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 ..

Pro-Erdogan supporters rally in Germany

PTI Automatic

Thousands of people faced flight cancellations in France today, the fifth day of a strike by Air France flight crew at the height of the holiday travel period, the airline said.
	So far the strike has affected around 150,000 people, the airline said.
	Some 900 flights, or about one in five, have been cancelled since the action began on Wednesday, the airline said, estimating the cost to the company at "tens of millions of euros".
	Some flights have gone ahead but with a reduced passenger load for security reasons as there were not enough flight attendants.
	Millions of people are returning home from their July holidays this weekend as millions more set off for an August break, causing long tailbacks on the roads and frenetic scenes at rail stations and airports.
	Unions representing around half of the Air France strikers called the stoppage after marathon talks failed to reach a breakthrough on renewing a collective labour accord on rules, pay and promotions that expires in ...

Air France strike, in fifth day, has affected 150,000

Lewis Hamilton extended his lead in the Formula One drivers' championship to 19 points after winning the German Grand Prix with ease on Sunday, with Mercedes team-mate and title rival Nico Rosberg fourth.
     Home hero Rosberg surrendered his lead from pole with a dreadful start to the Briton, who stormed away to claim his sixth win in seven races and strengthen his grip in the title chase.
     Second was Daniel Ricciardo, with Max Verstappen, his young Red Bull team-mate, third.
     Reigning world champion Hamilton took full advantage of the poor start by Rosberg, who also received a five second pit-stop penalty for an over-aggressive passing move, to deliver a flawless drive.
     "I had a great start and my engineers gave me a perfectly balanced car," Hamilton, who started second on the grid, told the Hockenheim crowd from the podium.
     "I am so happy to be here and to win for Mercedes Benz -- I have been with them since I was 13.
     "Today it was about staying cool and I ..

Formula One: Hamilton surges clear with Germany victory

The official Twitter account of Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah has been hacked, and a group apparently sympathetic to minority Shiite Hazara protesters has claimed responsibility.
	"I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery. #enlightenment #enlightenmentmovement," a group identifying itself as Ghost Squad Hackers tweeted from the account late yesterday.
	The hashtags refer to the newly-founded Enlightenment Movement led by Hazaras, who were targeted by suicide bombers loyal to the Islamic State group during a huge protest in Kabul on July 23.
	"CEO Abdullah's verified twitter account @afgexecutive has been hacked and our press and (information technology) teams are trying to restore it," said Javid Faisal, Abdullah's spokesman.
	Abdullah's office said it had no information about the whereabouts of Ghost Squad Hackers.
	"Afghanistan Gov Hacked by GhostSquadHackers #ChiefExecutiveOfficer Can you hear me now?" the group tweeted from their own account ...

Afghan chief executive's Twitter account hacked

Turkey today condemned a German court decision banning President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from addressing his supporters by video link at a rally in Cologne.
	Germany is home to Turkey's largest diaspora and the rally scheduled for later today was expected to attract tens of thousands of people opposed to the failed July 15 putsch.
	Several smaller counter-demonstrations were also planned, including one billed "Stop Erdogan" and another called by far-right activists, raising concern the demonstrators could clash.
	Amid fears that the crowds could be riled by live screenings of speeches from Turkey by politicians including Erdogan, Germany's constitutional court banned an application for such broadcasts.
	A statement from the Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said the ban was "unacceptable".
	"The practical and legal effort to prevent an event that advocates democracy, freedom and the rule of law and stands against the 15/7 coup attempt is a violation of the freedom of ...

