Suspended Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff's former economy minster testified today that Rousseff did not break any laws justifying impeachment, as her trial closed in on next week's climax.
	Rousseff, 68, is accused of taking illegal state loans to help bridge budget shortfalls and mask the true state of the economy during her 2014 reelection campaign.
	The one-time Marxist guerrilla, who was imprisoned and tortured under Brazil's military dictatorship in the 1970s, says the charges are trumped up and amount to a rightwing coup.
	Former economy minister Nelson Barbosa and Rio State University law professor Ricardo Lodi were the final defense witnesses brought to testify that Rousseff did not break the law or harm the economy, which is now in deep recession.
	"There is nothing remotely illegal," Barbosa said. "You cannot act retroactively with a new interpretation of the law."
	The same argument was delivered yesterday by a first batch of Rousseff witnesses who said that such ...

Brazil's Rousseff broke no laws, impeachment trial hears

PTI Automatic

US President Barack Obama called on Congress today to step up funding to combat the Zika virus, warning that delay is putting more Americans at risk.
	Obama's latest appeal, in his weekly radio address, came the day after the US authorities expressed deepening worry about the spread of the mosquito-borne virus, urging that all donated blood be tested for Zika.
	The Congress has denied past administration requests for Zika funding, instead redirecting funds that had been earmarked to fight Ebola, cancer and other diseases.
	"That's not a sustainable solution," Obama said. The delay for more funds "puts more Americans at risk."
	Congress "should treat Zika like the threat that it is" and "fully fund our Zika response," he added. "A fraction of the funding won't get the job done. You can't solve a fraction of a disease."
	Zika infections in pregnant women can cause a severe birth defect known as microcephaly, in which babies develop abnormally small skulls and brains.
	More than 2,500 ...

Obama presses Congress for Zika funding as worries grow

Italy held a tear- drenched funeral today for dozens of its earthquake victims as the country observed a day of mourning over a disaster that killed nearly 300 people.
	President Sergio Mattarella, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and other leaders were among hundreds of mourners who sat solemnly behind 35 coffins in a sports hall in Ascoli Piceno.
	Some 230 of the quake's 290 confirmed victims were buried under tonnes of collapsed masonry in the popular beauty spot's devastated centre.
	The hall in the capital of the Marche region had been converted temporarily to a place of worship for the funeral of most of the people who perished in the villages of Arquata del Tronto and Pescara del Tronto in the region's mountainous interior.
	Hundreds more stood silently outside, the sombre proceedings of the mass relayed to them by loudspeakers.
	Relatives of the dead sat alongside the flower-bedecked coffins, some draping themselves across them and sobbing inconsolably, three days after the deadly .

Italy weeps for earthquake dead

First innings scoreboard in the
second one-day international between England and Pakistan at Lord's today:
     Pakistan
     Sami Aslam c Buttler b Woakes        1
     Sharjeel Khan b Wood                 0
     Azhar Ali c Buttler b Woakes         0
     Babar Azam b Plunkett               30
     Sarfraz Ahmed c Hales b Rashid     105
     Shoaib Malik c Buttler b Wood       28
     Imad Wasim not out                  63
     Hasan Ali c Root b Plunkett          0
     Wahab Riaz c Plunkett b Woakes       6
     Yasir Shah c Roy b Wood              0
     Mohammad Amir run out (Woakes)       6
     Extras (B-4, LB-4, W-4)             12
     Total (For all out in 49.5 overs)   251
     Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-2, 3-2, 4-66, 5-125, 6-202, 7-223, 8-236, 9-238, 10-251.
     Bowling: Wood 10-1-46-3; Woakes 9.5-2-42-3; Rashid 10-0-51-1; Plunkett 10-0-50-2; Ali 10-0-54-0.

London, Aug 27 (AFP) First innings scoreboard in the

Sarfraz Ahmed became the first Pakistan player to score a one-day international hundred at Lord's as the tourists fought back after a dramatic collapse against England today.
     Ahmed's 105 was the cornerstone of Pakistan's 251 all out -- a seemingly below par total but one that looked well out of reach as they slumped to two for three following captain Azhar Ali's decision to bat first.
     Imad Wasim's 63 not out was also his career-best score at this level and the left-hander helped Ahmed add 77 for the sixth wicket.
     Pacemen Chris Woakes and Mark Wood took three wickets apiece as England looked to go 2-0 up in this five-match series following their 44-run rain-affected win at Southampton on Wednesday.
     Pakistan lost recalled opener Sami Aslam (one) following an England review after his attempted pull off Woakes was held down the legside by wicket-keeper Jos Buttler.
     There was no hot-spot mark but Australian third umpire Simon Fry decide the spike on real time ...

