It was a Saturday night at the Pulse nightclub, which could mean only one thing: a raucous, high-spirited celebration that would not end until well after daybreak.
	Strobe lights were flashing and music blaring at the popular lounge, home to one of the hottest party scenes in Florida -- and where 50 people were killed and 53 injured in a mass shooting today.
	Just a few days earlier, Orlando's vibrant LGBT community had marked the annual Gay Days celebration, one of the biggest events anywhere in the US dedicated to gay pride.
	The partying was to go on at Pulse, a popular dance club and bar known for its drag shows.
	"Tonight 21 and up is FREEEEEEEE before 11pm," Kenya Michaels, a well-known Puerto Rican drag queen who was slated to perform at the club, posted on Facebook earlier yesterday.
	"Come see me show time at 12 am at Pulse Orlando Doors open at 9 pm. My sister Jasmine international is performing with me," posted Michaels -- who escaped the shooting unharmed.
	Scores of ...

Orlando club carnage: Pulsing music, strobe lights, gunfire

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Fighters from the Islamic State group killed at least 18 members of two families as they attempted to flee the besieged jihadist bastion of Fallujah, relatives said today.
	IS has been using civilians as human shields to defend its stronghold since Iraqi forces launched a vast offensive on May 22-23, on multiple occasions shooting those who tried to escape.
	Civilians who reached the safety of displacement camps south of the city and several aid organisations have reported cases of residents being shot dead, mostly as they tried to cross the Euphrates River to reach Iraqi government forces.
	In the worst known case so far, IS fighters killed at least 18 members of two families Friday as they attempted to flee, southeast of the city, relatives and a security officer told AFP by phone.
	"A number of residents were trying to flee and as they neared the Al-Salam intersection, Daesh (IS) opened fire on them, killing 18 and wounding dozens," a senior officer at the Joint Operations Command .

IS kills 18 civilians trying to flee Fallujah

Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric scored a brilliant volley as Croatia defeated Turkey 1-0 in their Euro 2016 Group D opener on Sunday.
     Ante Cacic's Croatia dominated throughout, twice hitting the bar in the second half. But it only Modric's 41st-minute strike -- his 11th international goal -- that separated the teams at the final whistle.
     Victory gave Croatia revenge for their elimination on penalties by Turkey in the quarter-finals at Euro 2008, although they had previously beaten them in a qualifying play-off prior to Euro 2012.
     Fatih Terim's Turkey now have it all to do ahead of their meeting with defending champions Spain in Nice on Friday. Croatia can already go into their game against the Czech Republic with one eye on the last 16.
     "We are definitely in the hardest group, with Spain, so it is a perfect start to get three points," said  Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic.
     The talent in both line-ups had raised hopes of an open contest and it took Croatia 

Modric stunner sees Croatia past Turkey

Northern Ireland fans were drawn into fighting in Nice on Saturday night as European Championship violence spread, witnesses said.
     Seven people were injured, including one man with a serious head injury, French police said. According to a Northern Ireland police officer accompanying fans at the scene, French riot police moved in after local Nice youths hurled bottles at Northern Ireland supporters in cafes near the central Place Massena.
     "About 20 to 30 Nice youths started throwing bottles at the Northern Ireland fans. Some bottles were thrown back, some punches were thrown," the officer said.
     "French police arrived to contain the situation."
     Dozens of riot police were on the pedestrian street after the incidents ended. Northern Ireland play Poland in Group C in Nice on Sunday. There are an estimated 10,000 Northern Ireland fans and several thousand Polish in the city for the game.
     Christian Estrosi, president of the regional council that includes Nice, ...

Northern Ireland fans drawn into Euro 2016 violence

Fifty people died and another 53 were injured early today when a heavily-armed gunman opened fire and seized hostages at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, police said in the worst mass shooting in US history.
	Terrified survivors -- who moments before were laughing and dancing with friends -- described how the gunman named by media as a US citizen of Afghan descent raked the club with bullets, prompting a police SWAT team to storm the venue.
	"We have cleared the building, and it is with great sadness that I share we have not 20, but 50 casualties in addition to the shooter," Mayor Buddy Dyer told a mid-morning news briefing in Orlando, more than doubling the previously given death toll.
	"There are another 53 that are hospitalised."
	President Barack Obama was being kept up to date by his homeland security and counterterrorism aide on what Florida officials are investigating as a terrorist attack.
	FBI official Ronald Hopper told reporters officials were "confident" there was no ..

50 dead at gay club in America's worst mass shooting

Pope Francis today appealed to the international community to redouble efforts to end the "modern slavery" of child labour.
	The pontiff was speaking on World Day Against Child Labour, sanctioned by the International Labour Organization.
	"We must all relaunch efforts to remove the causes of this modern slavery", he said in his weekly audience in St Peter's Square.
	"Millions of children are deprived of some of their fundamental rights and find themselves exposed to grave dangers. There are so many slaves today!"
	The ILO estimates there are around 168 million children working around the world, around half of whom are doing hazardous jobs that put their health at risk, such as in mines or in quarries.

