Even operating at a quarter of its eventual capacity, South Africa's MeerKAT radio telescope showed off its phenomenal power today, revealing 1,300 galaxies in a tiny corner of the universe where only 70 were known before.
	The image released today was the first from MeerKAT, where 16 dishes were formally commissioned the same day.
	MeerKAT's full contingent of 64 receptors will be integrated next year into a multi-nation Square Kilometre Array (SKA) which is is set to become the world's most powerful radio telescope.
	The images produced by MeerKAT  "are far better that we could have expected," the chief scientist of the SKA in South Africa, Fernando Camilo said at the site of the dishes near the small town of Carnarvon, 600 kilometres north of Cape Town.
	This "means that this telescope as is today, only one quarter of the way down (to its full contingent) is already the best radio telescope in the southern hemisphere," Camilo told AFP.
	When fully up and running in the 2020s, the ..

First image released from world's super radio telescope

PTI Automatic

Turkey detains judge from its top court in wake of failed

A four-year-old boy missing after the Nice truck attack has been found dead, raising to four the number of Tunisians killed in the French tragedy, the foreign ministry said today.
	Another five Tunisians are still missing following Thursday night's attack that killed 84 people in the southern French resort city and was claimed today by the Islamic State jihadist group (IS).
	The ministry said the boy was found dead in hospital. His mother was among the other three identified Tunisian victims.
	Nice is just an hour's flight from Tunis, and the city is home to many Tunisians.
	Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, 31, the driver of the truck that ploughed into a Bastille Day crowd in the city, was himself of Tunisian origin, from Msaken near Sousse.
	Tunisia "forcefully" condemned the attack and expressed solidarity with France against the "scourge of terrorism".
	It also said it was opening a judicial inquiry into the attack.
	Tunisia, like France, has faced a series of jihadist attacks in the ...

Tunisia toll from Nice attack rises to 4, with 5 missing

Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel was a petty criminal prone to depression and violence who smoked, drank and never went to the mosque, according to neighbours and family.
	The Tunisian delivery driver, who on Thursday evening smashed a 19-tonne lorry into a crowd killing 84 people, including 10 children, had shown no overt signs of radicalistaion.
	The Islamic State group, in claiming the attack today, said he was a "soldier" who had responded to "calls to target nations of coalition states that are fighting (IS)".
	But authorities said he had not been flagged for links to radical Islamic ideology.
	The 31-year-old "seemed to have been radicalised very quickly from what his friends and family" have told police, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said today.
	Speaking outside his home in Msaken, eastern Tunisia, the attacker's father said he had suffered from depression and had "no links" to religion.
	"From 2002 to 2004, he had problems that caused a nervous breakdown. He would ...

French attacker: A violent depressive who never went to mosque

The US military command in Europe has ordered American forces across Turkey to take maximum protective measures following the attempted military coup there, a US military source said today.
	The US military has around 2,200 service members and civilian employees in Turkey, which is a NATO member and a crucial regional partner for Washington.
	About 1,500 of them are stationed at Incirlik, the military base in southern Turkey from which American warplanes have launched bombing missions against the Islamic State group.
	US forces in Turkey were now at the "Delta" force protection level, such as is invoked when a terrorist attack is taking place or appears imminent, the American defense official said.
	"We are firmly committed to making every possible effort to ensure the safety and security of our service members, civilians, their families and our facilities," the official said.
	At the Delta level, all non-essential activities are suspended and all resources placed in defensive ...

US forces in Turkey placed on highest alert after coup attempt

Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq followed his first-innings hundred with a duck as England fought back on the third day of the first Test at Lord's today.
     At tea, Pakistan were 111 for four in their second innings -- a lead of 178 runs.
     A becalmed Younis Khan, who played several exaggerated leave shots, was 19 not out off 86 balls.
     But Asad Shafiq had kept the scoreboard ticking over with an unbeaten 29 off 46 balls including five boundaries.
     Saturday's second session saw England all-rounder Chris Woakes follow his Test-best six for 70 in the first innings with two wickets.
     Pakistan were 40 for one at lunch after Mohammad Hafeez had carelessly fallen for a duck in cutting Stuart Broad straight to Joe Root at second slip.
     But they lost opener Shan Masood soon afterwards when the left-hander, once more fallible outside off stump, flat-footedly edged Warwickshire paceman Woakes to England captain Alastair Cook at first slip.
     Azhar Ali (23) then fell lbw ..

