South African police fired rubber bullets and stun grenades to break up clashes between local protesters and migrants in Pretoria today at a march against immigration.
	Shops and homes owned by foreigners have been looted and torched in recent weeks, with some South Africans alleging that the properties were brothels and drug dens.
	Attacks against foreigners have erupted regularly in recent years, fuelled by South Africa's high unemployment and poverty levels.
	Police in Pretoria formed lines to keep apart 500 protesters as tensions rise between some South Africans and migrants from Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Somalia, Pakistan and elsewhere.
	"We are fed up with people bringing drugs to the youth and the crimes that go with it," said a South African marcher who declined to be named.
	As the stand-off continued, Clement Melfort, 26, a migrant from Zimbabwe who had come to see the march told AFP: "We are not afraid of fighting."
	President Jacob Zuma condemned the latest wave of xenophobic ...

S African police fire rubber bullets at anti-immigrant march

PTI Automatic

The Islamic State group carried out an attack on an Iraqi border guard position near Jordan today, killing at least 15 guards, officials said.
	"Daesh launched an attack with a suicide car bomb and gunmen on the 2nd border guard regiment near Trebil," an officer in the border guard told AFP, using an Arabic acronym for IS.
	"The attack came from several directions and killed 15 border guards, including two officers," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Local officials confirmed the attack and death toll.

IS attack kills 15 Iraq border guards near Jordan: officials

A suicide bomber killed 29 people today, most of them rebels near the Syrian town of Al-Bab, which they had taken from the Islamic State group just hours earlier, a monitor said.
	The bomber blew up a vehicle packed with explosives in Susian, eight kilometres northeast of the strategic town which the Turkish-backed rebels overran yesterday after weeks of fighting, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
	The blast devastated two adjacent rebel command posts and also seriously wounded a large number of fighters, the Observatory said.
	Al-Bab, just 25 kilometres south of the Turkish border, was the last IS stronghold in the northern Syrian province of Aleppo.
	Rebels launched an offensive to capture the town last year with the support of Turkish ground troops, artillery and air strikes.
	Turkey sent troops into Syria last August in an operation it said targeted not only IS but also US-backed Kurdish fighters whom it regards as terrorists.
	The battle for Al-Bab has been the ...

Suicide bomber kills 29 near Syria town taken from IS

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un's half brother was assassinated with a lethal nerve agent manufactured for chemical warfare and listed by the UN as a weapon of mass destruction, Malaysian police said today.
	Releasing a preliminary toxicology report on Kim Jong-Nam's murder at Kuala Lumpur airport, police revealed the poison used by the assassins was the odourless, tasteless and highly toxic nerve agent VX.
	North Korea has a vast chemical weapons stockpile, including VX, of up to 5,000 tonnes, South Korean experts said today.
	Traces of VX were detected on swabs of the dead man's face and eyes, police said. Leaked CCTV footage from the February 13 murder shows the portly Kim being approached by two women who appear to push something in his face.
	Just a tiny drop of the agent is enough to fatally damage a victim's central nervous system.
	One of the two women suspects who remain in custody fell ill after the brazen killing, with police saying Friday she had been vomiting.
	National ..

Kim Jong-Nam killed by VX nerve agent: Malaysia police

A Cambodian court today sentenced a 27-year-old to two years in jail for Facebook posts that threatened strongman Prime Minister Hun Sen.
	Ven Sopheap, a resident of eastern Prey Veng province, admitted during his trial last week to posting threats against Hun Sen -- the authoritarian premier who has ruled Cambodia for more than three decades.
	He reportedly wrote "Hun Sen, today is the day of your death" and "Beheading Yuons (derogatory term for Vietnamese people) is the duty of all Khmer children" on his Facebook account, leading to his arrest in October.
	On Friday a Phnom Penh court handed the man two years in prison for issuing a death threat and inciting discrimination, according to judge Ly Sokleng.
	Rights groups criticised the verdict as the latest smothering of free speech in Cambodia as Hun Sen clamps down on critics ahead of a 2018 poll.
	"Flippant social media posts or throw away comments, without any real intention to follow through, should be handled with a common-sense 

