A Japanese court today gave the green light to switch on two more nuclear reactors despite heavy public opposition, in the latest victory for the government's pro-atomic push.
	Local residents lost their bid for an injunction to block the refiring of the No.3 and No.4 reactors at the Genkai nuclear plant in southwestern Japan on safety grounds, according to a district court official.
	The site, operated by Kyushu Electric Power, lies some 100 kilometres (62 miles) north of Kumamoto prefecture which was hit by a deadly earthquake last year.
	Residents unsuccessfully argued that the utility had not taken enough measures to prevent an accident linked to a natural disaster.
	The restarts are not likely to happen for at least several months.
	The court ruling comes a week after another utility switched on a reactor at the Takahama plant in Fukui prefecture, some 350 kilometres (215 miles) west of Tokyo, bringing the number of running reactors in Japan to five.
	Dozens more in the country ..

Japan court clears way for nuclear reactor restarts

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Australia unveiled a government- backed bid today to host the 2023 Women's World Cup, saying it would be an economic boon for the country and inspire a new generation footballers.
     Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said Australia's history of successfully holding major sports events meant it was well-placed to host the football showpiece.
	"We are recognised internationally for our sporting achievements and for showcasing some of the biggest sporting events in the world and, when we do, we do it triumphantly, we do it successfully, we do it to great acclaim," he said in officially launching the bid.
	"The opportunity to host this event is significant, not just for the economic and tourism benefits it would bring, but for what it does for women's sport."
	The government has pledged Aus$1 million (US$760,000) in initial funding and will provide another Aus$4 million if Australia proves to have a reasonable chance of winning.
	"This is the largest, most prestigious and most competitive 

Australia bid for 2023 Women's World Cup

Sardar Azmoun and Mehdi Taremi were on target as Iran confirmed their spot in the 2018 World Cup finals with a 2-0 victory over Uzbekistan at the Azadi Stadium here.
     It was Iran's sixth win from eight matches in Group A which took the table-toppers to 20 points, while South Korea are second on 13 ahead of their match against Qatar today.
     Iran are still unbeaten in the third stage of qualifying and amazingly have not conceded a single goal during the campaign, thus underlining their credentials as one of Asia's football giants.
    	Yesterday, they recorded their second win over Uzbekistan on the road to Russia, with Rostov forward Azmoun first finding the net in the 23rd minute with a right-footed shot from the left of the box following a through ball from Alireza Jahanbaksh.
	Iran were clearly the dominant side in front of their home fans and could have easily emerged winners with an even more impressive scoreline but for some lacklustre finishing.
	In the 48th minute ...

Iran book ticket to 2018 World Cup

Alexei Smertin once denied the existence of racism in Russia but now the former national team captain and Chelsea midfielder is in charge of tackling the problem as the World Cup looms.
     Back in 2015 Smertin told the BBC that "there's no racism in Russia, definitely, because, you know, it doesn't exist" as the country marked 1,000 days to the tournament that kicks off in June 2018.
	But this February the long-haired ex-player was chosen to spearhead the campaign to crack down on the sort of racial abuse that has seen ethnic minority players regularly targeted in the country.
	His appointment as the Russia Football Union's anti- racism inspector raised some eyebrows as critics argued that once again it showed the authorities were not serious about tackling the issue.
	Now, with one year to go to the World Cup and a few days to the warm-up Confederations Cup, Smertin appears to have changed his tune slightly -- even if he remains sure racism won't be a problem.
	"The fact of the ...

One-time denier Smertin tackles Russia racism

China's football-mad President Xi Jinping will meet with FIFA chief Gianni Infantino in Beijing tomorrow as the world's most populous nation harbours ambitions of hosting the World Cup.
     Xi will greet the president of football's world governing body Infantino at the palatial Great Hall of the People, the government said, without providing any details about the agenda.
	The meeting follows widespread speculation that China will bid to host the World Cup either in 2030 or 2034.
	Xi wants his country to host the global football extravaganza and hopes Chinese national team can one day win the sport's most prestigious trophy.
	But China, who languish down at 82nd in FIFA's world rankings just below Benin and the tiny Faroe Islands, look certain to miss out on qualification for Russia 2018.
	China have appeared in just one World Cup, in 2002, where they lost all three group matches and failed to score a goal.
	Qatar, who are part of the Asian Football Confederation, are due to host the .

