The UN's cultural agency met today in Istanbul to consider adding over two dozen new sites to its prestigious global heritage list, and called for a strong global response to the threats posed by extremism.
	The meeting of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO comes less than two weeks after the main airport in Istanbul was hit by a triple suicide attack that left 47 people dead and was blamed on Islamic State (IS) jihadists who have already destroyed irreplaceable heritage in Turkey's neighbours Syria and Iraq.
	UNESCO director general Irina Bokova told the opening ceremony of the 11-day session that world heritage was under threat in countries riven by unrest from Mali to Yemen.
	"Our response should be strong on the ground and also strong in a moral sense," she said.
	Bokova said the fact the committee was holding the meeting in Istanbul -- a city for centuries controlled by Christian Byzantines and since the Ottoman conquest by Muslims -- was a "strong symbol" of support to ...

UNESCO meets on heritage under shadow of extremism

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The government of the Bahamas has urged its citizens to be careful when traveling to the United States, citing tensions over the recent deaths of black men at the hands of police.
	Most people in the Caribbean nation are black.
	The foreign ministry said young Bahamian men in particular should exercise caution in their dealings with police in US cities.
	"Do not be confrontational and cooperate," the ministry said in a statement.
	Tomorrow is a holiday in the Bahamas, so many people here were expected to use the long weekend to visit the US.
	The travel warning is of the kind that the US State Department issues to Americans traveling to countries it deems dangerous.
	Racial tensions are running extremely high in the United States because of the death last week of two black men at the hands of police, the latest in a series of such incidents.
	Micah Johnson, the black gunman who killed five police and wounded seven others during a peaceful protest Thursday in Dallas, told police those .

Bahamas issues travel warning for US, citing racial tension

The UN Security Council will hold a closed door meeting today on renewed fighting in the capital of South Sudan, diplomats said.
	Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he was "shocked and appalled" by the fighting between government and former rebel forces in the capital Juba and called on both sides to halt the violence.
	South Sudan has seen more fighting than peace since winning independence from Sudan in July 2011.
	Civil war broke out in December 2013 when President Salva Kiir accused his vice president Riek Machar of plotting a coup.
	An August 2015 peace deal was supposed to end the conflict. But the peace process has stalled while fighting has continued despite the establishment of a unity government.
	Machar went from being vice president to rebel leader and then back to vice president under the unity government.

UN Security Council to meet Sunday on South Sudan fighting

More than 200 people were arrested in chaotic scenes during a new night of protests over US police violence towards blacks as authorities revealed Sunday that the Dallas shooter had apparently been plotting a major bomb attack.
	Anger around America over the deaths of two black men at the hands of police last week -- the state reason for the black Dallas gunman's deadly rampage targeting white officers -- showed no signs of abating with a prominent Black Lives Matter activist among those arrested.
	Most of the protests Saturday night into Sunday were peaceful. People inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement -- which arose in recent years in response to repeated cases of police using lethal force against unarmed blacks -- took to the streets in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
	But authorities said a full-scale riot broke out in Saint Paul, Minnesota and resulted in 102 arrests. Protesters blocked a freeway and attacked police with rocks, bottles, fireworks, Molotov ...

Over 200 arrests as tensions spike at US police protests

US President Barack Obama cautioned those protesting police killings of black Americans against blanket criticism today, saying the majority of officers in the force do a good job.
	"Whenever those of us who are concerned about fairness in the criminal justice system attack police officers, you are doing a disservice to the cause," Obama said, as protests against police brutality continued around the country.
	America has been rocked by the deaths of a series of black men at the hands of white officers -- with many of the events captured on camera.
	The sense of crisis deepened last week when a black man shot dead five white cops in Dallas, shocking the nation and the world.
	Obama, speaking in Madrid, said any violence against police was "a reprehensible crime and needs to be prosecuted."
	But, he added, "even rhetorically, if we paint police in broad brush without recognizing that the vast majority of police officers are doing a really good job and are trying to protect people and ..

