Forensic experts today exhumed the remains of former Chilean president Eduardo Frei in an attempt to determine how he was poisoned by agents of Augusto Pinochet's regime.
	Frei, president from 1964 to 1970, died of a sudden infection in January 1982 while he was hospitalized for hernia treatment. He was 71.
	Pinochet became Chile's dictator soon after a military coup that killed Frei's successor, Salvador Allende, on September 11, 1973. Pinochet left office when democracy was restored in 1990.
	Frei died when he and his Christian Democratic Party were gaining strength as the military regime's main opposition. The Pinochet regime faced its first street protests in the early 1980s.
	Frei's remains were first disinterred in 2004 to search for a toxic agent that could explain the infection that led to his death following an operation with no major complications.
	A probe led by Judge Alejandro Madrid determined that dictatorship operatives killed Frei by poisoning. The new exhumation ...

Chile digs up for second time remains of ex-president

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A parcel bomb was intercepted today at the headquarters of the EU food safety watchdog's headquarters in northern Italy and was safely detonated by a bomb disposal team.
	Italy's Health Minister Beatrice Lorenzin slammed the "intimidatory act" on the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in Parma after the parcel bomb was found in the post room.
	It "calls for swift action from all investigative forces to throw light on what happened," she said.
	"I strongly condemn the vile act and express my deep sympathy with all of the employees at the Parma offices," she added.
	The alarm was sounded after the package was found to be addressed to someone who does not work at EFSA. An X-ray revealed it contained a battery and wires, local daily Gazzetta di Parma said.
	The security service at the postal sorting centre of the European agency's headquarters alerted the police and bomb disposal experts were called in, detonating the device in a small square near the EFSA building.
	Prosecutors in ...

Parcel bomb found at EU food watchdog in Italy

German and Swiss authorities have carried out raids seizing documents after learning a German private detective had investigated the MH17 air disaster, Dutch officials and media said today.
	Among the objects seized during last week's raids were "apparently explosive papers" which Dutch investigators hope may narrow down the search for those behind the 2014 tragedy, said the daily De Telegraaf.
	All 298 passengers and crew -- the majority of them Dutch -- died when Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was hit by a Russian-made BUK anti-aircraft missile while flying over war-torn eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014.
	The Boeing 777 was en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.
	"It's possible that the suspected culprits behind the firing on MH17 may have been in contact with" the detective's office, de Telegraaf said, citing what it said was the Netherlands' request to Swiss authorities for help.
	According to the Dutch paper, the private detective was paid some 17 million euros (USD 19 million) .

Raids in Germany, Switzerland in MH17 probe

A bus crashed into a hillside in southwestern Bolivia, killing 17 people and injuring 18 others, police said today.
	The bus was traveling from Villazon, on the border with Argentina, to the capital La Paz when it apparently ran off the road Monday night, said transit police for the southern region of Potosi.
	The accident was the worst so far this year in Bolivia, whose steep mountain roads are a frequent scene of deadly crashes.

17 killed in Bolivia bus crash

Set against the backdrop of Nepal's deadly Maoist insurgency, "Kalo Pothi" (The Black Hen) opened to packed theatres in Kathmandu at the weekend, signalling a growing fondness for gritty domestic cinema over Bollywood extravaganzas.
	For decades, Nepali filmmakers churned out copies of India's famously glamorous movies, blending chaste love songs with action sequences in a bid to grab eyeballs.
	But after years of losing ground to Hindi films, Nepali cinema is casting off the song-and-dance format with storylines that seek to capture the reality of life in the Himalayan nation.
	"Kalo Pothi" follows two boys living in a remote, impoverished hamlet and is based on debut filmmaker Min Bahadur Bam's own experiences growing up during the country's decade-long civil war.
	"We often underestimate the Nepali audience, but they are very intelligent. As filmmakers, it is about time we respect them and take risks," said Bam.
	Bam is the latest young Nepali director to win awards overseas -- ...