Man jailed for Facebook threat to Cambodian PM Hun Sen

An Indonesian passenger plane carrying 192 people from China to Bali was forced to turn back after the crew realised one of its doors was not properly closed, the airline said today.
	It was the latest problem to hit an airline from Indonesia, which relies heavily on air transport to connect its thousands of islands but has a poor safety record and has suffered several fatal crashes in recent years.
	The Boeing 737 operated by Sriwijaya Air was 1.5 hours into the five-hour flight Thursday when its system detected that a passenger door at the front of the aircraft had not shut properly, said spokesman Agus Soedjono.
	"The system did not detect this prior to the flight, but when the plane was up in the air, it was detected," he told AFP.
	The plane returned to the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, where it had set out from, and was checked for 30 minutes before taking off again for Denpasar, the capital of the resort island of Bali.
	The plane was carrying 180 passengers and 12 crew ..

Indonesian plane turns back as door not totally closed

A suicide bomber killed five people and wounded three today when he blew up his vehicle at the gate of a Yemeni army base, security sources said.
	The bomber struck Najda Camp in the Abyan provincial capital of Zinjibar just 55 kilometres along the coast from second city Aden where the government has its headquarters.
	He failed to get through the gate and heavy exchanges of fire ensued as other assailants tied to penetrate the base.
	There was no immediate claim for the attack but a military source said it bore the hallmarks of Al-Qaeda.
	The jihadist network has taken advantage of nearly two years of fighting between government forces and Shiite rebels who control the capital Sanaa to entrench its presence in swathes of the south.
	The jihadists briefly overran two other Abyan province towns earlier this year.

Suicide bomber kills five at gate of Yemen army base

Suicide bomber kills 29 near Syria town taken from IS:

North Korea denounced its chief ally and diplomatic protector China for "dancing to the tune of the US" after it banned coal imports in apparent punishment for a missile launch.
	Beijing and Pyongyang have a relationship forged in the blood of the Korean War, but ties have begun to fray in recent years, with China increasingly exasperated by its wayward neighbour's nuclear antics.
	Last week  it announced the suspension of all coal imports from the North -- a crucial foreign currency earner for Pyongyang -- for the rest of the year.
	It came days after a missile launch personally overseen by leader Kim Jong-Un in what was seen as Pyongyang's first show of force against new US President Donald Trump.
	A bylined essay carried by the North's official Korea Central News Agency slammed Beijing's move.
	It did not identify China by name, referring instead to "a neighbouring country".
	"This country, styling itself a big power, is dancing to the tune of the US," it said.
	"It has ...

N Korea lashes ally China over coal import ban

Three Russian athletes have been given the green light to compete internationally under a neutral flag by athletics' world governing body the IAAF.
	Pole vaulter Anzhelika Sidorova, sprinter Kristina Sivkova and hammer thrower Aleksei Sokirskii all met the "exceptional eligibility criteria" to compete in international competition as neutral athletes, the IAAF said yesterday, on the same day as the entry deadline for the March 3-5 European Indoor Championships in Belgrade.
	The trio join long jumper Darya Klishina and doping whistle-blower and former drugs cheat Yuliya Stepanova, who were previously declared eligible to compete.
	The Russian athletics federation (RusAF) remains suspended from competition because of widespread state-sponsored doping, but individual athletes can compete as neutrals if they are proved to be drug-free.
	"Their participation as neutral athletes in international competition is still subject to acceptance by the individual athlete and the organiser of the ...

IAAF green light for three Russian athletes

Claudio Ranieri has been sacked as manager of Leicester City just months after leading the club to a remarkable Premier League title triumph, the Midlands side has announced.
     The Italian's position has come under intense scrutiny this season during a slump that has left the Foxes just a point above the relegation zone.
	That follows their startling title triumph, with Leicester 5,000/1 no-hopers before the start of the 2015/16 season.
	Not even a gutsy 2-1 loss away to Sevilla in the first leg of a Champions League last 16 tie on Wednesday was enough to spare Ranieri, 65, the sack, even though the statement from Thai-owned Leicester confirming his departure from the King Power Stadium proclaimed him the "most successful manager" in the history of the 133-year-old club.
     "Leicester City Football Club has tonight (yesterday) parted company with its first-team manager, Claudio Ranieri," said the statement.
     "Claudio, appointed City manager in July 2015, led the Foxes to the .

