One hurt in letter bomb at IMF's Paris office: sources.

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President Donald Trump budget proposes cutting US funds

Britain will ban new MPs from employing spouses, relatives or business associates, according to rules announced today in the wake of a scandal that has rocked France's presidential election.
	The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) outlined the change in a revised rulebook for MPs' expenses, which does not affect existing employees with family or business ties to MPs.

Britain bans new MPs from employing family members

Two decades of diplomacy aimed at curbing North Korea's nuclear ambitions have failed and a new approach is needed, the United States' top envoy said today.
	During a visit to Japan at the start of an Asian tour, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said China needed to play its part in reining in its errant neighbour.
	In his first major foray into crisis diplomacy, the new US envoy is looking to reassure key Asian allies that Washington stands with them in the face of the accelerating nuclear and missile threats from North Korea.
	But he warned that past policies and punishments have had virtually no effect on Pyongyang's ambitions.
	"I think it's important to recognise that the diplomatic and other efforts of the past 20 years to bring North Korea to a point of denuclearisation have failed," he told a press conference with Japan's Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida.
	"In the face of the ever escalating threat it is clear that a new approach is required."
	He also said that the US will ...

2 decades of efforts to disarm NKorea 'have failed': Tillerson

Scoreboard on the second day of the
second Test between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh at the P. Sara Oval here today.
     Sri Lanka 1st innings (overnight 238 for 7)
     D Karunaratne c Mehedi b Mustafizur 7
     U Tharanga c Soumya b Mehedi       11
     K Mendis st Mushfiqur b Mehedi      5
     D Chandimal c Mosaddek b Mehedi   138
     A Gunaratne lbw b Roy              13
     D de Silva b Taijul                34
     N Dickwella b Shakib               34
     D Perera c Soumya b Mustafizur      9
     R Herath c Soumya b Shakib         25
     S Lakmal c Soumya b Roy            35
     L Sandakan not out                  5
     Extras: (B-1, LB-13, W-6, NB-2)    22
     Total: (all out, 113.3 overs)     338
     Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-24, 3-35, 4-70, 5-136, 6-180, 7-195, 8-250, 9-305.
     Bowling: Mustafizur 21-6-50-2, Roy 17.3-2-53-2, Mehedi 21-2-90-3, Taijul 17-2-40-1, Shakib 33-4-80-2, Mosaddek 4-0-11-0.

Colombo, Mar 16 (AFP) Scoreboard on the second day of the

Dinesh Chandimal struck his eighth Test century as Sri Lanka's tail frustrated Bangladesh's bowlers in the second Test today before being dismissed for 338 at the end of the morning session.
     The hosts were all out on the stroke of lunch on the second day at Colombo's P. Sara Oval, after adding exactly 100 to their overnight 238-7, much to the frustration of the visitors who were playing their 100th Test.
     Chandimal, who was unbeaten on 86 overnight, made 138 off 300 balls after an innings which contained more than its share of good fortune.
     After surviving two TV reviews on the first day, he was again given out caught behind on Thursday off Mustafizur Rahman's bowling but the decision was overturned when replays showed the ball had not touched his bat.
     Bangladesh were hoping to wrap up the innings quickly once Shakib Al Hasan removed Rangana Herath for 25 in the ninth over of the morning after the Sri Lankan skipper added just seven runs to his overnight score.
     

Chandimal guides Sri Lanka to 338 against Bangladesh

Interpol has issued an international arrest warrant for four North Koreans wanted by Malaysian investigators in connection with the assassination of Kim Jong-Nam, the country's police chief said today.
	The estranged half-brother of North Korea's leader Kim Jong-Un was poisoned with the lethal nerve agent VX in a brazen Cold War-style killing on February 13 at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
	Two women -- one Vietnamese and one Indonesian -- have been arrested and charged with the murder. Airport CCTV footage shows them approaching the victim and apparently smearing his face with a piece of cloth.
	Investigators are also seeking seven North Korean suspects, four of whom left Malaysia on the day of the murder. The police chief has said he believes they fled to Pyongyang while the other three are hiding in North Korea's embassy in Kuala Lumpur.
	"We have... Obtained a red notice for the four North Korean nationals who were at the airport on the day of the incident and who have since 

