A senior Muslim cleric in Russia has prompted controversy by urging universal female genital mutilation after a rights group released a report on the practice in the country's North Caucasus region.
	Mufti Ismail Berdiyev, who heads a Muslim association for the North Caucasus region, said yesterday that if FGM "could be applied to all women, that would be very good" in an interview with Interfax news agency.
	The practice, which ranges from pricking of the clitoris to its complete removal, causes infections and loss of sensation.
	The procedure has come under massive international scrutiny in recent years, with UN chief Ban Ki-Moon in 2014 launching a global campaign to end it.
	Berdiyev, who was decorated by President Vladimir Putin in March, said FGM does not stop women from fulfilling their ordained role of motherhood and if all women were mutilated, "there would be less fornication".
	He later retracted his comments, claiming that he had been joking and Islam does not call for ...

Mufti shocks Russia with call for genital mutilation of women

PTI Automatic

Sweden-based manufacturer Volvo Cars said today it would team up with ride-sharing service Uber in a USD 300 million joint venture to develop driverless automobiles.
	"Both Uber and Volvo will use the same base vehicle for the next stage of their own autonomous car strategies," Volvo, owned by China's Geely, said in a statement.
	"This will involve Uber adding its own self-developed autonomous driving systems to the Volvo base vehicle," it added.
	Uber and Volvo were two of the founding members of a coalition unveiled in April to push for a unified US legal code on self-driving cars -- a group that also includes Google, car maker Ford and Uber rival Lyft.
	Both companies have previously announced plans to develop self-driving cars, which will take passengers to their destinations of choice without human intervention.
	Uber unveiled its first self-driving car in May, announcing it had begun testing an autonomous vehicle on the streets of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
	Volvo engineers began 

Volvo and Uber form driverless car venture

Pakistan's military said today it had killed at least 11 militants in air strikes in a restive tribal region near the Afghan border as part of an ongoing offensive.
	The latest operation in the Khyber district came just after the military said it had killed at least 14 militants in the same area Tuesday.
	"Eleven terrorists were killed and four others injured when eight terrorist hideouts close to the Afghan border were destroyed in precision air strikes and synchronised ground operations," the military said in a statement.
	The army offensive took place in the mountainous terrain of Babar Kachkol, Naray Nao and Tor Sapar areas of Khyber.
	The conflict zone is remote and off-limits to journalists, making it difficult to verify the army's claims, including the number and identity of those killed.
	Khyber is one of the seven semi-autonomous tribal districts where the military has been fighting Taliban and Al-Qaeda linked militants for over a decade.
	Pakistan has been battling a ...

Pakistan military kills 11 militants

British police were putting in the legwork today to track down the owners of three severed human feet found in mysterious circumstances.
	The feet were found in and around the tourist spa town of Bath, southwest England -- and now detectives are taking steps to track down their rightful owners.
	The first foot was found in February, with two more discovered in July and August.
	A comprehensive investigation concluded that the first foot was more than likely to be an exhibit from a medical or educational establishment and was not the result of a crime.
	Ongoing tests on the other two feet are expected to reach the same conclusion.
	"We are confident no crime has been committed and strongly believe the feet have come from an old private collection," said Detective Inspector Paul Catton of Avon and Somerset Police, as they searched school grounds.
	"All three feet show signs they have come into contact with animals and it is likely that they have been moved to the locations they were ...

British police on their toes in human feet mystery

Egypt's state-run television has taken several anchorwomen off the air until they lose weight, the broadcaster's chief has said, drawing criticism from rights groups but also praise from some commentators.
	Egyptian public television, commonly viewed as a staid government mouthpiece, has been struggling to compete with private satellite channels with slicker programming.
	Safaa Hegazy, the head of the Egyptian Radio and Television Union which runs state television, said six to eight anchorwomen would be affected by the decision.
	The move "is within the framework of developing the broadcaster, in form and content," she told AFP.
	Hegazy said she told the anchorwomen "that they can work in production during the period they need to lose weight."
	"They can then return to the screen," she said.
	The move provoked a backlash from rights groups who labelled it discriminatory.
	The Women's Centre for Guidance and Legal Awareness in Egypt called the decision "shameful" and said it was ...

Egypt takes anchorwomen off air until they lose weight

A Russian boxer controversially adjudged to have beaten world champion Michael Conlan at the Rio Olympics is out of the Games because of injuries he suffered at the hands of the Irishman, a top Russian official said.
     Vladimir Nikitin's withdrawal from his semi-final on Thursday will ramp up the pressure on amateur boxing's world governing body, the AIBA, which has faced criticism from boxers and coaches in Rio after at least two deeply contentious judging decisions.
     One of those was the unanimous points verdict given to the bantamweight Nikitin on Tuesday, sparking a furious, expletive-filled rant from Conlan, who in the eyes of most boxing experts had appeared to have been a clear winner.
     And now it transpires that the injuries to the Russian -- his face was a bloodied mess, although Conlan too took some punishment -- will mean he cannot face American hot prospect Shakur Stevenson.
     "Further examination showed that the injury suffered by our boxer Vladimir Nikitin .