Premier League champions Leicester sack Ranieri

British police has announced that a third suspect had been arrested in connection with their investigation into international cricket spot-fixing.
	A statement issued by the National Crime Agency said officers had arrested a British man in his thirties yesterday in the Sheffield area (in northern England) as as part of its investigation into the spot-fixing of cricket matches.
     He was later bailed pending further inquiries.
	Two men, also in their 30s, were arrested by NCA officers on February 13 and were bailed until April.
	Earlier this month, amid a corruption probe involving players in the Pakistan Super League, the NCA said they were "working closely" with the Pakistan Cricket Board and International Cricket Council's anti-corruption units.
	Saturday saw Pakistani cricket officials charge Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif for spot-fixing in a corruption probe that threatens to undermine the PSL.
	The pair, suspended after being accused of meeting a suspicious person linked to an 

British police make fresh arrest in fixing probe

Senegalese police have arrested two Malians suspected of involvement in a jihadist attack on an Ivory Coast beach resort last year that killed 19 people.
	More than 10 suspects have already been detained in relation to the March 13 assault, when assailants armed with grenades and assault rifles stormed three hotels in Grand-Bassam, a beachside resort popular with foreigners 40 kilometres from Abidjan.
	The attack, the first of its kind in the Ivory Coast, was claimed by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, which has also carried out assaults on tourist hotspots in Mali and Burkina Faso.
	Around 20 people were wounded in the incident.
	The two Malians were arrested in Dakar, according to police spokesman Henry Boumy Ciss, who identified the men as Ould Sidy Mohamed Sina and Ould Am Sidalamine.
	Ould Sidy Mohamed Sina "was the contact of the alleged planner" of the attack, Ciss added.
	Despite the slew of arrests, the Malian man believed to be the main brains behind the attack, identified ..

Two Malians arrested in Senegal over I.Coast beach attack

A 5.7-magnitude earthquake hit near Africa's Lake Tanganyika early today, the US Geological Survey said, with the epicentre in northen Zambia.
	The quake, which was 10 kilometres (six miles) deep, struck at 6:32 AM (IST) about 45 kilometres from the Zambian town of Kaputa, which lies near the borders of Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
	In December 2005, a powerful earthquake struck the Lake Tanganyika region of East Africa.
	That 6.8-magnitude quake shook buildings in cities throughout the east and central African region.
	Much of the eastern African region lies in the Great Rift Valley, a massive geographical feature created by shifting of tectonic plates and volcanic activity.

5.7-magnitude quake strikes Lake Tanganyika region: USGS

Emmanuel Macron has emerged as the undisputed king of the French centre ground, but shifting sentiment and alliances make predicting this year's presidential election as difficult as ever.
	Macron, a 39-year-old former economy minister, was given little chance when he launched a new political movement "En Marche" (On the Move) last year ahead of a vote that was billed as a fight between conservatives and the far-right.
	But the pro-European progressive is now a frontrunner to become France's next leader and will draw strength from an alliance with veteran centrist Francois Bayrou, who decided against mounting a rival presidential bid on Wednesday.
	The two met yesterday, with Macron hoping the tie-up will boost his chances after a tricky 10 days that have seen him lose momentum just as far-right candidate Marine Le Pen picks up speed.
	Explaining his decision to join forces with Macron, Bayrou yesterday said the two shared a rejection of the traditional French left-right political ...

France's Macron gets boost, but election is wide open

The highest-profile critic of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's deadly drug war was arrested today following an overnight vigil at the Senate, according to AFP reporters who witnessed her surrendering to police.
	In comments to journalists moments before police detained her, Senator Leila de Lima declared she was innocent of drug trafficking charges that could see her jailed for life and vowed to keep speaking out against Duterte's "repression".
	"It is my honour to be imprisoned for the things I am fighting for. Please pray for me," de Lima told reporters outside her Senate office.
	"As I have been saying all along, I am innocent. There is no truth to the charges I benefited from the drug trade, that I received money and that I coddled drug convicts.
	"The truth will come out at the right time. They will not be able to silence me and stop me from fighting for the truth and justice and against the daily killings and repression by the Duterte regime."
	De Lima, 57, had sought ...

