Three leaders of Hong Kong's "Umbrella Revolution" avoided jail today over 2014 pro- democracy protests as a court said political tension would not sway its judgement, in a city divided by Beijing's tightening grip.
	The young campaigners -- Joshua Wong, Nathan Law, and Alex Chow -- were charged for a protest in September 2014 which saw students climb over a fence into Hong Kong's government complex, known as Civic Square.
	They were calling for fully free leadership elections for the semi-autonomous city and their arrests at the time sparked wider rallies.
	Those exploded two days later when police fired tear gas on the crowds, triggering mass demonstrations that brought parts of Hong Kong to a standstill for more than two months.
	The umbrellas protesters used to defend themselves from pepper spray and tear gas gave the movement its name.
	Tensions have remained high since the rallies ended without concessions from Beijing on political reform, splitting society into those who want ..

Hong Kong pro-democracy leaders escape jail on protest charges

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Andy Murray became the first player to win two Olympic tennis singles gold medals Sunday when he defeated Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro 7-5, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 in an epic final.
	   Murray added the Rio title to his 2012 triumph and to his Grand Slam collection of the 2012 US Open and 2013 and 2016 Wimbledon crowns.
	   It also stretched the 29-year-old's current winning streak to a career best 18.
	   The final will go down as one of the best in the Olympics, lasting over four hours and ending with both men embracing at the net.
	   Del Potro, a bronze medallist in London four years ago, was inconsolable, weeping as he sat courtside.
	   "Today was a very up and down match, very stressful. Both of us had a lot of chances and, it was a long and tiring match. I'm just glad I managed to get through it," said Murray.
	   "I had a lot of difficult losses over the last couple of years. I lost quite a few Grand Slam finals. I managed to obviously win a couple of big events and that meant a ..

Murray defeats del Potro for epic second gold

Olympic divers slammed Rio organisers on Sunday for not replacing the murky green water in their pool that has proved a smelly eye-sore.
	   Unlike the adjacent pool at the Maria Lenk Aquatic Centre which was drained and 3.73 million litres of fresh water pumped in for the synchronised swimming, divers have had to grin and bear the grim conditions.
	   "Considering our competitions are going through until the end I wish they had changed the diving pool," said Australia's Maddison Keeney, who finished fifth in the women's 3m springboard final.
	   "I don't think I can blame the pool for my bad diving. It's more of a mental thing really, it's just unpleasant.
	   "I'm glad to be out now. Don't want to go diving in the swamp again."
	   Officials blamed hydrogen peroxide, added to the pool by a contractor, as the cause of the pool turning green.
	   Organisers said the "radical" step to drain the larger 50m pool is because it is necessary for the synchronised swimming competition for ...

'Unsanitary swamp' - divers damm Rio's murky pool

Interminable queues, impenetrable paperwork, unpronounceable German words -- the hurdles for any newcomer to Europe's top economy can be daunting but now there's an app for that, says a team of enterprising Syrian refugees.
	It's called Bureaucrazy, after the often Kafkaesque process of getting housing, health care and a bank account, not to mention seeking asylum.
	The team is made up of six budding programmers from Berlin's ReDI School of Digital Integration, a non-profit organisation that trains refugees in coding and entrepreneurship.
	Its first class started in February with 42 students, of whom 35 were awarded diplomas in June.
	"I was shocked by the long waits in line and when I first arrived, I waited two weeks for a paper called 'Kostenuebernahme' -- it's a permission for staying in an apartment or hotel" at state expense, said one of the developers, 30-year-old Omar Alshafai.
	"Also when I signed the paper -- it was in German -- we didn't know what we were signing," said ...

Syrian refugees invent app for Germany's bureaucracy maze

Oil traded above USD 44 a barrel in Asia today, extending gains on hopes crude producers would agree to freeze output at a meeting next month, easing a stubborn global supply glut.
	Saudi Arabian oil minister Khalid al-Falih's comments last week that producers could discuss action to stabilise markets lifted market sentiment, helping prices rebound since closing below USD 40 a barrel and tumbling into a bear market earlier this month.
	Any agreement to put curbs on production would help rebalance the crude oil market, where output has been running ahead of demand, analysts said.
	At around 0320 GMT, US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for delivery in September was up 37 cents, or 0.83 per cent, at USD 44.86 a barrel and Brent crude for October gained 35 cents, or 0.75 per cent, to USD 47.32.
	Both contracts rose more than six percent last week following the Saudi minister's remarks.
	"Oil is now close to an equilibrium price, and unless we get further developments, I would expect to .