Upstart Nepali films challenge Bollywood domination

Archaeologists said today they had discovered the remains of a 6,000-year-old massacre that took place in Alsace in eastern France, saying it was likely carried out by "furious ritualised warriors".
	At a site outside Strasbourg, the corpses of 10 individuals were found in one of 300 ancient "silos" used to store grain and other food, a team from France's National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (Inrap) told reporters.
	The Neolithic group appeared to have died violent deaths, with multiple injuries to their legs, hands and skulls.
	The way in which the bodies were piled on top of each other suggested they had been killed together and dumped in the silo.
	"They were very brutally executed and received violent blows, almost certainly from a stone axe," said Philippe Lefranc, a specialist on the period for Inrap.
	The skeletons of five adults and one adolescent were found, as well as four arms from different individuals.
	The arms were likely "war trophies" like those ..

France unearths bones from 6,000-yr-old Neolithic massacre

Spain's foreign minister today revived the idea of sharing sovereignty over Gibraltar with Britain if Brexit happens, saying it would allow the Rock to maintain access to the European Union.
	   Nestled on the southern tip of Spain, the tiny British overseas territory is eyeing the upcoming June 23 referendum on whether Britain should leave the EU with alarm.
	   At stake is a thriving services-based economy that relies in large part on access to the EU's single market, and a sovereignty spat with Spain it believes threatens its only land access to the continent.
	   Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo told Spanish radio that if Britons voted to leave the EU, "it is obvious that Gibraltar also leaves the European Union, and won't therefore have access to the single market".
	   Margallo, who is a strident supporter of the Rock coming back under Spanish control centuries after it was ceded to Britain in 1713, said solutions would have to be found to "allow Gibraltar to have a link with the ...

If Brexit happens, Spain suggests joint Gibraltar sovereignty

Britain warned today that stadiums could be targeted during Euro 2016, adding to security fears for the football extravaganza in France.
	The warning was issued a day after Ukraine announced the arrest of a suspected far-right French extremist with a massive weapons cache who was allegedly planning to attack the tournament.
	The Foreign Office said there was a "high threat from terrorism" during the month-long football championship opening on Friday.
	"During Euro 2016, stadiums, fan zones, venues broadcasting the tournament and transport hubs and links represent potential targets for terrorist attacks," it said.
	But just three days before Euro 2016 kicks off, the threat of continued disruption to rail travel in France eased as state-run operator SNCF made an improved offer on pay and conditions to unions after all-night talks.
	"There comes a time when you need to know when to stop a strike," President Francois Hollande said after a week of stoppages across the country.
	"It is high 

Britain warning adds to Euro 2016 security fears

Iran's economy faces tough years ahead despite a nuclear deal with world powers that the government hoped would spur investment and revive stagnant growth, ministers have warned.
	Speaking to members of parliament on Monday and Tuesday, the industry and interior ministers painted a bleak picture of chronic underinvestment, surging inflation and unemployment in the Islamic republic.
	Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli warned yesterday that the country may achieve growth of only between 1.5 and three per cent per annum.
	"With that sort of growth, unemployment and inflation will double in the short term. We need foreign investment," he said.
	His predictions fall far short of the growth target of eight percent President Hassan Rouhani set in January to tackle double-figure inflation and high unemployment.
	Rouhani's government had hoped the lifting of economic sanctions following last year's nuclear deal would trigger an influx of billions of dollars from overseas to boost growth 

Iran recovery a long way off despite nuclear deal: Ministers

Germany today demanded tougher rules on controlling diesel car pollution in Europe as it blamed auto manufacturers other than Volkswagen of using defeat devices to pass emission tests.
	German Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt told a meeting of his EU counterparts that a study of 50 diesel cars released in April exposed irregularities in pollution emission tests similar to those seen in the Volkswagen scandal.
	The finger-pointing by Berlin comes after German authorities were deeply embarrassed by US revelations in September that national champion Volkswagen, the world's second biggest carmaker, illegally fitted special devices in 11 million diesel cars.
	The defeat devices, which had been illegal in Europe since 2007, allowed Volkswagen vehicles to pass pollution tests they would have otherwise failed.
	Dobrindt told his fellow ministers that an emissions probe found that 16 major car brands - ranging from France's Renault to Italy's Fiat to Japan's Nissan - also showed up ...

