A strong 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of central Indonesia today, US seismologists said, but no tsunami warning was issued and there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
	The undersea quake hit about 300 kilometres  south of the popular holiday island of Lombok at 12:13 pm (local time), at a depth of 29 kilometres, said the US Geological Survey.
	Indonesia's disaster agency said officials were checking to see if the quake had any impact.
	Indonesia experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," where tectonic plates collide.

6.2 undersea quake strikes central Indonesia

PTI Automatic

Philippe Coutinho completed a hat-trick as Brazil routed Haiti 7-1 at the Copa America Centenario while Ecuador produced a gutsy fightback to thwart Peru's push for a quarter-final berth.
     Coutinho conjured up the sort of form which made him one of Liverpool's most potent attackers in the Premier League last season as the Brazilians outclassed Haiti in the first ever competitive meeting of the two nations.
     The 23-year-old attacking midfielder grabbed his first two goals inside the first half hour of a one-sided Group B game at Orlando's Citrus Bowl in Florida.
     Coutinho then grabbed his third in the dying seconds of injury time, curling in a spectacular shot to complete a fine night's work.
     Brazil, who had drawn 0-0 with Ecuador in a lackustre opening game last weekend, now lead Group B on goal difference, level on four points with Peru, who were held 2-2 by the Ecuadorans elsewhere on Wednesday.
     Brazil manager Dunga was left purring with pleasure at the ...

Coutinho leads Brazil rout as Ecuador thwart Peru

All of the roughly 15,000 tickets for tomorrow's public memorial service in Louisville honoring boxing legend Muhammad Ali, the city's most famous son, have been distributed, organizers said.
     Hundreds of people formed long lines early in the day for a chance at a seat in the KFC Yum! Center, a large sports arena, for Friday's interfaith ceremony, at which former president Bill Clinton and comedian Billy Crystal will eulogize Ali.
     Ali, whose remarkable boxing career and civil rights activism made him one of the most indelible figures of the 20th century, died last week at age 74 after a decades-long battle with Parkinson's disease.
     Louisville, the largest city in the southern state of Kentucky and home to 600,000 people, will play host Thursday and Friday to a mass public celebration of Ali's life.
     "This is part of our history and I feel like Muhammad Ali has an awesome legacy," said 23- year-old waitress Andeja Tyler, who stood in line waiting for tickets.
     "I .

All tickets for Ali memorial service handed out

Lionel Messi trained alongside his Argentina team-mates at the Copa America Centenario as he targets a return from injury in his team's second Group D game against Panama.
     Messi, who has been nursing a sore back after sustaining an injury in a friendly against Honduras last month, has trained separately under the supervision of team medical staff since arriving in the United States.
     However the 28-year-old Barcelona superstar took part in a full training session on Wednesday at the University of Illinois campus, two days after sitting out Argentina's opening 2-1 victory over Chile in Santa Clara on Monday.
     In a short message on his Facebook page, Messi said he hoped to make a swift return to Argentina's starting line-up.
     "I hope to be ready as soon as possible to help the team," Messi wrote.
     A victory against Panama on Friday would almost certainly guarantee a place in the quarter-finals for Argentina with one game remaining in Group D.
     Argentina are ...

Messi trains with Argentina, eyes Panama

After a gruelling qualifying campaign, Euro 2016 gets underway tomorrow with Cristiano Ronaldo and the rest of the continent's biggest stars descending on France having to fend off minnows aiming to make their presence felt.
     This will be the first 24-team European Championship, a month-long marathon a far cry from the eight-nation event when France with Michel Platini were last hosts in 1984.
     France launch the tournament with a Group A game against Romania on Friday. Les Bleus remain the last host country to lift the trophy -- named after a Frenchman, Henri Delaunay -- and also won the World Cup as hosts in 1998, when Didier Deschamps was the captain.
     Now he is the coach of a side looking to lift the spirits of a nation beset by social unrest and fears of a repeat of the Paris attacks last November. The tension has made some players nervous however.
     "I would like to concentrate fully on football during the Euro, and I would feel much better if my family is not ...

