Nigerian forces conducted an unauthorised search of the UN's main operating base in the town of Maiduguri in the country's northeast in the early hours of today, the UN said.
	"Members of the Nigerian security forces entered a United Nations base for humanitarian workers in Maiduguri, northeast Nigeria, without authorisation," the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Nigeria said by email.

Nigeria forces conduct 'unauthorised search' of UN camp: UN

PTI Automatic

Morocco's football federation (FRMF) announced today it had told the sport's world governing body FIFA it will bid to host the 2026 World Cup.
     It would be Morocco's fifth candidacy having come up short already in 1994, 1998, 2006 and 2010.
     In April, the United States, Canada and Mexico had already announced a joint North American bid to host the tournament.
     If successful, Morocco would become only the second African country to host football's flagship event following South Africa in 2010.
     The north Africans have received backing from African federation (CAF) president Ahmad Ahmad, who said he was "convinced" the country is ready to host a World Cup.
     The 2026 tournament will be the first with an expanded 48-team tournament, up from the current 32 qualifiers.
     Morocco had won the right to host the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations but pulled out at the 11th hour over concerns related to the Ebola outbreak in western Africa at the time.
     But the country has ...

Morocco to bid for 2026 World Cup - Federation

Neymar is free to make his Paris Saint-Germain debut at Guingamp on Sunday after Barcelona confirmed on Friday the 222 million-euro ($261 million) cheque used to pay his buyout clause had cleared.
     "The cheque has cleared and therefore puts in motion the process of the transfer," said a Barcelona club source.
     The French Football Federation (FFF) and French league (LFP) confirmed to AFP on Friday that the player's transfer certificate had been received from the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).
     That will allow him to be registered for the game at the Stade du Roudourou.
     "Neymar's contract will be ratified during the afternoon. He will be able to play on Sunday," said the LFP.
     Neymar's move to the French giants that smashed the world record transfer fee was announced on August 3.
     However, he had to watch last weekend's 2-0 win over Amiens from the stands as the administrative formalities of the deal were not completed in time.
     FFF president Noel Le ...

Barcelona receive PSG money to free up Neymar

US President Donald Trump today said a military option against North Korea was "locked and loaded," his latest salvo in an escalating war of words with Pyongyang's nuclear-armed regime.
	"Military solutions are now fully in place, locked and loaded, should North Korea act unwisely. Hopefully Kim Jong Un will find another path!" Trump tweeted.

Military option with N Korea 'locked and loaded': Trump

Several civilians have been killed in an US airstrike in eastern Afghanistan, local officials said today, the latest setback in efforts to bring peace to the war-torn country.
	Saaz Wali Shinwari, the district governor of Haska Mina in Nangarhar province, said the raid was carried out by US troops although there was no official confirmation from NATO.
	"On Thursday afternoon, the American forces bombarded a civilian private vehicle... When they were travelling inside the district," he told AFP.
	"Unfortunately, in the airstrike we have casualties. Eleven people were killed and one wounded. All the victims, which included women and children, were civilians and they were from one family.
	"The victims were beyond recognition, and they were placed inside the sacks and were buried late last night," he added.
	Of the roughly 13,000 foreign forces in Afghanistan only the United States carries out airstrikes.
	They have been regularly targeting Islamic State insurgents who control several ...

US airstrike kills several civilians in Afghanistan: officials

A California city has agreed to pay USD 85,000 (72,000 euros) to settle a lawsuit filed by a Muslim woman whose hijab was forcibly removed by the police.
	The Council on American-Islamic Relations, (CAIR) which announced the settlement on Thursday, had sued the city of Long Beach on behalf of Kirsty Powell, an African-American Muslim, "after police officers forcibly removed her hijab in view of other male officers and dozens of inmates."
	Powell, who wears the head covering "as part of her religious beliefs," was "forced to spend the entire night exposed in custody and described the experience as deeply traumatizing," the rights group said.
	Powell was arrested during a traffic stop in May 2015 on outstanding warrants that were since cleared.
	Long Beach voted today to approve the settlement, CAIR said, adding that nearby communities have already adopted policies protecting religious headwear in detention following similar lawsuits.
	Now female officers are required to remove the ...