Oil extends gains above USD 44 on output freeze hopes

US President Barack Obama issued a disaster declaration for flood-devastated Louisiana, where emergency workers have rescued more than 7,000 residents stranded in homes and cars, said the White House.
	The action makes emergency federal funding available to support rescue crews working nonstop as deadly flooding ravages the state, disastrous weather that has left at least three dead and one missing, said officials.
	"This is a serious event," Governor John Bel Edwards said of the "historic" record floods.
	"This is ongoing," he added. "This is not over," even with the rains lessening as they move west and the sun appearing in some flooded areas.
	The flooding submerged large parts of the region on Sunday, three days after water-swelled streams and rivers began rising.
	Local, state and national agencies have been working together to rescue residents.
	Thousands were evacuated in Livingston Parish, near the capital Baton Rouge, the sheriff's department told local media, with 100 people 

Obama declares emergency for flooded Louisiana

Usain Bolt roared into Olympic history today, capturing an unprecedented third consecutive 100m crown to confirm his place in the pantheon of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen.
	The 29-year-old Jamaican legend, competing in his final Olympics, powered over the line in 9.81sec, vanquishing drug-tainted American rival Justin Gatlin who took silver with Andre De Grasse of Canada claiming bronze.
	Gatlin, who had been booed by the Rio crowd as he was introduced, crossed in 9.89sec with De Grasse just behind in 9.91.
	Bolt galloped away in celebration after a superb win, basking in the adulation of the stadium and even taking selfies with fans during his lap of honour.
	He then delighted the fans with his traditional "lightning bolt" pose as reggae blasted out of the stadium sound system.
	"It was brilliant. I didn't go so fast but I'm so happy I won. I told you guys I was going to do it," Bolt said.
	The victory left Bolt standing alone in the 120-year history of sprinting in .

'Lightning' strikes thrice as Bolt completes 100m hat-trick

South Korean President Park Geun-Hye today urged North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapon programme and defended the deployment of a US anti-missile system in the face of repeated "provocations" by Pyongyang.
	Tensions have been running high on the divided Korean peninsula ever since the North carried out its fourth nuclear test in January, and are expected to spike again when the South launches an annual joint military exercise with the United States later this month.
	"I urge the North Korean government to immediately stop all provocations and threats targeting South Korea as well as the development of weapons of mass destruction," Park said.
	Her comments came as both Koreas celebrated the anniversary of the liberation of the peninsula from Japanese colonial rule in 1945.
	Stressing that "true liberation" would involve reunification of the divided Korean peninsula, Park said that could only happen by removing the fear of nuclear weapons, missiles and war.
	She also warned ...

S Korea's Park tells North to abandon nuclear weapons

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent a ritual donation to a controversial Tokyo war shrine Monday -- the 71st anniversary of Japan's defeat in World War II -- but avoided visiting in an apparent nod to China and South Korea.
	Yasukuni Shrine honours millions of mostly Japanese war dead, as well as senior military and political figures convicted of war crimes after the war.
	The indigenous Shinto religious shrine has for decades been a flashpoint for criticism by countries that suffered from Japan's colonialism and aggression in the first half of the 20th century.
	Abe visited in December 2013 to mark his first year in power, a pilgrimage that sparked fury in Beijing and Seoul and earned a diplomatic rebuke from close ally the United States, which said it was "disappointed" by the action.
	He and other nationalists say the shrine is merely a place to remember fallen soldiers and compare it to burial grounds such as Arlington National Cemetery in the US.
	But he has since refrained ..

Japan's Abe forgoes visit to war shrine, sends offering

Japan's economy stagnated in the second quarter, data showed today, falling below expectations and rekindling worries about the government's faltering bid to stoke a recovery.
	Growth in the world's third largest economy was flat at 0.0 per cent quarter-on-quarter, missing economists' predictions for a 0.2 per cent expansion in the April-June period as weak exports and a fall in business spending held back activity.
	On an annualised basis, the economy expanded by a slight 0.2 per cent, well off expectations for 0.7 per cent growth.
	The economy grew 0.5 per cent in the first quarter -- 1.9 per cent annualised -- after a contraction in the last three months of 2015.
	Today's weak figures come as Japanese officials face growing pressure to deliver and economists increasingly write off Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's stumbling efforts to drive a recovery, dubbed Abenomics.
	Recent government figures have done little to soothe those worries.
	Inflation dropped for a fourth straight month in .