Ronaldo and Co launch Euro 2016 in jittery France

A tortuous build-up dominated by off-field controversy and untimely injuries comes to an end for hosts France when they finally get Euro 2016 underway against Romania in Group A at the Stade de France tomorrow.
     Les Bleus' preparations on the field have been distracted by claims from Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema that his exclusion from the squad was racially motivated.
     Benzema hasn't played for Les Bleus since October last year after becoming embroiled in a sex-tape blackmail scandal that targeted then international teammate Mathieu Valbuena.
     France's highest active goalscorer, Benzema -- who is of Algerian descent -- claimed coach Didier Deschamps had "bowed to pressure from a racist part of France."
     In addition, Benzema's Madrid team-mate Raphael Varane will miss the tournament due to a hamstring injury.
     Coach Didier Deschamps' defensive options are severely depleted as Barcelona's Jeremy Mathieu also had to withdraw from the squad, while Liverpool's ...

France savour Euros opener after blighted build-up

Veteran Democratic Republic of Congo opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi has said he was ready for dialogue with President Joseph Kabila under international oversight as he called for unity against the government.
	DRC opposition figures began a two-day meeting yesterday in Belgium to thrash out a common position against Kabila who is widely believed to want a third term, in contravention of the constitution which allows only two.
	Tshisekedi, 83, told them they were gathered "as patriots to exchange views on the grave crisis affecting our country."
	"More than ever, we must be united to get rid of you know who," he said, referring to Kabila who has been in power since his father's assassination in 2001.
	At the same time, the opposition must be mindful of the possible dangers and get the president "to leave quietly... and not expose the people to bullets," he said.
	Tshisekedi, who leads the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), said the opposition could consider dialogue .

DR Congo opposition leader ready for 'dialogue' with

The United States has denounced a mass shooting in a nightspot in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv that left at least four people dead.
	   The State Department yesterday dubbed this latest in a series of assaults by alleged Palestinian extremists a "horrific terrorist attack."
	   "We extend our deepest condolences to the families of those killed and our hopes for a quick recovery for those wounded," spokesman Mark Toner said.
	   "These cowardly attacks against innocent civilians can never be justified. We are in touch with Israeli authorities to express our support."
	   Two men from the occupied West Bank had opened fire at patrons at sidewalk cafes across the street from Israel's military headquarters.
	   Israeli police later said one attacker had been arrested and the other had been wounded by gunfire and was undergoing surgery.
	   Since October, violence related to the Middle East conflict has killed 207 Palestinians, 28 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese.
	   ...

US condemns 'cowardly' Tel Aviv attack

Three people were killed and six wounded in a shooting tonight near a Tel Aviv bar and restaurant complex, officials said, one of the deadliest in an eight-month wave of such attacks.
	Details were still emerging, but police said there were two attackers, with one arrested and another wounded by gunfire and undergoing surgery.
	A video posted on social media showed a uniformed officer firing a handgun, although his target could not be seen.
	Other footage showed people running away from the area in panic.
	A hospital nearby said at least three people were killed, with a total of nine having earlier been reported wounded at the Sarona Market in Israel's commercial capital.
	Israeli authorities had yet to provide details on the assailants other than referring to them as "terrorists" -- often used to describe Palestinian attackers.
	The market and complex of bars and restaurants is located across the street from Israel's defence ministry and main army headquarters.
	The nighttime ...

Shooting attack kills three at Tel Aviv nightspot

Oil prices climbed to fresh peaks for 2016 for the third day in a row today due to supply disruptions in Nigeria and data showing lower US petroleum inventories.
	The Niger Delta Avengers, a rebel group that has attacked numerous oil facilities in Nigeria, rejected a truce offer with officials and claimed they hit a new target.
	The disruptions have slashed output in OPEC member Nigeria from 2.2 million barrels a day to 1.6 million barrels a day.
	US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for July delivery advanced 87 cents to USD 51.23 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
	Brent North Sea oil for August delivery gained USD 1.07 to USD 52.51 a barrel in London.
	US inventory data today confirmed a tightening market picture, with US commercial stocks dropping by 3.2 million barrels for the week ending June 3, according to the Department of Energy.
	Analysts said US inventories could fall further as the world's biggest economy advances towards peak summer driving season and ...

