Russia is to start compulsory anti-doping classes in schools as part of a campaign to stamp out cheating in sport, authorities announced Monday.
     With the country furiously lobbying to overcome a ban on its athletes in time for the Rio Olympics, the lessons will be part of new measures, drawn up with the Council of Europe, "to reform social attitudes to doping", the sports ministry said in a statement.
     Russia has been hit by a series of doping scandals, still under investigation, that led the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) to suspend Russia from international competition.
     "Lessons on anti-doping will be rolled out as part of the curriculum in schools across the country," in line with physical education classes, to reach millions of children, the sports ministry said.
     The ministry said that before the lessons start, there will be anti-doping classes for "all higher education institutions for professionals in the fields of sport and ...

Russia to teach anti-doping in schools

PTI Automatic

Taiwan's new defence minister said today his government would not recognise any air defence identification zone (ADIZ) which Beijing may proclaim in the disputed South China Sea.
	Hong Kong's South China Morning Post newspaper has cited Chinese army sources as saying Beijing was considering declaring a zone.
	Any such move, said US Secretary of State John Kerry yesterday, would be "a provocative and destabilising act".
	China unilaterally established an ADIZ in the East China Sea in December 2013, demanding all aircraft submit flight plans when traversing the zone which covers islands disputed with Tokyo and also claimed by Taipei.
	That move angered the United States, Japan and South Korea as well as Taiwan.
	China claims nearly all of the South China Sea despite competing partial claims by several Southeast Asian neighbours as well as Taiwan. It has built artificial islands in the area suitable for military use.
	Taiwan's defence minister Feng Shih-kuan told parliament his ministry .

Taiwan says won't recognise any Chinese South China Sea ADIZ

Brexit backers moved into a lead in the polls today for the first time in weeks, putting pressure on the pound and raising pressure on Prime Minister David Cameron ahead of Britain's EU referendum.
	The WhatUKThinks average now puts "Leave" at 51 per cent against "Remain" at 49 per cent ahead of the June 23 vote that could see financial markets plunge and hit global economic growth if Britain votes to go.
	The balance tipped in favour of "Leave" after two polls at the weekend and one today put them ahead.
	The last time it put "Leave" in the lead was on May 12.
	The vote could see Britain become the first country to leave the European Union and is being closely watched in countries where euroscepticism is growing.
	The "Remain" camp led by Cameron has warned of the economic dangers of leaving, while "Leave" supporters like former London mayor Boris Johnson have said they want to curb immigrants from other parts of Europe.
	Cameron took part in an event with political opponents Labour, 

Brexit moves ahead in polls

Suspected jihadists attacked the airport in Yemen's government-held second city Aden today sparking a firefight in which at least one civilian was killed, a security source said.
	Around 20 gunmen stormed the main entrance road to the airport in the city's Khormaksar district, demanding the release of a fellow jihadist of Western origin who was detained late last month.
	Airport guards repulsed the attack after a 90-minute gun battle, the source said, adding that the civilian was killed by a stray bullet.
	The gunmen's leader told security forces he was a close relative of the detained jihadist, a Western national of Algerian origin.
	The detained Westerner was among seven suspected members of the Islamic State group whose arrest was announced by the authorities in Aden on May 28.
	Aden is the headquarters of the Saudi-backed government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi as the capital Sanaa and swathes of the north and centre of the country are held by Shiite rebels.
	In the ...

Civilian killed as gunmen attack airport in Yemen's Aden

Seventeen civilians including eight children were killed in air strikes on a market in eastern Syria today, the first day of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, a monitor said.
	The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strikes on Al-Shaara, a town held by the Islamic State group in Deir Ezzor province, were suspected to have been carried out by either Russian or Syrian government planes.
	The death toll is likely to rise due to the serious condition of some of the wounded, Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.
	Residents from nearby villages typically flock to the Al-Shaara market to do their shopping, Abdel Rahman said.
	Heavy air strikes hit IS-held areas in and outside the divided city of Deir Ezzor from early today, he said.
	IS controls more than 60 per cent of Deir Ezzor city, the capital of the oil-rich province of the same name, most of which has been in its hands since 2013.
	The Observatory relies on a network of sources inside Syria to gather its information on ...

Air strikes on Syria market kill 17 civilians: monitor

Former Maldives vice president Ahmed Adeeb was jailed for 10 years on on a terrorism charge, his lawyer said today, weeks after ex-leader Mohamed Nasheed was granted asylum in Britain.
	With Adeeb's sentencing, almost all of President Abdulla Yameen's key rivals are either in jail or living in exile.
	The tiny nation of 340,000 Sunni Muslims has been gripped by political turmoil since Nasheed -- its first democratically-elected president -- was toppled four years ago in what he claimed was a coup led by mutinous police and troops.
	Nasheed -- whose legal team includes high-profile human rights lawyer Amal Clooney -- was sentenced to 13 years on controversial terrorism charges last year but was allowed to travel to Britain for surgery last month and was granted political asylum.
	Adeeb's lawyer Moosa Siraj told reporters that his client was convicted yesterday night following a closed-door trial based on witness testimony that Adeeb brandished a handgun at an opposition rally in May ...

Maldives jails ex-vice president on terrorism charge

Backing for Brexit overtook support for Britain remaining in the European Union for the first time in nearly a month today after two polls put the "Leave" camp ahead.
	The WhatUKThinks website's poll of polls now puts "Leave" at 51 per cent against "Remain" at 49 per cent, excluding undecided voters ahead of the June 23 referendum on Britain's EU membership.

