Thailand's generals took centre stage today at a ceremony blessing the start of construction of an enormous funeral pyre for the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, a vivid illustration of the army's intimate links to the palace.
	Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha, a former army chief who seized power in 2014, led the ceremony, which saw a crane erect the first of a series of giant steel pillars that will form the cornerstones of what will be a largely wooden pyre next to Bangkok's sprawling Grand Palace.
	The ceremony was infused with the religious ritual that permeates palace life with Buddhist monks chanting mantras and Hindu Brahmin priests blowing conches as workers in hard hats fixed the pillar to a concrete plinth.
	Royal cremations in Thailand are grand events. No budget has been publicly released but authorities are spending millions of dollars giving Bhumibol a huge send off.
	Few Thais have ever seen a monarch's funeral.
	The widely admired Bhumibol was the world's longest serving 

Thai generals lead royal funeral pyre ceremony

PTI Automatic

A small bomb exploded in a park in the Indonesian city of Bandung today, with the attacker fleeing into government offices and engaging in a shootout with police.
	No one was reported wounded in the assault in the major city on Java island which police said was linked to a "terrorist network". The attacker was captured after a standoff lasting about an hour.
	After the blast, which reports said came from a bomb constructed out of a pressure cooker, the attacker fled into a building belonging to local authorities.
	Television footage showed armed police exchanging fire with the man inside, and part of the building was set on fire.
	Local police chief Anton Charliyan said no one had been hurt and everyone had been evacuated from the building.
	"We tried to negotiate but instead the perpetrator tried to burn (the place)," he told local TV station MetroTV.
	"He's from a terrorist network," he added, without elaborating.
	Charliyan said the attacker, whom he did not identify, was injured ..

Bomb attack, police shootout in Indonesian city

Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo hauled Real Madrid back from 2-0 down to win 3-2 at Villarreal and regain top spot in La Liga from Barcelona.
     Earlier, Barca had momentarily usurped Real thanks to Lionel Messi's winner four minutes from time in a 2-1 victory at Atletico Madrid.
     Real lead Barca by a point, but also have a game in hand on their title rivals.
     "We showed character to turn the game around," said Real boss Zinedine Zidane.
     "With everything that happened today it was vitally important to get the three points."
     Bale was recalled to the starting line-up for the first time in three months after a long-term injury layoff and Real's shock 2-1 defeat to Valencia in midweek.
     And the European champions looked set for a second straight defeat as Villarreal struck twice early in the second half.
     Firstly, Manu Trigueros volleyed home Samu Castillejo's knockdown before Cedric Bakambu burst onto Bruno Soriano's through ball to slot past Keylor Navas.
  

Madrid stage Villarreal fightback, Messi nets winner

Jose Mourinho has challenged his Manchester United stars to use their dramatic League Cup final win against Southampton as a springboard to bigger prizes.
     Mourinho lifted the first major trophy of his United reign on Sunday after Zlatan Ibrahimovic's late header clinched a 3-2 victory at Wembley.
     The 54-year-old is the first United manager to win a major competition in his maiden season at Old Trafford and the 19th trophy of his glittering career made him only the third boss, after Alex Ferguson and Brian Clough, to enjoy four League Cup triumphs.
     Now Mourinho wants his players to learn from the winning feeling as they chase FA Cup and Europa League titles this term, and ideally Premier League and Champions League glory next season.
     "The reality is that we want more: my contract is long, I have two more years with this one, so hopefully I can win more," Mourinho said.
     "This season I know it's difficult, but the reality is we have to try to fight for more."
    

Mourinho demands United trophy charge

Philip Bilden has withdrawn his nomination as secretary of the US Navy, the Pentagon has said, marking the latest in a series of nominees to remove their names from consideration to serve under President Donald Trump.
	"This was a personal decision driven by privacy concerns and significant challenges he faced in separating himself from his business interests," Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said in a statement, adding that he would soon suggest a new nominee.
	"While I am disappointed, I understand and respect his decision, and know that he will continue to support our nation in other ways."
	Concerns over the ability of Bilden, a prominent businessman and private equity investor, to separate from his vast holdings, many of which are in Hong Kong, clouded his nomination, according to reports.
	The secretary of the Navy serves as the chief executive officer for both the Navy and the Marine Corps.
	Bilden's move came on the heels of similar decisions by US Army secretary nominee Vincent .

