A government cash-incentive scheme has helped place almost 90,000 underage Pakistani brick kiln workers into school, officials said today, an initiative aimed at easing the long-standing problem of indentured labour.
	Campaigners estimate there are more than two million Pakistanis trapped in a vicious cycle of debt bondage to factory owners that continues for generations, a practice often referred to as modern slavery.
	Pakistan has the third highest population of such labourers, behind India and China, according to the Global Slavery Index.
	Under the terms of the Punjab provincial government scheme, which began in January 2016, nearly 88,000 child brick kiln workers were selected for a stipend comprising an initial USD 20 per child, followed by a recurring monthly payment of USD 10.
	The initative "lowered the opportunity cost of not sending children to school... And families were able to mobilise this stipend to pay their debts," a spokesman for Punjab's education minister Rana ...

Pakistan tackles 'child slavery' with cash handouts

PTI Automatic

More than 1,200 people including rebels left two opposition-held districts of Damascus today under an agreement that will bring Syria's government closer to exerting full control over the capital.
	For more than two years, the government of President Bashar al-Assad has touted such "reconciliation deals" as the best way to end the country's brutal war.
	Today's evacuations were part of the first such deal for the Syrian capital itself.
	According to Syrian state news agency SANA, 718 rebels were among a total of 1,246 people evacuated from the Damascus districts of Barzeh and Tishrin.
	"The exit of armed fighters and their families will be completed in several waves in the coming days until the district is completely free of any signs of armed people," the agency said.
	Earlier today, SANA said that 664 people including 103 rebels had left the northern district of Barzeh, but it did not give a number for Tishrin.
	A source from the pro-government National Defence Forces confirmed the .

More than 1,200 'quit Damascus rebel zones' under deal

The real estate company owned by the family of US President Donald Trump's son-in-law and adviser withdrew today from a sales pitch to Chinese investors after it sparked an uproar.
	White House aide Jared Kushner's sister headlined events in Beijing and Shanghai last weekend to seek more than USD 150 million in investment in a US luxury apartment complex.
	Nicole Kushner Meyer urged wealthy Chinese to buy stakes through the EB-5 visa program that offers US residency in exchange for at least USD 500,000 investment in a US business that must also create at least 10 American jobs.
	The presentation raised concern over potential conflicts of interest and set off a media firestorm in the United States. Kushner is married to Trump's daughter, Ivanka, who also works for the White House.
	On Monday, the Kushner Company apologised after it emerged that Meyer had mentioned her brother's name during the sales pitch.
	The names of Meyer and Kushner Company president Laurent Morali were on ...

Trump adviser's family business scraps China sales pitch

French president-elect Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed his backing for the Paris bid to host the 2024 Olympic Games in talks with International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach, Paris bid officials said today.
     Senior IOC inspectors are due to arrive in Paris over the weekend to conduct a tour of proposed venues as Paris squares off against rival bidder Los Angeles for the right to host the Games.
     Macron, elected on Sunday, spoke to Bach by phone and expressed his "attachment to the Paris 2024 project and emphasised France's longstanding commitment to the Olympic movement," the bid committee said in a statement.
     "We are delighted that even before his inauguration as new president of France he has already found time to speak to the IOC president to reaffirm his full and complete support for Paris 2024," the co-chairman of the committee Tony Estanguet said in the statement.
     IOC chief Bach said he had congratulated Macron on his "brilliant" election win and praised the ..

French president-elect backs Paris bid

President Donald Trump warned sacked FBI chief James Comey today not to "leak" details of their conversations to the media, suggesting they may have been taped.
	In a series of early morning tweets, Trump assailed critics and the media over their response to Comey's ouster, and threatened to cancel daily news briefings at the White House.
	"James Comey better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!" fumed the president, whose dismissal of the FBI director on Tuesday has triggered days of turmoil in Washington.
	Trump has revealed he asked Comey on three occasions whether he was a target in a probe into alleged Russian election meddling, stoking allegations of presidential interference.
	In an interview yesterday, he insisted he always intended to fire the FBI director, undercutting the initial explanation that he acted on the recommendation of top officials who criticised Comey's handling of a probe into Hillary Clinton's ...