Payout for US Muslim woman whose hijab was removed by police

Indonesia will deport 153 Chinese nationals arrested for alleged involvement in a multimillion- dollar cyber fraud ring targeting wealthy businessmen and politicians in China, police said today.
	The syndicate, who ran their operation from abroad to avoid detection by Chinese officials but did not target any victims in their host country, made around six trillion rupiah (USD 450 million) since beginning operations at the end of 2016, Indonesia police said.
	They were arrested following a tip-off from Chinese authorities.
	"We are conducting an intensive investigation and currently coordinating with the Chinese police to deport them," said national police spokesman Rikwanto, who goes by one name.
	The group, based in several locations across Indonesia, contacted victims pretending to be Chinese police or law officials, promising to help resolve their legal cases in return for immediate cash transfers, Jakarta police said.
	The criminal network included IT specialists who would retrieve 

Indonesia to deport 153 Chinese for USD 450 million scam

A Roman Catholic priest has been arrested on child sex charges after he was allegedly caught with a 13-year-old girl procured from a pimp, a Philippine church official said today.
	The church and the police are conducting separate investigations into the case of Monsignor Arnel Lagarejos after he was arrested in a suburb of Manila on Friday, said retired Bishop Oscar Cruz.
	Lagarejos, a parish priest and head of a religious college near the capital, was taken into custody by police after the girl was handed over to him by her pimp, said Cruz, who is heading the church's investigation.
	The monsignor has been suspended from all his functions in the diocese and at the college and is in custody, Cruz told AFP.
	Police declined to comment, citing a law requiring confidentiality of all parties in such cases.
	The results of the church investigation will be sent to the Vatican for judgement, Cruz said, adding that Lagarejos could be stripped of all his priestly functions if found ...

Philippine priest arrested on child sex charges: church

Japan's economy is accelerating but further structural reform is needed to finally leave behind years of on-off deflation, the IMF warned today.
	The International Monetary Fund highlighted concerns over price movements and public debt as it noted the mixed record of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's growth plan dubbed Abenomics.
	Abe swept back to power in late 2012 on a pledge to reignite the world's third largest economy and the scheme's mixture of huge monetary easing, government spending and reforms has stoked a stock market rally and fattened corporate profits.
	But there has been growing criticism about the plan's muted impact on the wider economy.
	Consumer spending remains tepid and the Bank of Japan has struggled to lift inflation despite years of aggressive monetary easing, although Japan's prospects have been boosted recently on the back of strong exports and investments linked to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
	The IMF's latest forecast published in July sees Japan's economy growing .

IMF says Japan needs more work for 'durable' deflation exit

Veteran goalkeeper Tim Howard says top North American club players should expect "cut-throat" competition from Spanish giants Real Madrid in tomorrow's Major League Soccer All-Star Game.
     The All-Star match at Soldier Field, home of the NFL's Chicago Bears, marks the end of a four-match, 11-day pre- season US tour for Real Madrid that included a 3-2 loss to rival Barcelona in a Clasico matchup at Miami.
	But Howard expects Real Madrid to bring their best as they prepare for the upcoming La Liga campaign.
	"When you get to play for a team like Real Madrid, there's no days off," Howard said. "There are no easy games. They have a world-class coach that they are trying to impress.
	"They have got to play well to earn a spot coming up for the La Liga season. World football is intense and it's cut- throat. There aren't any days when guys just take it easy. When you put your jersey on and cross the line -- whether it's a tournament, a regular-season game, a pre-season game, an All-Star ..

Real Madrid expected to give MLS stars intense match

A US government watchdog has filed a secret report to Congress into allegations of child sex abuse by the Afghan security forces -- and the extent to which America holds them accountable.
	According to the office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), which today announced it had sent the classified findings to lawmakers, Afghan officials are failing to stop sexual exploitation.
	Primarily at issue is the entrenched custom of what is known in Afghanistan as "bacha bazi" -- or the sexual abuse of boys -- and whether the US is turning a blind eye.
	"Afghan officials remain complicit, especially in the sexual exploitation and recruitment of children by Afghan security forces," SIGAR said in a quarterly publication that described the outline of the Congressional report.
	It states that the Afghan government has failed to identify or help victims. In some cases, the Afghan government arrested and prosecuted trafficking victims as ...