US Navy secretary nominee withdraws: Pentagon

Britain's oldest serving MP and a veteran lawmaker for the opposition Labour party, Gerald Kaufman, has died at the age of 86, his family announced.
	Kaufman died yesterday after several months suffering from an undisclosed illness.
	"Sir Gerald dedicated his life to serving those who he believed would benefit most from a Labour government and Labour values in action," his family said in a statement.
	The octogenarian first stepped into the House of Commons in 1970 and has represented his constituents in Manchester, north-west England, ever since.
	Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn paid tribute to Kaufman, whom he described as "an iconic and irascible figure" within the party.
	"He loved life and politics. I will deeply miss him, both for his political commitment and constant friendship," Corbyn said.
	Kaufman was one of the few prominent Jewish politicians in Britain and was a well-known critic of Israel, calling for sanctions against the country over its treatment of Palestinians.
	During 

Britain's oldest MP and Labour veteran dies aged 86

Vandals have broken and overturned more than 500 gravestones at a Jewish cemetery in Philadelphia, the latest in a spate of recent bomb threats and attacks against sites for Jews across the United States.
	Hundreds of headstones, some of them more than 100 years old, were cut in half, local media reported yesterday.
	A local rabbi, who was unnamed, told ABC television affiliate WPVI, that the affected graves at the historic Mt Carmel Jewish cemetery in Philadelphia's northeastern Wissinoming neighborhood also included those of one-time members of the Quaker and Muslim communities.
	New Jersey resident Aaron Mallin discovered the vandalism yesterday when he came to visit his father's grave at the cemetery.
	"It's just very disheartening that such a thing would take place," he told WPVI.
	Police say they are investigating the vandalism.
	The Anti-Defamation League has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.
	Israeli Foreign ...

Vandals attack Jewish cemetery in Philadelphia

A policeman managed to foil an attempted suicide attack in eastern Algeria, opening fire on the bomber and triggering the explosives belt he was wearing, officials said.
	The national police force yesterday said the attacker had been approaching a police station in the city of Constantine when he was shot by the officer.
	"An officer who was in front of the police headquarters, underneath a building that is home to a dozen families, responded energetically and heroically after several warnings, targeting with precision the explosive belt worn by a terrorist," police said in a statement cited by APS news agency.
	At the time of the foiled attack around 9.00 pm (2000 GMT), a strong explosion was heard near the police station in central Constantine, eastern Algeria's main hub, APS reported.
	Two officers were injured in the explosion, according to local reports.
	Prosecutors have opened an investigation into the "terrorist attack," police said.
	Last week the army said it had killed 14 ..

Police foil Algeria suicide attack

UN peacekeeping mission MINUSCA said it had conducted airstrikes in the Central African Republic against a "heavily armed" group of fighters advancing on the city of Bambari.
	This is the second time in as many weeks the UN has fired on gunmen moving toward the central city.
	In a statement, MINUSCA said that it had spotted about 40 fighters from the Popular Front for the Renaissance of the Central African Republic (FPRC), "heavily armed with AK47s and RPGs (rocket propelled grenades)" yesterday morning a few kilometres north of Bambari.
	It remained unclear whether the airstrikes resulted in any casualties, though the mission alerted the International Red Cross for any possible injuries, a MINUSCA spokesman told AFP.
	The region has seen rising violence as the result of a conflict between the FPRC and a rival group, the Union for Peace in Central Africa (UPC).
	The two factions have been fighting for control of taxes levied on Fulani herders during the current seasonal migration.
	On 

UN airstrikes in C.Africa target 'heavily armed' militia

An Egyptian-born French Jewish scholar was held for hours and nearly deported from the United States after he landed in Houston to attend a conference at a Texas university.
	"I have been detained 10 hours at Houston International Airport about to be deported. The officer who arrested me was 'inexperienced'," Henry Rousso, a historian who specialises on the Holocaust and the Nazi occupation of France, wrote yesterday on Twitter.
	Rousso confirmed an earlier announcement by officials at Texas A&M University that he had been detained upon arrival last Wednesday. He was admitted into the United States early Thursday.
	Rousso, 62, is a senior researcher at the French National Centre for Scientific Research, or CNRS.
	He has spoken over the years at several prominent US universities as well as the Holocaust Memorial Museum in the US capital, and was a visiting professor at Texas A&M in 2007, according to his online profile.
	In an article published on the Huffington Post website ...

