Minutes after completing a 6-3, 7-5 ATP Toronto Masters final win over Kei Nishikori for his 66th career title, Novak Djokovic had already shifted his focus to the Rio Olympics.
     The world number one, who claimed his fourth Canadian title with a command performance over Asia's top player lasting less than 90 minutes, will waste no time in heading south to Brazil for the weekend start of the Summer Games.
     "It's the biggest event in the history of the sport, so to be part of it is already a huge privilege and honour that I will cherish, as I did in Beijing and London Olympic Games," said the holder of a leading 30 Masters 1000 trophies.
     "I had an honour of carrying the flag for my country in London 2012, one of the most unique and unforgettable moments of my life. So I look forward to that, honestly, just being part of it.
     "I'm approaching the Olympic Games as any other tournament. I'm trying to respect the same kind of preparation and routine that I have with my team 

Djokovic beats Nishkori to claim Toronto title

PTI Automatic

Unheralded American Jimmy Walker captured his first major title in wire-to-wire fashion, outdueling top-ranked defending champion Jason Day down the back nine at rain-softened Baltusrol to win the PGA Championship.
     Trading dramatic shots over the final holes of a 36-hole golfing marathon, Walker and Australian star Day kept the drama intense to the last shot, a three-foot par putt by Walker at the 18th to claim a one-stroke victory yesterday.
     "Sometimes a par is tough," Walker said. There were a lot of emotions out there... It was a battle all day."
     Day was at the 18th green to congratulate Walker after the tension-packed putt.
     "I know how it feels," Day said. "It's a very special moment to be able to celebrate on the 18th green."
     Walker, a former top-10 player now set to rise from 48th in the rankings, fired a three-under par 67 in the final round to finish 72 holes on 14-under 266 and win his sixth US PGA crown, the first since last year's Texas Open some 16 

Walker outduels Day on back nine to win soggy PGA title

Surrounded by male advisors and condescending "mansplainers", Masooma Muradi holds her own against a deep underswell of sexism in a society unaccustomed to women exercising authority.
	Breaking new ground as Afghanistan's only female governor, Muradi's ascent to the top post in remote Daikundi province is a remarkable feat in Afghanistan, where stubborn patriarchal traditions are at odds with progressive ideas about a woman's place in the world.
	But barely a year after President Ashraf Ghani appointed Muradi, her job hangs by a thread, with growing calls for her ouster from religious conservatives and opponents.
	It highlights the travails of being the only woman in an overwhelmingly male preserve.
	"People claim to be open-minded but many cannot bear having a woman in this position," Muradi, 37, told AFP, sinking into an overstuffed sofa in her office in the capital Nili, decorated with faux sunflowers and a large portrait of a pouting child.
	"I won't allow men to hush me up -- ...

Sole Afghan woman governor in a man's world

A passenger ferry docked in the southern French port of Marseille was evacuated after an explosion was felt on board, with authorities investigating if it was caused by an old wartime bomb.
	France has been on high alert following the Bastille Day truck attack in Nice which killed 84 and the jihadist murder of a priest last week.
	All the passengers had already disembarked after their voyage from Corsica and the blast did not cause any damage to the ship or dock, officials said.
	"The Jean Nicoli of the shipping company Corsica Linea had completed its disembarking operations after coming from Porto Vecchio when what appears to be an underwater explosion shook the ship," the Marseille port authority said in a statement.
	"The ship's captain immediately implemented security procedures and suspended the operation of embarking passengers for the next destination of Porto Torres in Sardinia," it said.
	Marseille deputy prosecutor Jean-Jacques Fagni confirmed to AFP that the explosion "very 

French ferry evacuated after mystery underwater blast

Oil prices edged up rose in Asia today as the dollar weakened while bargain-buyers moved in following a recent sell-off but analysts warned a global supply glut and weak demand will temper gains.
	At about 0940 IST, US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for October delivery, a new contract, rose 15 cents, or 0.36 per cent, to USD 41.75, and Brent was up 15 cents, or 0.34 per cent, at USD 43.68.
	Prices hit three-month lows last week after US data showed an unexpected increase in commercial stockpiles of oil and gasoline, adding to worries about a global crude supply glut.
	News that the US economy grew slower than expected in April-June also raised questions about demand in the world's biggest oil consumer.
	However, the weak reading narrowed the chances of a US interest rate hike this year, sending the dollar tumbling, making oil cheaper for anyone using other currencies.
	But analysts said the uptick was unlikely to be sustained.
	"There is a clear downward momentum to the market at .

