A 73-year-old Florida woman suffered a fatal gunshot wound while role-playing in a police simulation designed to teach people how officers decide when to use lethal force.
	Mary Knowlton, a librarian, died Tuesday evening after the accident in Punta Gorda on Florida's west coast, the police department said.
	She was one of 35 people taking part in a two-hour course given by the so-called Citizen Police Academy.
	Knowlton was one of two people selected randomly to role-play in a scenario in which they had to decide whether to use lethal force against a "bad guy" played by a police officer.
	But the officer's gun turned out to have live ammunition, and discharged. Knowlton was rushed to a hospital but died.
	"I absolutely am devastated for everyone involved in this unimaginable event," police chief Tom Lewis said at a press conference.
	The officer involved in the shooting has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.

US woman killed in police simulation of lethal force scenario

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The United Nations' top aid official today said a three-hour truce announced by Russia to deliver aid to Aleppo would not be enough to meet the needs of civilians in the war-battered Syrian city.
	"To meet that capacity of need, you need two lanes and you need to have about 48 hours to get sufficient trucks in," Stephen O'Brien told reporters.
	Russia's military announced a three-hour daily halt of fighting starting on Thursday to allow humanitarian convoys to reach Aleppo, which has been engulfed in heavy fighting.
	The United Nations has called for 48-hour weekly pauses for the aid deliveries.
	O'Brien said he had not been fully briefed on the Russian proposal, but that there were complicated logistics to address, such as ensuring that truck drivers have enough time to safely make the trip to the city and back.
	"When we are offered three hours, you have to ask what can be achieved in that three hours," said O'Brien, the UN under-secretary general for humanitarian affairs.
	"Is it ..

UN aid chief says 3-hour truce in Aleppo not enough

At least six civilians were killed today in two separate bomb attacks blamed on Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants in Turkey's southeast, Dogan news agency said.
	Four were killed in a car bomb attack in the centre of the city of Diyarbakir while another two civilians lost their lives in a near simultaneous bombing in Kiziltepe in Mardin province to the south, the agency added.

Two PKK bomb attacks kill six civilians in Turkey: report

The brother-in-law of one of the Islamic extremists behind the January 2015 attack on French magazine Charlie Hebdo today agreed to his extradition from Bulgaria but denied being a "terrorist".
	"I want an immediate extradition to France," Mourad Hamyd, 20, told an extradition hearing in Sofia, calling his arrest an "injustice... I have been declared a terrorist on the basis of suspicions".
	Hamyd was arrested last month in Turkey while allegedly trying to enter Syria to join jihadists. He was handed over to Bulgarian authorities on July 28 and France issued a European arrest warrant.
	The warrant, seen by AFP, said that Hamyd, brother-in-law of Cherif Kouachi, was wanted for "conspiracy for preparation of acts of terrorism".
	Jihadist brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi gunned down eight Charlie staff as well as several others in and around the building in the assault, which began three days of terror in Paris.
	The warrant however makes no mention of Hamyd being suspected of having had 

Relative of Charlie Hebdo killer agrees to extradition

Pro-government forces in Libya said they seized control of the Islamic State group's headquarters in Sirte today as they push to oust the jihadists from the coastal city.
	"The Ouagadougou centre is in our hands," the operations centre for forces loyal to Libya's Government of National Accord (GNA) said.
	Reda Issa, a spokesman for the forces, said IS jihadists remained in three residential areas of the city and in a villa complex near the seafront.
	"The announcement of the liberation (of Sirte) will only be made once the entire city is liberated," he told AFP.
	Capturing the Ouagadougou centre has been the key goal of pro-GNA forces as they have battled for weeks to oust IS from Sirte, which the jihadists seized in June last year amid the chaos that followed the 2011 ouster of Moamer Kadhafi.
	The city's capture raised deep concerns in the West, with fears the jihadists were gaining an important foothold just across the Mediterranean from Europe.
	Loyalist forces stepped up their ...