Obama says attacking police hurts reform

Berlin police said today that 123 officers were hurt in clashes with left-wing extremists who hurled rocks and bottles at them, smashed shop windows and set cars ablaze.
	The overnight violence follows weeks of escalating tensions around a building that is a centre of the far-left youth scene. It has been repeatedly raided by police.
	Police said yesterday night's protest was the city's "most aggressive and violent demonstration in the past five years".
	Police had sent 1,800 officers to confront the 3,500-strong crowd. The officers used batons and tear gas as the situation deteriorated.
	Eighty-six protesters were temporarily detained, with three facing a magistrate on charges of breach of the peace, police said.
	The protests centred on a flashpoint building in the German capital's inner-east Friedrichshain district which regards itself as a militant bastion against rising rents and the gentrification of Berlin.
	The city-state's minister in charge of security, Frank Henkel, ...

123 German police hurt in clashes with protesters

Britain's Andy Murray clinched a second Wimbledon title and third Grand Slam crown Sunday when he downed misfiring Milos Raonic of Canada 6-4, 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/2).
     The 29-year-old world number two added the 2016 trophy to his 2013 triumph at the All England Club and his 2012 US Open breakthrough.
     Appearing in his 11th final at the majors, but his first against an opponent other than Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, the Scot put on a Centre Court masterclass.
     Murray buried his head in his towel and wept in the moments after victory.
     "It's the most important tournament for me every year. I've had some great moments and tough losses. I played some really good stuff today," Murray said.
     "The wins feel extra special because of the tough losses. I'm proud to have my hands on the trophy again."
     Murray faced just two break points in the two hour 48 minute encounter while 25-year-old Raonic, who had clobbered 137 aces going into the final, managed just eight on .

Masterful Murray roars to second Wimbledon title

A 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck off the Pacific nation of Tonga late today, US seismologists said, but no tsunami warning was issued.
	The US Geological Survey said the quake was shallow, striking 140 kilometres (87 miles) northeast from the town of Hihifo.
	A second 5.5 quake struck shortly afterwards in the sea 110 kilometres away from Hihifo, USGS reported.
	The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not immediately issue any warnings.
	Tonga sits on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, a region of frequent seismic activity due to collisions between continental plates.

6.0-magnitude quake hits off Tonga: USGS

Britain's Andy Murray clinched a second Wimbledon title and third Grand Slam crown on Sunday when he downed Milos Raonic of Canada 6-4, 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/2).
     The 29-year-old world number two added the 2016 trophy to his 2013 triumph at the All England Club and his 2012 US Open title.
     Appearing in his 11th final at the majors, but his first against an opponent other than Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, the Scot shattered Raonic's hopes of becoming the first Canadian to win a Grand Slam crown.

Masterful Murray clinches second Wimbledon title

Ethiopia has blocked social media sites for the next few days, after questions from end-of-year exams were posted online last month, sparking a national scandal and leading to their annulment.
	A government spokesman said the ban was aimed at stopping students taking university entrance exams this week from being "distracted."
	Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Viber have been inaccessible in the Horn of Africa nation since Saturday morning.
	"It's blocked. It's a temporary measure until Wednesday. Social media have proven to be a distraction for students," government spokesman Getachew Reda told AFP.
	Ethiopia is one of the first African countries to censor the internet, beginning in 2006 with opposition blogs, according to experts.
	Prominent blogger Daniel Berhane denounced the move as a "dangerous precedent.
	"There's no transparency on who decides why it's necessary or who decides for how long," he said.
	"This time it's for a few days  but next time it could be for months (...) ..

Ethiopia blocks social media ahead of exams

The shooter in the Dallas ambush had been practicing detonating bombs and planned some kind of major attack even before the sniper-style assault in which he killed five police, the city's police chief said today.
	Releasing chilling new details of the attack by Micah Johnson, police chief David Brown said Johnson taunted police as he negotiated with them during an hours long standoff -- "playing games, laughing at us, singing" -- asking how many cops he had killed and saying he wanted to take out more.
	And at one point, Johnson, apparently wounded, wrote the letters "rb" in his own blood on a wall at the community college where he holed up during the shooting last Thursday. Seven other cops and two civilians were wounded.
	Brown said it was not clear what those letters meant.
	Johnson, who was black, also insisted on speaking only to a black police officer when he began negotiating with the police, Brown said.
	The 25-year-old army vet opened fire with a powerful rifle during a ...

