Syrian rebels reopened a vital supply line by capturing two villages today from the Islamic State group as it came under pressure on a range of fronts in Syria and Iraq.
	IS has controlled large areas of both countries since declaring its self-styled "caliphate" in 2014 but is losing territory in the face of separate assaults.
	In Syria, pro-government forces, rebels and a US-backed Arab-Kurdish alliance are all engaged in offensives to squeeze the extremists' supply lines, while Iraqi forces are advancing on the IS-held city of Fallujah.
	The Damascus regime has also kept up its assaults on opposition areas, particular in second city Aleppo, where at least 15 civilians were killed today in bombing by pro-government forces that struck near a hospital.
	North of the city, rebel fighters re-opened a key supply route linking their two main bastions in Aleppo province: Marea and Azaz.
	In late May, IS captured several villages between the two towns, cutting off access to the Turkish ...

Rebel fighters roll back IS in northern Syria

PTI Automatic

People formed long lines today for a chance to get tickets to the memorial service honoring Louisville's most famous native son, boxing and civil rights legend Muhammad Ali.
	By 7 am the line snaked around the KFC Yum! Center, the large sports arena where the ceremony will be held on Friday.
	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 tomorrow 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 just want to be part of it," she said.
	Ten ticket booths have been set up to hand out four free tickets per person.
	Some people spent the night in line on ...

Long lines for tickets to Muhammad Ali's memorial service

France's highest administrative court today rejected an appeal by five men stripped of their nationality after being convicted for terrorism.
	"Due to the nature and seriousness of the terrorist acts committed... The punishment of the stripping of nationality was not disproportionate," said the State Council in its ruling.
	The five dual-nationality citizens involved were sentenced in France in 2007 for their role in a series of bombings in Casablanca, Morocco, in 2003 that left 45 dead.
	Four of the men hold dual Moroccan nationality and the fifth dual Turkish nationality, and the ruling means they can now be deported to their country of origin.
	French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve requested in parliament last October that the men be stripped of their nationality.
	French law only allows nationality to be removed from a citizen who holds a second passport and such cases are rare.
	The interior minister said at the time that only one French person had been stripped of their ...

French court upholds loss of nationality for terrorism

Afghan authorities today banned media companies from using drone cameras, citing security concerns in a country wellknown for the rampant use of unmanned military aircraft.
	"The interior ministry respectfully announces to all national and international media that they should not use drone cameras... As that can create problems for security institutions," the ministry said in a statement.
	The statement did not specify the security concerns but the decision comes after a recent incident in which a local media company flew a drone over the presidential palace in Kabul while covering a huge anti-government protest.
	US-led coalition forces have widely used drones for surveillance purposes and to carry out airstrikes against insurgent groups.
	A US drone killed Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansoor last month, in a rare attack deep inside Pakistan.
	Days later the Taliban announced Haibatullah Akhundzada as their new leader, elevating a low-profile religious figure as the insurgent group .

Afghanistan bans media's use of drone cameras

Two Scottish mosques today invited US presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to visit during his trip to Scotland later this month to inaugurate his newly-revamped golf course.
	"Before he makes another inflammatory speech, Mr Trump should learn more about the Muslims that offends almost every time he opens his mouth," said the statement from the Annandale and Roxburgh Street mosques in Edinburgh published in the Herald Scotland.
	"We would welcome the opportunity to show him the work that we are doing in the community in Edinburgh when he comes to Scotland later this month," it said.
	Contacted by AFP, Mohammad Saleem Irshad from the Annandale Mosque said: "We wanted to tell Mr Trump that what he thinks about Muslims is not a reality".
	"He should come to the mosque and check it. Are they teaching terrorism? He should come and study Islam."
	Trump has said he will arrive in Britain on June 22 and inaugurate his Trump Turnberry golf resort in southwest Scotland on .

