The UN's aid chief warned today that humanitarian corridors proposed by Russia to help Syrians leave Aleppo must be used voluntarily and that protection be guaranteed.
	Russia, which is backing the Syrian regime in the five-year war, announced plans to set up four corridors for civilians and fighters to leave Aleppo, which has been under heavy assault for weeks.
	The proposal however raised concerns that the corridors could be used to flush out Aleppo before a final push by the Syrian regime forces to take the city.
	"No one can be forced to flee, by any specific route or to any particular location," said Stephen O'Brien, the under-secretary general for humanitarian affairs.
	"Protection must be guaranteed for all according to the principles of neutrality and impartiality," he said in a statement.
	The Syrian opposition condemned Russia's proposal, saying the exit corridors would be used to empty the city.
	"If the corridors could be used to allow aid into Aleppo, then that would be ..

Syrians must not be forced out of Aleppo: UN

PTI Automatic

Indonesia executes one local, 3 foreign drug convicts:

Spain's king tasked Mariano Rajoy today with the delicate task of forming a government and unblocking seven months of political paralysis after a second round of inconclusive elections, the acting prime minister announced.
	In a press conference, Rajoy said King Felipe VI had asked him if he would attempt to form a government, adding he had "accepted this assignment."
	The country has been without a fully-functioning government since elections on December 20 failed to give any party an absolute parliamentary majority, as upstarts Ciudadanos and Podemos shook up Spain's long-established two-party system.
	   Efforts to forge a coalition were subsequently unsuccessful as rival parties were unable to overcome their differences, prompting repeat elections in June with a similar result.
	   Rajoy's Popular Party (PP), in power since 2011, won the June 26 vote with 137 seats out of 350.
	   Although its victory margin was wider than in the December polls, the conservative party still failed 

Spain king tasks acting PM Rajoy with forming new government

Indonesia today executed one local and three Nigerian drug convicts by firing squad, an official said.
	They were put to death shortly after midnight, Noor Rachmad, deputy attorney general for general crimes, told reporters.
	He did not say why 10 other drug convicts, including an Indian, who had been expected to face the firing squad, were not executed.

Indonesia executes one local, 3 foreign drug convicts:official

At least 15 civilians were killed and dozens wounded in air strikes by a US-led coalition in Syria today, a monitor said.
	The strikes hit a northern town controlled by the Islamic State jihadist group, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
	"Airstrikes by international coalition fighter jets after midnight on the town of Ghandoura killed at least 15 civilians and wounded dozens," said the monitoring group's head, Rami Abdel Rahman.
	The town lies 23 kilometres (14 miles) northwest of Manbij, a strategic waypoint between Turkey and the jihadist stronghold of Raqa.
	The strikes came a day after the coalition opened a formal investigation to determine whether its air strikes last week near Manbij claimed civilian lives.
	The Observatory and local residents said strikes on July 19 had killed dozens of civilians, including children.
	After examining "internal and external information", the coalition determined that there was sufficient credible evidence of civilian victims to open 

US-led coalition raids kill 15 civilians in Syria: monitor

Former Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva today filed a petition with the UN Human Rights Committee outlining alleged abuses of power in the corruption case he is embroiled in.
	At a press conference in London, his Brazilian and British lawyers said they had just returned from the United Nations in Geneva where they had lodged the petition.
	The dossier outlined alleged violations of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and alleged abuses of power by judge Sergio Moro.
	Moro heads the investigation into a vast scam centred on state oil company Petrobras in which contractors paid bribes to receive inflated contracts, and stolen money was funnelled to politicians and political parties.
	The probe is known as Operation Car Wash.
	Lula faces a corruption case related to the Petrobras scandal and is being investigated for an allegedly much wider role in the scheme.
	"Lula is bringing his case at the UN because he cannot get justice in Brazil under its ...

Brazil's Lula petitions UN over corruption probe 'abuses'

Costa Rica's coastguard has seized 2.3 tonnes of cocaine on a boat and arrested its four crew members, the security ministry said today.
	The Costa Rican-flagged vessel was intercepted in the Pacific Ocean today. A search by police turned up the drugs in 164 packets.
	The four arrested were three Nicaraguans and a Costa Rican, none of whom had a criminal record.
	They risk up to 20 years in prison if convicted of drug smuggling.
	Costa Rican authorities have seized nearly 10 tonnes of cocaine this year in various operations across the country, the ministry said.
	On Tuesday, the coastguard seized one tonne of marijuana being transported in a fishing boat off its Caribbean coast.
	Central America is the key through-point for drugs headed to the United States.
	Last weekend, anti-narcotics police in Guatemala discovered more than two tonnes of cocaine hidden in two trucks in different parts of the country.