Oil prices hit new 2016 highs on Nigeria cutbacks, US data

Three people were killed and six wounded in a shooting tonight near a Tel Aviv bar and restaurant complex, a hospital said, with police terming it a "terrorist attack".
	"The death has just been determined of three persons," said a statement from Ichilov hospital, near the complex across the street from Israel's defence ministry and main army headquarters.
	"We are talking here about a pretty serious terrorist incident," Tel Aviv police chief Chico Edri told reporters.
	"Two terrorists arrived at the complex and while firing and to our regret nine people were injured to different degrees.
	"Of the two terrorists, one was arrested and the other wounded by gunfire," he said.
	"The weapons they were carrying have been seized... We do not know of another terrorist at large and so from our point of view people can return to their normal lives."
	There were no immediate details identifying the attackers or victims.
	Violence since October last year has left 205 Palestinians and 28 Israelis .

Shooting attack kills three in Tel Aviv

A massive sinkhole opened up today on a busy road in the heart of Ottawa, forcing the evacuation of a nearby hotel, convention center and major shopping center in the Canadian capital city.
	No injuries were reported but a parked van and a lamp post were swallowed up as the hole quickly grew in size, stretching the width of the four-lane road.
	Authorities pointed to a watermain break as the likely cause, but construction of a subway line in the area was also suspected.
	"No city wants to see this kind of a sinkhole, but I can tell you that if you looked back in the last year there's probably a major sink hole in every city at least once a week somewhere in North America or around the world," Mayor Jim Watson told a press conference.
	The hole, at a busy intersection only two blocks from parliament, was expected to disrupt traffic and bus services for weeks or months, and possibly a North American leaders summit at the end of June.

Huge sinkhole opens in heart of Canada capital

US investment bank Morgan Stanley will pay USD 1 million for lax protection of customer data after an employee took records on some 730,000 clients, the Securities and exchange Commission announced today.
	The SEC said the bank did not adequately limit staff access to confidential customer account data, and that some of the data taken by the former employee eventually was posted for sale on the Internet by a third party.
	The SEC said the employee, Galen Marsh, downloaded the confidential records between 2011 and 2014 and transferred them to his home computer server.
	Then, according to the agency, "a likely third party" hacked into Marsh's server to access the data, some of which was then posted for sale online.
	When the case first came to light in early 2015, Morgan Stanley said there was no evidence that customers had incurred any financial losses due to the data theft.
	Marsh was later convicted for the theft and was sentenced to 36 months of probation and ordered to pay USD ...

Morgan Stanley penalized USD 1 mn over data theft

Uber is in talks with Italian-American auto giant Fiat Chrysler (FCA) and others about potential driverless car alliances, a source close to the matter said today.
	The source cautioned that discussions were in an early phase, and not exclusive to any one automobile maker.
	Earlier in the day, Bloomberg news agency cited a source as saying a deal between the automobile maker and Uber could be announced by the end of the year, adding that FCA was also reaching out to online commerce giant Amazon on the potential for using vehicles for deliveries.
	Amazon has been consistently exploring technology that could improve efficiency of distribution or delivery of goods handled by the online retail colossus.
	Uber Technologies and  FCA declined AFP requests for comment. Amazon did not respond to an AFP query.
	Fiat Chrysler announced an alliance with Google parent Alphabet in May, saying self-driving cars could hit roads within five years.
	Google began testing its autonomous driving ...

Fiat Chrysler in talks with Uber over driverless cars

At least three people were killed tonight in a mass shooting in Tel Aviv that Israeli police termed a "terrorist attack".
	"The death has just been determined of three persons," said a statement from Ichilov hospital, near the bar and restaurant complex where nine people were shot, across the street from Israel's defence ministry and main army headquarters.