French Holocaust scholar nearly deported from US

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen today accused the media of "campaigning hysterically" in favour of Emmanuel Macron, her centrist rival for the presidency, as polls showed him enjoying a jump in support.
	Le Pen, speaking at a rally in the western city of Nantes, launched a series of attacks on the 39-year-old independent who has emerged as a frontrunner to become France's next leader.
	She accused the ex-economy minister of wanting to create a "migrant motorway" between France and north Africa, adding that "financial interests and their intermediaries in the media" had clearly taken his side.
	In an attack that recalled US President Donald Trump's confrontation with journalists, she added: "The media have chosen their candidate. They are campaigning hysterically for their darling.
	"They take the moral high ground, pretend to only analyse the facts and then shout about the freedom of the press as soon as you criticise them," she said to cheers.
	Two new polls published today ...

Le Pen blames media as Macron jumps in French polls

Iraqi forces battled jihadists in west Mosul today, aiming to build a floating bridge across the Tigris to establish an important supply route linked to the recaptured east bank.
	A week into a major push on the western side of the city, where an estimated 2,000 holdout jihadists and 750,000 civilians are trapped, government forces made steady progress.
	But after relatively easy gains on the city's outskirts, they encountered increasingly stiff resistance from the Islamic State (IS) group defending its emblematic stronghold.
	"We had an important operation this morning to move towards the bridge," Colonel Falah al-Wabdan of the interior ministry's Rapid Response units that have spearheaded the breach into west Mosul told AFP in the Jawsaq neighbourhood.
	"We have moved past a large berm constructed by Daesh (IS) with tunnels underneath," he said, adding that the area was heavily mined and his forces had killed 44 jihadists today.
	Wabdan was referring to what is known as "the fourth .

Iraq forces in west Mosul aim for key bridge

Four Bahraini policemen were wounded in a bomb attack today near the village of Jaw, south of the capital Manama, the interior ministry said.
	"Terrorist blast in police bus near Jua village. 4 policemen injured and they are in a stable condition. Necessary steps are being taken," the ministry said on its Twitter account.
	It gave no further details.
	On January 1, gunmen attacked the prison in Jaw, killing a policeman and allowing 10 inmates to escape.
	Shiites convicted over anti-government protests in Sunni-ruled Bahrain were held at Jaw.
	Tiny but strategic Bahrain, home to the US Fifth Fleet, has been rocked by unrest since the authorities crushed Shiite-led protests in 2011 demanding a constitutional monarchy and an elected prime minister.
	Hundreds of Shiites have been arrested and many have faced trials over their role in the demonstrations.
	One of those on trial is Sheikh Issa Qassem, the country's Shiite spiritual leader.
	He was stripped of his citizenship last year for ...

Four Bahrain police personnel wounded in bomb attack

Israeli officials today called on the United Nations to fire the Palestinian head of one of its Gaza schools, alleging that he is active in the Islamist group Hamas.
	UNRWA, the UN agency in charge of Palestinian refugees, denies the allegation.
	COGAT, the defence ministry agency responsible for civilian affairs in the Palestinian territories, says that Sohail al-Hindi was appointed to the militant group's leadership in a February 13 internal election.
	"Amongst other members elected to the political bureau, al-Hindi was also appointed as a senior Hamas member from Jabalia in northern Gaza," it said in an English-language statement.
	"He also holds positions as both the Chairman of the Association of Palestinian Workers of UNRWA since 2012 and as an elementary school principal in the Gaza Strip," it added.
	"Due to the severity of the situation, the head of COGAT, Major General Yoav Mordechai called on UNRWA to terminate al-Hindi immediately," it said.
	The Israeli foreign ministry ..

Israel urges UN agency to sack Gaza school headmaster

Palestinian officials today called for a boycott of Israeli military courts after a Palestinian freed in a 2011 prisoner exchange was rearrested and sent back to prison for life.
	Speaking in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, Palestinian Prisoners Club head Qadura Fares called on detainees' families and Palestinian organisations to stop taking part in military trials and to refuse to pay convicts' fines, which he said amounted to USD 6 million in 2016.
	Palestinians captured by Israeli security forces are generally brought before the army courts, where defence lawyers say they are often not notified of the charges against their clients or allowed to meet them before the trial.
	"Palestinian movements and prisoners' families must choose boycott," Fares told a press conference.
	"One must take the difficult decision of rebellion and boycott" of the courts, Issa Qaraqe, head of the Palestinian Authority's commission for detainees, added.
	He noted that the same military ...

