Scorecard in the first One-day
International between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe here today.
     Sri Lanka:
     N Dickwella c Burl b Chatara       10
     M Gunathilaka c Ervine b Williams  60
     B Mendis c and b Cremer            86
     W Tharanga not out                 79
     A Mathews b Mire                   43
     D Gunaratne c Waller b Chatara     28
     L Madushanka not out                1
     Extras: (B-1, LB-2, W0-6)           9
     Total: (For 5 wkts; 50 overs)     316
     Fall of wickets: 1-16, 2-133, 3-180, 4-254, 5-310.
     Bowling: Chatara 9-1-49-2, Tiripano 6-0-45-0, Williams 9 -0-57-1, Cremer 10-0-57-1, Mire 7-0-47-1, Raza 9-0-58-0.
     Zimbabwe:
     H Masakadza c Dickwella b Malinga    5
     S Mire c and b Gunaratne           112
     C Ervine c Tharanga b Dananjaya     18
     S Williams b Gunaratne              65
     S Raza not out                      67
     M Waller not out                    40
     Extras: (LB-5, W-9, NB-1)           15
     ...

Galle, Jun 30 (AFP) Scorecard in the first One-day

PTI Automatic

Iraq will declare victory in the eight-month battle to retake second city Mosul from jihadists in the "next few days," a senior commander said today.
	"In the next few days, we will announce the final victory over Daesh," Staff Lieutenant General Abdulghani al-Assadi told AFP in Mosul, using an Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group.
	Iraqi forces launched the gruelling battle for Mosul on October 17, advancing to the city and retaking its eastern side before setting their sights on the smaller but more densely populated west.
	IS is now confined to a small area of Mosul's Old City, but its narrow streets and the presence of civilians has made the operation to retake it perilous.
	Assadi estimated that there are between 200 and 300 IS fighters left in the city, most of them foreigners.
	The battle has taken a heavy toll on civilians, leaving hundreds dead or wounded and displacing hundreds of thousands more.
	IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi ...

Mosul victory announcement in 'next few days': general

Simone Veil, the Auschwitz survivor who became a towering figure in French politics after legalising abortion despite fierce opposition, was hailed as "the best of France" today following her death at 89.
	Veil, a women's rights icon who served as the first president of the European Parliament, died at her home, her son Jean Veil said.
	Expressing his condolences, French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted: "May her example inspire our fellow citizens, as the best of what France can achieve."
	Macron's predecessor Francois Hollande said she "embodied dignity, courage and moral rectitude."
	"France has lost a figure the likes of which history produces few," French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe tweeted.
	Veil -- a model of composure who always wore her hair in a sleek bun and dressed in Chanel suits -- was seen as something of a secular saint for her unwavering stance on moral issues.
	Her standout achievement as a politician was shepherding a 1974 abortion law through parliament after .

French political icon Simone Veil eulogised as best of France

Nearly half a million displaced Syrians have returned to their homes since the beginning of the year, mainly to find family members and check on property, the UN refugee agency said today.
	The agency said it had seen "a notable trend of spontaneous returns to and within Syria in 2017."
	Since January, about 440,000 people who had been displaced within the war-ravaged country had returned to their homes, mainly in Aleppo, Hama, Homs and Damascus, Andrej Mahecic, a spokesman for the agency, known as the UNHCR, told reporters in Geneva.
	In addition, around 31,000 refugees in neighbouring countries had also returned, he said, bringing to 260,000 the number of refugees who have returned to the country since 2015.
	But Mahecic said this is a mere "fraction" of the five million Syrian refugees hosted in the region.
	He said the main factors prompting the displaced to return home were "seeking out family members, checking on property, and, in some cases, a real or perceived improvement in ..

Nearly half a million displaced Syrians return home: UN

Lawyers and rights activists took up positions at major US airports as a weakened version of President Donald Trump's travel ban went into effect.
	But there were no signs of the chaos that erupted when the first version of the restriction, derided as discriminatory against Muslims, was abruptly imposed back in January.
	Attorneys working pro-bono set up makeshift, just-in-case legal aid stations -- some with signs in Arabic -- at airports serving New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Washington and other cities, news reports said.
	Protesters angry over Trump's immigration policies also turned out, with some in Los Angeles holding black-and-white placards denouncing Trump as a fascist.
	But the first hours of the new version of the ban, as allowed by the Supreme Court, appeared to unfold calmly.
	Gone were the dramatic scenes of some people arriving from seven mainly Muslim countries being detained and questioned for hours, with some even deported on short order to where ...