Turkey angered by German ban on Erdogan speech

Scoreboard at the end of the
first Test between Zimbabwe and New Zealand today:
     Zimbabwe first innings 164 all out (D. Tiripano 49 not out, P. Masvaure 42, N. Wagner 6-41, M. Santner 2-16)
     New Zealand first innings 576-6 dec (R. Taylor 173 not out, BJ Watling 107, H. Masakadza 1-25, C. Chibhabha 1-44)
     Zimbabwe second innings
     C Chibhabha c Taylor b Boult 7
     H Masakadza c Taylor b Southee 4
     B Chari b Boult 5
     C Ervine c Watling b Boult 50
     P Masvaure lbw b Boult 0
     Sikandar Raza c Latham b Wagner 37
     G Cremer lbw b Sodhi 33
     S Williams c Williamson b Santner 119
     R Chakabva b Southee 11
     D. Tiripano c Watling b Wagner 14
     M. Chinouya not out 0
     Extras (6b, 9lb) 15
     Total (all out, 79 overs) 295
     Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-12, 3-17, 4-17, 5-86, 6-124, 7-242, 8-277, 9-285, 10-295
     Bowling: Southee 15-3-68-2, Boult 17-3-52-4, Wagner 17-1-62-2, Santner 17-6-32-1, Sodhi 12-1-66-1, Williamson 1-1-0-0.

Bulawayo, July 31 (AFP) Scoreboard at the end of the

Veteran politician Yuriko Koike was elected today as Tokyo's first woman governor, according to media exit polls, and immediately vowed to get a grip on the megacity's troubled 2020 Olympic preparations.
	Public broadcaster NHK, Jiji Press and other major media forecast the 64-year-old Koike as the winner just after polls closed at 8 pm local time.
	Koike is a former TV anchorwoman, defence minister and environment minister.
	Official ballot counting in the sprawling metropolis of 13.6 million people, was expected to take hours to complete. But with three per cent of votes tallied she had more than 84,000 votes to slightly over 60,000 for her closest challenger.
	Koike claimed victory and addressed supporters shortly after the media declared her the winner.
	"I will lead Tokyo politics in an unprecedented manner, a Tokyo you have never seen," she said in a voice made mildly hoarse after two weeks of campaigning.
	The election, contested by a record field of 21 candidates, was called ..

Tokyo elects Yuriko Koike as first woman governor

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today said his government was looking into support from European nations for groups engaged in what he described as anti-Israel activities, specifically mentioning France.
	Speaking at the start of a cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said an inquiry had "found support from European countries, including France, for several organisations that engage in incitement, call for a boycott of Israel and do not recognise the state of Israel's right to exist."
	"We will complete the inquiry and submit the findings to the French government," Netanyahu said, without identifying any organisation.
	Israeli officials have regularly condemned support by foreign governments for left-wing NGOs critical of the country's policies towards the Palestinians.
	In mid-July, Israel's parliament adopted a law seen as targeting left-wing groups critical of the government by forcing NGOs that receive most of their funding from foreign states to declare it.
	Netanyahu also appeared to ...

Netanyahu criticises European 'support' for anti-Israel groups

Churches across France opened their doors to Muslims today to join in prayer with Catholics following the jihadist murder of a priest, the latest in a string of attacks.
	More than 100 Muslims were among the 2,000 faithful who packed the Gothic cathedral of Rouen near the Normandy town where two jihadi teenagers brutally murdered 85-year-old Father Jacques Hamel.
	"This morning we extend a special welcome to our Muslim friends," Rouen Archbishop Dominique Lebrun said in his homily.
	"I thank you in the name of all Christians. In this way you are affirming that you reject death and violence in the name of God."
	Outside the cathedral a few policemen and soldiers stood guard but did not conduct searches, seeking to reassure a jittery population after the second jihadist attack in less than a fortnight.
	The priest's murder sparked renewed recriminations over perceived security lapses after the Bastille Day truck massacre in southern Nice claimed 84 lives.
	Both of the 19-year-olds ...

French Catholics, Muslims join in prayer to mourn priest

Militants assaulted a gas facility and a nearby oil field in north Iraq today, killing five people in rare attacks inside Kurdish-controlled areas of Kirkuk province, officials said.
	Gunmen travelling on motorbikes opened fire on the gas facility's guards, then killed four of its employees and planted multiple bombs before escaping, officials from Iraq's North Oil Company and the Kurdish peshmerga forces said.
	Militants also attacked the nearby Bai Hassan oil field, the largest in oil-rich Kirkuk province, killing an engineer and sparking a major fire, officials said.
	A colonel in the peshmerga said that security forces killed two suicide bombers at the field while a third detonated explosives, setting oil tanks ablaze, and a fourth was still at large.
	Police Brigadier General Sarhad Qader confirmed that three bombers were dead.
	The attack killed an engineer and wounded seven other people, according to the peshmerga colonel and a police officer of the same rank.
	The ...