Ahmed hundred gives Pakistan hope against England

Scores at tea on the first day of the second and final Test between South Africa and New Zealand at Centurion SuperSport Park today.
     South Africa
     First innings:
     S. Cook c Williamson b Bracewell 56
     Q. De Kock c Boult b Wagner      82
     H. Amla not out                  24
     J. Duminy not out                14
     Extras (B-4, LB-2)                6
     Total (For 2 wkts in 54 overs)   182
     Fall of wickets: 1-133, 2-151.
     Bowling: Southee 14-2-47-0, Boult 12-1-36-0, Bracewell 12-2-55-1, Santner 3-1-9-0, Wagner 13-2-29-1.

Centurion, Aug 27 (AFP) Scores at tea on the first day of the second and final Test between South Africa and New Zealand at Centurion SuperSport Park today.

South Africa built up a strong position on the first day of the series-deciding second Test against New Zealand today despite some good bowling by the visitors.
     South Africa were 182 for two at tea after losing opening batsmen Quinton de Kock and Stephen Cook, who put on 133 for the first wicket after New Zealand decided to bowl first.
     De Kock made 82 off 114 balls before hooking Neil Wagner to Trent Boult on the fine leg boundary, while Cook made a patient 56 off 143 deliveries before falling to a low catch by New Zealand captain Kane Williamson at gully off Doug Bracewell.
     Hashim Amla, who was 24 not out at tea, was given out leg before wicket to Trent Boult by umpire Ian Gould when he had 17 but a successful review by the batsman showed the ball was narrowly missing his leg stump.
     De Kock, the South African wicketkeeper, was moved up to open the batting which he does regularly in limited overs internationals after regular opener Dean Elgar sprained an ankle ...

South Africa build strong position

Hurricane Lester and Tropical Storm Madeline both picked up strength in the Pacific today, the US National Hurricane Center said, with both possibly heading towards Hawaii.
	The centre of Lester -- which became a hurricane late yesterday -- was located some 960 kilometers southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, the NHC said in its bulletin.
	Lester is packing maximum sustained winds of 140 kilometres per hour, but there are no coastal watches or warnings because it is moving west into the Pacific at a speed of 19 kilometers per hour.
	"This motion is expected to continue with an increase in forward speed during the next couple of days," the Miami-based NHC said.
	Lester's hurricane-force winds extend up to 35 kilometers from its centre, and tropical-force winds extend outward up to 150 kilometers.
	Late yesterday the Hurricane Center announced the formation of Tropical Storm Madeline, also in the Pacific -- a storm that could become a hurricane and strike Hawaii.
	At 0900 ...

Hurricane Lester, TS Madeline strengthen in the Pacific

England's new-ball Test duo of James Anderson and Stuart Broad will both miss the final few weeks of the domestic season through injury, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced today.
     However, they are expected to be fit for the upcoming tour of Bangladesh.
     Anderson, England's all-time leading wicket-taker, requires what an ECB statement said was "ongoing rehabilitation" of his right shoulder and won't now feature again for Lancashire in the remainder of the 2016 county season.
     Broad, who last played for Nottinghamshire in their Twenty20 Blast semi-final defeat by Northamptonshire at Edgbaston last Saturday, is recovering from an ankle problem.
     However both bowlers are expected to be fit for the Test leg of England's tour of Bangladesh, which gets underway in October.
     "Both players have managed their injuries through the summer and a break from cricket is needed to best prepare the Test opening bowling pair for England's winter campaign that begins 

Anderson, Broad out for rest of English season

Spanish police said today they had smashed a major ring allegedly providing Chinese nationals living illegally in the country with fake contracts as domestic staff so they could get residency permits.
	Police arrested 57 people across the country as part of the operation, including a Chinese couple suspected of running the ring, police said in a statement.
	The authorities suspect Chinese nationals living illegally in Barcelona paid the ring around 8,000 euros  for fake domestic work contracts with employers in the holiday island of Lanzarote, allowing them to obtain residency permits.
	"They would return to Barcelona once they obtained a residency permit to work in the textile sector, without ever carrying out job they were hired for," the statement said.
	The ring allegedly paid employers, usually hotels in Lanzarote, 1,500-2,000 euros for each fake work contract they provided a Chinese national.
	A police spokeswoman could not say how many Chinese nationals obtained residency ...