Interpol warrant issued for four N Koreans: Malaysia

A maiden Test century by Henry Nicholls hauled New Zealand back into the second Test before South Africa suffered lost two quick wickets on day one here today.
     From reeling at 21 for three inside the first hour, New Zealand were all out for 268 in the final session with the left-handed Nicholls providing the backbone of the innings with 118.
     South Africa in reply lost both openers, first Test centurion Dean Elgar and the out-of-form Stephen Cook, to be 24 for two at stumps, trailing by 244.
     Elgar went for nine and Cook for three to leave nightwatchman Kagiso Rabada on eight with Hashim Amla yet to score.
     On a day in which 12 wickets fell, Nicholls' bold innings not only rescued New Zealand but also silenced his critics.
     He went into the Test with an average of 30.12 from 18 innings and his position under scrutiny as a number five batsman and responded with an innings of confident drives and cuts against the quicks and sure footwork against spin.
     In one ...

Nicholls' century leads New Zealand recovery

Scoreboard at stumps on day one
of the second Test between New Zealand and South Africa here today.
     New Zealand 1st innings
     J Raval c Amla b Maharaj         36
     T Latham c Elgar b Morkel         8
     K Williamson lbw Rabada           2
     N Broom c de Kock b Rabada        0
     H Nicholls b Duminy             118
     J Neesham st de Kock b Maharaj   15
     B Watling c de Kock b Duminy     34
     C de Grandhomme c Amla b Duminy   4
     T Southee c Philander b Morkel   27
     J Patel not out                  17
     N Wagner lbw Duminy               2
     Extras: (LB-4, W-1)               5
     Total: (all out; 79.3 overs)    268
     Fall of wickets: 1-11, 2-13, 3-21, 4-73, 5-101, 6-217, 7-221, 8-222, 9-266.
     Bowling: Morkel 18-3-82-2, Philander 15-7-29-0, Rabada 19-6-59-2, Duminy 11.3-2-47-4, Maharaj 16-4-47-2.
     South Africa 1st innings:
     S Cook c Neesham b Southee        3
     D Elgar c Neesham b de Grandhomme 9
     K Rabada not out             

Wellington, Mar 16 (AFP) Scoreboard at stumps on day one

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte easily defeated a strong challenge by far-right rival Geert Wilders in key elections seen as a bellwether of populist support in Europe, partial vote counts said today.
	With more than 54 per cent of votes counted, Rutte's Liberal VVD party was set to win 32 seats, making it the largest in the new 150-seat parliament, with Wilders and his Freedom Party (PVV) beaten into second place alongside two others on 19 seats, the Dutch news agency ANP said.
	Millions of Dutch flocked to the polls in a near-record turnout, with the stakes high in an election pitting the pro-European Rutte against his anti-immigration and anti-EU rival.
	Following last year's shock Brexit referendum and Donald Trump's victory in the US, the Dutch vote was being closely scrutinised as a gauge of the rise of populism on the continent ahead of crucial elections in France and Germany.
	"This was the evening when The Netherlands, after Brexit and the American elections, said 'stop' to ..

Dutch PM slaps down far-right challenge

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said today that two decades of efforts to stop North Korea's nuclear ambitions have not worked and that a new approach is needed.
	"I think it's important to recognise that the political and diplomatic efforts of the past 20 years to bring North Korea to the point of denuclearisation have failed," he told a press conference with Japan's foreign minister.
	"In the face of the ever escalating threat it is clear that a new approach is required.

