"The Devil" wanted to change his face, but the suspected drug lord with the demonic nickname was arrested before his appointment with a plastic surgeon in Mexico City.
	David Garza Avila, also known as Elias Garza Garcia, was arrested on Monday in Naucalpan, a suburb of the capital, along with three other people after authorities caught wind of his doctor's appointment, according to the National Security Commission.
	"He had come to get face surgery to avoid being identified," an official at the commission told AFP on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak publicly.
	The 28-year-old suspect, known in Spanish as "El Diablo," had traveled from the northeastern state of Tamaulipas for the operation, but police and troops arrested him, without firing a shot, on the eve of his appointment.
	A commission statement said the suspect was in charge of drug trafficking operations to the United States for the Gulf cartel.
	"Characterized by his high level of violence," the ..

Mexico drug capo 'The Devil' arrested before plastic surgery

PTI Automatic

Honduras today issued a red alert for its Bay Islands, popular with tourists in the Caribbean, as Tropical Storm Earl bore down on Central America.
	A fishing vessel with 82 crew members capsized because of the storm, but they were all rescued, an official with Honduras' Copeco emergency services agency told the HCH television channel.
	The red alert for the Bay Islands, an archipelago of eight main islands and smaller cays, was to last two days.
	The islands' main airport in Roatan was closed, as were two others near the Caribbean coast on the mainland.
	Schools were also shut in the north of the country.
	Copeco said it had plans ready to evacuate residents at high risk from the storm.
	Tropical Storm Earl, packing winds of up to 118 kilometers per hour, was expected to drive into northern Honduras, a coastal part of neighboring Guatemala, and the small country of Belize.
	Authorities have warned of high winds, heavy rain and flooding.

Honduras declares red alert for islands over tropical storm

A Danish Muslim group has offered to bury one of the jihadists who murdered a French priest, after Muslim leaders in France refused to do so, a newspaper said today.
	Adel Kermiche, a 19-year-old jihadist, was shot dead by French police on July 26 after he and another assailant attacked a church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvroy in northern France, murdering priest Jacques Hamel and seriously injuring another hostage.
	After standing in solidarity with Christians mourning the victims of the attack, Muslim leaders in France have refused to grant Kermiche an Islamic burial.
	"It is a human right to be buried, no matter what you have done," Kasem Said Ahmad, who heads the Danish Islamic Burial Fund, told Danish daily Jyllands-Posten.
	The church attack, which shocked France just days after the July 14 attack in Nice that left 84 people dead, "is an un-Islamic action that we naturally distance ourselves from," Ahmad said.
	However, "if we get a request from the family to bury him, then we will .

Danish Muslim group offers to bury French priest killer

For US Republicans, the taboo of voting for Democrat Hillary Clinton in the presidential election has been lifted, as party dignitaries reject Donald Trump amid one of the deepest controversies of his troubled campaign.
	While the calls to dump Trump have continued since the 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney raised the alarm about the brash billionaire's candidacy early this year, it is unclear whether the trickle of defections to the Clinton camp will become a flood.
	But a nightmare 24-hour period for the embattled Republican nominee -- he refused to end his public feud with the parents of a fallen Muslim American soldier, declined to back House Speaker Paul Ryan's re-election bid and used crass language while accepting a supporter's Purple Heart as a gift -- has laid bare the concerns Republicans have with Trump.
	Prominent tech executive Meg Whitman became the latest high-profile conservative to throw her support behind Clinton, as she branded Trump a "dishonest demagogue" and ..

Taboo lifted, some Republicans mull Clinton over Trump

Scoreboard at stumps on the
first day of the third Test between England and Pakistan at Edgbaston on Wednesday.
     England 1st Innings
     A. Cook lbw b Rahat Ali                    45
     A. Hales c Sarfraz Ahmed b Sohail Khan     17
     J. Root c Mohammad Hafeez b Sohail Khan     3
     J. Vince c Younis Khan b Sohail Khan       39
     G. Ballance c Sarfraz Ahmed b Yasir Shah   70
     J. Bairstow c Sarfraz Ahmed b Sohail Khan  12
     M. Ali c Sarfraz Ahmed b Mohammad Amir     63
     C. Woakes c Sarfraz Ahmed b Rahat Ali       9
     S. Broad c Azhar Ali b Mohammad Amir       13
     S. Finn not out                            15
     J. Anderson lbw b Sohail Khan               5
     Extras (lb1, w1, nb4)                       6
     Total (all out, 86 overs, 383 mins)       297
     Fall of wickets: 1-36 (Hales), 2-48 (Root), 3-75 (Cook), 4-144 (Vince), 5-158 (Bairstow), 6-224 (Ballance), 7-244 (Woakes), 8-276 (Finn), 9-278 (Ali) 10-297 (Anderson)
     Bowling: Amir ...