Spanish police smash Chinese immigration ring

Scoreboard at lunch on the first day of the second and final Test between South Africa and New Zealand at Centurion's SuperSport Park today.
 South Africa first innings:
 S. Cook not out                        40
 Q. De Kock not out                     58
 Extras (lb2)                            2
 Total (0 wkts, 28 overs)              100
 Bowling: Southee 8-1-26-0, Boult 8-1-25-0, Bracewell 6-1-26-0, Santer 2-0-9-0, Wagner 4-1-12-0.

Centurion, Aug 27 (AFP) Scoreboard at lunch on the first day of the second and final Test between South Africa and New Zealand at Centurion's SuperSport Park today.

Turkey has for the first time allowed policewomen to wear the Islamic headscarf as part of their uniform, according to a ruling published in the official gazette today.
	Women serving in the police force "will be able to cover their heads" under their caps or berets so long as the headscarf is "the same colour as the uniform and without pattern", said the ruling published in the official gazette.
	Rulings published in the official gazette come into force immediately.
	The ruling Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP) has long pressed for the removal of restrictions on women wearing the headscarf in the officially secular state.
	Turkey lifted a ban on the wearing of the Muslim headscarf, known as the hijab, on university campuses in 2010.
	It allowed female students to wear the headscarf in state institutions from 2013 and in high school in 2014.
	Erdogan's critics have long accused the president of eating away at the secular pillars of modern Turkey as set up by its ...

Turkey allows policewomen to wear Islamic headscarf

Tropical Storm Gaston in the Atlantic is expected to pick up strength and once again become a hurricane, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said today.
	At 1430 IST, the center of Gaston was swirling south-east of Bermuda near latitude 27.9 north and longitude 52 west, the NHC said.
	The storm is moving toward the northwest around 24 kilometers per hour, with maximum sustained winds of near 100 kilometers per hour.
	Gaston's tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 240 kilometers from the center.
	"Strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours, and Gaston is expected to become a hurricane by tonight," the NHC said.
	The center's five-day forecast predicts however that Gaston will switch directions on Tuesday and move northeast back into the open ocean, and away from the US mainland.
	Early Thursday Gaston became the third named hurricane of the Atlantic season, but weakened to a tropical storm later in the day.
	Although the Atlantic hurricane season ...

Storm Gaston expected to become hurricane again: US monitor

The Tehran prosecutor recommended strict new rules today for concerts in the capital, the latest in a tug of war between moderates and conservatives that has already seen live music banned in Iran's second city Mashhad.
	Police should record all events, while the culture ministry and the provincial governor should take greater responsibility for the content of performances and the behaviour of audiences, the judiciary's official Mizan news agency quoted Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi as saying.
	It comes amid a wave of last-minute cancellations of concerts in Iran under pressure from hardliners and religious leaders which has been criticised by the more liberal President Hassan Rouhani.
	Iran's rich poetic and musical history means its religious leaders take a far more flexible approach to the arts than some other Muslim countries, but the culture ministry must still approve all music and lyrics before albums go on sale.
	The issue has taken on renewed significance with Rouhani seeking ...

Tough new conditions for concerts in Iran capital

A first group of rebels and their families evacuated from the Syrian town of Daraya after four years of government siege have reached opposition-held territory, a monitor said today.
	At least five buses carrying fighters and their families arrived in the rebel-held city of Idlib in the northwest, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
	The arrivals were the first since the evacuation of the town just outside Damascus began yesterday under an agreement between the government and the rebels.
	Daraya had been ravaged by constant bombardment by the army and the long years of siege that saw just a single food aid convoy reach the town since late 2012.
	Civilian residents of the town, believed to number around 8,000, are also being evacuated. They are being taken to government-run reception centres pending resettlement elsewhere.
	Some 300 fighters and their families were evacuated during the first part of the operation on Friday, according to a military source, with the departures .

Fighters evacuated from besieged Syria town reach rebel city

Flags flew at half mast across Italy today as the country observed a day of mourning for the victims of an earthquake that killed nearly 300 people.
	President Sergio Mattarella paid tribute to the "extraordinary effort" of more than 4,000 rescue experts and volunteers as he began what was set to be an emotionally charged day with a brief visit to Amatrice, around 100 kilometres northeast of Rome.
	The small mountain town suffered the heaviest losses in the disaster with around two thirds of the quake's 284 confirmed victims buried under tonnes of collapsed masonry in its devastated centre.
	The elderly head of state looked visibly moved as he contemplated the site of a razed house on the edge of a zone that has been sealed off by rescue workers for fear of further collapses.
	There are fears more bodies will be recovered in Amatrice, a holiday spot that was packed with visitors when the powerful quake struck in the early hours of Wednesday. And of the nearly 400 people hospitalised, .