Trump warns sacked FBI chief not to 'leak' conversations

Myanmar's army chief defended his military's violent crackdown on Rohingya Muslims by comparing it to Britain's campaign to tackle sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland, according to a statement released by his office today.
	UN investigators believe Myanmar's security forces may have carried out ethnic cleansing of the persecuted minority during a months-long operation in the north of Rakhine State.
	The military campaign has left hundreds of Rohingya dead and forced some 75,000 to flee across the border to Bangladesh, bringing harrowing accounts of rape, torture and mass killings by soldiers.
	Myanmar has repeatedly rebuffed the allegations, saying troops were carrying out necessary counter-insurgency operations after Rohingya militants attacked police border posts in October.
	Yesterday Myanmar's army chief Min Aung Hlaing compared the crackdown to Britain's operations in Northern Ireland in a meeting with Jonathan Powell, a former top British negotiator in the peace ...

Myanmar army chief compares Rohingya crackdown to N Ireland

Two US astronauts began the 200th spacewalk at the International Space Station today, following a brief delay after NASA discovered a water leak in equipment that helps power their spacesuits.
	The official start time, 9:08 am (local time), was about two hours after it was supposed to begin, according to NASA.
	The glitch affected equipment known as the servicing and cooling umbilical (SCU), which supplies power and oxygen to the spacesuits worn by veteran US astronaut Peggy Whitson, 57, and her rookie counterpart, Jack Fischer, 43.
	The problem involved "a small leak of water at the connection point of the service and cooling umbilical (SCU) as it was hooked up to Jack Fischer's spacesuit in the equipment lock section of the Quest airlock," said NASA commentator Rob Navias.
	It was discovered as the astronauts were seated in the airlock inside the space station, before they ventured into the vacuum of space.
	"This is not the suit itself. Fischer's suit itself is perfectly fine. The .

Historic 200th spacewalk starts late, after water leak

Sudan's first prime minister since 1989 has named a new government and vowed to resolve insurgencies in border regions and heal the country's crisis- wracked economy.
	The new cabinet was unveiled late yesterday by Bakri Hassan Saleh, appointed in March as Sudan's first prime minister since the post was scrapped in an Islamist-backed coup that brought President Omar al-Bashir to power.
	Saleh said the government would prioritise "increasing production, improving people's living standards and achieving peace."
	Sudan has been rocked by years of conflict with rebels in the vast western region of Darfur and the southern Blue Nile and South Kordofan states.
	Bashir is wanted by the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of genocide and war crimes related to the conflict in Darfur.
	Fighting erupted there in 2003 when ethnic minority rebels took up arms against Bashir's Arab-dominated government, accusing it of marginalising the region economically and ...

Sudan's first PM since 1989 coup names new cabinet

US Attorney General Jeff Sessions ordered prosecutors today to seek the toughest possible charges against criminal suspects, in a move widely seen as reversing the Obama administration's policy to ease punishments for drug offences.
	In a two-page memo, Sessions told Justice Department attorneys around the country that, when prosecuting a case, they should apply the most serious charge possible that can be proven in court.
	"By definition, the most serious offences are those that carry the most substantial guidelines sentence, including mandatory minimum sentences," the memo said.
	Sessions said the new stance "advances public policy and promotes respect for our legal system."
	It comes as the new administration of President Donald Trump has promised a crackdown on violent crime, illegal immigration and drug trafficking.
	It could reverse the directives of former president Barack Obama's attorney general Eric Holder, who - addressing a three-decade old swelling of the prison ...

US Justice Dept orders prosecutors to seek toughest sentences

US-backed fighters said today they were preparing for a final assault on the Islamic State group's Syrian bastion Raqa, likely next month, after seizing a key city to the west.
	The Syrian Democratic Forces earlier this week captured Tabqa and an adjacent dam, a major prize in the offensive for Raqa, the Syrian heart of IS's self-proclaimed "caliphate".
	"The attack on Raqa will take place in the beginning of the summer," Syrian Democratic Forces commander Rojda Felat told AFP.
	She later specified that it would likely start in June based on "military and tactical considerations."
	Felat spoke at a press conference in Tabqa, which the SDF captured from IS on Wednesday along with its nearby dam in one of its most important victories yet.
	Tabqa lies on the banks of the Euphrates River, about 55 kilometres (34 miles) west of Raqa.
	Today, an AFP team entered Tabqa and the adjacent dam - Syria's largest - and saw rows of sandbags, mangled cars and craters from heavy bombardment dotting ..

