A kayaker left stranded for days on a small Australian island after his craft was attacked by a crocodile was rescued by helicopter today, authorities said.
	The intrepid man was about three kilometres from Townshend Island, north of Rockhampton in Queensland, when the animal lunged at him on Wednesday.
	He paddled furiously to land at the island, but was then stranded there by a combination of bad weather and tidal problems.
	"He was very fortunate," a spokeswoman from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, which coordinated the rescue, told AFP.
	"It didn't pierce the kayak. He said he was running on adrenalin (to get to the island)."
	The man remained on the island until today when he reluctantly activated his personal locator beacon, alerting authorities to his location, after he ran out of provisions.
	Saltwater crocodiles have become more common in northern Australia since they were declared a protected species in 1971. They are estimated to kill an average of two people each 

Kayaker stranded on Australian island after croc attack

PTI Automatic

The leader of a self-proclaimed separatist republic in eastern Ukraine was injured in a suspected car bombing today, local media reported.
	Igor Plotnitsky, the head of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic, "was wounded this morning as a result of a powerful explosion that occurred near his car," the official pro-Russian rebels' news agency said.
	Plotnitsky, 52, is being treated at a local hospital along with several other people who suffered injuries in the blast in Lugansk city, the report said.
	The rebels' news agency claimed the explosion was an "attempt on the life" of their leader but did not point the finger of blame at any individual or group.
	An unnamed source told Russia's Interfax news agency that Plotnitsky had not sustained life-threatening injuries in the explosion.
	Plotnitsky, the former commander of a pro-Russian rebel group, was elected in November 2014 to head the Lugansk region in polls denounced by Kiev as a breach of a ceasefire agreement.
	Lugansk is 

Ukraine rebel leader injured in car blast

A Syrian coalition of jihadists and Islamist rebels today seized key positions south of Aleppo as they press a major offensive to break the government siege of the city, a monitor said.
	"The Army of Conquest on Saturday took control of the armament school, where there is a large amount of ammunitions, and a large part of the artillery school", the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
	The coalition "is about to cut off, by gunfire, the supply route into government-controlled districts" of the city, Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said.
	The road, which passes through a southwestern suburb of Aleppo city called Ramussa, is the last open route into Aleppo city.
	If the rebels capture it, they would simultaneously cut off regime forces and open up a new road for their own besieged forces in the city's east.
	The former Al-Nusra Front - renamed Jabhat Fateh al-Sham after breaking from Al-Qaeda - today announced having captured the two military academies and a third military ...

Syria rebels take key positions near Aleppo: monitor

A fire apparently sparked by birthday cake candles tore through a bar in northern France early today, killing at least 13 people in the nation's deadliest blaze in a decade.
	Through the shattered front windows of the bar in Rouen melted stools and scorched liquor bottles were visible, as tearful mourners hugged each other and brought flowers to the scene of the tragedy.
	Most of the dead were between 18-25 years old, with one person among the six injured still fighting for their lives. Authorities said the bar was crowded with young partygoers.
	Prime Minister Manuel Valls expressed "deep sadness at the tragedy that claimed 13 young lives."
	Local prosecutors described the blaze as accidental, but an investigation is underway to pinpoint the cause of the flames.
	"There wasn't an explosion, it was candles used for a birthday party," a senior police official told AFP.
	The flames ignited the polystyrene ceiling of the basement room where the celebrations were taking place, putting off 

Bar fire kills 13 at birthday party in France

Final scoreboard of the second Test
between Sri Lanka and Australia in Galle today:
     Sri Lanka 1st innings -- 281 all out in 73.1 overs
     Australia 1st innings -- 106 all out in 33.2 overs
     Sri Lanka 2nd innings -- 237 all out in 59.3 overs
     Australia 2nd innings (target: 413 runs; overnight 25/3)
     D. Warner lbw b Perera              41
     J. Burns c de Silva b Herath         2
     N. Lyon c Silva b Dilruwan Perera    0
     U. Khawaja b Dilruwan Perera         0
     S. Smith c Silva b Perera           30
     A. Voges b Perera                   28
     M. Marsh lbw b Sandakan             18
     P. Nevill run out (Mendis)          24
     M. Starc b Herath                   26
     J. Hazlewood c&b Perera              7
     J. Holland not out                   0
     Extras (LB-7)                        7
     Total (all out in 50.1 overs)       183
     Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-10, 3-10, 4-61, 5-80, 6-119, 7-123, 8-164, 9-181, 10-183.
     Bowling: Herath ...