Attacks on Iraq gas facility, oil field kill five

Selectors left out all-rounder Glenn Maxwell and included Moises Henriques and Shaun Marsh in their squad named today for the one-day international series in Sri Lanka.
     Bowling all-rounder Henriques and batsman Marsh were among two changes from the 16-man squad that toured the West Indies last month.
     Marsh, who returns to the squad following the birth of his first child, joins his brother Mitchell in the 15-man national ODI squad.
     Maxwell, batsman Travis Head and fast bowler Scott Boland, who all toured the West Indies, missed out on selection.
     "We know Glenn can be a match-winner for Australia but his current form doesn't warrant selection," chief selector Rod Marsh said.
     "He is averaging less than 10 runs in Australia's last 10 one-day internationals, so the numbers speak for themselves.
     "We've asked Glenn to go away and focus on consistent performances for his state side Victoria and Australia A to earn his way back into the Australian side."
     ...

Henriques in, Maxwell out of Australia's ODI squad for SL

Gunmen locked in a lengthy stand-off with police in Armenia have released their last two hostages, an official said today, after a fresh night of protests shook the capital Yerevan.
	"Two medics who were the remaining hostages left the seized building yesterday evening," said health ministry spokeswoman Anahit Haytayan.
	Armenia has been plunged into turmoil since a group of armed men seized a police compound in Yerevan on July 17, demanding the release of opposition figure Zhirair Sefilyan.
	The lengthy siege appeared far from over, with an AFP correspondent reporting explosions from the compound.
	The gunmen, who seized a cache of weapons and killed a police officer, initially held four doctors hostage but have gradually freed them.
	Authorities yesterday warned they have the right to use force against the group, which calls itself Sasna Tsrer, but have not yet begun to storm the building.
	The hostage crisis has sparked massive protests, with police brutally dispersing thousands ...

Armenian gunmen 'freed all hostages' in lengthy stand-off

Police in Austin, Texas said that an "active shooter" had today caused "multiple victims," with local media reports saying that at least one person was dead.
	Police said via Twitter there were separate shootings downtown "within the same area," and that "both scenes are secure at this time."
	A woman in her 30s was killed in the incident, the Austin American-Statesman newspaper reported, citing county emergency medical personnel.
	At least three other people were rushed to a local hospital, the newspaper said.
	Police across the country, and especially in Texas, remain on edge weeks after a black extremist shot dead five officers protecting a peaceful march against police brutality in Dallas.

'Multiple' victims in Texas shooting: police

Advancing Kurdish and Arab fighters backed by US-led air strikes now control 40 percent of the Islamic State stronghold of Manbij in northern Syria, a monitor said today.
	The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) had pushed deeper into the town near the border with Turkey, with air cover from the US-led coalition against the jihadists.
	Around 2,300 civilians have fled Manbij in the past 24 hours as the SDF fighters advanced, according to the Britain-based monitor.
	It said clashes between the joint Kurdish-Arab force and IS fighters were continuing in several parts of the town.
	"It's a street battle, and the process of eating away at IS territory is ongoing," Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.
	He said the SDF had advanced into eastern parts of Manbij, which is located in Aleppo province on IS's main supply route between Syria and Turkey.
	The SDF began its offensive to retake Manbij from IS on May 31, but progress slowed after it 

US-backed forces advance in IS Syria stronghold: monitor

Tokyo residents voted today for a new governor tasked with preparing for the problem-plagued 2020 Olympics, after financial scandals forced the last two leaders of the sprawling metropolis to quit.
	The Japanese capital's troubled preparations for the summer Olympics, especially the soaring costs, will be the major challenge facing the winner.
	Euphoria in 2013 at securing the right to host sport's marquee event has given way to frustration over gaffes and scandals.
	A record 21 candidates are vying to lead the metropolis with a total population of 13.6 million and an economy the size of Indonesia's.
	Local media surveys, however, suggest it is a three-way race between former defence minister Yuriko Koike, former governor of the northeastern prefecture of Iwate Hiroya Masuda and veteran TV journalist Shuntaro Torigoe.
	As of 3 pm (0600 GMT) more than 27 per cent had voted compared to some 20 per cent at the same time in the previous election.
	Vote-counting begins immediately after ...