Costa Rica seizes 2.3 tonnes of cocaine on boat, arrests 4

The head of Al-Nusra Front in Syria said his jihadist group was breaking ties with Al-Qaeda and changing its name, in remarks broadcast today by Al-Jazeera.
	Abu Mohamad al-Jolani said Al-Nusra would change its name to Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (Conquest of Syria in Arabic) and expressed his gratitude to the "commanders of Al-Qaeda for having understood the need to break ties".
	In a rare televised message, Jolani said the new group "will have no links whatsoever with foreign parties".
	The announcement came a week after US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said they had agreed on "concrete steps" to save a failing Syria truce and tackle jihadist groups like Al-Nusra and the Islamic State group.
	Jihadist sympathisers and observers have been speculating online about a possible split between Al-Nusra and the network founded by Osama bin Laden to which it pledged allegiance in 2013.
	Al-Qaeda prepared the ground for the announcement earlier Thursday in .

Al-Nusra chief in Syria announces break with Qaeda

A US Air Force transport plane made an emergency landing in the eastern Canadian city St John's, authorities said today.
	The USAF C-130 Hercules -- a large transport plane used to haul troops and cargo -- landed yesterday night at 10 pm.
	"Our emergency services and officials from Eastern Health were waiting when the plane landed," said St John's International Airport spokesperson Sara Norris.
	Canadian authorities have not confirmed the reason for the emergency landing or whether any passengers were hospitalised.

US military aircraft makes emergency landing in Canada

Sri Lanka raised its key interest rate by 50 basis points today, saying it was necessary to discourage excessive consumer spending and head off a balance of payments crisis.
	The Central Bank of Sri Lanka raised its benchmark lending rate from 8.0 per cent to 8.5 per cent, the second such increase in five months.
	The latest move comes nearly two months after Sri Lanka secured a USD 1.5 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund to address the country's widening trade deficit and shore up foreign reserves.
	"The continued appetite for bank credit by the private sector in spite of the upward movement in market interest rates could create excessive demand and high inflation in the economy in the future," the bank warned in its monthly review.
	Sri Lanka faced an impending balance of payments crisis last year as the government, elected in January 2015, sought to implement election pledges of higher public sector salaries and lower fuel and utility prices and encourage ...

Sri Lanka raises rates to curb consumer spending

Egypt's former anti-corruption chief was sentenced today to one year in prison on charges of having exaggerated the impact of graft on the country.
	Hisham Geneina, head of the Central Auditing Authority until his dismissal in March by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, was also ordered to pay a fine of 20,000 Egyptian pounds (around USD 2,000).
	The retired judge's troubles began after he quoted a study by the authority based on 2012-2015 reports that calculated the cost of corruption at about 600 billion pounds ($66 billion).
	The study highlighted the allegedly illegal acquisition of state-owned land by senior officials and businessmen from the tenure of toppled president Hosni Mubarak.
	Ahead of his trial in June, Geneina, 32, told AFP he was convinced that his sacking was based on an erroneous media report suggesting he attributed the 600-billion figure to 2015 alone.
	Today, a Cairo court sentenced him to jail, accusing him of "spreading false information aimed at disrupting public 

Egypt former anti-graft head gets jail term

Acclaimed Finnish classical composer Einojuhani Rautavaara has died aged 87, his record label said today.
	"It is with profound sadness we write to inform you of the death of a major composer of our time, Professor Einojuhani Rautavaara," Ondine Records said in a statement, adding the composer died in Helsinki last night.
	He passed away following complications from hip surgery after a fall.
	Rautavaara first gained international recognition in 1994 with his 7th Symphony Angel of Light, leading enthusiastic critics to compare him with another famous Finnish composer, Jean Sibelius (1865-1957).
	His works include eight symphonies, and several concertos, vocal works and operas that have been performed in numerous countries.
	His most popular work was Cantus Arcticus (1972), subtitled "Concerto for Birds and Orchestra" -- featuring birdsong which the composer recorded himself in the marshes of Liminka, northern Finland.
	"It is my belief that music is great if, at some moment, the ...