US-backed forces prepare for final push on IS-held Raqa

A Palestinian youth was shot dead during clashes with Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank today, the Palestinian health ministry said.
	The man was shot during the protests which are held weekly near the village of Nabi Saleh, north of Ramallah, and later died in a nearby hospital, the ministry said in a statement.
	The dead man was named as Saba' Nidal Obaid, 20.
	The Israeli army said in a statement to AFP it was "aware of reports" that a protester had been killed but could not confirm it.
	"A violent riot involving dozens of Palestinians hurling rocks at (Israeli army) forces broke out earlier today," a spokeswoman said.
	"Dispersal means," including firing live ammunition, were used "in response to that imminent threat".
	A wave of unrest which erupted in October 2015 has claimed the lives of 263 Palestinians, 41 Israelis, two Americans, one Jordanian, an Eritrean, a Sudanese and a Briton, according to an AFP count.
	Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, ...

Palestinian shot dead in West Bank clash with Israelis

A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck Friday in the Pacific off the coast of Central America, the US Geological Survey said.
	The earthquake occurred at 1041 GMT some 79 kilometres south-southwest of Acajutla, El Salvador at a depth of six miles, according to the USGS.
	There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

Magnitude 6.2 quake strikes off Central America: USGS

A Greek court today handed 15-year prison sentences to two suspected jihadists with Swedish passports trying to enter Turkey carrying combat items, a local justice source said.
	The suspects' lawyer said the men, who have refugee status in Sweden, would appeal against the sentence. They will remain incarcerated until their next trial, a date for which was not given.
	The pair -- a 29-year-old of Bosnian descent and a 19- year-old of Yemeni origin -- were caught in January 2016 near the border with Turkey.
	Inside their luggage police found two machetes, army uniforms and other combat paraphernalia.
	The suspects insist the items had been legally purchased in Athens as souvenirs.
	The 29-year-old had been arrested in Bosnia in 2005 after a police raid at his house found a suicide belt, explosives and a video showing a man with a covered face threatening terrorist acts against the US Capitol and the White House.
	He was sentenced to up to 14 years in Bosnian prison, but was released in .

Greek court hands 15-year sentences to suspected jihadists

Malaysia has deported three Turkish nationals wanted by Ankara for alleged links to a US- based preacher accused of being behind a failed coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
	National police chief Khalid Abu Bakar tweeted that the men were "deported back to Ankara" Thursday night, despite concerns from rights groups who fear Malaysia was bowing to pressure from Turkey.
	Turgay Karaman and Ihsan Aslan were arrested last week under a security law which allows detention without trial for 28 days. Two days later Turkish academic Ismet Ozcelik was also detained -- ostensibly for national security reasons.
	"Police investigations showed they were involved in FETO activities and are wanted by Turkey," Khalid said in a separate statement.
	Turkish authorities allege last year's coup attempt against Erdogan was masterminded by US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen and his so-called Fethullah Terror Organisation (FETO).
	Khalid said the men's travel documents had been cancelled by ...

Malaysia deports Turks wanted over alleged Gulen links

South African President Jacob Zuma abandoned a Mayday rally today after he was booed and jeered by trade union members demanding he step down.
	He was heckled by crowd members who sang anti-Zuma songs as he prepared to speak at the rally in the central city of Bloemfontein, organised by the country's powerful Cosatu trade union federation.
	Organisers terminated the event at the Loch Logan Park and no other speakers were permitted to take to the stage to address the crowd of thousands.
	Zuma was shown on live TV hastily leaving the event in a heavily secured motorcade.
	Scuffles broke out between some members of the crowd calling for Zuma to step down and others who were chanting in support of the president, local media reported.
	Zuma had been due to share a stage with Cosatu president Sidumo Dlamini and South African Communist Party general secretary Blade Nzimande. Organisers' attempts to calm the crowds were unsuccessful.
	"It is sad that after a successful march which was well ...

SAfrica's Zuma quits rally after being jeered

Three officers were hurt in clashes between riot police and masked youths during a May 1 march in Paris today that carried extra significance six days before the presidential election run-off.
	"Masked individuals threw objects and Molotov cocktails at police" who responded by firing teargas, authorities said.
	The violence erupted near Place de la Bastille in the French capital as the march led by three unions including France's biggest, the CGT, headed for another square nearby.
	At one point, a blazing shopping trolley packed with flammable material was pushed towards police lines, an AFP photographer saw.
	The rivals for the presidency, centrist frontrunner Emmanuel Macron and far-right rival Marine Le Pen, faced shows of opposition to their programmes during the fractious May 1 workers' marches.
	The election runoff takes place next Sunday.