US watchdog files report on Afghanistan child sex abuse

Los Angeles announced its intent to host the 2028 Olympics, paving the way for Paris to host in 2024 in a deal hailed as a win-win-win for both cities and the Olympic movement.
     "I am proud to announce the Olympic Games are coming back to the United States of America," Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti said at ceremony at the StubHub Center stadium.
     "In 2028, we are bringing the Games back to LA, one of the great capitals of the Olympic movement. A city that has always been a Games changer and will be again in 2028."
     Los Angeles had been in a race with Paris to follow Tokyo 2020 as the 2024 host with the winner to be named by the IOC on September 13 in Lima.
	But the possibility that Los Angeles would abandon a 2024 bid and instead accept the 2028 Games has been growing since the IOC decided in July that it would attempt to award both Games at its Lima meeting.
	Paris had remained insistent on hosting in 2024, on the 100th anniversary of the city's 1924 Olympics.
	LA ...

LA agrees to host 2028 Games, Paris set for 2024

Toronto's International Film Festival served up an ace, announcing it would open with a movie depicting the epic rivalry between tennis legends Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe.
     The premiere of "Borg/McEnroe," which stars Shia LaBeouf as McEnroe and Sverrir Gudnason as Borg, re-enacts the legendary on-court battles between the volatile American and his cucumber-cool Swedish rival.
	"The story of this nail-biter matchup changed the sport of tennis forever, and the outstanding performances from LaBeouf and Gudnason will be a spectacular way for festival- goers to kick things off," said TIFF director Piers Handling.
	The film, which will open North America's largest film festival on September 7, is a change in scenery for director Janus Metz, whose award-winning documentary "Armadillo" focused on Danish troops serving in Afghanistan.
	LaBeouf, who last month was forced to publicly apologize after being arrested for drunken behavior at a hotel in Georgia, plays the US tennis star famous ..

Toronto film fest to open with 'Borg/McEnroe' biopic

Moeen Ali chose a fine time to make both personal and cricket history after his first hat-trick at any level sealed England's 239-run win in the third Test against South Africa at The Oval.
     A match imbued with historical significance -- this was the 100th Test at The Oval -- saw off-spinner Ali create some of his own.
	His was just the 14th England hat-trick at this level and the first in south London ground The Oval's 127-year history as a Test venue.
	Dean Elgar did his best to prevent England going 2-1 up in this four-match series with a gutsy innings of 136.
	The left-handed opener was, however, the first of Ali's hat-trick victims on Monday's fifth day, edging to Ben Stokes at first slip.
	Kagiso Rabada exited in similar fashion next ball but that was the end of the over.
	But with South Africa surviving the ensuing Stokes over, it was left to Ali to have last man Morne Morkel lbw with his next delivery.
	It needed an England review of West Indian umpire Joel Wilson's not ...

England's Ali picks his moment for first hat-trick

The resting place of missing flight MH370 will eventually be found but it will require advances in science and technology, including artificial intelligence, Malaysia Airlines' chief said today.
	No trace of the Boeing 777, which disappeared in March 2014 with 239 people on board, was found during a lengthy deep sea hunt in the southern Indian Ocean off western Australia, with the search called off in January.
	"There will be advances in science that will help locate the wreckage eventually," the Malaysian carrier's chief executive Peter Bellew told The Australian newspaper, adding the discovery "might unlock closure for some people".
	Bellew, in Sydney for an aviation summit, said the advances could come through "the availability of artificial intelligence that's coming on stream", high-capacity computing power and university research.
	He did not give further details about what specific research could lead to a breakthrough, but added that private efforts to locate the plane could ..

Tech advances will lead to MH370 discovery: Malaysia Airlines

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto has said he had not recently spoken to Donald Trump on the phone, after the US leader boasted his counterpart had called him to praise his border policy.
	Trump made the comments as he presented his new chief of staff, former Homeland Security secretary John Kelly, who is tasked with restoring order to a White House beset by scandal, infighting and legislative defeats.
	"At Homeland, what he has done has been nothing short of miraculous," Trump said of Kelly.
	"As you know, the border was a tremendous problem and they're close to 80 percent stoppage. And even the president of Mexico called me -- they said their southern border, very few people are coming because they know they're not going to get through our border, which is the ultimate compliment."
	Pena Nieto's office rejected that account.
	"President Enrique Pena Nieto has not recently communicated with President Donald Trump by phone," it said in a statement yesterday.
	It said the two ...