Three dead in Tel Aviv mass shooting: hospital

Three dead in Tel Aviv mass shooting: hospital. (AFP)

Nine people were wounded, one gravely, in a shooting spree today near Israel's defence ministry and main army headquarters in Tel Aviv, emergency services said in a statement.
	Police said that it appeared to be a militant attack, but they could not immediately  give any details of the attacker or victims.

Shooting attack near army HQ in Tel Aviv wounds nine: medics

Satellite images confirm the destruction of the ancient Nabu temple in Iraq, the UN said late today, after the Islamic State group claimed to have blown it up.
	The UN training and research agency UNITAR said it had analysed satellite images collected on June 3 over the ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud in northern Iraq.
	"Compared to imagery collected 12 January 2016, we observe extensive damage to the main entrance of what is known as Nabu Temple," the agency said, providing the two sets of satellite images.
	In its latest attack on a historic site under its control, IS released a video this week claiming to have blown up the 2,800-year-old temple, devoted to the Babylonian god of wisdom.
	The video showed shots of an information sign at the temple followed by a massive explosion. One of the jihadists in the film also threatened to blow up the Egyptian pyramids and the Sphinx.
	Nimrud, one of the jewels of the Assyrian era, was founded in the 13th century BC and lies on the Tigris ...

Satellite images show ancient Iraq temple destroyed

Ephemeral messaging app Snapchat by year's end will have more US users than either Twitter or Pinterest, a market tracker said today.
	The number of people using Snapchat in the United States will leap more than 27 percent this year to 58.6 million, meaning that nearly one in five people in the country will be using the service, according to an eMarketer forecast.
	Twitter was expected to have 56.8 million US users this year, and online bulletin board Pinterest to have 54.6 million users.
	By the year 2020, the ranks of US Snapchat users was expected to swell to 85.5 million, according to the report.
	However, eMarketer forecast that Facebook Messenger smartphone communication application would remain in the lead in this segment with its US user base growing from 105.2 million this year to 139.2 million in the year 2020.
	Snapchat estimates it has more than 100 million users globally of the service for sending videos, images and text messages which vanish after being viewed. Some ...

Snapchat seen surging past Twitter, Pinterest in US

The United States underestimates the long-term impact of civilian deaths on the success of military missions and is failing to implement lessons learned from 15 years in Afghanistan, according to a report released today.
	While the US military is committed to avoiding civilian casualties, the report said that mistaken air strikes, misidentified target, unexploded ordinance and rogue partners have frequently led to non-combatant deaths in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and elsewhere.
	The study by Open Society Foundations, a charity founded by US magnate and philanthropist George Soros, found that in Afghanistan, such deaths seriously undermined the mission and fueled the growth of the Taliban.
	"Civilian harm accelerated the insurgency and undermined the US and Afghan governments," said Army combat veteran Christopher Kolenda, a study co-author.
	"It was like burning a candle at both ends with a blowtorch."
	The report describes several causes of civilian casualties, and is particularly ...

Civilian deaths undermining US military missions: report

Four eastern EU states today said they needed Britain to stay in the bloc, two weeks before the landmark UK referendum on membership.
	Poland's Prime Minister Beata Szydlo, speaking at a meeting in Prague with Czech, Hungarian and Slovak counterparts, said that London played a very important role in the EU and "we need Britain there."
	Szydlo, whose Law and Justice party is eurosceptic, warned that "it won't be possible to create a good platform for cooperation with Britain outside the EU."
	Ahead of the June 23 vote, an average of the last six domestic opinion polls published by the WhatUKThinks website puts the "Remain" camp slightly ahead at 51 percent and the "Leave" campaign at 49 percent.
	Slovakia's Premier Robert Fico, whose country will take over the rotating six-month EU presidency on July 1, said Brexit will be an issue regardless of the referendum outcome.
	If Britain stays the EU would be "in for a difficult period of implementing its (reform) deal" with London, he ...

AFP

AFP

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