Police hurt in Paris May 1 clashes with youths: police

Turkish police today used tear gas and plastic bullets to disperse  protesters seeking to defy a ban and march to Istanbul's Taksim square to celebrate May Day.
	Police tried to stop around 200 protesters in the Gayrettepe district on the European side of Istanbul who wanted to walk to the famous square in spite of the ban by city authorities, an AFP journalist reported.
	The protesters - made up of left-wing groups - unfurled anti-government banners against the result of the April 16 referendum, which handed President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expanded powers.
	"Long Live May Day, No to dictator!" the banners read. At least one protester was detained, according to the AFP journalist.
	Turkish authorities imposed a ban on any demonstration at Taksim square, with police sealing off the avenue with barricades and halting traffic.
	Police detained two women who attempted to unfurl banners at the square, the private Dogan news agency reported.
	At least 13 people who attempted to defy the ban .

Police fire tear gas to disperse May Day protests in Istanbul

A Thai police probe into a gang that allegedly procured teenage sex slaves has ensnared at least four officers, investigators said today, the latest scandal to engulf a force with an already poor reputation.
	Revelations of a child sex ring first emerged last week when a mother said her teen daughter had been pimped out for the last year to influential officials in northern Mae Hong Song province, one of Thailand's poorest regions.
	Days of lurid headlines followed with allegations that senior police and regional officials were involved in the ring.
	Today national investigators confirmed warrants had now been issued for four officers with the rank of sergeant and above.
	"A court today issued arrest warrants against three policemen for raping women," deputy national police chief Srivara Ransibrahmanakul said.
	A warrant has also been issued for a fourth officer and two female pimps have already been arrested.
	At least eight other people - including three high ranking police officers 

Thai cops involved in teen sex ring: police

A 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck a remote border area between Canada and southeastern Alaska today, the US Geological Survey reported.
	There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
	The quake was followed by a series of smaller aftershocks with the strongest registering 5.2, according to the agency.
	The USGS put the quake's epicenter inside Canada's Yukon Territory in a wilderness preserve 83 kilometers (52 miles) northwest of Skagway, Alaska.
	USGS said it struck at 12:31 GMT (local time) at a depth of 2.2 kilometers (1.4 miles).
	The agency initially measured the quake's intensity at 6.5, but later revised it to 6.2. It also revised the depth from an initial reading of 0.1 kilometers (0.06 miles).

Quake rattles Alaska, Canada border area: USGS

The United States Cricket Association (USACA) faces expulsion from the International Cricket Council (ICC), the sport's global governing body said today.
     The ICC Board said the ICC Full Council should "consider the expulsion" of USACA at its meeting in June, because the organisation has failed to co-operate with efforts to unify cricket in the United States.
     USACA had already been temporarily suspended from ICC membership in 2015, the third time in the last 12 years.
     "The decision to pass this resolution was not taken lightly by the ICC Board," ICC chief executive David Richardson said in a statement.
     "Our focus throughout this two year process has been on the unification of the USA cricket community behind USACA to grow and develop the sport," he said.
     "But it has become clear that this is just not possible and, having invested so much time and resources into helping USACA and with little in the way of cooperation from USACA, the ICC Board now felt that the ..

USA Cricket Association faces expulsion from ICC

After four evenly-contested opening 'flyaway' contests, Formula One returns to its European homeland with Ferrari revived and a fiercely-competitive season in prospect as champions Mercedes battle to retain their crown.
     This much became clear after a roller-coaster weekend at the Sochi Autodrom where the popular Valtteri Bottas secured his maiden victory for Mercedes to lay down a personal marker while his puzzled team-mate Lewis Hamilton struggled to fourth.
     The Mercedes pairing were separated by the two Ferraris of championship leader Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen on a day of little overtaking, but much tension.
     "It's going to be extremely close," said Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff. "More than very close.
     "Ferrari has a good car. They have come back from the winter with a very good car and it seems to suit Sebastian very well - so we just need to stretch ourselves to perform as good as we can."
     Finn Bottas' win rescued Mercedes after Ferrari dominated .

AFP

AFP

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