-controlled oil company, Rosneft.
	Qatar has turned to expanding its economic ties after a group of countries led by Saudi-Arabia and United Arab ...

Qatar and Russia to 'bolster' economic ties

Oil production has been suspended for several days at three oil fields in Libya after an armed militia shut off pipelines, the state-owned National Oil Company said today.
	The output of oil, nearly one million barrels per day prior to the stoppage, had fallen by more than 360,000 bpd, NOC said in a statement.
	The armed group, described as "criminal" by the company, had in the past few days closed off two pipelines to the refinery and port at Zawya from the Al-Sharara and Al-Hamada oil fields.
	It had already blocked production on Saturday at the Al- Fil field, also located in the west of the country, said the statement from NOC.
	The militia seized the pipelines to protest against the "marginalisation" of the region, according to sources in the area.
	As a result of its actions, NOC said it had declared force majeure at the three affected oil fields.
	The legal measure means that due to unforceable circumstances the company can be exonerated from fulfilling oil contracts.
	Libya, ...

Militia halts production at 3 Libya oil fields: NOC

Extra police were deployed at Spain's annual "Tomatina" tomato throwing festival in the eastern town of Bunol today in the wake of the deadly twin vehicle attacks in Catalonia.
	A total of 740 security forces were on duty, including police officers, firefighters and ambulance workers, an increase of around five percent over the same time last year, according to Bunol city hall.
	In addition, police cars were parked at the entrance to the town's narrow streets, where half-naked revellers pelted each other with tomatoes during the hour-long festivities, to prevent unauthorised vehicles from entering.
	"The security apparatus was reinforced and adapted following the attacks" in Barcelona and the nearby seaside resort of Cambrils that killed 16 people, Juan Carlos Moragues, the central government's representative in the region of Valencia, told reporters.
	The iconic fiesta - which celebrates its 72nd anniversary and is billed at "the world's biggest food fight" - has become a major draw .

Security tightened at Spain's tomato throwing festival

The UN human rights chief said today that President Donald Trump's relentless attacks on the media could trigger violence against journalists, suggesting the US leader would be responsible.
	Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein voiced particular alarm over Trump's verbal assaults on CNN, the New York Times and Washington Post.
	"To call these news organisations 'fake' does tremendous damage and to refer to individual journalists in this way, I have to ask the question, is this not an incitement for others to attack journalists?
	"And let's assume a journalist is harmed from one of these organisations, does the president not bear responsibility for this, for having fanned this?" Zeid told reporters in Geneva.
	"I believe it could amount to incitement," he added, saying Trump had set in motion a cycle that includes "incitement, fear, self-censorship and violence."
	According to the rights chief, Trump's assault on the media has emboldened other countries to crack down on presss freedoms.
	"The ...

Trump may be inciting 'violence' against media:UN rights chief

UN chief Antonio Guterres called for the blockade of the Gaza Strip to be lifted today as he visited the Palestinian enclave enduring "one of the most dramatic humanitarian crises" he had seen.
	"I am deeply moved to be in Gaza today, unfortunately to witness one of the most dramatic humanitarian crises that I've seen in many years working as a humanitarian in the United Nations," Guterres said.
	He later said it was "important to open the closures," in a reference to Israel's decade-long blockade of Gaza and to the border with Egypt that has remained largely closed in recent years.
	Guterres made the comments at a school run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, in the northern Gaza Strip.
	Palestinian militants in Gaza and Israel have fought three wars since 2008.
	Israel says the blockade is necessary to keep Islamist movement Hamas, which runs the enclave, from obtaining weapons or materials that could be used to make them.
	The blockade also serves to isolate ...

UN chief calls for lifting of Gaza blockade

Ottis Gibson has agreed to step down from his role as England bowling coach and become South Africa's new head coach, the England and Wales Cricket Board announced on Wednesday.
	   Gibson, who took up his current role in 2015, will leave after England's third and final Test against West Indies next week.
	   He succeeds Russell Domingo, whose contract with Cricket South Africa expired after South Africa's 3-1 Test series defeat in England earlier this month.
	   "I would like to place on record my thanks to Ottis Gibson for his services to English cricket," England's director of cricket Andrew Strauss said in a press release.
	   "Ottis has been an integral part of the England team in his two stints as bowling coach. His experience, tactical awareness and understanding of bowling in all conditions has benefited our approach and has helped our bowling unit develop greatly across all formats of the game.
	   "He is an ambitious man and when this opportunity presented itself, it was ...

