Activists accused Beijing of crippling Hong Kong's parliament today after four pro- democracy lawmakers were disqualified.
	The High Court judgement means the balance of power in the partially elected legislature swings further to the pro- China camp as opponents do not have enough seats to veto bills.
	Former Umbrella Movement protest leader Nathan Law was among those barred in a case brought by the semi-autonomous city's Beijing-friendly government after the four changed their oaths of office to reflect frustrations with Chinese authorities.
	Beijing issued a special interpretation of Hong Kong's mini-constitution, the Basic Law, in November to insist that oaths be taken in a "sincere and solemn" manner.
	The unprecedented intervention was prompted by a string of protests during the swearing in of lawmakers following citywide elections in October.
	The High Court said Beijing's ruling was "binding" and that the court's decision to bar the four retrospectively was not politically ...

Anti-Beijing Hong Kong lawmakers disqualified from parliament

PTI Automatic

French President Emmanuel Macron and US counterpart Donald Trump marked France's national day together today at a military parade that showcased their warming relations.
	Macron invited Trump to be his guest of honour at the pomp-filled military parade down the Champs-Elysees which the two men watched with their wives.
	The Bastille Day celebrations were also tinged with mourning, one year on since a vicious Islamist attack in the Mediterranean city of Nice where a man drove a truck into a crowd, killing 86 people.
	The Paris parade this year marked the centenary of the United States entering World War I in 1917 and was set to feature 63 planes, 29 helicopters, 241 horses and 3,720 soldiers.
	Macron, standing in a jeep surrounded by dozens of republican guardsmen on horseback, smiled and waved to the crowds amassed along the Champs-Elysees as he arrived for the parade.
	"This is a wonderful national celebration,"  Trump said at a joint news conference with Macron yesterday, adding: ...

Pomp and mourning as Macron, Trump mark France's Bastille Day

EasyJet has applied for a new air operator's certificate in Austria to continue flying in the European Union after Brexit regardless of the final deal, the British carrier said today.
	The application "will allow EasyJet to establish a new airline, EasyJet Europe, which will be headquartered in Vienna and will enable EasyJet to continue to operate flights both across Europe and domestically within European countries after the UK has left the EU," the no-frills airline said in a statement.
	EasyJet said the switch would create jobs in Austria, while no positions would be lost in the UK.
	"While the new structure will protect all of EasyJet's current flying rights within Europe, EasyJet will continue to push for the UK and EU to reach an aviation agreement which, at a minimum, will enable flights between the UK and EU," the statement added.
	Soon after Britain voted in a referendum a year ago in favour of exiting the EU, EasyJet applied for a European Union licence to keep flying ...

EasyJet to create new company in Austria for Brexit

Floyd Mayweather was on the attack, branding Conor McGregor a quitter as the four-stop tour hyping their cross-combat superfight hit New York.
     "Eejit" and "Circus Clown" were the tamest epithets the former welterweight king, who retired from boxing with a perfect 49-0 record in 2015, threw at McGregor, one of the biggest stars of mixed martial arts.
     "(He) didn't quit once, didn't quit twice, quit three times!" said Mayweather. ""Real fighters never give up."
     McGregor, a two-division champion in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, has conceded three defeats in 24 bouts, all by submission.
     The two men are set to face each other in a boxing ring in Las Vegas on August 26 in what could be the richest fight in history.
     Thursday's show at the Barclays Center, home of the NBA's Brooklyn Nets, drew a pro-McGregor crowd of more than 13,000.
     It was the third such production in three days, with one more scheduled for London on Friday aimed at pumping up interest in .

Mayweather, McGregor take trash-talk tour to New York

Scoreboard at lunch on the opening
day of the one-off Test between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in Colombo today:
     Zimbabwe 1st Innings
     H. Masakadza c Mendis B Herath           19
     R. Chakabva b Herath                     12
     T. Musakanda c Dickwella b Kumara         6
     C. Ervine not out                        19
     S. Williams c Gunaratne b Perera         22
     S. Raza not out                          17
     Extras (w1)                               1
     Total (4 wickets, 28 overs)              96
     Fall of wickets: 1-23, 2-38, 3-38, 4-70.
     Bowling: Lakmal 6-1-19-0, Kumara 8-2-24-1, Herath 9-2-36 -2; Perera 5-0-17-1.

