Venezuela's embattled President Nicolas Maduro has vowed that no referendum on ending his administration would be held until next year.
	Maduro's opponents are racing to call a referendum before January 10, as a successful recall vote before that deadline would trigger new elections rather than transfer power to the vice president.
	If the opposition meets all requirements with their bid to oust Maduro, "the recall referendum will be held next year. Period," the leftist populist said.
	For months now, Maduro has faced increasing hostility, with opponents accusing him of driving oil-rich Venezuela to the brink of economic collapse and launching a marathon process to call a vote on ousting him from office.
	"We must respect whatever the electoral authorities" decide, Maduro yesterday said at a pro-government event in Caracas.
	Opposition members have said that they want the vote to be held in October or November 2016.
	But the president insisted that they were too late.
	"If they had ...

Maduro vows no recall referendum before next year

PTI Automatic

An England football supporter was fighting for his life today after pitched street battles in the French city of Marseille, bringing new shame on football.
	French riot police used tear gas and water cannon to try to restore order as English and Russian fans brawled in a series of clashes ahead of their teams' Euro 2016 opener, leaving at least 19 injured.
	Bare-chested supporters hurled bistro chairs and bottles in the Vieux-Port area, where the cobbled streets were left littered with broken glass and debris, in a third consecutive day of violence.
	Hundreds of fans poured down stone steps in the streets of the Mediterranean port city, many carrying chairs.
	The trouble erupted after massed ranks of fans had been drinking for hours.
	One English fan was left in a critical condition, the regional police prefect Laurent Nunez said.
	A police source said the man had been beaten with an iron bar "apparently around the head" and was rushed to hospital after emergency first-aid at the ...

England fan critical after mass Euro 2016 violence

Nine people including three children died today in a house fire in the South African city of Cape Town, a spokeswoman for local firefighters said.
	"A house fire broke broke out before nine (am) this morning," Liezl Moodie told AFP, saying three of the dead were minors, including an infant.
	Earlier she had told AFP that eight had died, but said one more death had been reported.
	"Now there are nine people deceased," she said without details on the ninth death, but saying four remain in hospital with serious injuries.
	The cause of the blaze in Mitchells Plein, one of the country's largest townships, was not immediately clear.
	President Jacob Zuma said in a statement he was "deeply saddened and shocked by this tragedy.

Nine die in South Africa fire tragedy

Boko Haram has killed four women in a remote village in Nigeria's northeast in the latest attack by the Islamist group, local vigilantes assisting the military said today.
	14 Boko Haram gunmen on seven motorcycles stormed Mairari village, 80 kilometres from Maiduguri, the state capital late yesterday and picked four women from their homes and slit their throats, they said.
	The women were aged between 27 and 45.
	"They went into four homes while residents were breaking their fast around 7:00 pm, brought out the four women and slaughtered them,"  Babakura Kolo, a vigilante in Maiduguri told AFP.
	"We believe the killings were targeted, the gunmen were from all indications after the husbands of the women," he said.
	"They killed the women when they didn't find their husbands".
	Another vigilante, Musa Ari gave a similar account.
	"The general feeling is that the women's husbands either refused to accept Boko Haram's invitation to join their ranks or the group suspects them of passing ..

Boko Haram kills four women in NE Nigeria: vigilantes

Algeria's President Abdelaziz Bouteflika replaced the energy and finance ministers today in a surprise reshuffle a year after they were appointed.
	A statement from Bouteflika's office made the announcement but gave no reason for the changes which come as Algeria faces an economic crisis because of falling oil revenues.
	Noureddine Boutarfa, an engineer who headed the powerful state electricity and gas company Sonelgaz for a decade, took over the energy ministry from Salah Khebri.
	Haji Baba-ammi, a minister of state in charge of budget affairs, was promoted and given the finance ministry, replacing Abderahmane Benkhlafa.
	Both Khebri and Benkhlafa had been appointed in May last year in another surprise reshuffle.
	Also among the changes was the appointment of 86-year-old Boualem Bessaieh -- foreign minister between 1988-1991 -- as minister of state and Bouteflika's special representative.
	The reshuffle is Bouteflika's third since his re-election to a fourth five-year term in ...

Algeria's Bouteflika replaces energy, finance ministers

Archaeologists are set to unveil further details of medieval cities hidden under jungle in Cambodia near Angkor Wat, the world's largest Hindu temple complex, the Guardian newspaper said today.
	While the research has been going on for several years, the new findings reportedly reveal the scale of the cities to be significantly bigger than was previously known.
	The research, drawing on airborne laser scanning technology, is expected to be unveiled in full at the Royal Geographic Society in London on Monday by Australian archaeologist Damian Evans.
	"We have entire cities discovered beneath the forest that no one knew were there -- at Preah Khan of Kompong Svay and, it turns out, we uncovered only a part of Mahendraparvata on Phnom Kulen (in a 2012 survey)," Evans was quoted as saying by the Guardian.
	"This time we got the whole deal and it's big -- the size of Phnom Penh big."
	Evans's findings are also set to be published in the Journal of Archaeological Science.
	The Royal ...

