Emergency workers are battling to contain an oil spill near a joint Kuwaiti-Saudi oilfield in the Gulf, an official said today.
	"Emergency oil teams are still struggling to put an oil spill near Kuwait's southern Ras Al-Zour area under control," said Kuwait Petroleum Corporation spokesman Talal al-Khaled in a statement carried by the official KUNA news agency.
	There were no official reports on the source or size of the spill in the waters off Kuwait's southern coast, near the joint Kuwaiti-Saudi offshore Al-Khafji oilfield.
	Kuwaiti media however on Sunday quoted local oil experts as saying the spill originated from an old 50-kilometre pipeline from Al-Khafji.
	The experts estimated that as many as 35,000 barrels of crude oil may have leaked into the waters off Al-Zour, where Kuwait is building a massive $30 billion oil complex that includes a 615,000-barrel-per-day refinery.
	Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, located south of Kuwait along the Gulf coast, said the spill had not reached ...

Emergency teams battle oil spill off Kuwait

PTI Automatic

Athletics superstar Usain Bolt's last championship race ended in dramatic fashion as he collapsed injured on the track anchoring Jamaica's 4x100 metres relay in the world championship final.
     Here AFP Sports picks out five of his best quotes and five about him since he first light up the championship track at the 2008 Beijing Olympics:
     - What they said about him -
    	============================
     "There is no athlete that can compete with him... He's a global superstar." - Bolt's predecessor as an athletics superstar,  Michael Johnson, whose 200 metres world record Bolt broke in the 2008 Olympic final.
     "You can compare us as sprinters, but the thing I am most proud of is that I did multiple events and I long-jumped." - Damned with faint and grudging praise by American legend Carl Lewis who also cast aspersions as to the Jamaican doping system to which Bolt retorted: "Carl Lewis, I have no respect for him."
     "He is an icon. He is the best sprinter of all time." .

Bolt in quotes

Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki rolled into the final of the WTA Toronto tennis by cooling off the red-hot Sloane Stephens, while Elina Svitolina needed two wins to punch her ticket to the title match.
     Wozniacki, the 2010 champion, required 80 minutes to eliminate a resurgent Stephens 6-2, 6-3 and reach her sixth final of 2017.
	Fifth seeded Svitolina quashed defending champ Simona Halep's quest for back-to-back titles with a 6-1, 6-1 demolition. The win came just hours after she ousted reigning Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in a quarter-final that was postponed from Friday due to rain.
	Stephens, who is ranked 934 in the world, was playing in just her third tournament after missing 11 months while recovering from foot surgery. She beat Petra Kvitova, Angelique Kerber and Lucie Safarova to reach the semi-finals.
	Wozniacki's road to the final included a victory over world number one Karolina Pliskova.
	None of Wozniacki's 25 career titles have occurred this year. 

Wozniacki snaps Stephens' run, Svitolina routs Halep

A sentimental Justin Gatlin hailed Usain Bolt as an "amazing showman" whose career would certainly not be defined by him pulling up with cramp in the world 4x100m relay, the Jamaican's final competitive race.
     There was high drama in last night's relay as anchor man Bolt received the baton in third place behind eventual gold medallists Britain and runners-up America.
	Less than 50 metres down the track, Bolt suddenly pulled up, clutching his left leg, tumbling to the track with what was later diagnosed as a hamstring cramp.
	"This is farewell time, I am sentimental about it already now," said Gatlin, who stormed to 100m gold in London, US teammate Christian Coleman taking silver to relegate Bolt to a disappointing bronze in his individual send-off.
	"In the warm-up area we give ourselves respect and greet each other," Gatlin said of Bolt, who bows out of competition with a startling haul of eight Olympic gold medals and 14 world medals, nine of which are gold.
	Gatlin, who has ...

Gatlin hails Bolt the 'showman' despite relay flop

"Grey rhinos" have become a hunted species in China, where government regulators are clamping down on powerful private conglomerates amid fears they are racking up dangerous debt levels.
	Coined by an American policy analyst, the rhino reference points to long-visible threats that can charge suddenly and wreak havoc, as opposed to unforeseen "black swans".
	In China, it refers in particular to four huge companies with diverse global empires: HNA (aviation, tourism, finance), Fosun (tourism, entertainment), Wanda (real estate, cinema, amusement parks) and Anbang (insurance, luxury hotels).
	These are the crown jewels of China's private sector but are now viewed as a threat to financial stability.
	Their voracious acquisitions include Fosun's takeover of Club Med, HNA's stakes in Deutsche Bank and Hilton hotels, Anbang's purchase of New York's historic Waldorf Astoria, and Wanda's control of Hollywood studio Legendary Entertainment and 20 percent of the Atletico Madrid football ...