Dallas shooter planned other attacks: police

Lewis Hamilton completed a hat-trick of home wins on Sunday when he triumphed ahead of Nico Rosberg in the British Grand Prix to cut his Mercedes team-mate's championship lead to just four points.
     Defending three-time champion Hamilton reeled off his fourth win in five races as he steams up behind Rosberg in the title race, with the German also subject to a post-race inquiry into radio dialogue with the team when he had a gearbox problem.
     Talented Dutch teenager Max Verstappen finished third -- pushing Rosberg all the way -- ahead of his Red Bull team-mate Daniel Ricciardo, with Finn Kimi Raikkonen coming home fifth for Ferrari.
     In a reversal of the scenes at Spielberg following last Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix, where Hamilton and Rosberg collided on the final lap, Rosberg was booed by fans during the podium ceremony at Silverstone.
     "A great job and thank you so much guys for your efforts back at the factory," said Hamilton on his victory lap.
     From the ...

Hamilton wins to narrow Rosberg lead

Heavy fighting erupted in South Sudan's capital today as former rebels and government soldiers exchanged fire two days after gun battles left at least 150 fighters dead.
	"Gunshots, heavily armed exchange UN House area once again," the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said on Twitter, later adding the fighting was "relentless".
	Fighting was heard in several other parts of the city throughout the day, including the tinderbox Gudele neighbourhood -- where rebel leader turned vice president Riek Machar is headquartered -- and the central Tongping area near the international airport, with gunfire intensifying and subsiding at different times.
	Regional airline Kenya Airways suspended flights to Juba, citing the "uncertain security situation", while the US embassy in Juba warned its citizens to stay indoors.
	"The situation in Juba has significantly deteriorated. There is serious ongoing fighting between government and opposition forces, including near the airport, UNMISS locations, ...

Heavy fighting erupts in South Sudan capital

Barack Obama met Spain's King Felipe in Madrid today, during a symbolic but abbreviated first presidential trip to Spain in the wake of America's latest spasm of violence.
	Obama is squeezing in a visit to a key NATO and EU partner before dashing home to deal with the aftermath of a wrenching shooting in Dallas.
	Greeting King Felipe at the Royal Palace in Madrid, Obama acknowledged that "we've had a difficult week in the United States."
	He has cut a two-day visit to the Iberian peninsula down to one and cancelled a trip to Seville with the king altogether, after a black army veteran killed five white police officers in Dallas.
	Obama, who prides himself on his measured approach, is usually loath to alter carefully laid travel plans.
	But the shooting -- just blocks from the site where John F. Kennedy was assassinated -- has pushed a country crackling with political tension to the edge.
	Speaking in Warsaw just before Air Force One departed for Spain, Obama insisted the country's ...

Obama meets Spanish King on symbolic but curtailed trip

Militants from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) killed five Turkish soldiers and a member of a village guard in two separate attacks today, the army and local media said.
	One Turkish soldier was killed along with the guard in the car bombing on a military outpost in the eastern province of Van early today, the army said.
	Village guards are local people who work in cooperation with the Turkish security forces throughout eastern Turkey to protect their settlements from the PKK.
	At least 15 people were injured including 10 soldiers and five village guards. Among those wounded, one was seriously injured in the mainly Kurdish province, the army said in a statement.
	Later this afternoon, four soldiers were killed and another soldier was injured in a roadside bomb attack against an army vehicle in Hakkari province in Turkey's troubled southeast, Dogan news agency reported, quoting the military.
	The Turkish security forces had been engaged in Hakkari in a large-scale military .

6 killed in two PKK attacks in Turkey: reports

A Pakistani woman who was having an affair with her cousin accidently suffocated him in a trunk after hiding him there when other relatives woke up late at night, police said today.
	Married father Mushtaq Ahmed Baloch, 22, was having an affair with his cousin Rani Bibi, a mother of two, and came to her house at night while her family was sleeping, police said.
	The noise as Baloch entered the house woke up Bibi's father- and brothers-in-law, prompting her to hide him in a large tin storage trunk in her room.
	She then placed a padlock on the trunk.
	But her in-laws came to search the room and Baloch was forced to cry out for help as he was suffocating, police said.
	They did not open the trunk and he died within 15 minutes, police added.
	The incident took place in the suburbs of the central Pakistan town of Muzaffargarh, late last night.
	"We have arrested Bibi's father-in-law and his two sons on murder charges," local police station chief Sardar Muhammad Idrees told AFP.
	He said ..