Flags at half mast as Italy mourns earthquake dead

Three Thai women convicted of insulting the monarchy were released from jail today after receiving royal pardons, a human rights lawyer said, following years spent behind bars for violating the draconian law.
	Thailand's lese majeste law is among the world's harshest, punishing any perceived criticism of the monarchy with up to 15 years per offence.
	Cases have skyrocketed under the ultra-royalist junta that seized power in 2014, with more than 60 people facing trials since the power grab, mostly in military courts.
	The law has also been interpreted with an increasingly broad sweep, with one man arrested for making sarcastic comments about the king's late dog.
	Media must self-censor when reporting on royal defamation cases to avoid falling foul of the law.
	Today three lese majeste convicts were included in a royal pardon that saw over 100 female prisoners released from a Bangkok jail.
	"Three women prisoners who were jailed for lese majeste were freed today," Weeranan Huadsri, from 

Three Thai royal insult prisoners freed after pardon

A Myanmar actor was sentenced to nearly three years in prison for scribbling curse-laden insults about the powerful army on his car, a police officer said today.
	Tun Lin Thein, a 35-year-old who appears in Myanmar music videos, slammed the military as an "army of dogs" and spray-painted a number of other expletives across his silver Nissan in March.
	He was arrested shortly after and convicted of defamation by a Yangon court yesterday.
	"The court sentenced him for two years and nine months," police officer Thein Han, whose team handled the actor's arrest, told AFP.
	Freedoms have flourished in Myanmar since the military junta stepped down in 2011, paving the way for November elections that swept democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi into power.
	But limits on expression remain, with criticism of the army especially taboo.
	Police said the actor was also charged with defaming the national flag and a Buddhist flag, which he taped to his car alongside the graffiti.
	"His behaviour was ...

Myanmar actor jailed for cursing army with graffiti

North Korea is making progress on a submarine-launched ballistic missile system but any deployment of the technology is years away, a US think tank said, as the UN Security Council promised action over Pyongyang's latest test.
	The US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University said yesterday on its closely-watched website, 38 North, that the success of North Korea's SLBM test this week suggests the program may be progressing faster than originally expected.
	"However, this does not mean it will be ready next week, next month, or even next year", it said.
	"Rather, the pace and method of the North's SLBM testing would suggest possible deployment in an initial operational capability by the second half of 2018 at the earliest."
	The missile, launched from a submerged prototype "Gorae-class" submarine near the northeastern port of Sinpo, flew 500 kilometres towards Japan, marking what weapons analysts called a clear step forward for its nuclear strike ambitions.
	The flight distance, ...

N Korea submarine missiles not ready until 2018: experts

Donald Trump's personal doctor, who gave the Republican presidential candidate a glowing health report, told NBC News Friday that he penned that note in five minutes as Trump's car waited.
	"I try to get four or five lines down as fast as possible so that they would be happy," physician Harold Bornstein of New York's Lenox Hill Hospital said. "In the rush I think some of those words didn't come out exactly the way they were meant."
	Bornstein did say he stands by the original bill of health he gave Trump, who at age 70 -- 16 months older than Clinton -- would be the oldest person to assume the presidency if elected.
	"His health is excellent, especially his mental health," the doctor said with a laugh. "He thinks he's the best, which works out just fine."
	In the one-page statement, the doctor highlighted Trump's 15-pound weight loss last year and lab results Bornstein called "astonishingly excellent."
	"If elected, Mr. Trump, I can state unequivocally, will be the healthiest ...

Doctor who praised Trump's health says he wrote note in a rush

United States striker Clint Dempsey will miss his country's crucial upcoming World Cup qualifiers after being diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat, reports said Friday.
     Dempsey's club the Seattle Sounders confirmed that the 33-year-old forward would be sidelined from this weekend's Major League Soccer clash with the Portland Timbers in Oregon.
     It is not known when the former Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham player will return.
     "It's something that we've been monitoring during the season," Sounders general manager Garth Lagerwey said on the club's website.
     "We have Clint's best interest at heart first and foremost... He's been calm in our conversations with him. Anytime someone tells you something about your body then that's an issue of some concern, but he's been real mature and real professional about this."
     ESPN later confirmed Dempsey would miss the USA's 2018 World Cup qualifiers on September 2 and 6 against St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and ...

AFP

AFP

Page 1478 - Afp