China tames 'grey rhinos' after foreign shopping sprees

A strong 6.4 earthquake hit off the Indonesian island Sumatra toady but there was no tsunami risk, seismologists said as panicked residents fled their homes.
	The quake hit at a depth of 35 kilometres at 10:08 AM (0308 GMT) 73 kilometres west of Bengkulu, according to the United States Geological Survey.

Strong 6.4 earthquake hits Indonesia's Sumatra: USGS

A Canadian pastor imprisoned in North Korea for more than two years returned home days after being released, officials said.
	Hyeon Soo Lim, 62, was arrested in January 2015 on charges of subversive activities against the North Korean regime, an accusation denied by Ottawa.
	Although sentenced to hard labor for life, he was granted "sick bail" following a visit to Pyongyang by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's national security advisor Daniel Jean.
	"Today, we join Pastor Lim's family and congregation in celebrating his long-awaited return to Canada," the foreign affairs ministry said in a press statement yesterday.
	"Canada has been actively engaged on Mr. Lim's case at all levels, and we will continue to support him and his family now that he has returned," it added.
	According to local media reports, Lim was flown to a military base in Trenton, some 170 kilometers (100 miles) east of Toronto.
	His liberation came at a moment of high tensions between North Korea and the ...

Canadian pastor returns home after N Korea ordeal

Stability across Latin America is in jeopardy from President Donald Trump's "reckless threat" to consider military action against Venezuela, Caracas said today, after its military vowed to stand up to the US leader's "craziness."
	The warning from Trump yesterday that his administration was mulling many options, "including a possible military option if necessary," struck the government of Venezuela's beleaguered leftist president, Nicolas Maduro, like a thunderbolt.
	The leadership of the crisis-wracked nation -- Latin America's biggest oil producer and an ally to Russia and Cuba -- suddenly found itself going from battling dissent, protests and growing international isolation to contemplating US military action last seen in the region in 1989, when American troops invaded Panama to topple its president, Manuel Noriega.
	"The reckless threat by President Donald Trump aims to drag Latin America and the Caribbean into a conflict that would permanently alter stability, peace and security 

Venezuela says Latin America stability at risk from 'reckless'

Hundreds of Basques turned out on the streets today in support of Catalonia and its planned referendum on independence from Madrid, an ambition long fought for by Basque separatists.
	He demonstration was symbolic, in a region still marked by decades of violence waged by armed separatist group ETA, and where the desire for independence remains strong despite the current peaceful times.
	Arnaldo Otegi, a veteran leader in the northern region who was once part of ETA and now heads up Sortu, a party that campaigns for independence, was present at the march.
	He said the protest had been called to demonstrate Basque solidarity "with people who are giving an important example in democracy in Europe and demanding the right to self- determination to decide whether they want to be independent or not."
	Otegi was referring to the northeastern region of Catalonia, where the regional, separatist government is planning to hold an independence referendum on October 1.
	But the central government ..

Basques march in solidarity with Catalonia independence vote

An improvised bomb attack on a military vehicle killed two soldiers in southeast Turkey today, with state media blaming Kurdish separatists.
	The blast came in the province of Batman, according to the state-run Anadolu news agency, which said the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) was behind the attack.
	Turkey was already in mourning today for a 15-year-old killed by PKK militants yesterday in the northeastern city of Trabzon.
	Kurdish-dominated southeast Turkey has been hit by near- daily violence since the conflict between the PKK and the government flared up in 2015, ending a fragile ceasefire.
	The PKK, which has waged an insurgency inside Turkey since 1984, is classed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the European Union and the United States.

Two soldiers killed in attack in Turkey

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane confirmed on Saturday he will sign a contract extension in the near future with the club he has guided to back-to-back Champions League titles.
     "I'm happy because it's a sign of confidence, that we have done good work," Zidane told a pre-match press conference ahead of Real's Spanish Super Cup showdown with Barcelona when quizzed on reports over his future.
	Madrid sports daily AS reported the Frenchman will be rewarded with a three-year deal for his feats in not only delivering two Champions Leagues in just 20 months in charge, but also Real's first La Liga title for five years.
	"I enjoy every day here," added Zidane, who also ended his illustrious playing career at the Santiago Bernabeu.
	"I'm lucky enough to have this extraordinary squad and I am very happy with it."
	Zidane added a sixth trophy to his burgeoning collection as a coach when Madrid saw off Manchester United 2-1 to retain the UEFA Super Cup on Tuesday.
	However, he acknowledged .