Pakistani woman hides lover in trunk, suffocates him: police

Three Ukrainian soldiers were killed and sixteen wounded as violent clashes continued between pro-Russian rebels and government forces in the country's separatist east, Kiev said today.
	Eight of the injured soldiers suffered concussion during artillery shelling over the weekend near Luganske, a village 50 kilometres northeast of the rebels' de facto capital Donetsk, according to military spokesman Andriy Lysenko.
	Despite the agreement of a ceasefire aimed at halting the 26-month war in east Ukraine, shelling flares up frequently and Kiev has lost several soldiers in recent weeks.
	The rebel defence ministry in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic on Sunday accused Ukrainian forced of shelling Gorlivka and Donetsk, injuring four civilians - two women and two men.
	Nearly 9,500 people have died since Ukraine's mostly Russian-speaking eastern industrial regions revolted against Kiev's pro-Western government in April 2014.
	Kiev and the West have accused Russia of supporting ...

Three Ukrainian soldiers killed in separatist east

The Central African Republic remains "in danger," with entire regions controlled by armed groups, President Faustin-Archange Touadera warned today as he marked 100 days since his election.
	Touadera was elected in a peaceful vote in February seen as a step toward reconciliation after years of sectarian violence, helped by a 12,000-strong UN force but while drawing down France's military presence.
	He took office in March, but the long-restive country has seen a resurgence of violence since mid-June.
	"The country is in danger. We have to save it by all legal means ... As I speak, entire regions of the country have become sanctuaries for armed groups," said the former maths teacher.
	"The international community is tired of bearing responsibility for our political mistakes," he said, while hailing help from countries including France, Italy, the United States as well as that from the UN, the European Union, the African Union and others.
	Touadera, who still teaches at the University of 

C Africa still in 'danger,' warns president after 100 days

President Francois Hollande said today the French team's success at Euro 2016 was helping the country to heal from the Paris attacks and that even the national team had been scarred by the events in November.
	Authorities are bracing for mass celebrations if France -- a country still on high terrorist alert -- win today's final against Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal.
	Tricolour flags fly from apartment blocks and bars, cafes and parks are packed for showings of Les Bleus matches on giants screens.
	"The French people needed to find their way again," Hollande said in a commentary on the wave of support for the national team that has been in disgrace in recent years.
	"We saw it at the time of the attacks. We came together in the dramas, we had to find ourselves in the happiness, to come together," he wrote in the Journal du Dimanche.
	The November 13 attacks across Paris left 130 dead. The Stade de France where France were playing Germany at the time was one of the sites targeted by ...

Hollande says France healing around Euro 2016 final

The world's top 20 economies will work to boost sluggish global trade despite growing protectionism, overcapacity concerns, and uncertainty over Brexit, G20 trade ministers said today at a meeting in Shanghai.
	"The global recovery continues, but it remains uneven and falls short of our ambition for strong, sustainable and balanced growth. Downside risks and vulnerabilities persist," the trade ministers said in a joint statement, adding that trade should remain "an important engine" to spur global growth.
	The G20 nations, which account for 85 percent of global trade, admitted that protectionism has been rising since the financial crisis, and said that new trade restrictions in the group had reached the highest monthly average registered since the WTO began monitoring in 2009.
	"We note with concern that despite the G20's repeated pledge, the stock of restrictive measure affecting trade in goods and services has continued to rise," they said in the statement.
	Ahead of the meeting, ...

G20 pledge to boost trade despite growing protectionism

A prominent Black Lives Matter activist livestreamed his own arrest at a protest in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, US media reported, as tensions rise between US police and racial minority groups.
	The demonstration was one of several in US cities following the death of two African-American men shot dead by white police officers, their dying moments captured in shocking video footage that went viral online.
	One of those killed was Alton Sterling, shot dead by a police officer in Baton Rouge, in the southern state of Louisiana.
	Black Lives Matter activist DeRay McKesson traveled to Baton Rouge for the protest yesterday, and was walking on the side of a road livestreaming the demonstration on Periscope.
	"Police have been provocateurs all night," he says in the video. "We aren't blocking the street or anything."
	"No justice, no peace, no racist police!" activists chant, as police cruisers follow the group.
	Then suddenly the video is interrupted. "City Police. You're under arrest - don't ...

AFP

AFP

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