Mexican president denies calling Trump to praise border policy

The leader of New Zealand's main opposition Labour Party quit today just weeks before a general election, citing "disappointing" opinion polls.
	Outgoing Andrew Little said the centre-left party needed a fresh team at the top for the September 23 election after its support plunged to 20-year-lows of between 23 and 24 percent.
	"Recent poll results have been disappointing. As leader, I must take responsibility for these results," he said.
	"I do take responsibility and believe that Labour must have an opportunity to perform better under new leadership through to the election."
	Little stepped down immediately, with the Labour caucus set to elect a replacement later in the day. He backed his deputy Jacinda Ardern for the role.
	The centre-right National Party-led coalition under Prime Minister Bill English is seeking a fourth term in the election and comfortably leads in the polls.

New Zealand opposition leader quits as election looms

Britain's Foreign Minister Boris Johnson has warned that Venezuela "stands on the brink of disaster" following a bloody vote which gave greater power to President Nicolas Maduro.
	"Venezuela stands on the brink of disaster and Nicolas Maduro's government must stop before it is too late.
	"The country is turning on itself -- more than 100 have died already -- and democracy and basic rights are in jeopardy," Johnson said in a statement yesterday.
	Britain's reaction came a day after Venezuela's election of a new "Constituent Assembly" superseding the country's legislative body, the opposition-controlled National Assembly.
	The move hands almost total power to Maduro's Socialist party and was described as "dubious" by Johnson.
	Ten people died in violence surrounding the vote on Sunday, including two teenagers, while more than 120 people are recorded to have died in four months of protest against the Venezuelan president.
	Britain's foreign minister said the election has "dramatically ...

Britain warns Venezuela on 'brink of disaster' after vote

Washington is reviewing its options after the Kremlin ordered it to shrink its diplomatic mission in Russia, and President Donald Trump still intends to sign new sanctions into law.
	Questioned by reporters yesterday, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders had only a low-key response to President Vladimir Putin's extraordinary demand that the embassy cut its local and American staff by 755.
	A State Department official has anonymously called the weekend's development "regrettable," but Trump has not launched any of his trademark tweets to protest the Russian action, a response to the sanctions bill.
	"Right now, we're reviewing our options and when we have something to say on it, we'll let you know," Sanders said, repeating that Trump would sign the the bill but refusing to say when.
	On Thursday, the US Senate overwhelmingly approved a bill to toughen sanctions on Russia for allegedly meddling in the 2016 US presidential election and its intervention in Ukraine. Iran and ...

US 'reviewing options' after Putin orders embassy cuts

The ruling coalition of Senegal's President Macky Sall won a widely expected landslide in a legislative election, his prime minister has said, bolstering Sall's prospects for re-election in 2019.
	The Benno Bokk Yakaar (BBY) coalition swept all but three of the country's 45 electoral departments, Prime Minister Mahammed Boun Abdallah Dionne told the public Senegalese press agency APS yesterday ahead of the official release of results.
	The ruling coalition had "emerged victorious" following the vote on Sunday, Dionne said, while the turnout was 54 per cent among Senegal's 6.2 million registered voters, an increase on voting in 2012.
	Dionne said President Sall's opponents were likely to be ahead in the departments of Kedougou, Saraya and possibly Mbacke, but otherwise the BBY list of candidates "had been voted in by the Senegalese people".
	However supporters of Dakar Mayor Khalifa Sall (no relation), who is in jail awaiting trial for what supporters say are politically motivated ...

Senegal ruling party coalition claims election landslide

The United States branded Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro a "dictator" threatening his country's democracy today and imposed sanctions targeting any assets he might hold on US territory.
	"Yesterday's illegitimate elections confirm that Maduro is a dictator who disregards the will of the Venezuelan people," US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement announcing the action.
	"By sanctioning Maduro, the United States makes clear our opposition to the policies of his regime and our support for the people of Venezuela who seek to return their country to a full and prosperous democracy."
	Yesterday's vote in Venezuela to elect a Constituent Assembly that would supersede the country's opposition- controlled National Assembly earned international scorn, with the US leading a group of nations refusing to recognize the election.
	Washington has been a longstanding opponent of Maduro's government -- and of his late predecessor Hugo Chavez -- but Monday's statement marks the ...

AFP

AFP

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