Japan's economic growth fizzles out in second quarter

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau marched with thousands of people in Montreal's annual Gay Pride parade, his third such appearance of the summer.
	Large crowds along the parade route greeted the youthful politician whose popularity is soaring, as he walked through the city's downtown alongside colorful floats, dancers and musicians.
	Trudeau made history in July when he became Canada's first sitting prime minister to participate in Toronto's Gay Pride parade, and also attended Vancouver's pride event.
	Canada is "an open, positive society," the prime minister said, speaking in French. "It's an example that we should provide to the whole world."
	Among G7 countries he is the only head of government or head of state to have participated in a Gay Pride parade.
	Government representatives from all of Canada's political parties joined Trudeau in Montreal.
	"It's important that all parties are here to recognise that the rights of the LGBT community are Canadian and human rights," ...

Canadian PM Trudeau marches in Montreal Pride parade

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu accused the European Union of "humiliating" Ankara, and reiterated his government's demand for visa-free travel in exchange for stemming the migrant flow, in an interview with a German daily.
	"The Turkish people are traumatised" by the failed putsch of July 15, Cavusoglu told Bild newspaper, in remarks that will be published on today.
	"Rather than helping Turkey, (European nations) are humiliating us," he said.
	EU-Turkish relations have soured since the coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with Europe concerned by Ankara's subsequent crackdown.
	Turkey has angrily rejected EU criticism that the purges might violate rights norms Ankara must meet under the agreement in return for visa-free travel and accelerated negotiations for bloc membership.
	According to Cavusoglu, Turkey has made intense efforts, "like few other nations, to fulfil the conditions of accession to the EU".
	In return, Turkey has received "only threats, ...

Europe is 'humiliating' Ankara: Turkish FM

At least 42 civilians have been killed in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a local official has said, in what the government described as a massacre in revenge for military operations in the area.
	Three days of national mourning have been declared following Saturday night's mass killing, the latest in a series of massacres that have left more than 600 people dead in and around the troubled town of Beni since 2014.
	Speaking to a local radio station, Beni mayor Edmond Masumbuko said 42 people had been killed. The government had earlier put the death toll at 36.
	Army spokesman Mak Hazukay said the attack was carried out by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a partly Islamist armed group of Ugandan origin.
	The group has been present in DR Congo for more than two decades and is accused of copious human rights abuses.
	Hazukay said the ADF rebels had "bypassed" army positions "to come and massacre the population in revenge" for military operations in the area.
	The victims ...

42 killed in troubled east DR Congo

Brazil spent more than $10 billion preparing for the Olympics and the Rio Games are now in the final week, so many Brazilians are asking, "Where are the medals?"
     The country's sports officials are trying to keep hopes up even though Brazil had just one gold medal, two silvers and three bronzes on Sunday.
     In the build-up to the Olympics, Brazilian officials from the sports minister on down made it known they were gunning for the top 10 in the table for overall medals won.
     The sports director for the Brazilian Olympic Committee, Marcus Vinicius Freire, urged patience Saturday.
     "Everyone has said that this has been the best (athletic) preparation in history" by a Brazilian team for the Olympics, Freire told journalists.
     "We are pursuing an aggressive but feasible goal of being in the top 10. We're not going to analyze it prematurely.
     "We're going to wait for the 21st (of August, the close of the Games) and see how it went, sport by sport," he said.
     "We .

Brazilians ask 'Where are the medals?'

Britain's Justin Rose became the first Olympic golf champion in 112 years, outdueling Sweden's Henrik Stenson in a tension-packed final-round thriller for a historic gold medal at Rio.
     The 36-year-old Englishman pitched the ball 18 inches from the cup on the par-5 18th hole and sank the birdie putt to beat Stenson by two strokes for the greatest triumph of his life yesterday.
	"Oh my God. That felt better than anything I've ever won. It was the best tournament I've ever done," Rose said.
	"Coming up with that last pitch when I needed it was magical."
	Rose fired a closing four-under par 67 to finish 72 holes on 16-under 268. Stenson, whose poor chip left him a near-impossible putt to stay level with Rose, closed with a bogey to take the silver on 270, one stroke ahead of US bronze medalist Matt Kuchar.
	"I have no regrets. I did as well as I could," Stenson said. "I battled pretty well. It was going to come down to who finished better at the end.
	"To be an Olympic medalist is ...

Rose edges Stenson for first golf gold since 1904

A German journalist behind many revelations on doping in Russia said that Russian long jumper Darya Klishina had been prevented from competing at the Rio Olympics after two of her sample bottles were found to have been tampered with.
     One of the two urine samples also had two sets of DNA, Hajo Seppelt said on his ARD channel programme, quoting sources close to the inquiry led by Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren that looked into the Russian doping.
     Seppelt produced the ARD documentary in 2014 that set off inquiries into Russian sport and led the International Association of Athletics Federations to suspend Russia.
     Klishina had been the only Russian athlete approved to take part in Rio but the IAAF suspended her on Friday. The result of her appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport could be announced as early as Sunday.
     The IAAF only said that "new information" about Klishina's case had led to its decision.
     Seppelt quoted his sources as saying that the two ...