Xi to meet FIFA boss as China harbours World Cup ambition

When Russia were drawn to play England at the Euro 2016 in Marseille, Vladimir knew an opportunity like this wouldn't come again.
     The Muscovite had drifted away from the violent football hooligan scene in recent years but the chance to take on the famed English fans was just too tempting.
     "There was a myth about the greatness of the English hooligans," the bearded fan told AFP.
	"Everyone like me understood that this was the day we needed to show up and prove ourselves."
	What unfolded next grabbed headlines around the world: hundreds of Russians rampaged through the streets of Marseille beating up English fans in what local prosecutors described as "hyper-fast and hyper-violent acts."
    	The scenes of bloodied supporters unleashed fears over gangs of Russian thugs and, most importantly, the threat they could pose visiting fans coming to the country for the World Cup in 2018.
	But while the immediate reaction from Russian officials was often one of thinly-disguised pride ..

Ahead of World Cup, Russian hooligans face crackdown

A spokesman for the Islamic State group praised jihadist attacks in the Philippines and Iran, in an audio recording broadcast today.
	The recording broadcast by jihadist accounts on social networks was part of a general appeal to extremists around the world to continue their attacks during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
	"Children of the caliphate in eastern Asia, we congratulate you for taking Marawi," IS spokesman Aboulhassan al-Mouhajer said, referring to the Philippine city seized by Islamist militants last month.
	Thousands of Philippine troops are battling hundreds of insurgents who overran the southern city on May 23, flying black IS flags and using up to 2,000 civilians as human shields.
	Fierce fighting in the city has left a total of 58 soldiers and police and more than 20 civilians dead, according to the military which estimates that almost 200 jihadists have been killed.
	The IS spokesman also congratulated the perpetrators of last week's attacks in Iran.
	Seventeen ...

IS praises jihadist attacks in Philippines, Iran

Pentagon chief Jim Mattis has warned that North Korea poses the most urgent threat to international peace and security, calling the regime's weapons program a "clear and present danger" to all.
	In written testimony to lawmakers ahead of a hearing on the Pentagon budget, Mattis yesterday said North Korea is increasing the pace and scope of its nuclear weapons program that leader Kim Jong-Un has stated will one day be capable of delivering a bomb on the United States.
	"The most urgent and dangerous threat to peace and security is North Korea," Mattis said.
	"The regime's nuclear weapons program is a clear and present danger to all, and the regime's provocative actions, manifestly illegal under international law, have not abated despite United Nations' censure and sanctions."
	The defense secretary also warned of a return to "Great Power competition," where countries like Russia and China are gaining military assertiveness and placing long-held global security protocol at risk.
	"Both .

Mattis warns N Korea is 'most urgent' threat to peace

Pentagon chief Jim Mattis has said he was "shocked" by the poor state of the military's readiness to fight due to years of legal budget caps.
	"I retired from military service three months after sequestration took effect," Mattis told the House Armed Services Committee yesterday, referring to the budgetary limits.
	"Four years later, I returned to the Department (of Defense), and I have been shocked by what I've seen about our readiness to fight," he added.
	"No enemy in the field has done more to harm the readiness of our military than sequestration."
	Mattis was addressing lawmakers seeking additional information about President Donald Trump's proposed 2018 budget.
	Trump has called for a significant jump in the Pentagon's vast budget, though it falls short of the historic spending bonanza sought by more hawkish Republicans.
	The Pentagon has called for $574 billion in general defense funding, with an additional $65 billion for supplemental wartime spending -- for a total of $639 ...

Mattis 'shocked' by low level of US military readiness

Flooding in South America has forced almost 6,000 people to flee their homes along the Uruguay River, authorities have said.
	More than 5,700 people fled their homes in Uruguay along the major waterway, as well as along some creeks flowing into it, since flooding started on May 26, according to officials in the Uruguayan capital Montevideo.
	The bulk of those affected are in Salto department, a mostly rural area, as well as neighboring areas Artigas, Paysandu and Rio Negro, all on the country's western edge, the National Emergency System yesterday said.
	Flooding has grown increasingly common in Uruguay.
	And authorities fret that poor people often live close to rivers and streams for convenience -- only for the choice to cost them their lives.