Secrets of lost Cambodian cities to be revealed: report

Nuwan Pradeep took three wickets and did some serious damage to a couple of England careers as Sri Lanka fought hard to avoid a series whitewash in the third Test at Lord's today.
	England in their second innings were 109 for four at the close of the third day, a healthy but not impregnable lead of 237 runs.
	Alex Hales was 41 not out, having been dropped on 19 and 39, with nightwatchman Steven Finn, missed on one, unbeaten on six.
	England, 2-0 up in the three-match series, were rocking at 50 for three on Saturday before first-innings century-maker Jonny Bairstow helped Hales add 52 for the fourth wicket.
	Hales launched the innings with two fours in as many balls off Suranga Lakmal.
	But he was dropped on 19 when Dimuth Karunaratne failed to hold a one-handed slip chance off paceman Pradeep.
	However, it wasn't long before Pradeep had Nick Compton out for 19 instead.
	Compton had been promoted to open in place of England captain Alastair Cook, after the left-hander suffered a knee ..

Cricket: Pradeep treble rocks England in third Test

Turkey's Europe minister has admitted there is no chance of completing a deal on visa-free travel to the EU by the July 1 deadline, during a visit to the Hague.
	The European Union agreed in March to offer Turkey visa-free access by July 1, increased aid and speeded up accession talks in return for Ankara controlling the flood of migrants crossing into Greece.
	But Turkey has yet to fulfil all of the conditions laid down by the European Commission for the visa agreement, including changes to Ankara's anti-terrorism laws to meet EU concerns over human rights.
	Turkey's European Affairs Minister Omer Celik admitted the July 1 deadline would be missed in an interview late yesterday with Dutch broadcaster NOS -- the first official such acknowledgement by Ankara.
	"If we are realistic, we are not going to achieve this date," he said.
	Austrian Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka also said yesterday that the July 1 deadline was not feasible, a view widely shared in Brussels.
	"But we think ..

Turkey admits no visa-free EU travel deal by July 1

UEFA said today it "firmly condemns" the street battles involving rival fans before the England-Russia European Championship match which left an Englishman in a critical condition.
	"UEFA firmly condemns the incidents in Marseille," said a UEFA spokesman. "People engaging in such violent acts have no place in football."
	Police fired tear gas at hundreds of English and Russian fans to end a third straight day of fighting in the southern French port.
	Marseille's police prefect said an English fan was in a "critical" condition after the clashes.
	AFP journalists saw a man with a bloodied face receiving treatment on the ground after suffering a cardiac arrest.

Football: UEFA 'condemns' Marseille fan violence

Queen Elizabeth II marked her official 90th birthday today by taking the salute at a special military parade in London where her vivid green outfit caused a sensation.
	After Trooping the Colour, members of the royal family appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to watch a military flypast, including Prince William and Kate with their children George and Charlotte.
	Prince George, who is nearly three, waved at the planes as they flew by, while one-year-old Princess Charlotte, who was carried by Kate, blocked her ears.
	The parade featured almost 1,500 uniformed officers and their men as well as more than 300 horses.
	But it was the queen's unusually bold dress and hat combination in a green so bright as to be almost fluorescent which caught the eye of many.
	On Twitter, some compared it to the colour of Kermit the Frog from Jim Henson's TV comedy "The Muppet Show".
	The queen favours bright colours for public appearances so she can be easily seen by crowds, though they are ...

Britain's queen wows in green at 90th birthday parade

Football fans fought pitched battles for the third day in the French city of Marseille ahead of England's European Championship clash with Russia today.
	Bare-chested English and Russian supporters hurled bistro chairs and bottles in the historic Vieux-Port district where the cobbled streets were littered with broken glass and debris.
	The air was thick with tear gas.
	At least five people were hurt in the violence which erupted after massed ranks of fans had been drinking for hours in the southern city.
	AFP journalists saw one man with a heavily bloodied face receiving treatment after apparently suffering a cardiac arrest.
	Police fired volleys of teargas to disperse the brawling fans as well as local youths who became involved.
	Fans were seen marauding through streets throwing chairs and taunting each other.
	Six people were arrested, adding to seven arrests in the district yesterday night in similar disturbances.
	Police also broke up fighting involving England fans on ...