US travel ban takes effect, with lawyers on hand just in case

China today condemned a USD 1.3 billion US arms sale to Taiwan and called on the United States to stop any weapons deal with the island, which Beijing considers a rebel province.
	Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a press briefing that Beijing has lodged a formal protest with Washington and urged the US government to "uphold its solemn commitment to the One-China principle".
	"Taiwan is an indispensable part of China's territory and we firmly oppose this arms sale to Taiwan," Lu said.
	His comments come after China's embassy in the United States slammed the sale, saying it was a "wrong move" that would hurt relations between the two countries.
	"The wrong move of the US side runs counter to the consensus reached by the two presidents in Mar-a-Lago and the positive development momentum of the China-US relationship," the embassy said.
	"It will harm the mutual trust and cooperation between China and the US."
	Chinese President Xi Jinping met with his US counterpart Donald .

China 'firmly' opposes US arms sale to Taiwan

Cricket Australia and the country's players looked set to miss a deadline to resolve a pay dispute today, potentially leaving players unemployed and threatening fixtures including this year's Ashes series.
     The current Memorandum of Understanding between CA and the Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) expires at midnight (1400 GMT) with hopes of a late breakthrough fading fast.
     The warring parties have failed to come to an agreement over revenue-sharing, and almost 230 players will be out of contract and will not be paid a retainer until a new MoU is agreed.
     Players who are on multi-year contracts that go beyond June 30 will continue to be paid, and will be required to play and train as before.
     The Australia A tour to South Africa in July is the first in the firing line, with its fate unknown if a new accord is not struck.
     Australia's Test tour to Bangladesh in August and September and the lucrative one-day international series in India in September are ...

Australia pay dispute set to miss deadline

Tanks, missile launchers and chanting troops greeted President Xi Jinping in a potent display of Chinese military might today as part of his landmark visit to politically divided Hong Kong.
	The show of force came hours after activists were released from police custody following their arrest over a protest.
	Xi arrived in the city yesterday to mark 20 years since Hong Kong was returned to China by Britain, with authorities desperate to stick to the script during anniversary celebrations.
	A huge security operation has shut down large parts of the city, with thousands of police deployed to keep away demonstrators angry at Beijing's tightening grip on the freedoms of nearly eight million people.
	Xi inspected troops at China's People's Liberation Army airfield in rural northern Hong Kong, wearing a black Mao suit and riding an open-top camouflage jeep in the largest military parade since the 1997 handover.
	As the jeep slowly drove past row upon row of air, naval and land personnel, Xi .

Massive military parade for Xi as Hong Kong activists freed

IOC chief Thomas Bach and South Korean President Moon Jae-In will next week discuss the possibility of joint Korean teams competing at next year's Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, the German said today.
     Seoul's new president -- who backs engagement with the nuclear-armed North -- made the suggestion at the World Taekwondo Federation championships in Muju last weekend.
     In South Korea's Pyeongchang next year, Moon said he would like to see again "the glory" of past events "where the South and the North achieved the best-ever results by fielding joint teams".
     He also suggested the two Koreas jointly participate in the Games' opening ceremony, as they did at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.
     South Korean officials have repeatedly urged the North -- which boycotted the 1988 Seoul Olympics -- to take part in Pyeongchang, touting the idea of a "peace Olympics" on the divided peninsula, which remains technically at war without a peace treaty to formally end the 1950-53 ...

IOC, S. Korea to discuss joint Korean teams: Bach

The German parliament today legalised same-sex marriage, days after Chancellor Angela Merkel said she would allow her conservative lawmakers to follow their conscience in the vote.
	The German legal code was changed to say "marriage is entered into for life by two people of different or the same sex", in the bill that was strongly supported by leftist parties.
	The reform grants full marital rights, including child adoption, to gay and lesbian couples, who in Germany have been allowed since 2001 to enter so-called civil unions.
	The lower house passed the bill by a margin of 393-226. The upper house has already approved it, and the measure is expected to enter into force before the end of the year.
	The election-year bill was pushed by Merkel's leftist rivals who pounced on a U-turn she made in an on-stage interview Monday -- a manoeuvre that left many of her conservative lawmakers fuming.