Oil prices up in Asia but oversupply worries weigh

Kabul hotel attack ends after three Taliban fighters

China's manufacturing shrank in July, the government said today, blaming the deterioration on rainstorms that wreaked havoc across large swathes of the country.
	It was the first time since February the official figure showed contraction, and according to a Bloomberg News survey missed economists' expectations it would flatline.
	The official purchasing managers' index (PMI), came in at 49.9 for July, down from 50.0 the month before and underlining problems in the world's second-largest economy.
	A reading above 50 signals expanding activity, while anything below indicates shrinkage.
	The National Bureau of Statistics attributed the slowdown to summer downpours, which hit the industry-heavy middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River particularly hard.
	"Production and transportation of relevant areas were massively impacted," said NBS analyst Zhao Qinghe, adding that slowing expansion and overcapacity also dragged.
	The key manufacturing sector has been struggling for months in the 

China manufacturing contracts in July: govt

A massive Taliban truck bomb struck a hotel for foreigners on the outskirts of Kabul today, officials said, just days after the deadliest attack in the Afghan capital for 15 years.
	There was no immediate word on casualties from the powerful bombing, which occurred close to a military base next to Kabul's international airport, and rattled windows several kilometres away.
	The attack on Northgate, a heavily guarded compound for foreign contractors which was previously attacked in July 2013, underscores the worsening security situation as the Taliban ramp up their annual summer offensive.
	"A truck packed with explosives struck the entrance of Northgate," an Afghan security source told AFP, without offering any further details.
	Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said insurgents armed with rocket-propelled grenades and other weapons blasted their way into the compound after the truck bomb went off.
	He claimed that more than 100 "American invaders" were killed and wounded in the ...

Taliban truck bomb rocks hotel for foreigners in Kabul

Gabon President Ali Bongo Ondimba has warned of possible unrest during the August 27 election which he said was the "strategy" of the opposition challenging his eligibility to seek a second seven-year term.
	"It is to be feared, because it is the opposition's strategy for many years," Bongo said in an interview with the weekly "Jeune Afrique" published yesterday which asked him if he feared "abuses and even violence" after the vote.
	The opposition "has started to heat things up by announcing that the election will not be transparent, that we will steal victory," the president said.
	Bongo described as "nonsense" the arguments of critics who have opposed his re-election on the grounds that he was a Nigerian who was adopted in the 1960s by his father, long-ruling former president Ali Bongo, and was therefore ineligible as a foreigner under the constitution.
	"If they come to this kind of argument - challenging my eligibility, my birth and other nonsense - this proves that they ...

Gabon president warns of election unrest

Pope Francis said there were "doubts" over the case being made against Vatican finance chief George Pell, Australia's most senior Roman Catholic, for alleged child abuse.
	"There are doubts. 'In dubio pro reo'," he yesterday said using a Latin expression meaning that a defendant may not be convicted by the court when doubts about his or her guilt remain.
	"We must avoid a media verdict, a verdict based on gossip," he told journalists aboard the papal plane during the return trip from Poland, where he had headlined a Catholic youth festival.
	Explosive allegations emerged against the Australian cardinal last week with two men now in their 40s saying Pell had groped them during the 1970s.
	The Australian Broadcasting Corporation which aired their claims also alleged Pell was naked in front of three young boys, believed to be aged eight to 10, in a Torquay surf club changing room in summer 1986-87.
	Pell, 75, has denied the allegations and suggested there was a conspiracy against ...

Pope 'doubts' sex abuse case against Australian cardinal

A powerful truck bomb struck a guesthouse popular with foreigners in Kabul early today, a security source and local media said.
	"A truck packed with explosives struck the entrance of Northgate guesthouse," the source told AFP.
	The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack but there were no immediate reports of casualties.

Truck bomb strikes foreign guesthouse in Kabul

Truck bomb strikes foreign guesthouse in Kabul: security

Tens of thousands of people from Ethiopia's ethnic Amhara group took part in an anti-government demonstration in the northern city of Gondar, local media said, the largest such gathering yet in a string of recent protests.
	The Amhara, who regularly complain of discrimination, have been angered by the government's decision to place a local district under the administration of the neighbouring Tigray region.
	In videos shared on social media, the demonstrators were seen carrying signs that read: "Stop mass killing of Amhara people" and "Restore the historic border".
	Gondar has for weeks been gripped by at times violent demonstrations over demands that the district, populated by the Welkait community, be returned to the Amhara region with which it has close ties.
	The Amhara people are Ethiopia's second biggest ethnic group after the Oromo.
	Both groups say they suffer discrimination in favour of Tigrayans, who they say occupy the key jobs in the government and security ...

Ethiopia's ethnic Amhara stage mass anti-government protest

Police in Texas has said they were seeking a person of interest in an overnight shooting that killed a young woman and wounded four other people.
	The Austin Police Department yesterday said it was seeking Endicott McCray, a slender 24-year-old black man.
	Police across the country, and especially in Texas, remain on edge after a rash of shootings, including one on July 7 in Dallas which saw five officers killed by a black extremist.
	The incident in Austin began shortly after 2:15 am (local time) in an area filled with bars and nightclubs.
	Police warned people to avoid the area, tweeting: "Active shooter incident downtown, multiple victims. Stay away from downtown."
	A woman in her 20s was killed, authorities said. They have not named any of the victims, three of whom were treated at a hospital while the fourth was treated at the scene and released.
	It was unclear whether the shooter knew any of the victims.
	At a press conference broadcast via Periscope, Austin Police Chief of ...