Libya pro-govt forces seize IS headquarters in Sirte

Russian President Vladimir Putin today blasted Ukraine over an alleged attempted incursion into the disputed Crimea region that Kiev fiercely denied.
	"This is very alarming news. In fact, our security services prevented an incursion into the territory by a sabotage-reconnaissance group from Ukraine's defence ministry," Putin told Russian news agencies.
	Putin accused the authorities in Kiev of "practising terror" and pledged not to leave the deaths of two Russian officers in alleged clashes unanswered.
	"From the Russian side there were losses -- two soldiers killed. We obviously will not let such things slide by," Putin said.
	"The attempt to provoke an uptick in violence, to provoke conflict is nothing but an attempt to distract public attention."
	"This is a very dangerous game. We will of course do everything to assure the security of infrastructure, citizens and will take additional measures to provide security, including serious additional measures."
	Russia's security service .

Putin accuses Ukraine of 'terror' over alleged Crimea attacks

About 45,000 jihadists have been killed in Iraq and Syria since the US-led operation to defeat the Islamic State group began two years ago, a top general said today.
	"We estimate that over the past 11 months, we've killed about 25,000 enemy fighters. When you add that to the 20,000 estimated killed (previously), that's 45,000 enemy (fighters) taken off the battlefield," said Lieutenant General Sean MacFarland, who commands the US-led coalition campaign against IS.

45,000 IS fighters killed in past two years: US general

The United States today denounced the "genocide" carried out by the Islamic State group against Christians, Shiites and Yazidis, as the State Department unveiled its somber annual report on religious freedom around the world.
	In its comprehensive look at the situation in more than 200 countries in 2015, the State Department singled out its usual bugbears on the issue of religious repression: ally Saudi Arabia, China, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Sudan.
	And as in previous years, the US government expressed concern at the rise of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in Europe, against a backdrop of the continent's migrant crisis and an uptick in jihadist attacks.
	But the report denounced non-state actors like the IS group and the Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram, which "continued to rank amongst the most egregious abusers of religious freedom in the world."
	The IS group "continued to pursue a brutal strategy of what Secretary (John) Kerry judged to constitute genocide against ...

US decries IS 'genocide' of Christians, Shiites, Yazidis

Oil prices slid today on news that US commercial crude reserves rose unexpectedly last week, sparking jitters over the global supply glut.
	"US inventories saw another surprise build, adding to concerns of oversupply," noted CMC Markets analyst Jasper Lawler.
	At about 1600 GMT, US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for September delivery slid 83 cents to USD 41.94 per barrel.
	Brent North crude for October lost 77 cents to $44.21 a barrel compared with yesterday's close.
	The US government's Department of Energy (DoE) reported that commercial crude stockpiles climbed 1.1 million barrels in the week to August 5.
	That confounded market expectations for a drop of 1.5 million barrels, according to analysts polled by Bloomberg News.
	Rising stockpiles indicate weaker demand in the world's top oil consumer, and tend to push prices lower.
	The increase was however far less than the 2.1-million-barrel gain given by industry body the American Petroleum Institute (API) yesterday.
	Oil prices ..

Oil market dips on rising US inventories

South Sudan today rejected a UN proposal to send a 4,000-strong regional force to the restive capital of Juba, saying it undermined the young nation's sovereignty.
	The US-drafted resolution presented to the Security Council seeks to establish a protection force of African troops authorised to "use all necessary means" to provide security and deter attacks against UN bases in South Sudan.
	But South Sudanese government spokesman Michael Makuei said his country rejected the resolution in its current form as it would "(turn) South Sudan into a protectorate and this is a situation that we will not accept."
	The draft, which would also extend the current UN mission's mandate until December, would "undermine the sovereignty of the Republic of South Sudan," Makuei told reporters in Juba.
	The head of the East African bloc IGAD, which first proposed the force, had said on Friday it had obtained South Sudan's permission to deploy it.
	But Makuei appeared to throw that agreement into doubt, ...