Colombo, July 14 (AFP) Scoreboard at lunch on the opening

Sri Lanka spinner Rangana Herath took two early wickets to rattle Zimbabwe as the visitors took lunch at 96-4 on the opening day of their one-off Test today.
     Herath, who took 2-36 in the first session in Colombo, provided early delight to new Test captain Dinesh Chandimal after he lost the toss and Zimbabwe elected to bat first.
     The hosts, who saw Angelo Mathews step down as captain after their shock defeat to Zimbabwe in the one-day series, looked much the better side in the first 28 overs.
     Veteran left-arm spinner Herath sent back openers Regis Chakabva for 12 and Hamilton Masakadza for 19 at the R Premadasa Stadium.
     Paceman Lahiru Kumara removed Tarisai Musakanda, caught behind for six as the visitors slipped to 38-3.
     Craig Ervine and Sean Williams tried to stem the rot with a 32-run fourth-wicket partnership but off-spinner Dilruwan Perera broke the stand in his second over, claiming Williams for 22.
     Ervine battled on to reach 19 at the break with ...

Herath double strike hurts Zimbabwe

Five Egyptian policemen were killed in an attack today on a checkpoint in Giza province, south of the capital, police officials and state television said.
	The attack took place near Badrasheen, a town some 20 kilometres from Cairo, where militants have also targeted police in the past.
	The killings came as police and the army said they are closing in on militants and jihadists following a spate of attacks in the Nile Valley and the Sinai Peninsula.
	Egypt has struggled to quell the Islamic State jihadist group based in the Sinai Peninsula and smaller militant groups in the mainland since the military overthrew Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 and cracked down on his supporters.
	IS jihadists killed at least 21 soldiers in restive north Sinai on July 7, the same day as the militant Hasam group claimed responsibility for shooting dead a secret police officer north of Cairo.
	The interior ministry said a day later that it had killed 14 alleged IS members in a raid on a training 

5 Egypt police killed in checkpoint attack: state TV

British airline easyJet said today it had applied for a new air operator's certificate in Austria to allow it to continue flying in the European Union after Brexit regardless of the outcome of negotiations.
	The application "will allow easyJet to establish a new airline, easyJet Europe, which will be headquartered in Vienna and will enable easyJet to continue to operate flights both across Europe and domestically within European countries after the UK has left the EU," it said in a statement.

EasyJet to set up new company in Austria to prepare for Brexit

Saudi Arabia today hailed the Iraq government's recapture of Mosul city from Islamic State group jihadists, stressing its solidarity with Baghdad in combating "terrorism" despite their rocky relations.
	The kingdom "congratulates the Iraqi government and people for recapturing Mosul city and liberating it from the Daesh terrorist organisation," the foreign ministry said in a statement, using the Arabic acronym for IS.
	The statement carried by SPA state news agency stressed that Riyadh "stands by Iraq and its efforts to combat extremism and terrorism in all its form, as well as its financing".
	Iraq declared victory in Mosul this week after a nearly nine-month battle that ravaged the city and took a heavy toll on residents and security forces.
	Riyadh and Baghdad have made efforts to improve their bumpy relations, with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, a Shiite, visiting the predominantly Sunni kingdom last month.
	Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir travelled to Baghdad in ...

Saudi hails Iraq's Mosul 'liberation' from IS

Two bodies found stuffed inside suitcases abandoned in mountainous forest near Tokyo are suspected to be missing Chinese sisters, local media reported today.
	Police officers reportedly found the corpses folded inside the bags at two separate sites in the woods late yesterday.
	Police suspect that the bodies are those of two female Chinese restaurant workers, aged 22 and 25, who were living in Yokohama and missing since last week, according to reports.
	A man in his 30s caught on a surveillance camera at the sisters' apartment before they went missing has been identified as a suspect.
	Kanagawa prefectural police refused to comment yesterday's discovery when contacted by AFP.
	Grisly murder cases often grab headlines in Japan, though the country is known as one of the world's safest with an annual murder rate of less than one per 100,000 people.
	Last year, the body of a Chinese woman who had been missing for over two years was found inside a suitcase floating in a Tokyo canal.
	Local 

Two bodies found in suitcases in Japan woods: media

The Islamic State group no longer has a presence in Syria's Aleppo province after withdrawing from a series of villages where regime forces were advancing, a monitor said today.
	"IS withdrew from 17 towns and villages and is now effectively outside of Aleppo province after having a presence there for four years," said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
	Regime forces had been advancing on a sliver of southeastern Aleppo province around a key highway linking Hama province to the southwest and Raqa province further east.
	Abdel Rahman said regime forces seized control of the road late last night, prompting the remaining IS fighters to flee.
	A Syrian military source in rural Aleppo confirmed the withdrawal.
	"The military operation is ongoing and Daesh withdrew from the Aleppan countryside towards rural territory in Hama and Raqa," the source told AFP, using the Arabic acronym for IS.
	"The Syrian army is clearing out the last few metres," the source ...