Klishina sample bottles tampered with - journalist

Kei Nishikori won Japan's first Olympic tennis medal in almost a century when he captured bronze against Rafael Nadal, despite the weary Spaniard mounting a stirring mid-match fightback.
     Nishikori triumphed 6-2, 6-7 (1/7), 6-3 to become the first Japanese tennis medallist since Antwerp in 1920 when the country won men's silver and men's doubles silver.
     Nadal, the 2008 singles champion in Beijing, was playing his 11th match in Rio.
     But the 30-year-old did not go down meekly, fighting back from 2-5 down in the second set to push the play-off into a decider.
     "I didn't know what to do from 5-2, I got a little bit tired and he started playing better. For sure I was rushing to win in the last couple of points," admitted Nishikori.
     "I tried to refresh my mind in the third set. I knew that I wasn't stepping in. As soon as I got the break I started to play aggressive and I played with confidence."
     Nadal won the doubles gold with Marc Lopez on Friday and then lost .

Nishikori beats Nadal, ends Japan's 96-year wait

Venus Williams missed out on becoming the first tennis player to win five Olympic gold medals when she and partner Rajeev Ram were defeated in the Rio mixed doubles final.
     Fellow Americans Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Jack Sock downed Williams and Ram 6-7 (3/7), 6-1, 10-7 to grab the gold.
     Venus won singles gold at Sydney in 2000 and doubles titles with sister Serena in 2000, 2008 and 2012. She and 32-year-old Ram had never played together before Rio.
     "You always go into a match trying to win it and you never know if you are going to be able to cross that line," said 36-year-old Venus who had to be content with a record-equalling fifth medal in total.
     "So I really feel just excited that we played really well the whole tournament. I'm excited that we had chances and put ourselves in a position to win that match and you can't ask for more."
     The silver medal made up for a disappointing Games for the Williams sisters.
     They lost in the first round of the doubles .

Mixed fortunes as Venus misses record fifth gold

Corsicans rallied yesterday as tensions remained high on the French Mediterranean island after five people were injured and three cars burned in clashes between young locals and families of North African origin.
	Around 500 people gathered in the French Mediterranean island's second city Bastia a day after the clashes in Sisco, on the north of the island.
	The dispute erupted between members of "three families of North African origin and young locals", prosecutors said in a statement, adding that stones and bottles were thrown and three cars went up in flames before police managed to restore calm.
	A girl who witnessed Saturday's clashes, speaking to yesterday's rally through a megaphone, said they began after tourists took photos of several women bathing in burqinis.
	According to the girl, whose account could not be verified, a group of immigrant origin youths shouted insults, before several older North African men arrived, carrying hatchets, in support of the families on the ...

Corsica tense after clashes injure five

The leading female candidate to be the next secretary-general of the United Nations, Argentine Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra, said today she sees lingering sexism in the election.
	The world body has never had a female leader in its 70 years. With Ban Ki-moon, the current incumbent, set to step down at the end of the year, Malcorra leads a pack of five women candidates seeking to change that.
	But she told Argentine newspaper Clarin that "there is still a biased vote against women" at the UN.
	"Given equal abilities, there is always a small negative margin against women," she said.
	"When one sees that there is currently only one woman on the Security Council (Samantha Power, the US ambassador to the UN), it is difficult to maintain a certain level of balance and equality. But maybe I'm wrong."
	In the UN's most recent secret straw poll leading up to the election, Malcorra came in third place, behind Portugal's former prime minister Antonio Guterres and Serbia's former foreign ...

Argentine candidate for UN chief sees sexism in vote

Syrian and Russian warplanes have launched a wave of air strikes in northern Syria, killing dozens in areas held by a rebel alliance battling to take control of second city Aleppo.
	The air strikes, which began yesterday and continued today, killed 45 civilians in and around Aleppo and 22 in neighbouring Idlib province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
	The raids came as the Islamist Faylaq al-Sham Islamist faction, part of the rebel alliance, said it had begun a new offensive "to liberate" the regime-held district of Zahra on Aleppo's western outskirts.
	The Britain-based Observatory and opposition fighters said a car bomb exploded in Zahra Sunday, but did not mention casualties.
	The monitor said the air strikes targeted areas held by the Army of Conquest, an alliance of rebel, Islamist and jihadist forces that has mounted a major Aleppo offensive.
	"The intensification of the strikes in Idlib is due to the fact that this province is the main source of fighters for the .

AFP

AFP

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