Police seek man in Texas shooting that killed one

Photo: Wikipedia

Like many of his fans, Potter has now become an adult and has three children with his wife Ginny Weasley

Harry Potter magic hits Asia as fans celebrate new book

Agencies

Eight prisoners were still on the loose following a jail break in central Nigeria, while five other escapees have been recaptured, the head of the prisons service said today.
	Ja'afaru Ahmed, the controller-general of prisons, said in a statement the incident happened yesterday at Koton Karfe prison in Kogi state.
	"Five pre-trial detainees out of the escapees had been recaptured with the assistance of other security agencies and local vigilante groups," he said.
	Ahmed said an inquiry has been launched into the incident.
	Jail breaks are commom in Nigeria's underfunded and crowded prisons.

Eight prisoners at large after Nigerian jail break: official

International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach today rejected criticism of his handling of the Russia drugs scandal, taking a thinly veiled jab at the World Anti-Doping Agency's reaction.
	The bombshell publication of a WADA-commissioned report this month which detailed a vast state-backed Russian scheme to evade drug-testers, left the IOC scrambling to formulate a policy for Russian athletes aiming to complete in Rio de Janeiro.
	In reaction to the report by Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren, the IOC did not order a blanket ban on Russian participation in Rio, instead leaving individual sports federations to determine which Russian athletes could take part.
	The composition of the Russian team in Brazil is still unconfirmed just five days from the opening ceremony, with three swimmers making emergency appeals to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
	IOC president Bach rejected suggestions at a press conference that the IOC was to blame for the legal imbroglio.
	Asked if he felt the ..

Olympics: IOC rejects criticism over handling of Russia doping

Yemen rebels today rejected a peace plan proposed by the United Nations which had already been accepted by the government, saying that any settlement must first tackle a unity administration.
	"What was presented by the (UN) envoy was no more than just ideas for a solution to the security aspect, subject to debate like other proposals," a statement from the rebel delegation in Kuwait said.
	The statement cited by the rebel-run news agency charged that the Yemeni government announcement of a draft settlement was "no more than media stunts" aimed at foiling talks.
	The Iran-backed rebels reiterated their long-standing demand that a peace deal must first forge an accord on a new consensual executive authority, including a new president and government.
	This condition is an explicit demand for the removal of the internationally recognised president, Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.
	However, the rebel delegation still welcomed UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed's proposal to extend the talks for ...

Yemen rebels reject UN peace plan

UN deputy Syria envoy Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy today invited Damascus to new peace talks with the opposition at the end of August, drawing a positive response from the government.
	On Tuesday, the world body's special envoy Staffan de Mistura told reporters in Geneva he wanted "to proceed with a third round of intra-Syrian talks towards the end of August" after two previous rounds of talks this year ended in failure.
	De Mistura has struggled to keep the peace process alive amid a surge in fighting between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces and rebel groups.
	"I informed the minister and his deputy of the intention of the special envoy De Mistura to reconvene the inter-Syrian talks towards the end of August," Ramzy said after meeting Foreign Minister Walid Muallem and his deputy Faisal Muqdad.
	"I explained to the minister how we intend to proceed, and we discussed how to render this process of political transition which has already been endorsed by the Security Council to be a ...

UN formally invites Syria government to new peace talks

South African President Jacob Zuma today urged supporters to vote for the ruling African National Congress ahead of fiercely competitive municipal polls that could see the party lose control of several major cities.
	Zuma's ANC, which now controls the majority of the country's 278 municipalities, has been weakened by graft scandals and growing public discontent since it led the fight against white-minority rule.
	 At a massive final rally, the party made a last push for votes, stressing its anti-apartheid history and past accomplishments.
	"Millions of our people must vote ANC and enable their movement to continue improving the lives of our people," Zuma told a packed Ellis Park Stadium in the Johannesburg city centre.
	"Every vote counts."
	An estimated 55,000 supporters decked in the ANC's green, yellow and black filled the stands for the extravagant rally in a campaign the party said had cost it R1 billion ($72 million).
	"We have walked the streets of this country, we have visited 

Vote ANC, urges S.Africa's Zuma ahead of poll

Tens of thousands of members of Germany's Turkish community rallied in the city of Cologne today, in a show of support for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan following Turkey's failed coup.
	Police said some 20,000 people had joined in the demonstration staged by groups including the pro-Erdogan Union of European-Turkish Democrats (UETD).
	Waving the red Turkish flags, the demonstrators kicked off their rally singing both Turkey's and Germany's national anthems before observing a minute's silence for those killed in the July 15 putsch, as well as for victims of recent attacks including in Paris and Munich.
	The UETD expects between 30,000 and 50,000 to turn up, including participants from Finland, Britain and Austria.
	The protesters had began streaming in from midday, some also holding posters bearing slogans such as "Erdogan fights for freedom".
	Police are out in force and water cannons have also been deployed to prevent any clashes with protesters at counter-demonstrations.
	Germany ..

AFP

AFP

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