Gibson leaves England to become South Africa coach

North Korea leader Kim Jong-Un has promised more missile flights over Japan, insisting his nuclear-armed nation's provocative launch was a mere "curtain-raiser", in the face of UN condemnation and US warnings of severe repercussions.
	The Hwasong-12 intermediate-range missile that Pyongyang unleashed yesterday represented a major escalation of tensions over its weapons programmes.
	In recent weeks it has threatened to send a salvo of missiles towards the US territory of Guam, while President Donald Trump has warned of raining "fire and fury" on the North.
	After the latest launch Trump said that "all options" were on the table, reviving his implied threat of pre-emptive US military action just days after congratulating himself that Kim appeared to be "starting to respect us".
	The UN Security Council - which has already imposed seven sets of sanctions on Pyongyang - said in a unanimous statement the North's "outrageous" actions "are not just a threat to the region, but to all UN ...

North Korea says more missiles to come as UN condemns launch

Bangladesh Wednesday  registered their first-ever win over Australia in Test cricket, beating Steve Smith's men by 20 runs in a thrilling match in Dhaka.
	   All-rounder Shakib Al Hasan took 5-85 to help the hosts dismiss Australia for 244 shortly into the second session on the fourth day.
	   David Warner top-scored with 112 for the tourists, who were chasing a victory target of 265 after dismissing the hosts for 221 in their second innings.
	   Shakib lived up to his billing as the world's number one Test all-rounder, finishing with a match haul of 10 wickets with his left-arm spin and making 84 in Bangladesh's first-innings total of 260.
	   Australia -- who are touring Bangladesh for the first time in more than a decade -- are currently ranked fourth to Bangladesh's lowly ninth in ICC Test rankings.
	   They appeared to be coasting towards their fifth consecutive Test win over the minnows when Warner and Smith resumed the day on 109 for two.
	   Warner, who was unbeaten on 75 ...

Bangladesh stun Australia with historic Test win

Five days after slamming into Texas as a major hurricane, Harvey made a second landfall today, hitting Louisiana, a state which still bears deep scars from 2005's Hurricane Katrina.
	Now a tropical storm, Harvey made landfall just west of the town of Cameron, the National Hurricane Center said, with "flooding rains" drenching parts of southeastern Texas and neighbouring southwestern Louisiana.
	Harvey's return comes after the monster storm pummelled Texas with record rainfall, transforming roads into rivers and forcing thousands out of their homes in America's fourth largest city Houston.
	Residents of western Louisiana braced for Harvey's maximum sustained winds of close to 45 miles per hour (72 kilometres per hour), with forecasters predicting another five to 10 inches (13 to 25 centimetres) of rain could hit the region.
	They expect Harvey will gradually weaken to a tropical depression by tonight.
	But low-lying New Orleans was still girding for the storm, which made landfall a day 

Harvey makes second landfall, hitting Louisiana

Cambodia's strongman premier handed out cash to hundreds of pregnant garment factory workers today, launching a policy charm offensive on an industry that has often clashed with his government over working conditions and pay.
	Hun Sen, who has ruled Cambodia for more than three decades, faces a key test at national polls next year with the main opposition party gaining in popularity amid mounting anger over corruption and inequality.
	During a speech to more than 10,000 garment workers today, he announced a raft of new benefits for employees, including a commitment to annual pay rises.
	The monthly minimum wage for garment workers, currently USD 153, "won't be lower than USD 160" in 2018, he said, adding "the salary will be increased every year".
	Employers will be ordered to pay for health insurance while all garment workers will receive free medical check-ups and treatment at state-run hospitals from January.
	He also promised a guaranteed pension for the workers from 2019 and said .

Cambodia PM woos garment workers with cash and pay rise vow

Human Rights Watch called today for an independent enquiry to probe the fate of thousands of people who have disappeared in Syria's war and to identify mass graves.
	The Syrian war began in March 2011 when waves of peaceful demonstrations were repressed by the security forces, eventually leading to an all-out conflict involving many sides.
	More than 330,000 people have been killed and millions displaced, but HRW says the exact number of those missing could not be determined as most detention facilities were off-limits to outsiders.
	"An independent institution in charge of investigating the fate and whereabouts of the disappeared, as well as unidentified human remains and mass graves in Syria, should be created immediately," said HRW.
	The New York-based rights watchdog issued the appeal in a statement coinciding with the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances.
	Last year, a team of UN experts raised the alarm over enforced disappearances and called for the ...

Call for enquiry into Syria war missing, mass graves

Jordan and Iraq today reopened their only border crossing, saying security had been restored three years after the Islamic State group seized control of frontier areas.
	In a joint statement, the two countries' governments said the crossing, called Turaibil in Iraq and Al-Karameh in Jordan, was reopened after it was "secured... Against attacks by criminal gangs".
	The border crossing is part of a crucial route linking the Iraqi and Jordanian capitals, and its reopening comes after Iraqi forces managed to retake most of the territory seized by IS in 2014.
	The route passes through the vast desert province of Anbar, where IS maintains some of its last bastions, including the towns of Rawa, Aanah and Al-Qaim, more than 200 kilometres (125 miles) north of the border post.
	The reopening of the post is a sign of increasing stability in the area and the restoration of commercial traffic will be important for the economies of both countries.
	The post is 370 kilometres (230 miles) from Amman 