South Sudan rejects 4,000 more UN peacekeepers

Chinese shipping giant COSCO today said it had completed the acquisition of a majority stake in OLP, the company running the main Greek port of Piraeus.
	Under the deal, approved by parliament in July, COSCO acquired 67 per cent of the port authority for 368.5 million euros (USD 409 million).
	"COSCO Shipping is now the majority shareholder of OLP, taking over the port's management and operations," the company said in a statement.
	The sale gives COSCO rights to run Piraeus until 2052.
	Leftist Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras had opposed the port's privatisation before coming to power last year.
	In July he departed for a six-day trip to China as lawmakers approved the deal.
	COSCO was the sole bidder in the process.
	OLP said a new 11-man managing board named on Wednesday includes seven Chinese representatives, including the chairman and the CEO.
	"This is the first cross-border acquisition by COSCO shipping," the company said.
	COSCO, through its Piraeus Container Terminal (PCT) arm, .

China's COSCO completes Piraeus port authority takeover

The world's best-loved wizard has bewitched youngsters in France, where the script of the new Harry Potter play has topped the bestseller list... In English.
	Over 36,000 English-language copies of the script of "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" have been sold in France in the first week, propelling it to the top of the GFK/Livres Hebdo bestseller list.
	"Only a Harry Potter could sell so many copies in English," Livres Hebdo, a literary magazine, said on its website Wednesday, noting it was the first time a play had led the Top 20.
	"The Cursed Child" was written by Jack Thorne and director John Tiffany, in collaboration with Harry Potter author J K Rowling.
	While failing to match the popularity of the Harry Potter novels it has notched up record sales for a play in Britain and the United States.
	The hero of Hogwarts has also long been a favourite in France -- despite the French having a famously fraught relationship with his native tongue.
	The seventh and final novel in the ...

Harry Potter play tops French bestseller list... In English

Pro-government forces in Libya said they seized control of the Islamic State group's headquarters in Sirte today as they push to oust the jihadists from the coastal city.
	"The Ouagadougou centre is in our hands," the operations centre for forces loyal to Libya's Government of National Accord (GNA) said.

Libya pro-govt forces announce capture of IS Sirte HQ

Libya pro-govt forces announce capture of IS headquarters

Saudi-led coalition warplanes launched fresh air strikes against Shiite rebels across Yemen today despite international concerns over the escalation after the suspension of peace talks.
	The coalition resumed strikes days after UN-brokered peace talks in Kuwait between representatives of the government and the Iran-backed Huthi rebels ended without a breakthrough.
	The coalition, which has been battling to prop up Yemen's government against the Huthis since March 2015, hit rebel positions across northern Yemen, said coalition officials and tribal sources.
	That came a day after coalition jets struck targets around Yemen's rebel-held capital, Sanaa, for the first time in three months.
	The United Nations said it was alarmed at the resumption of air raids.
	"The secretary-general is deeply concerned about reports of increased fighting between various parties in Hajjah, Saada and Sanaa provinces including over the past few days," said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for UN chief Ban ...

Saudi-led jets hit Yemen despite concerns

The United States today pledged USD 37 million in aid for victims of Boko Haram, government officials said, as fears of a famine mounted in the ravaged Lake Chad region.
	Despite Boko Haram losing swathes of territory in the northeast as a result of a renewed military offensive, millions are still going hungry after years of attacks disrupted farming and supplies.
	The UN children's agency UNICEF said on July 1 that 250,000 children under five in Borno state were at risk from severe acute malnutrition this year and 50,000 could die if nothing was done.
	The US government will provide "more than USD 37 million in additional humanitarian assistance" the United States Diplomatic Mission to Nigeria in Abuja said. "Approximately five million people need emergency food assistance."
	The money for food would be directed to communities in the Diffa region of Niger and is part of a coordinated effort to get more food into the area.
	Returning this week from a trip to Chad, Nigeria, and ...