20 yrs of efforts to denuclearise NKorea have failed:Tillerson

The Israeli air force carried out raids on Gaza today after a rocket was fired from the Palestinian enclave towards Israel, sources on both sides said.
	Neither of the attacks caused casualties, the Israeli army and Palestinian sources confirmed.
	The firing of projectiles towards southern Israel is rarely claimed but such assaults are often attributed to radical groups inside impoverished Gaza.
	Israel often blames Hamas, which rules the Palestinian territory, and usually retaliates against its armed wing by attacking its bases.
	Overnight Wednesday the Israeli army said "a projectile was fired towards the south of Israel".
	"In response to this attack, the air force targeted two terrorist Hamas positions in the northern Gaza Strip," it said in a statement.
	At least two bombs were dropped on a training base of the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas's military wing, in the central Gaza Strip, witnesses said.
	Another strike was aimed at land in the east of the city of Gaza, according 

Israel strikes Gaza after rocket fired

Tillerson: 20 years of efforts to denuclearise NKorea

Britain's Prince William and his wife Kate will pay an official visit to Paris tomorrow and Saturday, months before the 20th anniversary of the death of William's mother Diana in a car crash in the French capital.
	The second-in-line to the throne and his spouse will meet President Francois Hollande and launch a initiative called "Les Voisins" (The Neighbours) designed to foster closer relations between the two countries at a time when Britain is set to begin the formal process of leaving the European Union.
	The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will also host a black-tie dinner at the British Embassy and attend a Six Nations rugby match between France and Wales at the national stadium on Saturday.
	It will be the 34-year-old prince's first engagement as patron of the Welsh Rugby Union since taking over the role from his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.
	The couple will be travelling without their children, three-year-old George and one-year-old Charlotte.
	Although no official ...

Prince William, Kate visit Paris 20 years after Diana's death

The United States' top diplomat is in Tokyo today to reassure allies that Washington stands with them in the face of the accelerating missile threat from North Korea.
	Secretary of State Rex Tillerson began his first Asian tour in Japan's capital and was to hold talks with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida.
	He brings with him greetings from President Donald Trump, who caused consternation during his White House campaign by suggesting US allies need to do more to defend themselves.
	But Tillerson, the former oilman Trump chose to head his diplomatic team, is expected to reaffirm support for Japan and South Korea, where he journeys Friday, before heading to China on Saturday.
	There, he will urge his hosts to pressure Kim Jong-Un's regime to halt Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile programs before committing to eventual peace talks.
	It is Tillerson's first major foray into crisis diplomacy, after brief trips to Bonn and Mexico City, but he has not ...

US envoy in Japan to reassure on North Korea threat

Atletico Madrid booked their place in the Champions League quarter-finals for a fourth consecutive season but had goalkeeper Jan Oblak to thank for avoiding defeat in a 0-0 draw with Bayer Leverkusen.
     Oblak produced a remarkable triple save midway through the second half as Atletico held on to their 4-2 first-leg advantage to take their place in Friday's draw for the last eight.
     "It is not easy to be in the quarter-finals four years in a row," Oblak told BeIN Sports Spain.
     "I hope Atletico will continue like this, keep growing like in the last few years and I am sure we can achieve great things."
     On a night of few Atletico chances, the home fans didn't even get to cheer the return of hero Fernando Torres.
     Two weeks on from being knocked unconscious in a sickening head clash Atletico boss Diego Simeone left Torres on the bench for the full 90 minutes.
     New Leverkusen boss Tayfun Korkut was taking charge of his first Champions League game after Roger Schmidt 

Oblak stars in stalemate as Atletico progress

Tiemoue Bakayoko's superb header fired Monaco into the Champions League quarter-finals as 3-1 victory condemned Pep Guardiola's Manchester City to a painful exit on away goals.
     Trailing 5-3 from the first leg in England, teenage starlet Kylian Mbappe put Monaco ahead on the night after just eight minutes at the Stade Louis II and Brazilian midfielder Fabinho converted the home side's second just before the half hour.
     Leroy Sane's 71st-minute goal handed City a 6-5 advantage on aggregate, but Bakayoko turned home Thomas Lemar's free-kick 13 minutes from time as Monaco claimed a famous win.
     Monaco go through to Friday's draw for the last eight in Nyon carrying French hopes following Paris Saint-Germain's shock elimination, while Guardiola suffered his earliest Champions League exit as a manager.
     "We played an exceptional second half, but the first one we forgot to be there," Guardiola told BT Sport.
     "In the second half we were much, much better but it was not ...