IS withdraws from Syria's Aleppo province: monitor

Football and showbiz stars gathered in Argentina for Latin America's celebrity wedding bash of the decade as Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi prepared to marry his childhood sweetheart Antonella Roccuzzo today.
	Pop star Shakira and her husband, Messi's teammate Gerard Pique, were expected among the 260 guests, according to media and locals close to the event.
	They will join old friends of the couple and footballers, including his Barcelona strike partners Neymar and Luis Suarez, in Messi's northern hometown, Rosario.
	Suarez and other soccer stars were watched by curious locals as they stepped off private jets on Thursday at Rosario's airport.
	The party will be a respite for Messi from his legal woes. A Spanish court last month rejected his appeal against a conviction for tax fraud.
     - All-star guest list -
	=======================
	Brunette bride Roccuzzo, 29, will wear a dress by Rosa Clara -- a Spanish designer who has dressed actress Eva Longoria and Spain's Queen ...

Football, showbiz stars gather for Messi's wedding

German car giant Volkswagen's French subsidiary manipulated sales figures for years to present an unrealistically positive picture to central management, news weekly Der Spiegel reported today.
	From 2010 onwards, around 800,000 cars from the Volkswagen brand as well as its Audi, Seat, Skoda and commercial vehicles subsidiaries were listed as having been delivered before they were even registered to drive on French roads, an auditors' report seen by the magazine recorded.
	Some cars were not registered until months or years after they had been supposedly been handed over to customers.
	Since receiving the results of the internal investigation in April, VW chief Matthias Mueller has accepted the resignation of France head Jacques Rivoal -- although the group put his departure down to "differences of opinion" at the time.
	A Volkswagen spokeswoman refused to comment on "internal documents" when contacted by AFP.
	As the world's most prolific carmaker with some 12 brands, VW is the ...

Volkswagen manipulated France sales figures: report

English cricket's finances received a major boost on Friday with a new TV contract netting the governing body the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) over a billion pounds.
	Sky Sports saw off strong competition from BT Sports for the most expensive part of the contract retaining its position as the main rights holder for the 2020-2024 period.
	However, there was some comfort for those who have gone years without watching live cricket on free to air television -- the 2005 Ashes was the last domestic cricket to be aired free on Channel Four.
	The BBC -- who last showed live cricket in 1999 but recently showed highlights of the Champions Trophy tournament -- won live broadcast rights from 2020 for 21 matches, including men's and women's internationals and the England and Wales Cricket Board's new Twenty20 competition.
	The decision on who won the rights was taken by a five man panel including ECB chief executive Tom Harrison and chairman Colin Graves.
	Harrison was keen to stress the .

English cricket secures billion pound TV contract

Nigeria's health minister has declared that the outbreak of meningitis in the country is over, but only after it killed 1,166 people, most', of' them children.
	"We have formally declared the meningitis outbreak over," Isaac Adewole told reporters in the capital of Abuja on Wednesday.
	Earlier in the week the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control said that emergency operations responding to the epidemic had been wound down following a decline in new cases.
	"A total of 14,518 suspected cases of meningitis were reported from 25 states, with 1,166 deaths," said the centre in a statement.
	Vaccination campaigns were carried out in Zamfara, Sokoto, Yobe and Katsina states, the worst affected by the outbreak.
	A new strain of meningitis C was first reported in Zamfara last November and spread to 22 other states in northern Nigeria.
	Meningitis is caused by different types of bacteria, six of which can cause epidemics. It is transmitted between people through coughs and sneezes, close contact .

Nigeria says meningitis outbreak over, after 1,166 deaths

Anti-racism campaigners reacted with indignation today after Czech President Milos Zeman said he backed keeping open a pig farm on the site of a former Nazi camp for Roma people.
	"These declarations are a grave offence for victims and survivors of the Holocaust and their families," Miroslav Broz of the anti-racism association Konexe told AFP.
	The pig farm was constructed during Communist rule in the early 1970s at Lety, a village south of Prague that was the site of a Nazi-era concentration camp where hundreds of people in the Roma and Sinti minorities were murdered in 1942 and 1943.
	"I am against the liquidation of a company which is prospering, as that would be a loss for the national economy," Zeman told Czech television yesterday.
	"Removing it would cost the taxpayer a billion koruna (38 million euros/USD 44 million)," Zeman added -- a figure his critics contest.
	He also appeared to play down the site's history, suggesting that Lety had housed a "work camp and perhaps a ...