Jordan, Iraq reopen only border crossing

The widespread rights abuses committed against protestors in Venezuela indicate that the country has implemented a policy of repression aimed at instilling fear in the population, the UN said today.
	A fresh UN report warned that the rights situation in Venezuela was at "grave risk" of unravelling further as the authorities continue to systematically and brutally repress demonstrators, and urged international action.
	The extent of the violations "points to the existence of a policy to repress political dissent and instil fear in the population to curb demonstrations at the cost of Venezuelans' rights and freedoms," the report from the UN human rights office said.
	"The generalised and systematic use of excessive force during demonstrations and the arbitrary detention of protestors and perceived political opponents indicate that these were not the illegal or rogue acts of isolated officials," it stressed.
	Venezuela, which is suffering from an acute economic crisis marked by shortages 

UN says Venezuela policies designed to 'instil fear'

Hundreds of protesters demonstrated in Malaysia today in support of Myanmar's Rohingya Muslim minority after renewed violence forced thousands to flee the country.
	Fresh fighting broke out in Rakhine state last week between security forces and Rohingya militants after the militants staged raids on police posts.
	The violence is still raging, and at least 110 people are so far confirmed dead while at least 18,500 Rohingya have fled to neighbouring Bangladesh, according to the International Organisation for Migration.
	Fighting in Rakhine often prompts anger in Muslim- majority Malaysia. On Wednesday about 1,000 protesters -- most of whom were believed to be Rohingya -- gathered near a major road in Kuala Lumpur calling for an end to violence against the minority.
	Some of the demonstrators wept and claimed that their families were being killed, while others waved banners that read "Stop Rohingya genocide" and "Save Rohingya".
	The demonstration was peaceful but about 20 protesters ...

Protest in Malaysia against Myanmar violence

A former South Korean spy chief was jailed for four years today for leading an online smear campaign against the man who is now president, Moon Jae-In, during the 2012 election.
	Won Sei-Hoon, who led the National Intelligence Service (NIS) from 2009 to 2013, orchestrated an illicit smear campaign to sway voters in favour of the then-ruling conservative party, the Seoul High Court said.
	South Korea only fully embraced democracy in the 1990s and its intelligence services have long been accused of interfering in elections in favour of the incumbent authorities.
	Moon lost the 2012 poll to Park Geun-Hye but was elected earlier this year after her impeachment over a corruption scandal.
	He has vowed to reform the NIS to prevent it meddling in domestic politics and focus it more on collecting and analysing intelligence on North Korea and foreign affairs.
	Won had violated the political neutrality of the NIS by "spreading pro-government opinions through online postings", the Seoul High ...

S Korea's ex-spy chief jailed for election meddling

Final scoreboard on the fourth day of
the first Test between Bangladesh and Australia in Dhaka on Wednesday.
     Bangladesh first innings: 260
     Australia first innings: 217
     Bangladesh 2nd innings: 221
     Australia 2nd innings (overnight 109-2):
     D. Warner lbw b Shakib           112
     M. Renshaw lbw b Mehedi            5
     U. Khawaja c Taijul b Shakib       1
     S. Smith c Rahim b Shakib         37
     P. Handscomb c Sarkar b Taijul    15
     G. Maxwell b Shakib               14
     M. Wade lbw b Shakib               4
     A. Agar c and b Taijul             2
     P. Cummins not out                33
     N. Lyon c Sarkar b Mehedi         12
     J. Hazlewood lbw b Taijul          0
     Extras (lb2, b7)                   9
     Total (all out; 70.5 overs)      244
     Fall of wickets: 1-27 (Renshaw), 2-28 (Khawaja), 3-158 (Warner), 4-171 (Smith), 5-187 (Handscomb), 6-192 (Wade), 7- 195 (Agar), 8-199 (Maxwell), 9-228 (Lyon), 10-244 (Hazlewood)
     Bowling: 

Dhaka, Aug 30 (AFP) Final scoreboard on the fourth day of

Fugitive former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra hit out at "tyranny" today via a cryptic tweet quoting a French Enlightenment thinker in his first comments since his sister fled overseas.
	Yingluck Shinawatra, who like her brother was also booted from office by a coup, dramatically disappeared days before a court was about to deliver judgment in a criminal negligence trial.
	Party and junta sources say she went to join her brother, who lives in self-exile in Dubai.
	On Wednesday Thaksin broke a long public silence, issuing tweets in both English and Thai that quoted 18th century French philosopher Charles de Montesquieu.
	"Montesquieu once said 'There is no crueler tyranny than that which is perpetuated under the shield of law and in the name of justice'," he wrote on his Twitter account.
	It is the first time Thaksin has used Twitter in more than two years, in an apparent swipe at the military rulers who forced him out of office in 2006 and toppled his sister's administration .

AFP

AFP

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