Top Philippine drug war critic arrested at Senate

Gambia's dreaded former spy chief -- whose watch was marred by allegations of killings and torture -- and eight subordinates have been charged with killing a leading opposition member in April.
	Yankuba Badjie headed the National Intelligence Agency, which rights groups say carried out arbitrary detentions, forced disappearances and torture during ousted strongman Yahya Jammeh's 22-year rule.
	Badjie and the eight others pleaded not guilty to the charges by prosecutors yesterday.
	The nine men, including the NIA's former director of operations, Saikou Omar Jeng, denied killing opposition figure Solo Sandeng of the main opposition UDP.
	Sandeng was arrested on April 14 last year while leading a demonstration for political reform and died in custody at the NIA headquarters.
	Two days later, protests erupted, prompting a security crackdown on demonstrators.
	UDP chief Ousainou Darboe, a human rights lawyer, and other party leaders, were subsequently arrested.
	In July, Darboe and about ..

Gambia's ex-spy chief, 8 others charged with murder

A right-wing extremist from London who described Adolf Hitler as "his God" has been jailed for five years for terrorism and hate crimes over his social media posts.
	Sean Creighton was sentenced at a court in London yesterday after using social media to call for Muslims and Jews to be killed.
	An investigation was launched after a photograph was posted online of Creighton, 45, holding an assault rifle and standing in front of a Nazi flag.
	The probe uncovered his wider hate campaign, including leaving offensive stickers in public and ownership of a "White Resistance Manual 2.4" document with details of weapons and explosives.
	Creighton was described as a "committed racist" by prosecutor Jonathan Sandiford.
	"He was enthralled by Nazism and Adolf Hitler, whom he told police in his interviews was his God," Sandiford told the court.
	In addition to homophobic and racist social media posts, evidence against Creighton included an image of Hitler posted online alongside the message "kill ..

5-year jail term for Hitler-inspired British extremist

The United States said today it has added two senior leaders of the Al-Nusra Front in Syria to its sanctions blacklist.
	Although the Treasury Department announcement identified the group as Al-Nusra Front, the jihadist force changed its name last year to Fateh al-Sham Front, after supposedly breaking its ties with Al-Qaeda.
	The Treasury said Iyad Nazmi Salih Khalil was, as of a year ago, Al-Nusra Front's (ANF) third-highest ranking person and its emir for coastal Syria.
	Before that, he "empowered ANF's security and intelligence operatives responsible for assassinations, ran prisons notorious for torture, and encouraged the looting of vehicles and possessions of Free Syrian Army members," the Treasury said in a statement.
	The second man, Bassam Ahmad al-Hasri, is alleged to be a longstanding link between Al-Nusra Front and Al-Qaeda and is Al-Nusra Front's emir in Dar'a.
	"From overseeing militant operations to developing Al-Nusrah Front's strategy, these senior Al-Nusrah Front ...

US names two jihadist leaders in Syria to sanctions list

Fifteen soldiers were killed and 19 wounded in a attack by "terrorist elements" in western Niger, authorities said today.
	"A Niger army patrol was attacked by terrorist elements at 1500 GMT north of Tilwa (on Wednesday). We have 15 dead and 19 wounded in our ranks," said Colonel Toure Seydou Albdoula Aziz, the army spokesman.

'Terrorist attack' kills 15 soldiers in Niger: army

The UN's Syria envoy called on the country's rival sides to accept the "historical" responsibility of seeking to end the six-year conflict, while accepting "miracles" were unlikely at peace talks starting Thursday in Geneva.
	Staffan de Mistura said regime and opposition negotiators, gathered for a fourth round of UN-sponsored talks, had a duty to lead Syria out of its bloody "nightmare".
	"This is ... Our solemn responsibility ...  A historical responsibility not to condemn the future generations of Syrian children to long years of bitter and bloody conflict," he said.
	"The Syrian people desperately want an end to this conflict and you all know it .. They are awaiting for a relief from ... Suffering and dream of a new road out of this nightmare," he added.
	Speaking at a welcoming ceremony,  he said the peace talks would start straightaway Thursday evening, after a day of bilateral meetings to hammer out the format and agenda of the negotiations.
	Persistent violence and deadlock ...

AFP

AFP

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