Zidane to extend Real Madrid contract

Kenya's defeated opposition coalition vowed today they would not halt their bid to overturn a "sham" election result, which sparked violent protests that have left 11 people dead.
	Protests flared in opposition bastions as soon as President Uhuru Kenyatta was declared the victor last night after an election his rival Raila Odinga claimed was massively rigged.
	Kenya is no stranger to post-election violence, and scars still run deep from a disputed 2007 vote which led to two months of ethno-political clashes, leaving 1,100 dead and 6,00,000 displaced.
	However protests remained isolated today, with several hundred demonstrators engaging in running battles with police who quickly dispersed what Interior Minister Fred Matiangi referred to as "criminal elements".
	Eight bodies have been taken to the Nairobi city morgue, most of them with gunshot wounds, from the protest-hit slums of Mathare, Kibera and Kawangware since last night, a senior police official told AFP on condition of ...

Kenya opposition vows 'will not relent' as 11 die in poll

Venezuela's new Constituent Assembly today strongly backed socialist President Nicolas Maduro in the face of the "vile threats" of his US counterpart Donald Trump, who said US military action was an option to quell the South American country's devastating crisis.
	"We reject the cowardly, insolent and vile threats" of Trump against "the sacred sovereignty of Venezuela," Delcy Rodriguez, president of the assembly, wrote on Twitter.
	The assembly's 545 members -- all members of the governing party -- would join Maduro "in defense" of the country, she added.
	The election of the assembly, decried by the opposition as an attempt by Maduro to install a "communist dictatorship," sharply increased tensions between Caracas and Washington. The two have not had ambassadors in each other's capitals since 2010.
	"We have many options for Venezuela, and by the way I'm not going to rule out a military option," Trump told reporters yesterday at his golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey, where he is .

Venezuela assembly denounces 'vile threats' from Trump

As the hysteria mounts ahead of Neymar's Paris Saint-Germain debut tomorrow focus switched from his record transfer fee to the question of which star would make way for the Brazilian.
     Le Parisien daily newspaper suggested it would be Javier Pastore, the silky but fragile Argentine who was the first major signing after PSG were bought by their ambitious Qatari owners, who splashed out a world record 222 million-euro (USD 261 million) for Neymar.
     "After first giving up his No.10 shirt, will he (Pastore) now give him (Neymar) his place in the team?" one Le Parisien headline asked of the player who took up the No.10 shirt after Zlatan Ibrahimovic left last season, only to hand it to the Brazilian this season.
     "Neymar will start on the left at the cost of Pastore," the article claimed.
	"So it'll be Neymar, (Edinson) Cavani and without doubt (Angel) di Maria in a three pronged attack," said Le Parisien, which then gave a long list of top signings who will be warming the PSG .

Neymar PSG debut lifts France to fever pitch

French President Emmanuel Macron today warned against an "escalation of tensions" over North Korea amid a growing war of words between Washington and Pyongyang.
	Macron also spoke by phone with US President Donald Trump with the aim of "getting North Korea to conform to its international obligations," his Elysee office said.
	"The two presidents agreed to remain in contact over the coming days," it added.
	In a statement, the 39-year-old voiced his "concern at the ballistic and nuclear threat coming from North Korea", saying world leaders needed to work to get Pyongyang to "resume the path of dialogue without conditions".
	Macron had joined a chorus of international voices urging restraint in the crisis, which has alarmed the global community as Trump has engaged in days of verbal sparring with Pyongyang.
	France and other UN Security Council members want North Korea to "proceed with the complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement of its nuclear and ballistic programmes," ...

France's Macron speaks to Trump, warns over N Korea escalation

Ten Nobel laureates from across the world have penned an open letter urging Saudi authorities to hold off on the execution of 14 Shiites convicted of protest- linked crimes.
	Fears are mounting of the imminent mass execution of the 14 Shiites convicted of charges linked to protests in 2012, including rioting, theft, armed robbery and armed rebellion.
	Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have accused Saudi authorities of coercing confessions which were later retracted in court and of failing to grant fair trials to defendants, including juveniles.
	Signed by anti-apartheid leader Archbishop Desmond Tutu, India's child rights activist Kailash Satyarthi, Yemeni activist Tawakkul Karman, Iranian lawyer Shirin Ebadi and former East Timor president Jose Ramos-Horta, the letter released late yesterday urged King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, his son, to "extend the hand of mercy" and refrain from ratifying the death sentences.
	"Mujtaba al-Sweika, a bright 18-year-old 