Misbah out for nought as England fight back

Many international flights to Turkey were cancelled today despite efforts by the Ankara authorities to get life back to normal following an abortive coup attempt.
	The US government said it has suspended all flights to Turkey, and banned all airlines from flying to the US from Turkey due to uncertainty after an abortive coup attempt.
	Turkish authorities were seeking to resume business as usual and Istanbul's Ataturk International Airport -- shut down by the plotters -- was gradually reopening.
	But international carriers were preferring to wait and see before resuming a normal service.
	Along with their US counterparts, Russian airlines are currently not flying passengers to Turkey although they are repatriating vacationers back home.
	"President (Vladimir) Putin ordered the transport ministry and other agencies to properly inform passengers and organise their inbound flights from Turkish airports," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by the Interfax news ...

International flights to Turkey suspended after coup attempt

Scoreboard at tea on the third day
of the first Test between England and Pakistan at Lord's today:
     Pakistan 1st Innings 339 (Misbah-ul-Haq 114, Asad Shafiq 73; C Woakes 6-70, S Broad 3-71)
     England 1st Innings (overnight: 253-7)
     A Cook b Mohammad Amir                  81
     A Hales c Azhar Ali b Rahat Ali          6
     J Root c Hafeez b Yasir Shah            48
     J Vince lbw b Yasir Shah                16
     G Ballance lbw b Yasir Shah              6
     J Bairstow b Yasir Shah                 29
     M Ali lbw b Yasir Shah                  23
     C Woakes not out                        35
     S Broad b Wahab Riaz                    17
     S Finn lbw b Yasir Shah                  5
     J Ball run out (Shan Masood/Wahab Riaz)  4
     Extras (NB-2)                            2
     Total (all out in 79.1 overs)           272
     Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-118, 3-139, 4-147, 5-173, 6-193, 7-232, 8-260, 9-267, 10-272.
     Bowling: Amir 18-2-65-1; Rahat Ali ...

London, July 16 (AFP) Scoreboard at tea on the third day

Scoreboard at lunch on the third day of the first Test between England and Pakistan at Lord's here today:
     Pakistan 1st Innings 339 (Misbah-ul-Haq 114, Asad Shafiq 73; C Woakes 6-70, S Broad 3-71)
     England 1st Innings (overnight: 253-7)
	Cook b Mohammad Amir                  81
	Hales c Azhar Ali b Rahat Ali          6
	Root c Hafeez b Yasir Shah            48
	Vince lbw b Yasir Shah                16
	Ballance lbw b Yasir Shah              6
	Bairstow b Yasir Shah                 29
	Ali lbw b Yasir Shah                  23
	Woakes not out                        35
	Broad b Wahab Riaz                    17
	Finn lbw b Yasir Shah                  5
	Ball run out (Shan Masood/Wahab Riaz)  4
	Extras: (NB-2)                         2
     Total: (all out in 79.1 overs)        272
     Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-118, 3-139, 4-147, 5-173, 6-193, 7-232, 8-260, 9-267
     Bowling: Amir 18-2-65-1; Rahat Ali 14-1-68-1; Riaz 18.1-0-67-1 (2nb); Shah 29-6-72-6
     Pakistan 2nd ...

London, Jul 16 (AFP) Scoreboard at lunch on the third day of the first Test between England and Pakistan at Lord's here today:

Turkish authorities said they had regained control of the country today after thwarting a coup attempt by discontented soldiers to seize power from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that claimed more than 250 lives.
	After the bloodiest challenge to his 13-year autocratic rule, Erdogan urged his backers to stay on the streets to prevent a possible "flare-up" of yesterday's chaos in the strategic NATO member of 80 million people.
	With at least 2,839 soldiers already detained in a relentless round-up over the coup plot, the authorities blamed the conspiracy on Erdogan's arch enemy, the US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen.
	Turks woke up early today to television pictures showing dozens of soldiers surrendering after the apparent failure of the coup, some with their hands above their head, others forced to the ground in the streets.
	"The situation is completely under control," Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said outside his Ankara offices, flanked by Turkey's top general who had himself been .