Germany talks tough on auto emissions

Former Italian prime minister and billionaire Silvio Berlusconi was hospitalised today for tests after suffering mild heart trouble at the weekend, media reports said.
	"His hospitalisation was scheduled, his doctors wanted to perform a series of tests after the slight discomfort he experienced Sunday night, which was neither serious nor worrying," the AGI news agency reported, citing sources within his Forza Italia party.
	Berlusconi, who turns 80 in September, was hospitalised in a clinic in Milan in northern Italy. He felt unwell on the evening of the first round of mayoral elections in several Italy cities, after voting for the first time in three years.
	The ageing tycoon had been banned from casting his ballot following a conviction for tax evasion which saw him serve out his one-year sentence doing voluntary work in an old people's home.
	Berlusconi, who has virtually dropped off the political radar in Italy, failed to rally votes for his centre-right party, which won just 4.23 

Italy's Berlusconi hospitalised over heart issues

Tens of thousands of people have fled southeastern Niger following deadly attacks by Boko Haram insurgents on the town of Bosso in recent days, the United Nations said today.
	"An estimated 50,000 people or so fled," UN refugee agency (UNHCR) spokesman Adrian Edwards told reporters in Geneva.
	The attacks beginning Friday against a military post in Bosso in Niger's troubled Diffa region killed 26 soldiers, including two from neighbouring Nigeria.
	A total 55 insurgents from the Nigeria-based Islamist group were killed and "many" injured, according to authorities.
	Edwards said most of those fleeing the violence were walking westwards to Toumour, some 30 kilometres west of Bosso.
	"Many people are reportedly traumatised and worried about their safety. People are sleeping in the open and urgently need shelter and other assistance," he said.
	A local journalist working with Radio Amfani told AFP that people began leaving the town at dawn Saturday after the gunmen initially withdrew.
	"We 

50,000 flee Boko Haram attacks in Niger: UN

Britain today warned its citizens travelling to the Euro 2016 football championships in France that stadiums, fan zones and transport hubs "represent potential targets for terrorist attacks".
     "There is a high threat from terrorism," the foreign ministry said in a travel advisory for supporters.
     "During Euro 2016, stadiums, fan zones, venues broadcasting the tournament and transport hubs and links represent potential targets for terrorist attacks," it said.
     "You should be vigilant at all times, especially in areas hosting Euro 2016 events and follow the advice of local French authorities," it added.
     Ukraine said Monday it had arrested a suspected far-right French extremist who was allegedly planning to attack the Euro 2016, adding to security fears over Europe's showcase football tournament.
     The 25-year-old man had a huge arsenal of weapons and was planning to attack a string of locations in his home country, Ukraine's security services said.
     But Prime ...

Britain warns Euro 2016 stadiums could be terror targets

Jordan's King Abdullah II today vowed to act decisively against anyone who threatens the kingdom's security, a day after a lone gunman shot dead five intelligence officers.
	"Jordan will act with all firmness and force against anyone seeking to undermine its security," he said on a visit to the headquarters of the intelligence services, according to a statement from the royal palace.
	"National unity is the weapon we will use to thwart all plans that aim to disrupt stability and cohesion," the king said, adding that the country would not be weakened by "the terrorist acts of traitors".
	Earlier, the authorities imposed a media blackout on information about yesterday's attack that killed the five security officers, the official Petra news agency reported.
	It said the sweeping ban covered not only traditional media such as newspapers and broadcasters, but also Internet sites and social media networks.
	The blackout came just hours after the government spokesman said a suspect had been .

Jordan king pledges action after intelligence officers killed

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad addressed the new parliament in a speech broadcast on state television today, congratulating lawmakers on a record turnout in an April general election.
	"The Syrian people surprised the world yet again with an unprecedented voter turnout... And an unprecedented number of candidates," Assad said.
	The vote was held in government-controlled areas only, and was dismissed both by the opposition and internationally as a sham.
	Syria's conflict began in 2011 with protests calling for Assad to step down, and several rounds of UN-backed peace talks have failed to bring an end to what has become a complex civil war.
	The slender head of state was shown approaching the podium to cheers of support from lawmakers.
	It was unclear if the broadcast was live or a pre-recorded address from earlier this week.
	Assad's last address to parliament was in June 2012, just after general elections in May of that year.