Nobel laureates urge Saudi to hold off on execution

Kenya's opposition coalition vowed today that they would not halt their bid to overturn a "sham" election result that handed President Uhuru Kenyatta a second term in office.
	"We will not be cowed, we will not relent," National Super Alliance (NASA) official Johnson Muthama told the media, describing a police crackdown on protests as an effort to force the coalition "into submission".
	Muthama claimed that some 100 people had been killed, although this could not be independently verified.
	He said Kenyatta, who the electoral commission said beat NASA candidate Raila Odinga with 54 percent of the vote "does not have any electoral mandate to be president of Kenyans."
	"We wish to assure the people that we have the will, the determination, and the means to make sure your vote will count at the end of the day," he said.
	"We will communicate our next course of action at the appropriate time. For now, we appeal to our supporters and Kenyans to stay out of harms way.

Kenya opposition vows 'will not relent' amid poll dispute

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson today blamed North Korea for the stand-off with the United States and said London wants a diplomatic end to the crisis.
	"The North Korean regime is the cause of this problem and they must fix it ," he said on Twitter.
	"The international community is shoulder to shoulder in ensuring North Korea stops its aggressive acts.
	"We are working with the US and our partners in the region to bring this crisis to a diplomatic end."
	US President Donald Trump today reassured Guam it was secure amid mounting regional tensions, vowing that American military forces "stand ready" to safeguard the US Pacific island territory against a belligerent North Korea.
	The North has threatened to fire ballistic missiles over Japan towards the tourism-dependent island, as Pyongyang and Washington ratchet up their war of words.
	Chinese leader Xi Jinping urged Trump to avoid rhetoric that could inflame the situation, while French President Emmanuel Macron warned against .

Britain says North Korea must fix crisis it started

A Palestinian woman stabbed and wounded an Israeli man near an east Jerusalem flashpoint today, before she was arrested, police said.
	They said in an English-language statement that the incident occurred next to the Old City's Damascus Gate, site of repeated past attacks.
	It said that a "female Arab terrorist" stabbed the man, injuring him lightly. The woman, a Jerusalem resident aged about 30, was arrested at the scene, police added.
	The Old City is located in east Jerusalem, which was occupied by Israel in 1967 and later annexed in a move never recognised by the international community.
	The July 14 killing there of two policemen by three Arab Israeli gunmen led to spiralling unrest after Israel responded by installing metal detectors at the entrance to the Al-Aqsa mosque complex, used as a staging point for the attack.
	For nearly two weeks, worshippers refused to submit to the checks and staged mass prayers in surrounding streets.
	Ensuing protests left six Palestinians dead. ..

Palestinian woman stabs, wounds Israeli in Jerusalem: police

Washington has urged Iraqi Kurdish leader Massud Barzani to postpone an independence referendum scheduled for next month but he requested something in return, his office said today.
	The timing of the September 25 vote has drawn criticism from both the Baghdad and Western governments, coming as the campaign against the Islamic State jihadist group in Iraq if still unfinished.
	In a telephone call yesterday, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Washington "would want for the referendum to be postponed and that the issues between the Kurdistan region and the federal government in Baghdad should be addressed through dialogue", Barzani's office said in an English-language statement.
	The Kurdish leader responded that were it to be put off, "the people of the Kurdistan region would expect guarantees and alternatives for their future".
	Some Iraqi Kurdish officials have openly acknowledged that calling the referendum was intended as a bargaining counter in negotiations with Baghdad on ..

US urges Iraq Kurds to postpone independence vote

Five people including two Girl Guides at a campground died in freak accidents early today when violent storms hit Poland amid a heatwave, the fire brigade and police said.
	The two girls, aged 13 and 14, were crushed by falling trees while sleeping in a tent and around 20 other children were injured when a freak storm hit the campground for Boy Scouts and Girl Guides with 140 youngsters in the northern village of Suszek.
	A woman died when a tree hit her house in the northern village of Konarzyny while a man sleeping in a tent in a nearby village also perished after being hit by tree brought down by high winds.
	Authorities in the same region also confirmed the death of a fifth victim, a 48-year-old man, crushed by a tree.
	A total of 28 people were reported injured while power was cut to around half a million homes and businesses as violent winds downed trees and ripped off roofs in northern and southern regions.
	An unusual heatwave saw peak temperatures soar to the high-thirties ...

AFP

AFP

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