Birmingham (UK), Aug 3 (AFP) Scoreboard at stumps on the

The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting today to discuss Pyongyang's launch of a ballistic missile that for the first time landed in Japanese-controlled waters, diplomats said.
	The United States and Japan called for the urgent talks, which are expected to be held around 4 PM (2000 GMT).
	North Korea fired two intermediate-range missiles simultaneously, but one appeared to explode on take-off, according to the US military.
	The second missile landed in the Sea of Japan (East Sea), some 250 kilometers (155 miles) off Japan's north coast and within its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
	"We expect to be calling an emergency meeting of the Security Council for later this afternoon, with our Japanese colleagues," US Ambassador Samantha Power told reporters.
	Britain's Deputy Ambassador Peter Wilson said: "This is the first time that a DPRK missile has landed in the Japanese EEZ. I think this is something that the council should take extremely seriously."
	Wilson said the ...

US, Japan call emergency UN meeting on North Korea

Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi today named local affairs minister Youssef Chahed, 40, as prime minister-designate tasked with forming a unity cabinet to tackle major economic and security challenges.
	If he wins the backing of parliament, Chahed will be the North African country's youngest premier since it won independence from France in 1956.
	He takes office as Tunisia struggles with a stagnant economy and the threat posed by jihadist groups.
	His appointment comes days after lawmakers passed a vote of no confidence in outgoing premier Habib Essid.
	"Today we are entering a new stage that requires effort, sacrifice, audacity, courage, selflessness and unorthodox solutions," Chahed told reporters outside the presidential palace in Carthage.
	Chahed, who is said to be a distant relative of Essebsi's, now has 30 days to come up with a ministerial team.
	"I met today with the president... Who charged me with forming a national unity government," he said.
	He promised that women ...

Tunisia names Youssef Chahed, 40, as PM-designate

Time Warner announced today it was taking a 10 percent stake in Hulu, a streaming video provider that is ramping up as a competitor to sector leader Netflix.
	"Our investment in Hulu underscores Time Warner's commitment to supporting and developing new platforms for the delivery of high-quality content and great consumer experiences to audiences around the globe," Time Warner chairman and chief executive Jeff Bewkes said in a statement.
	Time Warner joins Disney, 21st Century Fox and Comcast in the joint venture.
	Hulu's relationship with the major broadcast operators gives it an edge in some areas over Netflix and Amazon video because it offers many programs just after they air on Fox, Disney-owned ABC and Comcast-owned NBC.
	Hulu also produces original programs.
	Time Warner's Turner television unit -- which includes TNT, TBS, CNN, Cartoon Network, Turner Classic Movies and others -- will be available live and on-demand on Hulu's new live-streaming service, which is slated to launch 

Time Warner takes 10% stake in streaming group Hulu

A Pakistani man expelled from Italy for allegedly plotting an attack in the name of the Islamic State (IS) group used to captain the Italian youth cricket team, media reports said today.
	Aftab Farook was caught on a wire-tap talking about using a Kalashnikov or bomb to attack targets such as a wine shop in Milan or the airport of Bergamo in northern Italy, saying the important thing was to scare Europeans, Italian newspapers reported.
	Yesterday, Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said the 26-year-old supported IS and was planning to go to Syria to join militants.
	The news stunned locals in Vaprio d'Adda near Milan, where Farook had lived with his family since he was 13 years old.
	Photos published in 2009 by Sportweek, a weekly insert in Italy's Gazzetta dello Sport daily, and re-issued in the media today, show him as the captain of the under-19s national team, wearing the Italian colours in international competitions.
	"It hit us like lightning out of the blue, I still don't ...

Pakistani terror suspect captained Italy cricket team

Scoreboard at tea on the first day of the third Test between England and Pakistan at Edgbaston today:
     England 1st Innings
     A Cook lbw b Rahat Ali                    45
     A Hales c Sarfraz Ahmed b Sohail Khan     17
     J Root c Mohammad Hafeez b Sohail Khan     3
     J Vince c Younis Khan b Sohail Khan       39
     G Ballance batting                        49
     J Bairstow c Sarfraz Ahmed b Sohail Khan  12
     M Ali batting                             15
     Extras (lb1, nb3)                          4
     Total (5 wkts, 54 overs)                 184
     Fall of wickets: 1-36, 2-48, 3-75, 4-144, 5-158
     Bowling: Amir 13-2-45-0; Sohail 16-3-61-4; Rahat 11-2-47-1; Shah 14-2-30-0.