US pledges $37 mn aid for victims of Boko Haram

Vacancies in the City of London finance hub sank 12 per cent in July from the previous month following the shock Brexit vote, a study by consultancy Morgan McKinley showed today.
	The number of available City jobs fell to 7,980 in July, compared with 9,060 in June, according to Morgan McKinley.
	The impact was however less than expected after the June 23 referendum to leave the European Union, which has triggered deep economic uncertainty.
	Hakan Enver, operations director at Morgan McKinley, said in a statement that the fall was "a modest decline given the gravity of the referendum".
	"Hiring slowed as institutions found themselves in a post-Brexit limbo but the impact of the referendum was not as aggressive as we expected," he noted.
	The consultancy added that available City jobs sank by about 27 per cent in July, when compared with the same month a year earlier.
	The study also highlighted a 14-per cent drop in the number of job seekers in July from June, which Enver said could be 

City job vacancies drop after Brexit vote: study

Renewed fighting pitted former Mali rebels against pro-government fighters for a second day today, the UN told AFP, while the army separately found the bodies of five missing soldiers.
	Fighting erupted yesterday near the restive northeastern town of Kidal between ex-rebels from the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA) and members of the pro-government group GATIA.
	Calm returned overnight, but "resumed this morning," said an official with the Imghad and Allies Tuareg Self-Defence Group (GATIA).
	The two sides had clashed with heavy arms in Kidal itself on July 21-22, and again on July 30 around 40 kilometres to the east of the town, several sources said.
	Nobody from the CMA was immediately available to comment on the latest reported fighting, and there were no details on casualties.
	The clashes were confirmed to AFP by a source in MINUSMA, the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the west African country, which helps maintain calm in Kidal.
	"We have information on fighting" ...

Fresh Mali clashes as soldiers' bodies found

Russia's security service today said it had thwarted "terrorist attacks" in Crimea by Ukrainian military intelligence and beaten back an armed assault, but Kiev denied the claims.
	The FSB said in a statement that one of its officers was killed in armed clashes while arresting "terrorists" on the night of August 6-7 while a Russian soldier died in a firefight with "sabotage-terrorist" groups sent by the Ukrainian defence ministry on August 8.
	The allegations will fuel further tensions in the feud between Russia and Ukraine, sparked when Moscow annexed Crimea from Kiev in March 2014 after Kremlin-backed president Viktor Yanukovych was ousted.
	Ukraine's national security council chief Oleksandr Turchynov blasted the claims as "hysterical and false" and said Moscow was trying to stoke fear in Crimea.
	Ukraine's defence ministry dismissed the allegations as "nothing more than an attempt to justify the redeployment and aggressive actions" of Russian forces in the region.
	The ...

Russia claims foiled Crimea 'terrorist attacks' by Kiev

US-led coalition planes warned drivers of fuel trucks used by the Islamic State group in Syria they were about to be bombed, prompting several vehicles to flee, officials said today.
	Multiple warplanes destroyed 83 oil tankers Sunday near Albu Kamal, along Syria's border with Iraq, as part of an ongoing mission to wipe out the oil-smuggling infrastructure that helps fund IS.
	At the start of the attack, pilots "fired multiple warning shots to encourage truck drivers to leave the area," the US military's anti-IS mission, Operation Inherent Resolve, told AFP.
	"Multiple oil tanker trucks departed the area after the warning shots, and we did not pursue them," officials added.
	Remaining oil trucks were "stationary at the time of the strike. Based on our assessment, there were no drivers remaining with the vehicles at the time of the strike."
	The Obama administration came under criticism from some Republican lawmakers last year after the Pentagon said it had dropped leaflets warning ...

Coalition warned IS oil truckers before bombing them

NATO said today that Turkey's membership of the military alliance is "not in question" following the failed coup in July as the organisation stressed its "very clear position" of continued support for Ankara.
	"Turkey's NATO membership is not in question," spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said in a statement issued in response to "speculative press reports".
	"NATO counts on the continued contributions of Turkey and Turkey can count on the solidarity and support of NATO," Lungescu said.
	The statement comes the day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a highly-symbolic visit to Russia to mend fences, sparking speculation that Ankara's close ties with the West could be at risk.
	Turkey is the second largest military power in US-led NATO and is a crucial ally as the West faces unprecedented conflict and upheaval across the Middle East.
	Erdogan has sharply criticised the United States and the European Union for not doing more to show support in the aftermath of the bloody ...

AFP

AFP

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