Galle, Aug 6 (AFP) Final scoreboard of the second Test

Off-spinner Dilruwan Perera bagged six wickets to fashion Sri Lanka's historic series win over Australia today as the world number one side suffered a humiliating 229-run loss inside three days in the second Test in Galle.
     Australia, chasing a challenging 413 for victory, were bundled out for 183 after lunch as Sri Lanka, who won their last series against the visitors in 1999, took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match rubber.
     Veteran spinner Rangana Herath set up the win for the hosts with his maiden Test hat-trick which helped dismiss Australia for a record low of 106 in their first innings.
     Australia faltered in their second outing as well after Perera, who registered his career-best figures of 6-70, sent the visitors packing in just 50.1 overs as the Sri Lankan players went into a celebratory huddle.
     Overnight batsmen David Warner and skipper Steven Smith offered some resistance with their 51-run fourth wicket partnership but both of them fell to Perera's 

Perera bags six as Sri Lanka clinch series

Australian police arrested a 31-year-old man today in counter-terror raids in southern Victoria state, saying they believed they had interrupted something "quite serious".
	Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Ross Guenther did not name the man, who has not yet been charged, and would not confirm reports he was linked to far-right groups.
	But he told a press conference that the individual had a "number of affiliations to different organisations".
	Guenther said police were acting on information that a person was either advocating harm against individuals or producing documents or materials which could incite harm.
	"I can say that the threat was specific enough to cause us alarm, in terms of what risk it would represent to the community," he said.
	"Whether or not that would put one person at risk or several people at risk I can't say."
	Guenther stressed there was no ongoing risk, but said the raids on two places in Melbourne and two properties in rural Victoria had occurred ...

Man arrested in Australian counter-terror raids

Scoreboard at lunch on the third day
of the second Test between Sri Lanka and Australia in Galle today:
     Sri Lanka 1st innings -- 281 all out in 73.1 overs
     Australia 1st innings -- 106 all out in 33.2 overs
     Sri Lanka 2nd innings
     K. Silva c Smith b Hazlewood         2
     D. Karunaratne c Marsh b Starc       7
     K. Perera  b Lyon                   35
     K. Mendis c Nevill b Starc           7
     A. Mathews b Lyon                   47
     L. Chandimal c Nevill b Starc       13
     D. De Silva c Nevill b Starc        34
     D. Perera b Starc                   64
     R. Herath b Holland                 26
     L. Sandakan not out                  0
     V. Fernando c Voges b Starc          0
     Extras (lb1, w1)                     2
     Total (all out in 59.3 overs)      237
     Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-9, 3-31, 4-79, 5-98, 6-121, 7-172, 8-233, 9-237, 10-237.
     Bowling: Starc 12.3-1-50-6, Hazlewood 9-3-13-1, Lyon 19-2-80-2, Holland 10-1-69-1, Voges ...

Galle, Aug 6 (AFP) Scoreboard at lunch on the third day

Sri Lankan off-spinner Dilruwan Perera's five-wicket haul took the hosts closer to a historic series win as a struggling Australia were still 280 runs behind their target with three wickets remaining in the second Test in Galle on Saturday.
     Australia, who were set a mammoth target of 413, were 133 for seven at lunch on the third day with Peter Nevill and Mitchell Starc battling to survive Sri Lanka's spin test.
     Overnight batsmen David Warner and skipper Steven Smith offered some resistance with their 51-run fourth wicket partnership but both of them fell to Perera's guile.
     Warner, who tried to counter attack during his 31-ball 41, was trapped lbw off a straighter Perera delivery that hit the batsman on the front pad.
     Smith (30), who used his feet well against the spinners during his 58-ball stay, was the next to go as he gave away a catch at backward short leg.
     Perera, who also took two wickets on Friday, then bowled Adam Voges for 28 to register his fourth ...

Perera five-for takes Sri Lanka closer to win

Darren Sammy, who led West Indies to the World Twenty 20 title in 2012 and 2016, claimed that he has been sacked as captain in a 30-second phone call from the head of selectors.
     The 32-year-old posted an emotional video on his Facebook page where he said his six-year spell in charge had ended.
     Sammy, lying shirtless in his bed and with reggae music playing in the background, also said he had been dropped from the squad.
     "I got a call yesterday, it was probably 30 seconds, from the chairman of selectors telling me that they've reviewed the captaincy of the Twenty20 team and I won't be captain anymore and that my performances have not merited selection in the squad," Sammy said in the video.
     Sammy led the West Indies to T20 victory in Sri Lanka four years ago and again earlier this year in India when Carlos Brathwaite smashed four sixes off the final over to beat England.
     But there were obvious signs of the strains between him and the West Indies Cricket Board ..