Scottish mosques invite Trump to visit

Russia is working on setting up a joint air defence system with all of its ex-Soviet military allies, a senior official said today.
	"The merger of regional air defence systems will pave the way for creating a common air defence (system) over the entire territory of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation," Nikolai Bordyuzha, the head of the Russia-led alliance of six countries, told a press conference in the Armenian capital Yerevan.
	CSTO, Russia's answer to NATO, groups Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.
	Moscow has a joint air defence system in place with Belarus and Kazakhstan, and the agreement to create one with Armenia "is being considered for ratification" by the two countries' parliaments, Bordyuzha said.
	   Moscow has stepped up military cooperation with its CSTO allies since becoming embroiled in its worst standoff with the West since the Cold War over its 2014 annexation of the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine and the subsequent start of a 

Russia mulls joint air defence system with ex-Soviet allies

The South African government reacted angrily today to warnings by the United States and Britain about possible imminent "terrorist" attacks by Islamic extremists in the country's major cities.
	Without naming the countries, a strongly-worded statement described the warnings as "alarmist" and said diplomatic action had been taken to register South Africa's "displeasure".
	The US said Saturday it had received information that "terrorist groups" were planning to carry out attacks in upmarket shopping malls in South Africa during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
	Britain issued a similar alert two days later.
	"The information provided as a basis for the latest terror alerts on South Africa has been found to be very sketchy," the government said in a statement.
	"We have found the information to be dubious, unsubstantiated and provided by a 'walk-in' source based on questionable conclusions."
	South Africa rejected "attempts to generate perceptions of government ineptitude, alarmist ...

S Africa rebukes US, Britain over 'terror' alert

Afghan authorities today recovered bullet-ridden bodies of 12 security officials recently captured by the Taliban in eastern Ghazni province, while gunmen kidnapped 40 others in the country's north as the insurgency escalates.
	The violence underscores Afghanistan's fragile security situation as the Taliban, who launched their annual spring offensive in April, rejected government calls this week for a ceasefire during the holy month of Ramadan.
	The 12 soldiers, police and intelligence officers were captured over the past two months from different highway crossings in the insurgency-prone province of Ghazni.
	"The bodies... Of our personnel captured by the enemy were discovered in Andar district this morning," Ghazni's Governor Mohammad Aman Hamim told reporters.
	Separately, insurgents abducted 40 bus passengers in Kunduz today, in the second such group abduction in the northern province in less than two weeks, officials said.
	Seven other passengers managed to escape when Taliban ...

Taliban kill 12 Afghans, abduct 40 others: officials

An Islamic State-inspired knifeman who tried to behead a stranger in a London Underground station was convicted today of attempted murder.
	Somali-born Muhaydin Mire, 30, said during the rampage that he was doing it "for my Syrian brothers", while a bystander shouted at him "You ain't no Muslim, bruv" -- a phrase that went viral.
	Mire attacked 56-year-old musician Lyle Zimmerman with a rusty knife as he walked through Leytonstone Tube station in east London on December 5.
	He forced him to the ground and repeatedly kicked his head before trying to cut his throat. He also lashed out at other passers-by before police shot him with electric stun guns.
	Mire's mobile phone contained a graph showing US and coalition air strikes on the Islamic State jihadist group and images of IS hostages before they were executed by having their throats cut.
	The out-of-work minicab driver also had images of Lee Rigby, a British soldier who was murdered by Islamic extremists in a beheading attempt in ...

IS-inspired knifeman guilty of London murder bid

Some 2,000 troops from regional military powerhouse Chad headed to neighbouring Niger today, where Boko Haram insurgents inflicted heavy losses in the town of Bosso last week, a military source said.
	The "heavily armed" soldiers will "search everywhere for Boko Haram," added the source. The UN says some 50,000 people have fled Bosso after the attacks in Niger's troubled southeast.
	The attacks began Friday against a military post in Bosso in Niger's Diffa region, killing 26 soldiers including two from neighbouring Nigeria.
	A total of 55 insurgents from the Nigeria-based Islamist group were killed and "many" injured, according to authorities.
	"An estimated 50,000 people or so fled," UN refugee agency (UNHCR) spokesman Adrian Edwards told reporters today.

2,000 Chad troops head to Niger after Boko Haram attack

Oil prices hit fresh 2016 high, touching USD 52.34 a barrel today on Nigerian supply concerns and a weaker dollar, as traders awaited energy inventory data from the United States, the world's biggest crude consumer.
	Benchmark oil contract Brent North Sea crude reached USD 52.34 a barrel -- the highest level since October.
	Traders are expecting the US Department of Energy's weekly update to show another drop in crude stockpiles, which should firm oil prices further after having already rocketed by more than 90 per cent in value since February.
	Oil has surged in recent months, in part owing to a drop in the US currency that has made dollar-denominated crude cheaper for holders of the rival units.
	It has gained also on lower oil production in Canada and Nigeria caused by wildfires and unrest respectively.
	Prior to the strong rebound, oil futures had struck near 13-year low points in February. This was after a sustained months-long drop in prices from around USD 100 a barrel because .