Monaco, Bakayoko deliver City knockout blow

Donald Trump hailed America's first populist president, laying a wreath at the tomb of Andrew Jackson and waxing lyrical about the similarities between himself and the seventh US president.
	On the 250th anniversary of Jackson's birth, Trump visited "Old Hickory's" Tennessee home yesterday, dubbed The Hermitage.
	Praising "the very great" Jackson's willingness to take on "an arrogant elite," Trump broke away from prepared remarks to exclaim, "Does that sound familiar to you?"
	"I wonder why they keep talking about Trump and Jackson, Jackson and Trump. Ooh, I know the feeling Andrew."
	Since coming to office in January, Trump aides have sought to draw comparisons between the bareknuckle Democratic president and Trump.
	Trump's top strategist Steve Bannon described his boss's populist inaugural address "Jacksonian."
	A portrait of Jackson has been introduced to the Oval Office -- "right boom! Over my left shoulder," Trump said -- referring to portrait's position behind the Resolute ...

Trump hails 'very great' Andrew Jackson in political pilgrimage

A federal judge in Hawaii has halted President Donald Trump's revised travel ban, hours before it was due to take effect, court documents showed.
	US District Judge Derrick Watson yesterday ruled that the state of Hawaii, in its legal challenge to Trump's executive order, had established a strong likelihood that the ban would cause "irreparable injury" if it were to go ahead.
	The court in Honolulu was the first to rule on a trio of legal challenges against the ban, which targets all refugees and people from six mainly Muslim countries. Decisions were expected later Wednesday from federal courts in Washington state and Maryland.
	But the ruling means a nationwide freeze on enforcement of section two of the order, banning entry by nationals of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for 90 days.
	It also halts section six, suspending the US refugee admissions program for 120 days.
	"The court declines to stay this ruling or hold it in abeyance should an emergency appeal of this ...

Hawaii judge freezes Trump's revamped travel ban: Court

Unlike some in the Trump administration, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis believes climate change is real and that it poses a threat to international security, according to a US media report.
	The nonprofit investigative news website ProPublica ran a story Tuesday that included excerpts of written testimony Mattis gave senators after a January confirmation hearing.
	"Climate change is impacting stability in areas of the world where our troops are operating today," Mattis reportedly wrote.
	"The effects of a changing climate -- such as increased maritime access to the Arctic, rising sea levels, desertification, among others -- impact our security situation," Mattis added.
	The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
	Drought and famine are phenomena that push instability, and some of the most vulnerable countries are in the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa.
	President Donald Trump once claimed that climate change is a Chinese hoax and has said he will roll back ...

Pentagon chief says climate change threatens security: Report

Turkey has threatened to scrap a critical deal on halting the flow of migrants to the EU amid a spiralling war of words between Ankara and the bloc.
	Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday said the "spirit of fascism" was running rampant in Europe, the latest in a series of incendiary verbal attacks that have left EU politicians aghast and sparked calls for moderation.
	Turkey and the European Union have become embroiled in an explosive crisis after key EU members -- The Netherlands and Germany blocked Turkish ministers from holding rallies to back constitutional changes expanding Erdogan's powers in an April 16 referendum.
	Erdogan has repeatedly accused the two countries of behaving like "Nazis", drawing a firm response from EU chief who yesterday blasted his comments as "detached from reality" and incompatible with Turkey's ambitions to join the bloc.
	But far from stepping back, Erdogan ratcheted up his rhetoric a further notch, comparing the treatment of non-Europeans ..

AFP

AFP

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