Floods in Uruguay send almost 6,000 fleeing homes

Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny was jailed for 30 days, and over 1,500 of his supporters were arrested after demonstrations across the nation against government corruption.
	The protests were the second mass action since March called by Navalny, who has announced his intention to run for president next year and has drawn a new generation to the streets through a relentless online campaign.
	A Moscow court, sitting late yesterday, found the 41- year-old Navalny guilty of organising unauthorised protests and sentenced him to a month in administrative custody, his spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said on Twitter.
	The OVD-Info rights group told AFP that more than 1,500 of his supporters had been arrested during the protests across the country yesterday, including 823 in Moscow where riot police tried to push the crowds back, sometimes by beating them with batons.
	As riot police grabbed people and led them to police vans others demonstrators shouted "Shame!", "Putin is a thief!" and 

Navalny jailed, 1,500 arrested after protests across Russia

Maryland and the US capital sued President Donald Trump today, saying he is breaking laws by raking in money from foreign governments and businesses at his luxury hotels and office towers.
	The lawsuit said heavy spending by foreign diplomats and embassies at the Trump International Hotel just a few blocks from the White House, payments by foreign entities at his Trump Tower and Trump International Tower in New York, and other business operations effectively violate the US Constitution's ban on presidents enriching themselves while in office.
	"The suit alleges that president Trump is flagrantly violating the constitution, which explicitly bars presidents from receiving gifts or inducements from foreign or domestic government entities," said Washington Attorney General Karl Racine.
	"Never in the history of this country have we had a president with these kinds of extensive business entanglements. Or a president who refused to adequately distance themselves from their holdings," Racine 

Trump sued over business benefits of his office

The White House strongly condemned the arrest of hundreds of anti-corruption protesters in Russia today, in a rare criticism of human rights violations and the Kremlin from Donald Trump's administration.
	White House spokesman Sean Spicer called on Moscow to "immediately release all peaceful protesters" detained in nationwide marches.
	"The Russian people deserve a government that supports an open marketplace of ideas, transparent and accountable governance, equal treatment under the law and the ability to exercise their rights without fear of retribution," Spicer added.
	Authorities detained Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny and nearly 1,000 of his supporters today, as they mounted demonstrations across the nation against government corruption.
	The White House called the detention of human rights observers and journalists an affront to "core democratic values," and said it would continue to monitor the situation.
	Trump's White House has often refrained from commenting on 

White House condemns Russia crackdown, calls for protesters'

The US Air Force has temporarily grounded dozens of F-35 stealth fighters while it investigates an oxygen supply issue aboard the expensive planes, officials said today.
	The 56th Fighter Wing of Luke Air Force Base, Arizona "will continue their pause in local F-35A flying to coordinate analysis and communication between pilots, maintainers, medical professionals and a team of military and industry experts," spokeswoman Major Rebecca Heyse said in a statement.
	The planes were grounded Friday due to five incidents since May 2 in which pilots experienced hypoxia-like symptoms.
	Currently, the Wing has 55 F-35A planes that are used to train pilots from the US and other air forces that are buying the jet.
	Heyse said it was unclear when the "pause" would be lifted, but noted that none of the incidents were serious and pilots were able to use their training to avert any problems.
	"The safety of our airmen is paramount and we will take as much time as necessary to ensure their safety," ...

Dozens of F-35 fighters grounded after oxygen problem

The United States today slapped financial sanctions on two suspected Islamic State militants accused of manufacturing chemical weapons, the Treasury Department announced.
	It was the first time the Treasury Department had imposed sanctions on an IS member accused of involvement in chemical weapons, the department said.
	The sanctioned men included senior IS leader Attallah Salman Abd Kafi al-Jaburi, who is in charge of bomb-making facilities in the Iraqi province of Kirkuk, Treasury said in a statement.
	The State Department also listed Iraqi IS leader Marwan Ibrahim Hussayn Tah al-Azawi, who also is connected to the manufacture of chemical weapons, as a "specially designated global terrorist."
	The move effectively freezes both men out of much of the global financial system, prohibiting banks and individuals from participating in any transactions with them, and freezing any of their assets subject to US jurisdiction.
	The department condemned the use of chemical weapons "and will ...

US sanctions IS members accused of making chemical arms

A Tunisian court today sentenced to one month in prison a man who smoked a cigarette in public during the Muslim dawn-to-dusk holy fasting month of Ramadan, a spokesman said.
	The man was seen smoking outside the Bizerte courthouse by a judiciary official who informed the police before they arrested him and referred him to the prosecution, the spokesman Chokri Lahmar told AFP.
	He said the man had 10 days to appeal before the sentence takes effect.
	On June 1 four men were sentenced to one-month jail terms for eating in public during Ramadan.
	There is no law against eating or drinking in public during Ramadan, but every year the issue comes to the fore in the North African country.
	Tunisia's constitution guarantees "freedom of belief and conscience", but the state is also the "guardian of religion".
	Today's ruling came a day after dozens of Tunisians demonstrated in the capital Tunis to demand the right to eat and drink in public during the Muslim fasting month.
	During Ramadan, ...