Russian boxer in judging furore out of Rio - official

Ukraine said today that pro-Russian rebels had killed three of its soldiers in the worst violence seen in the separatist east for a year.
	Military spokesman Oleksandr Motuzyanyk said insurgent attacks had doubled from the previous day as tensions between Kiev and Moscow have soared over Kremlin charges that Ukraine plotted to make armed incursions into Russian-annexed Crimea this month.
	"The rebels launched more than 500 mortar and over 300 artillery shells at our positions," Motuzyanyk told reporters in Kiev.
	"The last time we witnessed a similar intensity of fire using heavy armaments was a year ago."
	Ukraine and its Western allies say that Moscow is simply trying to escalate a 28-month separatist conflict in the country's east that has claimed more than 9,500 lives and began just weeks after Russia annexed the Black Sea peninsula in March 2014.
	Motuzyanyk said three Ukrainian soldiers were killed and six wounded in the clashes across the 30-kilometre-wide buffer zone ...

Ukraine reports three killed in 'heaviest fighting for a year'

Brazilian police pulled two US Olympic swimmers off a US-bound plane in a row over their claim of having been victims of an armed mugging, officials said.
     "We can confirm that Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz were removed from their flight to the United States by Brazilian authorities," said Patrick Sandusky, spokesman for the US Olympic Committee.
     The two were with star US swimmer Ryan Lochte and another squad member, James Feigen, when they said they were robbed at gunpoint early Sunday.
     A Brazilian judge ordered a probe, saying their story is full of inconsistencies.
     "The swimmers are here and making statements," an airport police spokesman told AFP, without giving further details.
     Globo, a leading Brazilian news organization, posted a video online showing the two swimmers walking into a police station.
     They were later released "with the understanding that they would continue their discussions about the incident on Thursday," Sandusky said.
     Lochte, ...

Brazil police pull two US Olympic swimmers from airplane

Pakistan's one-day form is a "real concern" to coach Mickey Arthur and the South African believes it could "take some time" to improve the team's standing in white-ball cricket.
	The 1992 world champions, Pakistan are languishing in ninth place in the International Cricket Council's one-day internationals rankings, with only hosts England and the top seven teams come September next year guaranteed a place at the 2019 World Cup.
	A World Cup without Pakistan seems unthinkable but Arthur, speaking ahead of his one-day 'debut' with the team, believes they must tackle their shortcomings in limited overs cricket head-on, starting with Thursday's first of two ODIS away to Ireland in Malahide, near Dublin, which will act as a lead-in to a five-match series against England.
	"We have not done well in ODIs. I think this is a real concern for me," Arthur told AFP in London before the squad travelled to Ireland.
	"Pakistan's position at number nine in one-day cricket is not good. Pakistan is not 

Pakistan's one-day form a worry for Arthur

James Anderson says he will accept the advice of England's security experts when it comes to deciding whether he should tour Bangladesh.
	England are due to fly to Bangladesh on September 30 for three one-day internationals and two Test matches.
	But there have been concerns about the fixtures since an attack by jihadists on a cafe in the capital Dhaka last month in which 20 hostages and two police officers were killed.
	Britain's Foreign Office currently advises "there is a heightened threat of further terrorist attacks and foreigners, in particular westerners, may be directly targeted".
	An England and Wales Cricket Board delegation led by security adviser Reg Dickason accompanied by director of cricket operations John Carr and David Leatherdale of the Professional Cricketers' Association are currently making their own security assessment in Bangladesh.
	Their ECB will await their report before deciding whether to proceed with the tour.
	Anderson, England's all-time leading ...

Anderson awaits security advice on Bangladesh tour

A Russian boxer was wheelchaired out of the arena in agony and floods of tears as her Rio Olympic dream came to an excruciating halt when she injured her arm in the semi-finals.
     With one minute left of the first round against France's Estelle Mossely, the 23-year-old Anastasiia Beliakova threw a punch at an awkward angle with her left hand and then immediately screeched in pain and stopped.
     A doctor climbed through the ropes and rushed to her aid, as she stood grimacing in pain and unable to move.
     She was coaxed gingerly out of the ring and into a wheelchair, and spirited out of the arena as she cried in distress.
     It was not immediately clear what the injury was, but Mossely said she thought the Russian had dislocated her elbow.
     Asked by AFP how she felt about getting into Friday's lightweight final in that way, Mossely said: "It's a contrasting feeling because of course I'm very happy but obviously I would have preferred the win was different, but that's the .