Finnish composer Rautavaara dies at 87

South Sudan stands on the brink of an abyss, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today after a fresh flareup in fighting unleashed a wave of sexual violence.
	Ban told the Security Council that he was "appalled by the scale of sexual violence," with UN rights officials reporting at least 120 cases of rape over the past three weeks.
	"As we meet, South Sudan remains precariously poised on the brink of an abyss," said Ban during an open debate on peacebuilding in Africa.
	"The promises of the new state for peace, justice and opportunity have been squandered," he added.
	The world's youngest nation, South Sudan descended into war in December 2013 and a peace deal signed last year collapsed during heavy fighting in the capital this month.
	Ban has called for an arms embargo and sanctions to be imposed on South Sudan, but the council has yet to endorse his call.
	The United States today circulated a draft resolution to the council extending the mandate of the UN mission in South Sudan ...

South Sudan on the brink of abyss: UN chief

Al-Qaeda prepared the ground today for a break with its Syrian affiliate, Al-Nusra Front, following several days of online chatter over a split between the jihadist groups.
	"We direct the leadership of Al-Nusra Front to go ahead with what preserves the good of Islam and the Muslims, and protects the jihad of the Syrian people," Ahmed Hassan Abu al-Khayr said in an audio message released online by Al-Nusra.
	"We urge them to take the appropriate steps towards this matter," said Abu al-Khayr, who was identified as a deputy of Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.
	Al-Nusra's media arm, Al Manara Al-Bayda, also announced that the group's head, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, was to deliver a speech and posted a picture showing him for the first time.
	The image shows a smiling young man, with curly black hair and a beard, dressed in military fatigues and with a turban on his head.
	Jihadist sympathisers and observers have been speculating online about a possible split between Al-Nusra and the ...

Al-Qaeda paves way for break ties with Syria affiliate

Left-arm seamer Neil Wagner's raw pace and aggression proved too much for an out-of-touch Zimbabwean batting lineup as New Zealand stamped their authority on the first Test on the opening day at Queens Sports Club.
     On a surface offering little to the bowlers, Wagner bent his back and used the short ball to good effect to take career-best figures of 6 for 41, bowling Zimbabwe out for just 164 after they had won the toss and elected to bat first.
     New Zealand closed the day on 32 without loss, with Tom Latham on 16 and Martin Guptill on 14. Zimbabwe had not played a Test since November 2014, and the hiatus showed in their inability to occupy the crease on a pitch that held no demons.
     Opener Brian Chari fell to the second ball of the day, and after Chamu Chibhabha and Hamilton Masakadza offered some stability with an hour-long stand, Wagner got stuck into the hosts.
     In a 13-over spell either side of the lunch break, the 30-year-old removed Chibhabha and Sean Williams ..

Wagner rocks rusty Zimbabwe as Kiwis take charge

French President Francois Hollande today brushed aside comments by White House hopeful Donald Trump that France was "no longer" the country it was because of a string of deadly jihadist attacks.
	"France will always be France, because France will never yield and because France is always the bearer of ideals, values and principles, for which we are recognised throughout the world," Hollande said in a speech in the southwest town of Rivesaltes.
	"When you lower your standards, you are no longer what you are. That's something that may happen to others, on the other side of the Atlantic,"  Hollande added, referring indirectly to Trump without naming him.
	During a news conference in Florida yesterday, the US Republican presidential nominee brought up the murder of an elderly French priest, and said a friend who recently visited the country told him: "I wouldn't go to France.... France is no longer France."
	"They won't like me for saying that," Trump added, "but you see what happened in ..

Hollande tells Trump: 'France will always be France'

Police have arrested a senior official from Zimbabwe's war veterans' association after it accused President Robert Mugabe of "dictatorial" behaviour in a shock rupture with the 92-year-old leader, lawyers said today.
	Veterans of Zimbabwe's 1970s independence war, who had previously been loyal Mugabe supporters, last week issued a statement bitterly denouncing the president, who faces growing signs of opposition.
	Douglas Mahiya, spokesman for the War Veterans' Association, was arrested yesterday in Harare, according to the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) group.
	"Information presently at hand is that the police are charging him with subverting a constitutional government and insulting the office of the president," the lawyers said.
	A Mahiya family lawyer confirmed the arrest to AFP, but declined to comment further.
	The association's secretary-general, Victor Matemadanda, was also taken from his rural home in Gokwe, north west Zimbabwe, after being summoned for police ...