Pope appeals for end to 'slavery' of child labour

Thousands of migrants have filed complaints against German authorities over the lengthy asylum-seeking process, according to official today.
	A total of 3,271 such cases had been filed by the end of March, the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees said in a written reply to a question from a lawmaker, according to official data seen by AFP.
	Such complaints could be deemed valid if authorities are found to have failed to issue a decision on an application within a specific timeframe.
	About a third of the cases are before the courts in Germany's most populous state, North-Rhine Westphalia.
	Migration office chief Frank-Juergen Weise had admitted in February that the authorities were running a massive backlog of refugee applications, after 1.1 million asylum seekers arrived in Germany last year alone.
	He said then that between 670,000 and 770,000 people who arrived in Germany last year still had not received the final decision on their asylum applications.
	The interior ministry ..

Germany records 3,200 complaints over asylum backlog

Fifty people died and another 53 were injured when a gunman opened fire and seized hostages at a gay nightclub in Florida, police said today, making it the worst mass shooting in US history.
	"We have cleared the building, and it is with great sadness that I share we have not 20 but 50 casualties in addition to the shooter," Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer told a news briefing, raising the death toll from 20 previously.
	"There are another 53 that are hospitalised.

Fifty dead, 53 injured in Orlando mass shooting: mayor

Fifty dead, 53 injured in Florida mass shooting: Orlando

An estimated 20 people were killed today as a heavily armed gunman, named by media as a US citizen of Afghan descent, opened fire and seized hostages at a crowded gay nightclub in Florida, in one of the worst mass shootings in US history.
	Terrified survivors - who moments before were laughing and dancing with friends - described how the gunman raked the club with bullets, prompting a police SWAT team to storm the venue.
	President Barack Obama was being kept up to date by his homeland security and counterterrorism aide on what Florida officials said was being investigated as a terrorist attack. The federal government has offered its full support with the probe.
	Quoting law enforcement sources, US television networks named the shooter as Omar Mateen, who was born to Afghan parents in 1986 and lives in Port St Lucie, Florida, about two hours drive from Orlando.
	CBS News reported that Mateen - who died in a shootout with police after the siege - has no apparent criminal ...

Around 20 dead in Florida gay club attack, shooter dead

The gunman behind a mass shooting at a gay club in Orlando, Florida has been identified as an citizen of Afghan descent, US television networks reported today.
	Quoting law enforcement sources, CBS News named the shooter as Omar Mateen, who was born to Afghan parents in 1986 and lives in Port St Lucie, Florida.
	The network reported that Mateen - who died in a shootout with police after the hostage siege - has no apparent criminal history and that authorities are investigating whether he had ties to Islamic extremism.
	Police have yet to officially identify the gunman.

'Orlando shooter identified as US citizen of Afghan descent'

A hostage-taking that left about 20 dead and 42 wounded at a Florida gay nightclub early today is being investigated as a terrorist act, officials said.
	"Any time we have potentially dozens of victims in our communities, that I think we can qualify that as a terrorist activity. Whether that's a domestic terrorist or international one is something we'll get to the bottom of," said Danny Banks, of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Office.
	Asked whether there was any reason to believe there was a connection to Islamic terrorism, FBI special agent Ron Harper said investigators would be looking into "all angles."
	"We do have suggestions that that individual may have leanings toward that particular ideology but we can't say definitively," he said.

Shooting suspect may have 'leanings' to Islamic extremism: FBI

England paceman James Anderson has received an International Cricket Council code of conduct reprimand for showing disrespect to umpire S Ravi during the third Test against Sri Lanka at Lord's, the global governing body said today.
     Anderson has been handed the minimum penalty for the Level One offence of "conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game".
     England's all-time leading wicket-taker admitted the charge and accepted the punishment for his response on Saturday after India's Ravi, one of the standing umpires at Lord's, told Anderson not to "verbally engage" with Sri Lanka batsman Rangana Herath.
     There was no play before lunch on the fourth day today due to rain.
     England, bidding for a whitewash at 2-0 up in the three-match series, are 109 for four in their second innings -- a lead of 237 runs.

Anderson reprimanded over umpire clash

Kuwait has asked the public prosecutor to open an investigation into a scrapped deal with US firm Dow Chemical that resulted in a USD 2.2 billion fine, a newspaper reported today.
	Citing an unnamed high-ranking source, Al-Qabas daily said the government last week sent a large number of documents to the public prosecutor all the details about the deal.
	The documents included the names of officials who have been associated with the USD 17.4 billion joint venture, the daily said.
	Kuwait and US petrochemicals giant Dow Chemical signed the deal in 2008 but the emirate unilaterally scrapped it later in the same year due to a political dispute between the government and parliament.
	The International Chamber of Commerce, acting as an arbitrator, later ordered Kuwait to pay a penalty of USD 2.2 billion for scrapping the deal.
	The government paid the fine in May 2013 although parliament had warned against making the payment before conducting a probe.
	The oil-rich Gulf state's move comes ..