Russian boxer rushed from arena in tears, agony

Highly respected boxing coach Billy Walsh said that the standard of judging at the Rio Olympics was the worst he had seen since the notorious Roy Jones Jr scandal in 1988.
     Amateur boxing's world governing body, the AIBA, says it has dropped an undisclosed number of officials after at least two highly controversial judging decisions in as many days put Olympic boxing in the dock.
     The Irishman Walsh is a coach for the United States and saw American lightweight Mikaela Mayer suffer defeat on points to a Russian in front of a mostly anti-American crowd on Monday, a decision he branded "crazy".
     The same day a Russian heavyweight was adjudged to have won the gold-medal showdown with a Kazakh when most in the crowd thought otherwise, then on Tuesday an Irish world champion lost to a third Russian boxer.
     Walsh was pleased to see reigning Olympic middleweight champion Claressa Shields not suffer the same fate to Russia's Iaroslava Iakushina: "There have been a couple of ...

Rio boxing judging worst since Seoul scandal - US coach

A 5.7 magnitude earthquake rattled popular tourist towns stretching across more than 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) of Australia's northeastern coastline today.
	The quake hit at a depth of seven kilometres about 54 kilometres off Bowen in Queensland state at 0430 GMT, the United States Geological Survey said.
	Buildings in Townsville city were evacuated, the Townsville Bulletin reported, but police said there were no reports of major damage.
	Australia's Bureau of Meteorology said there was no tsunami warning for the island continent.
	"It's been widely felt right up the coast, from Sunshine Coast up to north of Townsville, so quite a lot of the Queensland coast has felt some shaking," Geoscience Australia senior seismologist Jonathan Bathgate told AFP.
	"We haven't had any reports of damage at this stage. The fact that it is 50 kilometres offshore is the reason for that. If it was closer to the coast it might have been a different story.
	"We would expect to get aftershock activity ...

Quake rocks Australia tourist towns

Turkish police launched a vast operation today against businesses suspected of financing US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen, accused by Ankara of masterminding last month's attempted coup, media reported.
	Prosecutors issued 187 arrest warrants as part of the operation in the country's economic capital of Istanbul and other provinces, CNN-Turk reported.
	It said around 1,000 police took part in the operation in 15 provinces, which included simultaneous raids in about 100 addresses in several districts of Istanbul.
	The suspects are accused of financing the activities of Gulen, blamed by authorities for orchestrating the July 15 putsch.
	In a similar operation on Tuesday, Turkish police raided dozens of companies in Istanbul in search of 120 suspects. Around 100 people were detained.
	Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said late yesterday that 40,029 state employees have been detained in the crackdown on alleged Gulen supporters in the wake of the failed July 15 coup, of whom 20,335 .

Turkey raids businesses with alleged links to Gulen: media

Thailand's junta today said 15 suspects in last week's bomb and arson attacks against a string of tourist resort towns are being detained at a military barracks in Bangkok.
	"Authorities have detained 17 suspects at the special 11th Army Circle barracks in Bangkok but we had released two of them," Colonel Burin Tongprapai, the junta's top legal advisor, told reporters.
	Colonel Burin said authorities were looking to re-detain the two suspects who were released and that the entire group were likely to be charged on Friday.
	No one has claimed responsibility for the bombing spree, which hit tourist towns in the country's south last today and Friday, killing four and wounding dozens, including European visitors.
	The attacks were highly unusual in a country where foreign visitors are rarely caught up in the country's frequent bouts of political violence.
	Colonel Burin's comments highlight the primary role the military have played in the investigation and is the first official admission .

15 Thai tourist blasts suspects in military detention: junta

Brazilian icon Neymar entered the record books with the fastest goal in Olympic football history as Usain Bolt prepared to take another step closer to triple gold immortality.
     As Rio was hit by more embarrassment which saw the arrest of veteran sports administrator Patrick Hickey, it was left to the Games marquee names to right the ship.
     Controversial South African runner Caster Semenya entered the track and field fray while British long distance star Mo Farah recovered from a worrying slip to reach the 5,000m final.
     It was also a red-letter day for golf as a women's tournament teed-off for for the first time in 116 years.
     At Rio's famed Maracana, Neymar scored after just 15 seconds for the fastest goal in Olympic history and added another in injury time as Brazil crushed Honduras to make the gold medal match.
     The Barcelona star's brace bookended a 6-0 rout of Honduras, guaranteeing a place in the final against Germany as the hosts look to win a first ever ...