Sammy sacked 'in 30-second phone call'

At least 13 people have died and six been injured in a fire today at a bar in Rouen, northern France, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said.
	The blaze broke out at around midnight at the basement room of the Cuba Libre bar in the city centre during a birthday celebration.
	"A fire broke out in a bar in the city centre of Rouen this evening, according to an initial investigation, 13 are dead and six are injured, and more than 50 firemen attended the scene," Cazeneuve said in a statement.
	"An inquiry is underway to establish the cause of the fire," he added.
	One source close to the investigation said that candles on a birthday cake may have sparked the blaze.
	One of the injured was in a critical condition, the secretary general of the Seine-Maritime prefecture Yvan Cordier told AFP.

At least 13 killed, 6 injured in France bar fire

Mickey Arthur said that winning series away from their adopted UAE home would be Pakistan's acid test after former side Australia's struggles in Sri Lanka bolstered their hopes of becoming the world's number one Test team.
     Pakistan are currently third in the International Cricket Council standings, with Australia on top.
     But they could rise to the summit if Australia lose their ongoing series in Sri Lanka and Pakistan themselves triumph in England.
     The first part of that equation moved nearer to reality Friday when Australia, already 1-0 down in a three-match campaign, were left staring at defeat on an extraordinary second day of the second Test in Galle at 25 for three chasing a mammoth 413 for victory.
     Pakistan, all square at 1-1 in a four-match series with England, had a better, if frustrating, time on Friday's third day of the third Test at Edgbaston.
     Having established a first-innings lead of 103, they saw England captain Alastair Cook (64 not out) and ...

Away success key for Pakistan coach Arthur

US sprinter Justin Gatlin said he was "hungry" for success as he prepares to take on Usain Bolt for what would be a highly controversial second Olympic crown.
     Gatlin has twice served doping bans in his career, meaning a 100m or 200m win against the popular Bolt would be polarising -- especially after Russia's athletics team was suspended over a drugs scandal.
     Gatlin, 34, has set the two fastest times this year and he is a real threat to two-time defending champion Bolt, whose build-up has been troubled by a hamstring injury.
     He said he was taking a simple approach to what will be his third Olympics, after he won the 100m in 2004, missed 2008 with a drugs ban and returned to take bronze in 2012.
     "I'm just going to go out and do what I need to do," he told reporters at the US track and field team's training base near Copacabana.
     "This Olympics is going to be special. I know everyone's going to bring their A-game so I've got to make sure I'm ready."
     When ...

Gatlin 'hungry' for Rio success

At least 13 people have died and six been injured in a fire early today at a bar in Rouen, northern France, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said.
	"An inquiry is underway to establish the cause of the fire," Cazeneuve said in a statement.

At least 13 killed, 6 injured in France bar fire: govt

Japan today marked 71 years since the city of Hiroshima was destroyed by a US atomic bomb, as its mayor urged the world to unite in abolishing nuclear weapons.
	The annual ceremony came just months after Barack Obama became the first sitting US president to visit the city, paying moving tribute to victims of the first atomic bomb.
	American B-29 bomber Enola Gay dropped its deadly payload, dubbed "Little Boy", on the western Japanese city at 8:15 am local time on August 6, 1945.
	Much of the city was incinerated by a wall of heat up to 4,000 C (7,232 F) -- hot enough to melt steel -- killing tens of thousands.
	Hiroshima mayor Kazumi Matsui recalled the visit by Obama in his peace declaration during the solemn ceremony.
	"(His visit) was the proof that Hiroshima's strong wish not to tolerate the 'absolute evil' was shared by President Obama," he said.
	"It is the time for us to make actions towards the abolition of the 'absolute evil', the ultimate form of inhumanity, united and with .

Japan marks Hiroshima bombing anniversary

The US military has killed three Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula operatives in a strike in Yemen, officials said.
	US Central Command yesterday did not provide details on how Thursday's attack was conducted or who was killed, but said the strike occurred in the Shabwa province in central Yemen.
	The United States has carried out numerous drone attacks in Yemen to counter jihadists who have exploited a power vacuum created by a conflict between the government and Huthi rebels.
	A Saudi-led coalition that is militarily backing the Yemeni government has also turned its sights on the jihadists.