Oil touches USD 52.34 a barrel

Moscow will treat unfounded allegations about doping in Russian sport as "absolute slander," the Kremlin said today, as Russia remains embroiled in a scandal that could see its athletes miss the Rio Olympics.
     Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was not "ready to accept any unfounded allegations, any unfounded accusations" regarding doping in the country.
     "We will treat this like absolute slander," Peskov told reporters, adding that Russia was "categorically against" the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sport.
     German public broadcaster ARD, which first brought the Russian doping scandal to light, is set to air later on Wednedsay new footage implicating Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko in what it described as "state-sponsored doping."
     ARD said it would present documents showing that Mutko had "prevented the publication of the doping offence of a footballer from Russia's top league".
     Russia's sports ministry on Tuesday evening released a ...

Kremlin says unfounded doping allegations 'absolute slander'

England captain Alastair Cook said today he wants all cricketers found guilty of match-fixing to be banned for life, but that he would be prepared to face Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir
     Left-arm quick Amir is in line to make his Test return -- having already made his comeback in white-ball international cricket -- in the series opener against England at Lord's next month.
     It was during a Lord's Test against England six years ago that Amir and two Pakistan team-mates were involved in the deliberate bowling of no-balls -- the trio having been lured into a newspaper 'sting' operation to demonstrate their willingness to take part in spot-fixing.
     A teenager at the time and one of world cricket's undoubted rising stars, Amir was sent to jail by an English court and banned from all cricket worldwide for five years.
     He has now served that ban and, unlike 2010 Pakistan captain Salman Butt and fellow paceman Mohammad Asif, Amir has now been included in the squad for a ...

Cook wants life bans for fixers but will face Amir

Oil prices hit fresh 2016 highs today on Nigerian supply concerns and a weaker dollar, as traders awaited energy inventory data from the United States, the world's biggest crude consumer.
	Traders are expecting the US Department of Energy's weekly update to show another drop in crude stockpiles, which should firm oil prices further after having already rocketed by more than 90 per cent in value since February.
	Oil has surged in recent months, in part owing to a drop in the US currency that has made dollar-denominated crude cheaper for holders of the rival units.
	It has gained also on lower oil production in Canada and Nigeria caused by wildfires and unrest respectively.
	Prior to the strong rebound, oil futures had struck near 13-year low points in February. This was after a sustained months-long drop in prices from around USD 100 a barrel because of a global supply glut.
	The impact of the sharp falls has been felt by energy majors across the world, with Russian oil giant Rosneft ..

Oil prices hit new 2016 highs

A Hong Kong protester told today how he was kicked and punched during pro-democracy rallies in 2014 as seven police officers stood trial over the attack, which was captured on film and beamed around the world.
	Civic Party activist Ken Tsang testified for the first time in the trial which began last week in the semi-autonomous Chinese city.
	All seven officers have pleaded not guilty.
	Video footage of the assault, filmed by local media near the city's government headquarters, shocked residents and dented their faith in the usually trusted police force.
	Police have been criticised for their sometimes heavy-handed treatment of protesters during the 79 days of rallies and street blockades which brought parts of the city to a standstill.
	The demonstrators were seeking fully free elections for Hong Kong's future leaders.
	Tsang, 40, said he was assaulted by seven men after he was subdued by police at a rally.
	He was shown video footage in which prosecution lawyers asked him to identify 

Hong Kong protester tells court of police assault

A monkey sparked power cuts across Kenya after it fell onto a transformer at a power station, the country's largest electricity company said today.
	The primate survived its brush with death although vast swathes of the country were left without power for several hours Tuesday before supplies were restored.
	"A monkey climbed on the roof of Gitaru Power Station and dropped onto a transformer, tripping it. This caused other machines at the power station to trip... Resulting in a loss of more than 180 megawatts from this plant which triggered a national power blackout," KenGen said in a statement.
	The outages lasted more than four hours before engineers were able to restore supplies following the incident that happened shortly before 11:30 am (local time).
	"Our technical teams have been able to restore supply to the affected areas following the outage... The country is now back to normal supply," said Kenya Power's general manager for network management, Daniel Tare.
	KenGen's power ..