Birmingham, Aug 3 (AFP) Scoreboard at tea on the first day of the third Test between England and Pakistan at Edgbaston today:

Sohail Khan marked his return to Test cricket after a five-year absence with four wickets as Pakistan reduced England to 184 for five at tea on the first day of the third Test at Edgbaston today.
     The 32-year-old right-arm quick removed a quartet of top-order batsman -- Alex Hales, Joe Root, James Vince and Jonny Bairstow -- on his way to tea figures of four for 61 in 16 overs.
     It was a return made all the more impressive as Sohail's previous two Tests -- against Sri Lanka at Karachi in 2009 and against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in 2011 -- had yielded a combined haul of one for 245.
     A stress fracture of the back after last year's World Cup provided a further check on his progress.
     Nevertheless, Sohail was recalled in place of Wahab Riaz as Pakistan broke up the all left-arm pace attack they had deployed for the first two Tests of this four-match contest following England's 330-run series-levelling win at Old Trafford.
     Sohail made the most of his chance after ...

Sohail stars for Pakistan against England

A German court today sentenced two former top Yugoslavian spies to life imprisonment for the 1983 murder of a dissident in then West Germany.
	Former Yugoslav spy chief Zdravko Mustac, 74, and ex-agent Josip Perkovic, 71, were found guilty of complicity in the murder of Stjepan Djurekovic, who was opposed to Yugoslavia's communist regime, a Munich court ruled.
	Perkovic also headed Croatia's military intelligence services after the country proclaimed independence from ex-Yugoslavia in 1991.
	Both men were extradited from Croatia in 2014 in a case that had sparked a row between the European Union and its newest member.
	"The court finds that the accused Zdravko M. Had asked the accused Josip P. To plan and prepare for the murder of Stjepan Djurekovic," the court said in a statement.
	Djurekovic was killed in a garage that was used as a print office in the Bavarian town of Wolfratshausen more than three decades ago.
	He was shot multiple times and hit with a cleaver by three still ...

Germany jails Yugoslav spy chiefs for life

A British woman suspected to have been the victim of an "honour killing" in Pakistan had been suffocated according to a forensic report, police said today.
	Mukhtar Kazam, in a complaint to police, has said his wife Samia Shahid was murdered during a visit to her family in a village in Punjab province on July 20.
	Shahid's father has denied the charge and claimed his daughter died of natural causes.
	At an emotional press conference last week Kazam presented a copy of a post-mortem report which said the 28-year-old had marks on her neck, suggesting she had been strangled.
	Police said the latest forensic report had confirmed Shahid died an unnatural death.
	"The forensic report has been received by a three-member special investigation committee set up by chief minister Punjab and according to it Samia Shahid's death occurred due to asphyxia," Abubakar Khuda Bakhsh, the chief investigator, told AFP.
	Kazam has described his wife's death as an "honour killing", a near daily occurrence ..

British woman was asphyxiated in Pakistan: police

A prominent Republican activist and fundraiser says she will back Democrat Hillary Clinton for president and give money to her campaign to stop her party's nominee Donald Trump, repudiating him as a dangerous demagogue.
	"I will vote for Hillary, I will talk to my Republican friends about helping her, and I will donate to her campaign and try to raise money for her," Meg Whitman told The New York Times.
	The billionaire Whitman is CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise and used to be chief executive of eBay. Whitman funded her own, ultimately failed campaign to be elected governor of California in 2010.
	Whitman told the Times that Trump is a "dishonest demagogue" and that electing him to the White House would lead the United States "on a very dangerous journey."
	Whitman said she stood by remarks earlier this year in which she compared Trump to Hitler and Mussolini, and said dictators often come to power by democratic means.
	"Time and again history has shown that when demagogues have ...

Republican fund-raiser defects to Clinton camp

China's Communist Party is to impose tighter controls on its youth wing, state media reported, in what analysts said was a move to undermine a powerful political faction allied to Premier Li Keqiang.
	The Communist Youth League (CYL) has long been a proving ground for up-and-comers to demonstrate their political talent, particularly those who are not "princelings" with the advantage of high-ranking parents, like President Xi Jinping.
	It has produced some of the country's top leaders, including Xi's presidential predecessor Hu Jintao as well as Li, and its alumni are seen as a leading faction within the Communist Party.
	The Party's central committee published a plan to downsize the CYL's central and provincial committees and move more staff to "areas which directly serve the country's youth", state media reported late Tuesday.
	Youth League officials should spend most of their time working with young people, the document said, and must encourage young people to "listen to the Party, .

China Communist Party to rein in powerful youth wing

The head of the largest city police department in America today joined a growing list of people calling Donald Trump unfit to lead, saying the Republican mogul "scares the hell" out of him.
	"Mr Trump scares me, scares the hell out of me to be quite frank with you," New York police commissioner Bill Bratton told CBS News a day after announcing that he would retire in September.
	Bratton, who has spent 45 years in public service, said he did not "get" why the Republican nominee, whose home he has visited, commanded so much support.
	"I'm amazed that veterans groups are so charmed by him," said the outgoing police chief, who himself served in Vietnam. "I've just watched this whole campaign and I just shake my head."
	The internationally respected police officer chastised the tycoon's "lack of depth on issues," his lack of compassion, questioned his refusal to apologize to the parents of a Muslim American soldier killed in Iraq and said he believed he was not fit to be president.
	"I ...