Tunisian sentenced to jail for smoking during Ramadan

British Prime Minister Theresa May took the blame for the Conservatives' disastrous performance in last week's election as she faced her party's angry MPs today, seeking to ward off any challenge to her leadership.
	"I got us into this mess, and I'm going to get us out," May told Conservatives MPs during a crunch meeting in Westminster.
	May's Conservatives unexpectedly lost their majority in parliament in Thursday's snap vote, causing political chaos ahead of Brexit talks with the European Union set to start next week and prompting calls -- from within her own party -- for her resignation.
	But one MP present at the meeting said there was no discussion of a leadership contest, adding "she's won, she's got to be prime minister".
	The chaos has also weighed on the pound, which has plunged almost two per cent since Thursday, and the government may have to delay the announcement of its policy plans to parliament.
	May vowed to stay on despite the poor results, and yesterday unveiled a ...

Britain's May apologises to own MPs for election 'mess'

General Electric announced a leadership shakeup today as it faces scrutiny after a corporate makeover executed by outgoing chief Jeff Immelt in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis failed to ignite strong growth.
	Immelt, 61, will step down as chief executive on August 1, handing the reins to GE Healthcare president John Flannery, a 30-year veteran of the company whose previous roles included country chief in India.
	During a conference call with analysts, Immelt said the transition was first discussed in 2013 and GE leadership had targeted summer 2017 to make the change.
	But the announcement also comes after activist investor Nelson Peltz, one of the most influential voices on Wall Street, invested in GE, which has been hit hard by the plunge in oil prices. Peltz has pushed GE to deepen cost cuts to boost profits.
	Questioned by analysts on the merits of GE's conglomerate model, Flannery, 55, pledged he would undertake "a comprehensive review of the portfolio," with an update in ...

Immelt to depart as GE names new chief executive

The United Nations today defended the UN agency that provides aid to Palestinians, after Israel's prime minister called for it to be shut down.
	UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "is concerned about recent public criticism of UNRWA and the integrity of its operations," spokesman Farhan Haq said, referring to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees in the Near East.
	"He wishes to express his support for UNRWA and his admiration for the role it plays in delivering essential services and protecting the rights of millions of Palestine refugees across the Middle East."
	Guterres also "calls on all member states to continue their support to the agency in order for UNRWA to be in a position to fulfill impartially and efficiently its essential role," Haq added.
	His remarks came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for UNRWA to be dismantled yesterday, accusing it of incitement against the Jewish state.
	Netanyahu said he raised the issue during a recent ..

UN defends Palestinian aid agency after Israeli criticism

Human Rights Watch has urged Lebanon to respect its moratorium on the death penalty after calls for its reinstatement following the murder of a young student that shocked the country.
	Capital punishment is legal in Lebanon, but there has been an effective moratorium in place since 2004, without any executions carried out despite judgements to that effect.
	"Ending its moratorium on executions would only serve to tarnish Lebanon's human rights record," HRW said in a statement.
	On Friday, Interior Minister Nuhad Mashnuq called for the "reintroduction of the death penalty", in particular for "intentional crimes".
	His remarks came in response to the murder of Roy Hamouche, a 24-year-old student, who was reportedly shot dead after a traffic dispute a week ago.
	According to the details of the investigation cited in the media, his car had slightly hit another, enraging the three assailants.
	His murder is the latest in a growing number of people killed on the street or in broad daylight .

HRW warns Lebanon against bringing back death penalty

A key Uber executive left the company today as the ridesharing giant prepared to release results of a far-reaching independent inquiry into misconduct and ethical practices.
	A source familiar with the matter said Emil Michael, a senior vice president reported to be close to chief executive Travis Kalanick, left the company.
	Uber was bracing for more turmoil -- with some reports saying Kalanick himself may take a leave of absence -- with a report prepared by former US attorney general Eric Holder set to be given to employees tomorrow.
	Uber's board met yesterday with Holder and consultant Tammy Albarran to discuss the findings and "unanimously voted to adopt all the recommendations" of the report, according to the source.
	The recommendations were not immediately known, but Uber is facing pressure to rein in its no-holds-barred management style led by Kalanick and to reform a workplace culture criticized for discrimination and cutthroat practices.
	Uber also faces questions about its 

AFP

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