Third day of fan clashes before England-Russia football match

Powerful Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr today called a halt to anti-government protests during Ramadan but warned that a "million-man" demonstration would be held after the Muslim holy month has ended.
	"I found it would be beneficial to take a break and postpone all of this until the end of the month," he said in a statement.
	His followers have been holding weekly protests to demand reform and an end to corruption, bringing the city to a standstill every yesterday as security forces deployed en masse.
	Sadr called for the preparation of "a peaceful, popular million-man protest" after Ramadan ends in July and warned that he would not rein in his forces if protesters were confronted.
	Protesters led by Sadr supporters have breached Baghdad's fortified Green Zone twice already over the past two months, storming parliament and the prime minister's office.
	The last time was on May 20 and saw tension in Baghdad rise as Sadr's militia Saraya al-Salam and other armed groups loyal to rival ...

Iraq's Sadr warns of 'million-man' demo after Ramadan pause

Belgium's ageing Tihange 2 nuclear reactor was automatically shut down following a motor failure in a non-nuclear part of the plant, a spokesman said today.
	"An electrical motor that turns a steam turbine in a non-nuclear part of the site broke down," spokesman Serge Dauby said, following the incident which could again raise safety concerns from neighbouring countries.
	The failure of the electrical motor automatically led to a shutdown of the 40-year-old Tihange 2 reactor yesterday afternoon, "a common procedure," he added.
	The reactor could be restarted on Wednesday once repairs of the motor have been completed, he said.
	Located in southeast Belgium, around 70 kilometres from the German border, the Tihange 2 reactor as well as the Doal 3 near the Netherlands have caused safety concerns for some time after a series of problems ranging from leaks to cracks and an unsolved sabotage incident.
	The Doel and Tihange power stations have been in service since 1974-1975, and were ...

Belgium's Tihange reactor shuts down

Uganda is set to pull its troops out of  the restive Central African Republic, deeming the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) to be "no longer a threat", an army spokesman said today.
	"Uganda has met its goal in the fighting against LRA," army spokesman Paddy Ankunda told AFP.
	"The LRA has been degraded, they no longer have means to make war," he said, adding however that another reason behind Kampala's thinking was that "international support has not been enough".
	The chronically unstable Central African Republic was plunged into chaos in 2013 when mainly Muslim Seleka rebels ousted president Francois Bozize, triggering a spiral of revenge attacks between the rebels and mainly Christian vigilante groups that left thousands dead and displaced many more.
	The bloodletting in one of the world's poorest nations was so serious it triggered a military intervention by former colonial power France and led to the deployment of a UN peacekeeping force.
	A peaceful presidential vote held in .

Uganda set to pull troops out of C Africa: army

Fabien Schaer's powerful header gave Switzerland a narrow 1-0 win over 10-man Albania on the second day of the European Championship finals on Saturday.
     The Group A match, in the spotlight with brothers Granit and Taulant Xhaka playing for opposing sides, was decided by the sending off of Albania captain Lorik Cana.
     The Albanian underdogs were continually scrambling to get back into the game while Switzerland, who now lead the group with France, never took firm control.
     After just five minutes, Hoffenheim centre back Schaer rose above the Albanian defence to head in from a corner by Xherdan Shaqiri.
     The 1.86 metre (6ft 2in) defender makes a habit of scoring for the national side, with five goals in 19 appearances now. He was also a rock in defence and was booked in the 12th minute for chopping down Emir Lenjani.
     Albania had their chances. Taulant Xhaka, the elder of the Kosovo-origin brothers, was put clear in the 26th minute but shot well over the top.
     ..

Schaer goal seals Switzerland win at Euro 2016

Fresh clashes erupted today between football fans gathered in the southern French city of Marseille ahead of a Euro 2016 match between England and Russia, police said.
	Security forces fired tear gas to disperse fighting fans for a third day in a row, just hours before the match which is one of five Euro games classed as high-risk for hooliganism.
	"Police intervened in a clash between English, Russian and French supporters in the Vieux-Port district," said local police chief Laurent Nunez.
	Meanwhile, three England fans and a French woman were to appear in court today charged with acts of violence in Marseille, the state prosecutor's office said.
	All four were held in custody overnight after being arrested for throwing bottles and other objects  at police as trouble flared yesterday.
	One of the three English nationals picked up is a minor and will appear before a juvenile judge.
	A Frenchman arrested for violence and theft with violence on Thursday appeared before a judge earlier ..