Turkey regains control after deadly anti-Erdogan coup bid

Yasir Shah took the best innings figures by a visiting spinner against England in a Lord's Test innings in more than a century as Pakistan strengthened their grip on the series opener here today.
     Pakistan were 40 for one in their second innings at lunch on the third day of the first Test, a lead of 107 runs.
     Shan Masood, who spent part of his childhood living near Lord's, was 20 not out and Azhar Ali 17 not out.
	 Earlier, Shah took six for 72 as England were bowled out for 272 -- 67 runs behind Pakistan's first innings 339.
	 They were the best figures by an overseas spinner against England at Lord's since Sid Pegler's seven for 65 for South Africa back in 1912.
	 Bounding into the crease, Shah's feat was all the more impressive as his wickets came on a largely unresponsive pitch, with his variations in pace, as much as spin, deceiving the batsmen.
	 England resumed on their overnight 253 for seven, after Shah induced a middle-order collapse on Friday following a ...

Pakistan's Shah leaves England in a spin

Secretary of State John Kerry said today that the United States will assist Turkey in the investigation of a failed coup and invited Ankara to share any evidence it has against a US-based opposition figure Fethullah Gulen.
	Speaking in Luxembourg, Kerry said Washington had not yet received a formal extradition bid for the expatriate cleric, but added: "We fully anticipate that there will be questions raised about Mr Gulen."
	Gulen, a reclusive Islamic preacher with a worldwide following who is regularly accused of a behind the scenes role in Turkish politics, lives in a tiny town in the Pocono Mountains of the US state of Pennsylvania.
	He has been accused by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of being behind the Thursday's boody coup attempt, although he has denied any role and condemned the miliary uprising "in the strongest terms."
	Kerry who spoke late yesterday to his Turkish opposite number Mevlut Cavusoglu by telephone, said: "We haven't received any request with respect to 

US invites Turkey to present any Gulen coup evidence

Five children were fighting for their lives after the truck attack in Nice, including an unidentified 8-year-old boy who is possibly a foreigner, a hospital spokeswoman said today.
	The children were being treated at the Fondation Lenval paediatric hospital in the French Riviera city, where a Tunisian drove a truck through a Bastille day crowd on Thursday, killing 84.
	Ten children and teenagers were among the dead.
	Lenval spokeswoman Stephanie Simpson said "five children are still in critical condition and one child has stabilised", adding the hospital had received 30 children the night of the attack.
	She said the youngest to be treated at Lenval was six-months-old, with most of the children being treated for head trauma and fractures.
	"We are used to treating lots of children, what has been difficult to manage is the psychological aspect," Simpson said.
	A team of trauma counsellors has been working at the hospital, seeing over 50 families since the attack.
	Tunisian Mohamed ...

Five children fighting for lives after France truck attack

Croatia's president today called a snap parliamentary election for September 11, a vote held after the fragile right-wing government fell last month over a conflict of interest affair.
	The election in the European Union's newest member comes less than a year since the last one in November, where no clear winner emerged. A barely-functioning ruling coalition followed.
	It comes at a difficult time for Croatia, which is hauling itself out of a six-year recession from 2009-2014.
	The coalition's work was marred by constant disputes between the conservative HDZ party and its junior reformist partner Most, amid concerns over the country's shift to the right.
	"President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic has decided to call an early parliamentary election on September 11," a statement from her office said.
	The decision comes a day after the parliament was formally dissolved.
	The political crisis practically paralysed Croatia and halted reforms it badly needs to get the economy, one of the bloc's .

Croatia to hold snap elections in September

Inmates burnt down two buildings at a southern Thai jail during a six-hour riot that left three prisoners dead and several officials injured, authorities said today.
	The mutiny broke out yesterday afternoon when nearly 100 prisoners in southern Pattani province set fire to the jail's cooking quarters, according to a military spokesman.
	He said the prison warden tried to control the rebellion but was pummelled by stones and called for police reinforcement.
	Around a hundred officers arrived at the scene and quelled the rioters before midnight, by that time a second building had been burned down and three prisoners were dead, said Thanongsak Wangsupa, the provincial police commander.
	"Three prisoners were killed before police stormed the prison," he told AFP, adding that the men died in a brawl with other inmates.
	Two prison staff sustained injuries, he added.
	After the riot, the prisoners handed authorities a written list of 14 demands, including requests for more family visits ...