German parliament legalises same-sex marriage

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said today that the new US ban on travellers from six Muslim countries was "truly shameful".
	"US now bans Iranian grandmothers from seeing their grandchildren, in a truly shameful exhibition of blind hostility to all Iranians," Zarif tweeted.
	The temporary ban, which came into force late yesterday, prevents people from six Muslim-majority nations from entering the United States unless they have a "bone fide" connection to the country.
	That includes parents and siblings, but excludes grandparents and grandchildren, aunts and uncles and others.
	With more than one million people of Iranian origin living in the US, the legal battle over President Donald Trump's proposed ban has created months of anxiety for families.
	Trump says the 90-day ban on visitors from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen -- and a 120-day ban for refugees -- is necessary to block terrorists from entering the country.
	Many Iranian-Americans tweeted with the 

US travel ban 'truly shameful': Iran foreign minister

Five militants blew themselves up during raids on two refugee camps in eastern Lebanon near the border with Syria in which seven soldiers were wounded, the army said.
	Four of the suicide bombers struck in one camp near the border town of Arsal, wounding three soldiers.
	One militant blew himself up in a second camp near the town, while another militant threw a grenade at troops wounding four of them.
	The raids, which are aimed at "arresting terrorists and seizing weapons," are still ongoing, the army command said.

5 militants blow themselves up during raids in Lebanon: army

Chinese authorities have raided toy shops across the country to enforce a ban on a handheld crossbow popular with children that can fire nails and needles, state media said.
	So-called toothpick crossbows were designed to shoot just that -- toothpicks -- and in recent weeks became the must-have "toy" for young children in Chinese schools.
	But anxious parents said they feared the devices, made of plastic or metal and costing as little as five yuan (USD.75), could end up blinding somebody after reports that people were swapping  toothpicks for metal needles and iron nails.
	Now authorities have acted, according to the official Xinhua news agency, which declared late Thursday that the mini crossbow has "vanished from shelves almost as fast as it emerged".
	It quoted one worried Beijing parent surnamed Geng saying: "This is more a time-bomb than a toy."
	Xinhua also quoted an unnamed inspector with the Beijing municipal bureau of commerce as warning: "Kids are being watched by teachers ..

China bans 'time-bomb' toothpick crossbows

French President Emmanuel Macron is due in Mali on Sunday to consolidate Western backing for a regional anti-jihadist force, as France beefs up its counter- terror operations in the area.
	The so-called "G5 Sahel" countries just south of the Sahara -- Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger -- have pledged to fight jihadists on their own soil with instability and Islamist attacks on the rise.
	Based in Mali, the 5,000-strong G5 Sahel force is designed to bolster the 12,000 UN peacekeepers and France's own 4,000-strong military operation known as Barkhane operating in the region.
	Macron will attend a summit on July 2 with the leaders of the African nations involved, "marking a new step" as the force is formally launched, a source in the French presidency told AFP yesterday.
	Operations across Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali, all hit with frequent jihadist attacks, would be co-ordinated with French troops, the source said, while help would be given to set up command centres.
	The ..

France's Macron due in Mali to back Sahel anti-jihad force

A former CIA agent who was found guilty of kidnapping an Egyptian imam by an Italian court more than a decade ago has said she intended to return to Italy to face her sentence, but hopes to avoid prison.
	Sabrina de Sousa, who holds dual American and Portuguese nationality, said she would leave Portugal to face the Italian courts over the abduction of radical preacher Abu Omar from a Milan street in 2003 in an operation allegedly led jointly by the CIA and the Italian intelligence services.
	She has already gone on trial in absentia along with 22 others in what were the first legal convictions in the world against people involved in the CIA's extraordinary renditions programme that followed the September 11, 2001 attacks.
	"I'm going back to Italy next week to serve a sentence that will be determined by the Italian courts," 60-year-old de Sousa told AFP, saying she hoped to be released on parole and carry out community service.
	At the end of February, Italian President Sergio ...

Ex-CIA agent convicted over imam kidnapping to face sentencing

Roger Federer believes his decision to skip the clay court season will pay rich dividends when he gets to crunch time in his bid for a record eighth Wimbledon title.
     Having won the Australian Open during an unexpectedly strong start to the season, Federer opted to miss the French Open and the tournaments leading up to Paris so he would stay fresh for Wimbledon.
     The 35-year-old knew he had a much better chance of winning Wimbledon, where he lifted the trophy seven times, than he did at Roland Garros, where he has triumphed only once.
     Although Federer lost in the first round of his return to action in Stuttgart, he quickly shook off the rust, winning the grass-court tournament in Halle for the ninth time, and he is confident the healthy state of his mind and body will be crucial in the latter stages at Wimbledon.
     "The idea is to be mentally fresh still and eager to play, hopefully when the second week rolls around," Federer told reporters at a Laver Cup launch in ...