Trump 'scares the hell out of me': NY police chief

Britain's anti-EU UK Independence Party (UKIP) was plunged into disarray today after the favourite to take over its leadership was barred from the race for submitting his application 17 minutes late.
	Immigration spokesman Steven Woolfe was excluded from the contest to replace Nigel Farage, who stood down after achieving his life's mission of Brexit in the June 23 referendum on Britain's EU membership.
	The decision triggered immediate chaos within UKIP -- Britain's third-biggest party by the popular vote -- with three members of their ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) resigning in protest.
	Woolfe, a member of the European Parliament (MEP), said he suffered technical problems submitting his papers ahead of the midday Sunday deadline.
	UKIP's Adam Richardson, who is overseeing the election process, said a panel led by the NEC sat on Tuesday to discuss the eligibility of candidates.
	"By a clear majority of NEC members, Steven Woolfe MEP's application was considered to be ...

Britain's UKIP in chaos as leadership frontrunner ruled out

Japanese gymnastics star Kohei Uchimura was left counting the cost of his recent addiction to Pokemon Go at the Rio Olympics.
     The reigning Olympic and world all-around champion became hooked on the smartphone game after touching down in Brazil to prepare for the defence of his title.
     But to Uchimura's horror he was hit with a 500,000 yen ($5,000) bill after discovering that he did not have a flat rate for overseas data usage.
     "500,000 yen..." the defending six-time world champion was quoted by Kyodo news agency as saying.
     Team-mate Kenzo Shirai confided that Uchimura was shellshocked by the charges.
     "He looked dead at the team meal that day," Shirai said.
     Uchimura, though, escaped the hefty bill after contacting his phone company to plead his case, eventually only having to pay 3,000 yen.
     "I really lucked out," Uchimura said.

Pokemon hunting proves costly for Japanese star Uchimura

The head of a top European rights watchdog today backed a "cleaning up" of Turkish state institutions after a failed coup blamed on supporters of US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen.
	Council of Europe chief Thorbjorn Jagland -- one of the most senior European officials to visit Turkey in the wake of the botched July 15 putsch -- said there had been insufficient understanding in Europe about the challenges faced by Turkey.
	Some 18,000 people have been detained in the crackdown after the coup, which Ankara blames on followers of Gulen who built up a presence in key institutions including the military. Gulen denies the accusations.
	"I recognise that of course there is a need for taking on those who were behind this coup and also on this secret network," Jagland said after talks with Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Ankara.
	His comments contrasted with the tone of several EU officials who while condemning the coup have expressed alarm over the scope of the crackdown.
	"I would like .

Council of Europe chief backs Turkey 'clean-up' after coup

An Oslo court today jailed two jihadists of Pakistani and Chechen origin for six and seven and a half years respectively for joining the so-called Islamic State (IS) group in Syria.
	Adam Idrisovich Magomadov, a 23-year-old Russian of Chechen origin, and Hasan Ahmed, a 46-year-old Norwegian of Pakistani origin, were convicted of belonging to IS and of "terror conspiracy."
	The two men, who had been living in southeastern Norway, travelled together to Syria in August 2014, a little more than a month after the IS declared a caliphate in an area straddling Iraq and Syria.
	While there, the two took part in IS training programmes, vowed allegiance to the group, and bore weapons in its name, the court found.
	Magomadov was handed a heavier sentence because he stayed in Syria longer. The court found it likely that he had taken part in combat, that he had maintained ties with IS after returning to Norway, and that he, like his co-accused, planned to return to Syria.
	Ahmed, whose son Ishaq ..

Chechen, Pakistani-origin jihadists jailed in Norway

Pope Francis today urged athletes heading to the Rio Olympics to fight the "good fight", aiming not for medals but solidarity in a world "sick with cruelty".
	"I hope that the spirit of the Olympics can inspire everyone, both participants and spectators, to fight the 'good fight' and finish the race together," he said, citing a phrase from the bible about unwavering faith and the struggle against evil.
	The aim should be to "win as a prize not a medal but something more precious: the realisation of a civilisation in which solidarity reigns, based on the awareness that we are all one family, regardless of differences in culture, skin colour or religion".
	The 79-year-old Argentine was speaking two days before the Olympic opening ceremony in Brazil.
	"The world thirsts for solidarity, tolerance and reconciliation," he said as he greeted Portuguese-speaking pilgrims during his weekly general audience at the Vatican.
	He said he hoped the games would help Brazilians "overcome difficult ...

AFP

AFP

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