Three dead in southern Thai prison riot

Turkey's regional allies today condemned a deadly but foiled coup attempt by a faction of the army against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's rule.
	Key regional powers Iran and Israel, which have both had strained relationships with Erdogan's government, condemned the putsch that began late last night.
	Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif spoke with his Turkish counterpart three times since the crisis began.
	On Twitter, he hailed the Turkish people's "defence of democracy & their elected government" which he said "proves that coups have no place in our region and are doomed to fail."
	"Deeply concerned about the crisis in Turkey," Zarif tweeted late yesterday.
	"Stability, democracy & safety of Turkish people are paramount. Unity & prudence are imperative."
	Israel, which last month approved a deal to restore ties frozen after a deadly Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound Turkish ship in 2010, also condemned the coup attempt.
	"Israel respects the democratic process in ...

Turkey Mideast allies rally behind strongman Erdogan

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility today for an attack in which a Tunisian drove a truck through a crowd in Nice, killing 84, prompting hard questions in France over security failures.
	In a statement via its Amaq news service IS said one of its "soldiers" carried out the attack on Thursday night "in response to calls to target nations of coalition states that are fighting (IS)".
	Tunisian Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, 31, smashed a 19-tonne truck into crowd of people in the Riviera city who were celebrating Bastille Day -- France's national day. Police said he had no known connection to jihadist groups.
	French President Francois Hollande met with his defence and security chiefs and cabinet ministers as criticism from the opposition and media mounted over security failings after the third major attack in France in 18 months.
	"If we are at war, as the government tells us, then the currency of war is intelligence, learning from experience, analysing failures and victories," ..

IS claims Nice massacre as France mulls security failings

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim today said 161 people were killed in the coup attempt against the government, with 2,839 soldiers now detained on suspicion of involvement.
	Yildirim, speaking outside his Cankaya palace in Ankara and flanked by top general Hulusi Akar who was held during the coup attempt, also described the putsch bid as a "black stain" on Turkish democracy. He added that 1,440 people had been wounded.
	The toll 161 did not include the assailants, he emphasised. Turkey's acting army chief Umit Dundar had earlier said 104 putschists had been killed.
	Yildirim blamed the coup attempt on the supporters of US-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara has for years accused of working to overthrow the authorities and wants to see brought to justice.
	The United States has shown little interest so far to Turkey's requests for his extradition.
	"Fethullah Gulen is the leader of a terrorist organisation," the premier said.
	"Whichever country is behind him is not .

Turkey PM says 161 dead in coup bid, almost 3,000 held

Air raids on rebel-held districts of Syria's battleground second city of Aleppo killed 19 civilians including children today, a monitor said.
	"Eleven civilians, including four children, were killed by air raids after midnight in the Bab al-Nasr area of Old Aleppo, and seven others were killed in Fardous neighbourhood," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
	Another young girl was killed in the Maadi district, the Britain-based monitor said.
	The Observatory, which relies on a network of sources across Syria for its information, warned that the toll could rise due to the number of critically wounded.
	An AFP correspondent at the scene said helicopters and fighter jets were still circling rebel-held neighbourhoods, adding that barrel bombs -- crude, unguided explosive devices -- had been dropped on several areas.
	At least one barrel bomb struck just outside the hospital in the Maadi neighbourhood, the correspondent said.
	The Observatory said rebel fighters shelled ...

Air raids kill 19 civilians in Syria's Aleppo: monitor

Four men believed to be linked to the Tunisian who killed 84 people when he drove a truck into a Bastille Day crowd in Nice were arrested overnight today, a judicial source said.
	   One of the men being held was arrested yesterday and three others this morning, the source added. The driver's estranged wife is also being held by police.
	   The new arrests came as French President Francois Hollande met with the head of the armed forces and ministers after calling a meeting of his top security advisors in Paris.
	   Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, 31, smashed a 19-tonne truck into a mass of people as the traditional July 14 national day fireworks celebration was ending in the French Riviera city.
	   At least 10 children and teenagers were killed, with around 50 other children injured, some of them "hanging between life and death", a hospital official said.
	   Investigators were piecing together a profile of Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, a man with a record of petty crime and domestic violence, but ..

AFP

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