Fresh Federer ready for Wimbledon history bid

Tennis star Venus Williams was "at fault" in a Florida traffic accident that resulted in the death of a 78-year-old man, police said in a report obtained by AFP.
     Williams, 37, slowed in the middle of an intersection when her vehicle was hit by a car driven by the man's 68- year-old wife, the report said.
     The accident occurred on June 9 in Palm Beach Gardens, a small city north of Miami.
     The driver's husband suffered a head injury and died two weeks later at the hospital.
     The winner of seven Grand Slam championships was not using her phone and had not taken drugs or alcohol at the time of the crash, police said.
     The driver of the other vehicle told police she was approaching an intersection going westbound when Williams' northbound utility vehicle suddenly cut across into the intersection, leaving no time to stop before her car hit Williams's vehicle.
     Williams told police she was trying to get through the intersection but had slowed to five miles (eight ...

Venus Williams allegedly 'at fault' in fatal car crash

South Africa great Barry Richards believes the rise of Kagiso Rabada has "lessened the pain" of Dale Steyn's absence ahead of a Test series in England.
     Steyn, perhaps the best fast bowler of his generation, has been ruled out of the four-Test campaign with a longstanding shoulder problem that has sidelined him since the end of last year.
     But Rabada has helped fill the gap, the 22-year-old quick taking 71 wickets in 17 Tests at an impressively low average of 23.69 since making his debut against India at Mohali in November 2015.
     "I think  a lot of people were really wobbly about Steyn and the injuries he's had, the age group, he's in," said Richards, the outstanding opening batsman of the early 1970s, in London on Thursday.
     "Then Rabada popped out of the woodwork and he's been absolutely fantastic. He bowls at a good pace, nice, easy action. If conditions are right, he'll swing it way which is a real asset for a fast bowler," added Richards, speaking at an event ...

'Fantastic' Rabada excites Richards

Joachim Loew hailed Germany's "brilliant" 4-1 win over Mexico in the Confederations Cup semi-final and said his youthful squad are ambitious enough to beat Chile in the final.
     Loew opted not to bring his World Cup winning stars to the Confed Cup, but Germany's young guns booked their place in Sunday's final in St Petersburg after a devastating opening spell in Sochi.
     Attacking midfielder Leon Goretzka, 22, hit two goals in the first eight minutes to stun Mexico.
     Timo Werner, 21, made it 3-0 midway through the second half, then Marco Fabian scored Mexico's late stunning consolation with a thunderbolt free-kick before Germany's substitute Amin Younes, 23, netted Germany's fourth.
     "From the beginning, we did exactly what we set out to do -- we were very dominant and brilliant in the opening stages," said Germany's head coach Loew.
     "They pushed us back a bit in the second phase of the first half, which was to be expected, and we gave up a lot of ball. All in all, .

'Brilliant' Germany can win Confed Cup - Loew

Celebrity magazines have dubbed brunette mother-of-two Antonella Roccuzzo "the first lady of football" -- her man, Lionel Messi, is widely considered the best player on the planet.
     Showbiz and football stars will attend their wedding today in the couple's hometown of Rosario, Argentina.
     But friends here in their home city in northern Argentina insist the two are humble folk who have never forgotten where they come from.
     Seen as a man of few words, the millionaire Barcelona striker lets his feet do the talking -- and his bride in public says even less.
     Her family members have also avoided talking to the crowds of reporters who have invaded the city ahead of the wedding.
     Roccuzzo's father Jose is the owner of a chain of local supermarkets, Unico. He was formerly president of a regional supermarket owners' association.
     Apart from that, he is said to be a keen fan of Newell's Old Boys -- Messi's boyhood club in Rosario.
     - 'Messi's girl' -
     ...

Messi's bride Antonella, 'first lady of football'

US President Donald Trump and his South Korean counterpart held talks on how to halt North Korea's nuclear drive, but remained at odds over whether to isolate or engage the Pyongyang regime.
	Trump welcomed the newly-elected South Korean President Moon Jae-In to the White House for a formal dinner that preceded the heavier lifting that was to come later in the evening during talks on what to do about their ongoing standoff with the North.
	"We're going to have tremendous discussions tonight," Trump said at the dinner, flanked by his wife Melania and by Moon, on his right. Seated next to Moon at the elegant, flower bedecked table was his wife, First Lady Kim Jung-soon.
	Members of Trump's cabinet and Korean delegation were also seated at the elegant dinner table, which ran the length of the room.
	"I know you've been discussing with our people some of the complexities of North Korea and trade and other things, and we'll be discussing them all as we progress -- and it could be very well 

AFP

AFP

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