Three Qaeda operatives killed in Yemen strike: US

UN peacekeepers abandoned their posts and questioned an order to use force to repel heavily armed soldiers who stormed their base in South Sudan six months ago, according to the findings of a UN board of inquiry released.
	The board set up by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon found that the mission "failed to manage the crisis effectively" when its base in the northeastern town of Malakal came under attack on February 17 and 18.
	About 30 people sheltering in the Malakal base were killed in the violence and 123 injured.
	The board said there was a "combination of causes" that led to the violence, including tensions between Shilluk, Dinka and Nuer ethnic groups who make up the 48,000 people living at the Malakal camp.
	It concluded that it was "highly likely" that government forces planned the attack or at the very least supported local militia "to facilitate the ethnic reconfiguration of Malakal."
	The violence erupted just hours after UN peacekeepers had confiscated weapons from two ..

UN inquiry finds peacekeepers failed to defend S Sudan base

South Sudan accepted the deployment of a regional intervention force after escalating violence put a fragile peace deal in danger, the head of the East African bloc IGAD said.
	"The government of South Sudan accepted," Mahboub Maalim said after a summit in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, adding that the specific scope and mandate of the force had yet to be decided.
	But once an agreement on that had been reached, it would be submitted to the UN Security Council for a vote.
	The force could be used to help implement an August 2015 peace deal, while protecting civilians and carrying out humanitarian duties, Maalim said.
	Juba was rocked by several days of heavy fighting in early July between the government forces of President Salva Kiir and those loyal to ex-rebel chief Riek Machar, the latest upsurge in two-and-a-half years of war.
	Fighting from August 8 to 11 left 300 people dead and forced more than 60,000 others to flee their homes.
	Regional bloc IGAD had raised the ...

South Sudan accepts deployment of regional force: IGAD

England captain Alastair Cook and Alex Hales's first century stand as an opening pair left the third Test against Pakistan at Edgbaston intriguingly poised come the close of third day today.
	At stumps, England were 120 without loss in their second innings, a lead of 17 runs.
	Cook was 64 not out and Hales 50 not out, with two days left in the match.
	It was the first time in 18 innings as a Test opening pair the duo had posted a century partnership.
	England were 103 runs behind on first innings after more than 10 hours in the field.
	Yet Hales was soon into his stride with a cover-driven four off left-arm quick Mohammad Amir.
	Meanwhile Cook took advantage of width from Sohail Khan with two square-cut boundaries in three balls.
	Cook completed a brisk fifty in 67 balls when Rahat Ali's misfield at mid-on saw a drive by the left-hander go for his fifth four of the innings.
	Hales took England into the lead with an elegant back-foot forcing shot through the covers off Sohail, who had .

Cricket: Cook and Hales defy Pakistan

The last two reporters working on Fleet Street filed their final stories today, ending more than 300 years of journalism on the London thoroughfare synonymous with Britain's newspaper industry.
	London chief reporter Gavin Sherriff and entertainment features writer Darryl Smith, journalists with Scottish weekly The Sunday Post, are all that remains of the famed institution.
	"We knew as journalists that this was an important part of history for our profession, which we love," Smith told AFP.
	"There is still that attachment to Fleet Street as a centre of the profession, and we are that final torchbearer."
	AFP's departure from Fleet Street in 2009 left the London bureau of Scottish publishers DC Thomson as the last remaining newsroom in the industry's spiritual home, now overtaken by investment banks and legal offices.
	But the group of 15 reporters that were there seven years ago have dwindled down to Sherriff and Smith, who have accepted redundancy packages.
	DC Thomson will ...

Last journalists bid farewell to London's Fleet Street

Portugal's former prime minister Antonio Guterres held the lead in the race to be the next UN secretary-general after a second straw poll held today that saw some shifts in support, diplomats said.
	Guterres received 11 "encourage" votes, two "discourage" votes and two "no opinion" during the secret informal vote by the Security Council, a slightly weaker showing than in the first round last month.
	During the closed-door meeting, the 15 members of the council were asked to indicate by ballot whether they "encourage", "discourage" or have "no opinion" of a candidate.
	Serbia's former foreign minister Vuk Jeremic made a surprisingly strong showing, taking the second spot while Argentina's Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra climbed up the rankings, taking third place and becoming the leading woman in the race.
	Guterres came out on top during the first round with 12 "encourage" votes and three "no opinion".
	Diplomats speculated that one of the two negative votes cast in this round may ...

AFP

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