Kenyan primate sparks blackouts monkeying around

Eritrea's government has systematically committed crimes against humanity in the last 25 years, with top officials bearing direct responsibility, UN investigators said today.
	The second report of the United Nations Commission of Inquiry (COI) on human rights also said there was a "rule of law vacuum" in the secretive Horn of Africa nation.
	Independent UN investigators found vast evidence that Eritrean officials, especially in the security services, were guilty of enslavement, enforced disappearances, torture, rape and murder, among other offences.
	These were perpetrated to terrify and control the civilian population, while crushing opposition, the COI said.
	"Crimes against humanity have been committed in a widespread and systematic manner in Eritrean detention facilities, military training camps and other locations across the country over the past 25 years," the commission said in a press release.
	"Particular individuals, including officials at the highest levels of state, the ...

Crimes against humanity in Eritrea since 1991: UN

Russia unveiled its first MC-21 medium-haul passenger plane today as it aims to revive its beleaguered civil aviation industry and challenge giants Airbus and Boeing.
	The prototype of the MC-21 plane, that can carry up to 211 passengers, was presented in the hangar of the Irkut aircraft manufacturer in the Siberian city of Irkutsk in a glitzy ceremony broadcast on Russian state television.
	Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said the unveiling of MC-21 was a "long-awaited event for our civil aviation, for aeronautic construction and for our whole country".
	"This confirms that we are able to create such aircraft that not only make our civil aviation progress but that will compete with other countries," Medvedev said, adding that the plane will become the "pride of Russian civil aviation".
	The MC-21 passenger jets are expected to replace the ageing, Soviet-era Tupolev Tu-204 and make their first test flights by the end of the year or in early 2017.
	The aircraft is scheduled to come into 

Russia challenges Airbus, Boeing with new jet

England captain Alastair Cook confirmed on Wednesday that his side would be unchanged for the third and final Test against Sri Lanka starting at Lord's on Thursday.
	The hosts will go in with the same XI that enjoyed a nine-wicket win in the second Test at the Riverside in Durham to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
	England again resisted the temptation to give a debut to Nottinghamshire paceman Jake Ball, with the under-performing Steven Finn retained to play on his Middlesex home ground.
	"It will be the same team as at Durham," Cook told reporters at Lord's on Wednesday.
	"We won the game, had some good performances and consistency in selection is a big part of our thinking.
	"It gives people chances to show what they can do in England shirts and you want people to feel as comfortable as they can -- it's never going to be perfectly comfortable when you are on the periphery of trying to cement your place but that's international cricket.
	"But you don't want .

England unchanged for third Test

A Moscow court today released radical performance artist Pyotr Pavlensky with a hefty fine for torching the door of the security services headquarters in a rare show of leniency by the authorities.
	A judge ordered the artist to pay a fine of 500,000 rubles (USD 7,800) after finding him guilty, saying that the punishment was reduced due to the seven months Pavlensky has already spent behind bars.
	He was also ordered to pay damages of 481,000 rubles to the FSB security agency to cover the cost of the repairs.
	Pavlensky had faced to three years in jail on charges of damaging a cultural site for dousing the doors of the agency's Moscow headquarters with gasoline and setting it on fire in a November performance he called "Threat".
	"Thanks to all for the support, thanks to those who were not afraid," Pavlensky told the crowd of journalists crammed into the courtroom, addressing them from the defendants' cage.
	"I can't pay the fine," he added, pleading financial hardship.
	Pavlensky's ..

Russian court frees artist with fine for fire protest

Syrian government air strikes on rebel-held neighbourhoods of divided second city Aleppo killed at least 15 civilians today, a monitor said.
	The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 10 of the dead came in raids just outside the Al-Bayan hospital in the Shaar neighbourhood.
	Two children were among four people killed in strikes on the Al-Marja district using barrel bombs -- crude explosive devices packed with shrapnel and usually dropped from helicopters, the Observatory said.
	One person was killed in a strike on the Al-Maadi neighbourhood.
	Rescue workers -- known as the White Helmets -- gave a higher toll of 23 dead.
	Al-Bayan hospital said a member of its staff had been wounded in the strikes and that the building had been evacuated.
	An AFP photographer said the hospital entrance had been damaged but the rest of the building was intact.
	Aleppo was once Syria's commercial powerhouse, but it has been a battleground since 2012 when rebels seized the east of the city ...

AFP

AFP

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