Palestinians urge boycott of Israeli military courts

Pope Francis attended a service at the All Saints' Church in Rome today, becoming the first pontiff in history to visit an Anglican church in the Italian capital.
	Francis's visit marked the 200th anniversary of the All Saints' church, furthering a rapprochement between the Vatican and the Anglican Church of England that began last year.
	In a further sign of the closer ties, the pope spoke of the "possibility" of a visit to troubled South Sudan with the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, his Anglican counterpart.
	Pope Francis added that such a visit would only be for a single day "because the situation is difficult there".
	South Sudan, which only gained nationhood in 2011, has been engulfed since 2013 by a civil war which has left thousands dead and three million people displaced.
	"As Catholics and Anglicans, we are humbly grateful that, after centuries of mutual mistrust, we are now able to recognise that the fruitful grace of Christ is at work also in others," the pope said .

Pope makes historic visit to Rome Anglican church

Donald Trump today mocked the "rigged" election of a former member of Barack Obama's presidential cabinet to the post of Democratic chairman.
	"The race for DNC Chairman was, of course, totally 'rigged'," Trump wrote on Twitter, a day after a gathering of Democratic party faithfuls elected Thomas Perez -- Obama's former labour secretary -- to head the Democratic National Committee.
	Trump suggested that party insiders had fixed the vote for Perez, bending to the wishes of Hillary Clinton, his vanquished opponent in last year's presidential election.
	The runner-up in the chairman race, US Congressman Keith Ellison, had been supported by Senator Bernie Sanders, who was defeated by Clinton in last year's fight for the Democratic Presidential nomination.
	"Bernie's guy, like Bernie himself, never had a chance. Clinton demanded Perez!" Trump wrote on Twitter.
	Democrats chose Perez, 55, an establishment figure, over the more left-leaning Ellison to lead the fight against Trump and the ...

Trump scoffs at 'rigged' Democratic chairman vote

The main Syrian opposition group at peace talks in Geneva accused Damascus today of "stalling", after its chief envoy demanded all sides condemn the deadly suicide assault in Homs this weekend.
	The High Negotiations Committee (HNC) made the charge after the Syrian regime's chief negotiator Bashar al-Jaafari said any opposition delegates who refused to condemn the attack were "accomplices of terrorism".
	"Jaafari is stalling, they don't want to start the political transition," HNC spokesman Salem al-Meslet told AFP in Geneva, where sputtering UN-sponsored peace talks are taking place.
	He said that in previous Geneva meetings, and now this one, "the only word that the regime knows is terrorism. In fact, he is stalling by only mentioning this word and the fight against terrorism.
	"Just as he is insisting on condemning the incident that happened yesterday, we also demand the regime delegation to tell everyone that they are committed to political transition," he added.
	UN Syria envoy ..

Syrian opposition accuses Damascus of 'stalling' talks

Hollywood actor Bill Paxton, best known for his roles in such blockbusters as "Apollo 13" and "Titanic," has died at the age of 61, a family representative said today.
	The versatile Texas-born actor was a familiar face on US movie screens, with a string of memorable credits to his name from a career spanning several decades.
	"It is with heavy hearts we share the news that Bill Paxton has passed away due to complications from surgery," said a statement from a family representative.
	One of Paxton's earliest character roles was as a thug in the 1984 "The Terminator," and he left a mark as the ill-fated Private Hudson in the 1986 sci-fi thriller "Aliens."
	Paxton played the part of Fred Haise, one of the astronauts of the Apollo 13 lunar mission in the 1995 drama of the same name, while in the 1997 "Titanic" he was the treasure hunter who led an obsessive search for the sunken ship.
	"A loving husband and father, Bill began his career in Hollywood working on films in the art department 

'Apollo 13' star Bill Paxton dies at 61

Two German archaeologists who were kidnapped while working at a dig site in northern Nigeria last week have been released and are doing well, the German foreign ministry said today.
	"The two archaeologists from the Goethe University in Frankfurt are free. They are in the care of the German embassy in Abuja," a source at the ministry told AFP.
	"They are doing well under the circumstances," the source added, without providing further details.
	The pair, who were working with Nigeria's National Commission for Museum and Monuments, were abducted on Wednesday as they were working at an excavation site in Kaduna state, looking into ancient Nok culture.
	Federal police chief Ibrahim K Idris said on Thursday that the men had been assigned security personnel for their own protection but that they did not go with them to the dig site.
	A local resident who asked not to be named told AFP that the pair were seized by abductors wielding gun and machetes, but they did not take the men's two ...

Two German archaeologists kidnapped in Nigeria freed

The United States called on Russia to "immediately" observe the cease-fire in Ukraine, accusing combined Russian-separatist forces of targeting international monitors.
	"We call on Russia and the separatist forces it backs to immediately observe the cease-fire, withdraw all heavy weapons, and allow full and unfettered access to the OSCE monitors," the State Department said.

AFP

AFP

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