Neymar, Bolt in fast lane in Rio

Elaine Thompson captured a magnificent Olympic sprint double for Jamaica as Brianna Rollins led a first ever clean sweep of medals for the United States in the 100m hurdles.
     Thompson, who sprinted to gold in the 100m on Saturday, stunned Dutch world champion Dafne Schippers to win the 200m in 21.78sec.
     Schippers, who stumbled dramatically as she crossed the line, took silver in 21.88 while Tori Bowie of the United States won bronze.
     The victory was the latest golden night for Jamaica, who 24 hours earlier had been celebrating Omar McLeod's 110m hurdles victory.
     Thompson, 24, dedicated her victory to the trailblazing Jamaican stars who had won Olympic gold over the past years.
     "It is very special for me to win," she said. "I spent my childhood growing up watching Veronica Campbell-Brown and then Shelley-Ann Fraser-Pryce."
     It was a first Olympic women's sprint double since American world record holder Florence Griffith Joyner's at the Seoul Games in 1988.
  

Thompson clinches Jamaican sprint double as US sweep hurdles

Neymar scored twice, including the fastest goal in Olympics history, as Brazil coasted into Saturday's gold medal football match with a 6-0 thrashing of Honduras at Rio's iconic Maracana.
     The hosts now have the chance to ease some of the pain caused by a 7-1 humiliation at the hands of Germany on home soil at the 2014 World Cup by delivering Brazil's first Olympic football gold medal.
     A mouth-watering rematch with the Germans is in store should the world champions see off 1996 Games winners Nigeria in Wednesday's other semi-final, later in Sao Paulo.
     Neymar had been much criticised for his lacklustre displays in two 0-0 draws to start the tournament, but his transformation back from the nation's whipping boy to golden boy was capped by his determination to open the scoring after just 15 seconds.
     "Neymar is a monster. He has the gift of playing football, he delights everyone with his talent," said Brazil coach Rogerio Micale.
     "Neymar deserves our gratitude ...

'Monster' Neymar shines in Brazil rout to reach final

Chinese technology giant Lenovo today reported higher profits in the first quarter thanks to cost cutting, but sales of PCs and smartphones continued to struggle.
	The company's share price rose 3.55 per cent to HK dollar 5.54 in morning trade after it announced net profit was up 64 per cent year on year at USD 173 million.
	However, revenue sank six percent to USD 10.1 billion due to slowing sales in its PC and fledgling mobile handset businesses.
	The Beijing-based company, which has traditionally manufactured computers, has been trying to broaden its smartphone business as the market for personal computers fizzles.
	But it has struggled to keep pace with Apple and Android rivals.
	Revenues from its PC and smart device business, which includes tablet computers, dropped seven per cent to USD 6.99 billion.
	Its mobile business also fell six percent to USD 1.71 billion and the division reported an operational loss of USD 163 million.
	However, the company said its PC business was ...

China's Lenovo posts Q1 profits but revenues slide

The Netherlands stayed on course for a third successive Olympics women's hockey gold medal by downing Germany in a dramatic shoot-out.
     After the scores were level at 1-1 at the end of normal time, the Dutch edged the shoot-out 4-3 and will face either New Zealand or Great Britain for the gold medal.
     Ellen Hoog scored the winning goal in the shoot-out.
     "At first I had some doubts because I missed the first shot, but I trust in my own shoot-outs so I thought, 'Well, I'm not going to miss it twice'," said Hoog who missed her first attempt.
     "So I trust and I felt that the team trusted me as well, but after I scored it, I don't know what was going on. The most feeling I think is relief. Just relief that we won today."
     Lisa Altenburg, who was responsible for missing one of Germany's four shoot-out attempts, said: "My penalty shot wasn't that good, so in the end it's shit."
     Germany were the last team to defeat the Netherlands at the Olympics on their way to the .

Dutch edge close to 'three-peat' after shoot-out win

Oil prices eased slightly in Asia today amid reports OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia would further raise output in August.
	Prices hit five-week highs this week, supported by hopes that a Russian-Saudi cooperation may reach a pact to freeze output, easing the stubborn supply glut dogging the market since late last year.
	OPEC members and their non-OPEC rivals are to meet informally in Algeria next month, and both Saudi and Russia have indicated they could discuss measures to stabilise prices.
	The market was boosted further yesterday after the weekly US inventories report showed significant declines in commercial crude stockpiles, indicating strong demand in the world's top oil consumer.
	US crude stockpiles fell by 2.5 million barrels in the week to August 12, and gasoline stocks declined 2.7 million barrels, official data showed.
	Analysts however, said gains were being eroded by media reports that Saudi Arabia, OPEC's top producer, is ramping up production to fresh record levels in ...

AFP

AFP

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