Zimbabwe war veterans' spokesman arrested

Scoreboard at the close
of play on the first day of the first Test between Zimbabwe and New Zealand on Thursday.
      Scoreboard
	  Zimbabwe 1st Innings
	  B Chari c Guptill b Southee        4
	  C Chibhabha c Latham b Wagner     15
	  H Masakadza c and b Santner       15
	  C Ervine st Watling b Santner     13
	  S Williams c Sodhi b Wagner        1
	  S Raza c Latham b Wagner    22
	  P Masvaure lbw b Southee          42
	  R Chakabva c Watling b Wagner      0
	  G Cremer c Nicholls b Wagner       0
	  D Tiripano not out                49
	  M Chinouya b Wagner                1
	  Extras (lb-2)                      2
	  Total (all out, 77.5 overs)       164
	  Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-35, 3-35, 4-36, 5-72, 6-72, 7-72, 8-72, 9-157
      Bowling: Southee 17-8-28-2, Boult 11-5-23-0, Santner 14-5-16-2, Wagner 20.5-8-41-6, Sodhi 15-3-54-0.
	   New Zealand 1st Innings
	   M Guptill batting  14
	   T Latham batting   16
	   Extras (nb-2)       2
	   Total (for no loss, 10 overs) 32
	   ...

Bulawayo (Zimbabwe), Jul 28 (AFP) Scoreboard at the close

China today announced new rules governing ridesharing services, making clear for the first time that they are now legal in a giant market where US-based Uber is at loggerheads with local rival Didi Chuxing.
	China has become the world's largest online car-hailing market, vice transport minister Liu Xiaoming told a briefing.
	"The legitimacy of internet ride-booking services are clarified" in new regulations on taxi industry reforms and regulations on car-hailing apps, Liu said.
	Didi Chuxing said it was "the first time" any government had legalised online car-booking services at the national level, hailing the move as a "milestone".
	Beijing's stance on the sector had been ambivalent because while the apps have won public support, they threaten old-style taxis, -- which often generates income for local authorities -- and have been met with protests by cab drivers.
	The services have been banned in some cities.
	Liu said the new rules will support the development of online car-booking .

China legalises ridesharing services

German Chancellor Angela Merkel today rebuffed calls to reverse her welcoming stance toward refugees in the wake of a series of brutal attacks in the country.
	Merkel, who interrupted a summer holiday to face the media in Berlin, said the four assaults within a week were "shocking, oppressive and depressing" but not a sign that authorities had lost control.
	The German leader said the assailants "wanted to undermine our sense of community, our openness and our willingness to help people in need".
	"We firmly reject this," she said at a wide-ranging news conference.
	Merkel repeated her rallying cry from last year when she opened the borders to people fleeing war and persecution, many from Syria, which brought nearly 1.1 million migrants and refugees to the country in 2015.
	"I am still convinced today that 'we can do it' -- it is our historic duty and this is a historic challenge in times of globalisation," she said.
	"We have already achieved very, very much in the last 11 ...

Defiant Merkel defends refugee stance after attacks

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today appealed to Indonesia's government to halt the imminent execution of drug convicts, including an Indian, and urged the president to declare a moratorium on the use of the death penalty.
	Ban recalled that under international law, the death penalty should be used for the most serious crimes and said "drug crimes are generally not considered to meet this threshold."
	The appeal came as Indonesian authorities stepped up preparations for the execution by firing squad of 14 drug convicts including foreigners from Nigeria, Pakistan, India and Zimbabwe.
	Indonesia has rejected international appeals to halt the executions.
	Ban issued a plea to the "government of Indonesia to stop the reportedly imminent execution of a number of prisoners for alleged drug-related crimes," said a statement from his spokesman.
	The UN chief "urges President Joko Widodo to consider declaring a moratorium on the use of the death penalty in Indonesia and to move towards its ..

AFP

AFP

Page 1540 - Afp