Kuwait orders probe into US Dow Chemical deal: report

UEFA today opened disciplinary proceedings against Russia after crowd disturbances in the stadium at the end of the Euro 2016 match against England.
     Europe's football governing body said Russia was charged with crowd disturbances, racist behaviour and letting off fireworks.
     It said sanctions will be decided on Tuesday once the Russia Football Union has made its case.
     UEFA said there were "segregation issues" at Stade Velodrome and said it would take action to strengthen the deployment of security personnel at stadiums.
     As the players left the pitch at the end of the 1-1 draw, Russian fans were seen charging into a section occupied by English supporters and fists were thrown.
     The violence though was restrained compared to the scenes before the match when hundreds of English and Russian fans fought pitched battles in the Vieux-Port area of Marseille.
     An Englishman was left fighting for his life and more than 30 people were injured.
     "UEFA expresses its .

UEFA charges Russia after England match violence

The Islamic State group carried out three suicide car bombings today against forces allied with Libya's unity government battling to retake the city of Sirte, an official said.
	"Three explosions from cars driven by Islamic State suicide bombers targeted our forces in Sirte," Rida Issa, a spokesman for the unity government's forces, told AFP.
	"There are several wounded among our forces," he said, without providing further details.
	One bomber blew up his car a few metres from a group of pro-government fighters near the Abu Hadi roundabout in the city's southeast, Issa said.
	The other bombers targeted pro-government forces and a field hospital in the city's west.
	Forces loyal to the unity government have been fighting deadly street battles to retake Sirte, a coastal city 450 kilometres east of Tripoli that IS seized last year and turned into its main North African bastion.
	The loss of Sirte, former dictator Moamer Kadhafi's home town, would be a major blow to IS at a time when it ..

IS suicide bombings target Libya pro-govt forces in Sirte

A United Arab Emirates military helicopter crashed into the sea today, killing two crew members, the country's armed forces said in a statement.
	The aircraft crashed "during a routine flight over international waters, causing the death of its pilot and co-pilot," said the statement on the official WAM news agency.
	It did not specify the type of aircraft or the location that it went down.
	On May 15, the armed forces also announced that an Emirati military jet crashed during training killing the pilot and trainer who were on board.

UAE military helicopter crash kills two

Around 20 dead, 42 injured in Orlando bar attack: police.

England captain Alastair Cook was set to undergo a fitness test as rain meant there was no play before lunch on the fourth day of the third Test against Sri Lanka at Lord's today.
     Cook was unable to bat in his usual opening position on Saturday after being struck below the left knee while fielding close in earlier in the day.
     But as rain prevented play starting as scheduled at 11:00 am local time (100 GMT) Sunday, Cook made his way across the main ground for a fitness test batting in the nets at the Nursery End of Lord's.
     An England statement said Cook's injury had "significantly improved overnight" and team officials remain optimistic the 31-year-old left-hander, who made 85 in his side's first innings at Lord's, will be able to bat again in this match.
     The umpires had planned to hold an inspection at 10:30 am (0930 GMT) but were thwarted by a fresh shower.
     They then decided to bring lunch forward 30 minutes to 12:30pm (1130 GMT) in the hope of re-starting ...

Cook has fitness test as rain delays England-SL 3rd Test

Former England captain Donald Carr has died, at the age of 89, it was announced Sunday. The MCC flag at Lord's, where England were playing Sri Lanka in the third Test, flew at half-mast as a mark of respect.
     Carr played twice for England, once as captain, on the 1951/52 tour of India. He made almost 20,000 first-class runs, in a 23-year career, was Derbyshire captain between 1955 and 1962 and a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1960.
     But Carr became better known as a cricket administrator, serving as secretary of the Test and County Cricket Board -- the forerunner of the current England and Wales Cricket Board.
     Carr was also an assistant secretary of MCC, managed three England overseas tours and later became an International Cricket Council match referee.
     Paying tribute to Carr, ECB chairman Colin Graves said: "Cricket has lost one of its greatest friends; someone who gave a lifetime of service to our game; as a cricketer, a captain, a club secretary, an England tour 

Former England captain Carr dead at 89

Dubai police have seized 81 vehicles for alleged "reckless driving", the authorities said, in a crackdown on street racing among youths in the wealthy Gulf emirate.
	The vehicles were impounded for being driven at speeds of up to 300 kilometres per hour and without number plates.
	"Dubai traffic patrols tracked a number of reckless drivers and seized 81 vehicles," Dubai police commander-in-chief Major General Khamis al-Muzainah said in a statement yesterday, without specifying over what period these seizures were made.
	Among the other allegations they face is driving without headlights switched on, according to media reports.
	"Motorists who participate in racing without permission will have to pay a 100,000 dirham (USD 27,000) fine to release the confiscated vehicle, while owners of seized bikes will need to pay a 50,000 dirham (USD 13,600) fine," said the Khaleej Times newspaper.
	By law, police can sell the seized cars if their owners did not approach the police within three ...

AFP

AFP

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