Tokyo votes to elect new governor after scandals

Texas 'active shooter' causes 'multiple' victims: Austin

Beijing has confirmed it is investigating a Japanese suspected of "endangering China's national security", following Japanese reports that he had been detained, the latest irritant in relations between the two nations.
	The foreign ministry gave the confirmation in a statement quoted by China's Global Times newspaper late yesterday, but did not specifically state that he had been detained.
	The claim of endangering security is often used in cases of suspected espionage. The ministry said the Japanese embassy had been informed of the case.
	There have been multiple reports in the Japanese press since mid-July about the man's disappearance. The Nikkei Business Daily identified him as the head of an organisation working to improve ties between the two nations.
	He was due to spend four days in Beijing for work but did not return home and has not been answering his mobile phone, Japan's Kyodo news agency said yesterday, quoting Japanese government and other sources.
	The Japanese ...

China confirms probing Japanese for 'endangering security'

France's already-battered tourism industry took a further hit in late July during what should have been the height of the season as foreign visitors stayed away after 84 people were killed in Nice on Bastille Day.
	In the week following the July 14 attack on the Riviera city's Promenade des Anglais boulevard, arrivals by air slumped 8.8 per cent compared to the same period in 2015, according to data from ForwardKeys which daily sifts more than 14 million air travel transactions.
	The sector has been struggling for months, not least since the November 13 attacks in and around Paris which claimed 130 lives.
	Between January and July 10 arrivals to France by air were down 5.8 per cent, and down 11 per cent to Paris.
	Flight reservations to France following the Nice attack were down 20 per cent.
	France is the world's top tourist destination and the tourism sector accounts for around nine per cent of GDP.
	France had hoped the Euro 2016 football championships would give tourism a shot in .

Attacks take toll on French tourism

If bravery was an Olympic sport, the 10 athletes who make up the first-ever refugee team in Rio would be odds-on for a clean sweep of the gold medals.
     From Yusra Mardini, a teenage swimmer from Syria who braved a Mediterranean crossing in a leaky dinghy, to Popole Misenga, who spent eight days hiding in a forest as a terrified child to flee bloody fighting, each of the refugee athletes have overcome daunting odds to maintain their Olympic dreams.
     Mardini, 18, spoke of her delight on Saturday at the prospect of participating in Rio, where she will compete in the 100 meters butterfly and 100m freestyle.
     "It's absolutely an honor for me to be here," Mardini told a press conference Saturday.
     Less than a year ago, Mardini was swimming for her life. During a perilous journey to Lesbos, the engine of their packed dinghy failed and the craft began taking on water.
     Mardini and her sister jumped into the water, grabbed a rope and and spent the next three-and-a ...

From horrors of war to Olympics, refugees ready for Rio

Bolivia took ownership of a fleet of armored vehicles from China worth USD 7.7 million as part of a military cooperation deal.
	China's Ambassador to Bolivia Wu Yuanshan led a ceremony at which the 27 armored combat vehicles and four riot response vehicles were delivered in La Paz.
	The military cooperation also includes training and maintenance instruction.
	Under the 2015 deal, China is donating USD 30 million in military aid to the South American nation.

China donates 31 armored vehicles to Bolivia

Russian swimmers Vladimir Morozov and Nikita Lobintsev launched the first challenge against International Olympic Committee sanctions excluding them from the Rio Olympics.
     The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will hold an emergency session in Rio on Sunday to hear there case, just five days before the start of the Games, according to sources close to the case.
     The move by the two Olympic medal winners was announced as the International Olympic Committee held two days of talks on fallout from the Russia doping crisis.
     Morozov, 24, and Lobintsev, 27, have called on CAS to declare "invalid and unenforceable" an IOC order for federations to exclude athletes implicated in an investigation on Russia's state-run doping system.
     They were among seven Russians banned by the International Swimming Federation (FINA) last week after the order.
     A report by Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren for the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said Russia's doping had been organised by .

AFP

AFP

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