Fans clash in France before high-risk Euro 2016 match

The Solar Impulse 2 aircraft flew into New York past the Statue of Liberty completing the US leg today of a record-breaking bid to circumnavigate the Earth powered only by solar energy.
	The plane, which is no heavier than a car but has the wingspan of a Boeing 747, is being flown on its 35,000 kilometer round-the-world journey by two pilots taking turns, Swiss entrepreneur Andre Borschberg and psychiatrist Bertrand Piccard.
	"It's absolutely incredible," said Borschberg over a live video feed as the iconic statue lit up the night below him. "It's a dream here."
	The light, slow-moving aircraft landed at New York's John F Kennedy International Airport, one minute ahead of schedule at 3:59 am after a five-hour flight from Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania.
	Photographers in New York harbor captured the innovative solar-powered aircraft as it flew over the Verrazano Bridge, circled Lady Liberty and cruised the Manhattan skyline before turning south to land.
	"I felt like a three-year-old ...

Sun-powered Solar Impulse 2 lands in New York

Chris Woakes started and finished a Sri Lanka collapse on the third day of the third Test against England at Lord's today.
     Sri Lanka, well-placed at 162 for one overnight, were dismissed for 288 -- 128 runs behind England's first innings 416.
     Woakes, who took a wicket with his first ball Saturday, ended the innings with the opening delivery of a new spell on the stroke of tea when Shaminda Eranga was caught in the slips by James Vince.
     Warwickshire all-rounder Woakes finished with figures of three for 31 in 17.1 overs.
     Sri Lanka, bidding to avoid a whitewash at 2-0 down in this three-match series, resumed Saturday with Kaushal Silva 79 not out and Kusal Mendis 25 not.
     But they both fell for their overnight scores as Sri Lanka collapsed in overcast conditions that made batting harder than had been the case on Friday.
     Sri Lanka had not added a run when Woakes had Mendis lbw with his first ball Saturday to end a partnership of 54.
     It was just reward for 

Woakes stars as Sri Lanka collapse

Scoreboard at tea on the third day
of the third Test between England and Sri Lanka at Lord's today.
     England 1st Innings: 416
     Sri Lanka 1st Innings (overnight 162 for 1)
     D Karunaratne c Bairstow b Finn         50
     K Silva c Bairstow b Broad              79
     K Mendis lbw b Woakes                   25
     L Thirimanne c Root b Finn              17
     A Mathews c Root b Woakes                3
     D Chandimal lbw b Finn                  19
     K Perera c Bairstow b Anderson          42
     R Herath b Broad                        31
     S Eranga c Vince b Woakes                1
     S Lakmal c Root b Anderson               0
     N Pradeep not out                        0
     Extras: (B-4, LB-16, W-1)               21
     Total: (all out, 95.1 overs)           288
     Fall of wickets: 1-108, 2-162, 3-166, 4-169, 5-202, 6-205, 7-276, 8-288, 9-288.
     Bowling: Anderson 23-6-61-2; Broad 23-7-79-2; Finn 18-1-59-3; Woakes 17.1-5-31-3; Ali 14-2-38-0.

London, Jun 11 (AFP) Scoreboard at tea on the third day

A US drone attack in Yemen killed two suspected Al-Qaeda members in their vehicle today in Marib province east of the capital Sanaa, a local official said.
	The official named the two dead men as Gazwan al-Waili and Zubeir al-Sanaani and said "they were known for their links to Al-Qaeda".
	After Yemeni government forces retook Hadramawt provincial capital Mukalla in the southeast on April 24, after Al-Qaeda had held it for a year, the jihadist fighters headed north to Marib province.
	Washington, which views Al-Qaeda's Yemen-based branch as its most dangerous, acknowledged on May 7 that a "very small number" of US military personnel has also been deployed in support of the operation to retake Mukalla.
	Al-Qaeda exploited the civil war in Yemen between Shiite Huthi rebels and government forces to expand its presence in the south and southeast.
	The United States regularly conducts air strikes against Al-Qaeda. A March strike on a training camp west of Mukalla killed more than 70 ...

US drone strike in Yemen 'kills two Qaeda men'

Bahraini Shiite opposition activist Zainab al-Khawaja, who was released from jail this week on "humanitarian" grounds, announced today that she has left the country.
	"It pains me to leave, but I leave carrying our cause on my back, and my love for my country in my chest," Khawaja, who left for Denmark where she also holds nationality, said on Twitter.
	Her sister Maryam, likewise on Twitter, said Zainab left on Monday with her children after having received undisclosed threats.
	Bahraini authorities said they released Khawaja, who had been held in prison with her toddler son since March, on May 31 because of her "humanitarian situation".
	The Shiite mother had been convicted of insulting King Hamad by ripping up a picture of him, and she had chosen to keep her 17-month-old son with her in jail.
	Judicial authorities ordered "the suspension of the sentence" for Khawaja.
	She is the daughter of prominent rights activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, who is serving a life sentence for plotting .

AFP

AFP

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