Syria's Assad makes first address to new parliament: state TV

More than 10,000 people have died attempting the perilous journey across the Mediterranean to Europe since 2014, the United Nations said today.
	"You've now had since the start of 2014 -- when this phenomenon of rising numbers across the Mediterranean happened -- 10,000 deaths. That threshold has been crossed just in the last few days," UN refugee agency spokesman Adrian Edwards told reporters.
	UNHCR said the number of Mediterranean deaths had risen sharply in 2016, with 2,814 people dying since the start of the year, following a total of 3,771 in 2015 and 3,500 the year earlier.
	That amounts to 10,085 deaths in less than two and a half years.
	"This is clearly an appalling number of deaths that have occurred in the Mediterranean, just on Europe's borders just in the past couple of years," Edwards told AFP.
	   	"It's an extremely worrying dynamic," he said, reiterating the agency's call for the world to find "viable alternative and regular means of dealing with these ...

Migrant deaths in Med top 10,000 since 2014: UN

A car bomb ripped through a police bus near Istanbul's historic centre today, killing seven officers and four civilians in the latest attack in Turkey's biggest city.
	The blast targeted a shuttle service carrying anti-riot police as it passed through Beyazit district, close to many of the city's top tourist sites, Istanbul governor Vasip Sahin said on Turkish television.
	Thirty-six people were wounded, three of them seriously, he added.
	There was no early claim of responsibility, but President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hinted the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) was behind the attack.
	For the PKK to target major cities such as Istanbul "is nothing new," he said after visiting the injured at an Istanbul hospital.
	"We will fight against terrorists relentlessly to the end."
	In a statement from his office later, Erdogan also vowed the culprits would "pay in kind the price for the bloodshed."
	Kurdish militants have repeatedly targeted Turkey's security forces, but Islamic State ...

Bomb attack on police kills 11 in Istanbul

French coach Didier Deschamps has imposed a lights out at midnight regime in the team base as he prepares his players to launch the European Championship finals on Friday, according to striker Olivier Giroud.
	 "He (Deschgamps) doesn't want any music after midnight so the players have to leave the games room," Giroud told Europe 1 radio on Tuesday, three days ahead of the opening match against Romania in Paris.
	 The games room is where the players "let themselves go a bit" each night, said Giroud who with the other 22 squad members are confined to the base at Clairefontaine near Paris.
	 "We go there in the evening after dinner to have fun," he said. "There is a mixing table for music, ping-pong tables, pinball machines and table football."
	 The French Football Federation has been running a "Proud To Be Blue" advertising campaign ahead of the tournament in a bid to get support behind the team.
	 Up to 10,000 people went to watch their training sessions when they were in the ...

Lights out at midnight for Les Bleus

A strong 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck off the southern Pacific coast of Mexico today, the US Geological Survey that monitors quakes worldwide reported.
	The quake struck at 1051 GMT in the ocean 105 kilometers southwest of the coastal city of Manzanillo, and 641 kilometers west of Mexico City, the USGS reported. There were no immediate reports of damage.

Strong 6.2-magnitude quake shakes Mexico: US monitor

Saudi Arabia has unveiled the first concrete targets in its ambitious effort to move its crude-dependent economy away from oil.
	In a press conference in the early hours of today in Jeddah, officials revealed sweeping plans to create some 450,000 non-government jobs by 2020, boost non-oil revenues and cut the cost of public wages.
	The National Transformation Programme (NTP), endorsed by the Saudi cabinet late on Monday, is part of Saudi Vision 2030, a reform drive led by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the 30-year-old son of King Salman.
	It aims to transform the state-dominated economy of the world's largest oil exporter into a private-sector powerhouse with diverse industrial interests and major international investments.
	Saudi authorities have for years discussed plans to diversify the economy, but this effort has been given fresh urgency by the collapse in oil prices by more than half since mid-2014, which has led to a dramatic drop in state revenues.
	Minister of State 

Saudi Arabia unveils first targets in sweeping reform plan

The death toll from a powerful storm which lashed Australia's east coast and left homes hanging over the edge of the sea rose to four today, with three people still missing.
	Torrential rains caused flooding across New South Wales over the weekend, with three people dying after their vehicles were swept away in rising waters.
	In Sydney, high winds and huge seas caused coastal erosion which washed away beachfront lawns and damaged homes.
	The storm then swept south to Victoria and the island state of Tasmania, where one woman died after her house was inundated and where two other people are still missing after being swept away by floodwaters.
	A third person, a swimmer who reportedly jumped into the huge swell at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Monday before getting into difficulty, is also missing.
	"It's certainly disastrous, this is an extreme weather event, the worst flooding we've experienced in this state in 40 years and it's likely to get worse," Tasmanian Premier Will Hodgman ...

AFP

AFP

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