Czech leader under fire over pig farm at ex-Nazi camp

Former US president Barack Obama arrived today in his former childhood home Jakarta, where he met Indonesia's president at the end of a ten-day family holiday.
	Indonesia's President Joko Widodo met with Obama at the presidential palace on the outskirts of Jakarta, with Obama delighting local media by greeting Widodo with "apa kabar" -- how are you in Indonesian.
	The former first family arrived a week ago on the resort island of Bali and then visited the historic Yogyakarta city in central Java before coming to the capital.
	President Widodo took Obama to a cafe in the botanical garden next to the palace, where he sampled traditional snacks and ate a bowl of meatball soup.
	Obama spent four years in Indonesia in the late 1960s in the then-sleepy capital Jakarta after his mother married an Indonesian man, following the end of her marriage to his Kenyan father.
	Many Indonesians feel a strong bond with Obama because of his early exposure to Indonesian culture, and a two-metre ...

Obama visits childhood home Jakarta

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres called today on rival Cypriot leaders to seize a "historic opportunity" to bring peace to their island at negotiations aimed at ending Cyprus' 40-year division.
	Guterres said UN-mediated talks in Switzerland offered a chance to reach a comprehensive settlement to the conflict that has divided Cyprus for "too many decades".
	"I firmly believe that through determination and political will, it will be possible to clear this final hurdle to a comprehensive settlement," he told reporters.
	Guterres arrived Friday at the talks in the Swiss Alpine resort of Crans-Montana to bolster efforts to reunify Cyprus and solve one of the world's longest-running political headaches.
	Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkish troops launched an invasion and later occupied its northern third in response to an Athens-inspired putsch seeking union with Greece.
	More than 2,000 people are thought to have died during the offensive and the years of ethnic violence .

Cyprus talks 'historic opportunity' for peace: UN chief

Russian President Vladimir Putin today extended Moscow's embargo on food products from the West until the end of 2018, continuing its policy of retaliation for sanctions over Ukraine.
	A decree signed by Putin and posted in the official government database states that the embargo on produce, dairy, meat and most other foods will now stretch to December 31, 2018.
	The move comes days after the European Union formally rolled over damaging economic sanctions against Russia, and a week before Putin is set to hold his first meeting with US President Donald Trump at the G20 summit in Hamburg.
	Moscow in August 2014 banned most food imports from the European Union, the United States and other countries which imposed sanctions over its annexation of Crimea and support of east Ukraine's separatists.
	The embargo has already been extended twice in line as the West has repeatedly extended its sanctions.
	The Western sanctions, as well as Moscow's own embargo, have impacted the Russian economy, ..

Putin extends embargo on Western food imports through 2018

The UN voiced outrage today at the demand from Gulf countries that Qatar-based broadcaster Al- Jazeera shut down, describing it as "an unacceptable attack on the right to freedom of expression and opinion."
	The closure of the broadcaster is one of 13 wide-ranging demands placed on Doha by Saudi Arabia and its allies as the price for lifting an almost month-long "blockade" on Qatar.
	The four countries have given Qatar a 10-day deadline for implementation ending on July 4.
	UN rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein "is extremely concerned by the demand that Qatar close down the Al Jazeera network, as well as other affiliated media outlets," his spokesman Rupert Colville told reporters.
	"Whether or not you watch it, like it, or agree with its editorial standpoints, Al Jazeera's Arabic and English channels are legitimate, and have many millions of viewers," he said.
	"The demand that they be summarily closed down is, in our view, an unacceptable attack on the right to freedom of expression 

Call to close Al-Jazeera 'unacceptable attack' on free speech:

South African President Jacob Zuma admitted today the ruling ANC party is beset by corruption and divisions that could threaten its uninterrupted hold on power since the end of apartheid rule.
	Zuma, who has himself been at the centre of several major corruption scandals, called on the African National Congress (ANC) to reform and turn around its fortunes ahead of elections in 2019.
	Zuma may stay on as national president until the election, but he is due to step down as ANC chief in December and the party faces a bitter internal leadership battle.
	He said that the ANC needed to "cleanse itself" of "corruption, social distance, factionalism (and) abuse of power".
	"Factionalism is a cancer that must be rooted out of the ANC," he said, opening a six-day policy meeting in Soweto, south of Johannesburg.
	Critics accuse Zuma, 75, of allowing corruption to flourish since he came to power in 2009, and of being in the sway of the Gupta business family, allegedly granting them lucrative ...

AFP

AFP

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