Brexit camp ahead at 51 per cent in EU referendum poll average

One man died and six were injured as Kenyan police opened fire on an anti-government rally today in the western city of Kisumu, witnesses said.
	The violence occurred as the opposition CORD alliance resumed weekly protests aimed at seeking a shake-up of the country's electoral commission, which they accuse of bias.
	A bullet wound was visible on the corpse, which was laid outside a hospital morgue by protesters, who said he was hit when police opened fire.
	There was no immediate response from police.
	The Red Cross said six protesters had been taken to hospital suffering from gunshot wounds.
	"This is not fair. We cannot have police shooting people every other time they are exercising their rights, this man has been shot dead while protesting," said protester Michael Omondi.
	"Last time they shot someone dead and claimed he suffered injuries as he was falling down. What will they say today after the death of this man because he was clearly shot?" said another Kisumu resident, Charles 

One killed, 6 hurt in Kenya police firing: witnesses

Chinese oversupply of steel is "damaging and distorting" global markets, US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew said today, joining a chorus of criticism that blames Beijing for plant closures and job losses in the industry worldwide.
	China is the world's number one steelmaker, producing more than half of global output, but stands accused of flooding the market with steel at below cost prices - dumping - in violation of international trade rules.
	"Excess capacity has a distorting and damaging effect on global markets," Lew said at the US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Beijing, a key annual meeting between the world's two top economic powers.
	"Implementing policies to substantially reduce production in a range of sectors suffering from overcapacity, including steel and aluminium, is critical to the function and stability of international markets."
	Lew's comments echo those of other senior officials around the world who have blamed the Chinese supply glut for industry turmoil in .

US' Lew raps China on excess steel production

German President Joachim Gauck said today that he would not stand for a second term, creating a political headache for Chancellor Angela Merkel ahead of an election year.
	The popular Gauck, 76, who has held the largely ceremonial post of head of state since 2012, made the announcement at Berlin's Bellevue Palace, citing his advanced age.
	"I'm grateful to be doing fine," he said, after speculation about health concerns.
	"At the same time, I am aware that the life phase between 77 and 82 is a different one than the one I am in now. I cannot guarantee that I would have the same energy and vitality for another five-year term."
	Gauck, a charismatic Protestant pastor, rose to prominence as a human rights activist in communist East Germany and was instrumental in the movement which helped topple the Berlin Wall in 1989.
	His decision not to run for a second mandate complicates the political equation for Merkel, who will have to fill the job just as campaigning for the general election, ..

Hunt for new president puts Merkel on election footing

Wild weather which smashed into Australia's east coast and whipped up giant waves on Sydney beaches has left at least three people dead and others missing, police said today as the clean-up began.
	Ferocious storms pounded the coast over the weekend, causing flooding in New South Wales state. Huge seas eroded the shoreline, in one instance sweeping the in-ground swimming pool of a beachside home onto the beach.
	"This storm, which was so ferocious, has taken life from us," New South Wales Premier Mike Baird said as he warned that conditions remained dangerous.
	"It is clear - the ferocity of this storm was such that the damage has been unbelievable up and down the coast."
	The Bureau of Meteorology said a combination of rain, wind and wave action had created the conditions which saw beaches strewn with debris and rivers and creeks bursting their banks.
	One part of Sydney suffered its worst flooding in 30 years, while the city's Observatory Hill weather station received some 226 ...

Three die, others missing in fierce Australia storms

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged today that he had received contributions from a French tycoon on trial for alleged fraud, but said they were not political and were used for promoting Israel.
	During his trial in France, Arnaud Mimran said he had given one million euros (USD 1.1 million) in campaign contributions to Netanyahu in 2001, when the Israeli leader was not in public office.
	The allegation has received widespread attention in Israel, with the country's attorney general examining Mimran's testimony.
	"Mimran contributed to Netanyahu's public activity in the early 2000s, when Netanyahu was a private citizen and held no political position," a statement from the prime minister's office said.
	"Those activities for  Netanyahu involved media appearances and numerous travel abroad in the service of the state of Israel in accordance with the law."
	It added that "Mimran, who is on trial for fraud in the range of several hundreds of millions of dollars, is ...

Netanyahu admits contributions from Frenchman

The father of a seven-year-old Japanese boy found alive nearly a week after his parents left him in a dense forest as punishment said his son has forgiven him, as details emerged of the boy's ordeal.
	Japan has been mesmerised by young Yamato Tanooka, who survived six nights alone after his angry parents abandoned him by the side of a mountain road on the northern island of Hokkaido on May 28.
	Searchers, including soldiers, spent days scouring the mountainous forest which is home to brown bears, but could find no clues to the missing boy.
	He was discovered Friday morning sheltering in a hut on a military drill field some 5.5 kilometres from where he had been left.
	Takayuki Tanooka, his 44-year-old father, has said he, his wife and daughter returned several minutes later to the spot where Yamato was forced out of the family car, but there was no sign of him.
	"I said to him, 'Dad made you go though such a hard time. I am sorry'," the elder Tanooka told broadcaster TBS in footage ...

Father says son forgives him after Japan forest ordeal

A British paedophile who preyed on Christian children in an impoverished part of Kuala Lumpur was today sentenced to life with a minimum term of 25 years.
	Judge Peter Rook handed Richard Huckle 22 life sentences to be served concurrently after he pleaded guilty to 71 counts of child sex offences.
	Huckle, 30, held his hands together in prayer as the judge delivered his sentence, and remained impassive as his punishment was announced.
	A woman in the public gallery leapt to her feet and shouted "a thousand deaths is too good for you" as Huckle was led out of court.
	Rook said Huckle had almost certainly "blighted the lives of his victims for ever" and had inflicted "severe psychological harm".
	The prolific offender has already spent 488 days in jail, so faces more than 23 years behind bars before a parole board can consider his release.

UK paedophile gets life for Malaysia abuse

Saudi officials have finalised a detailed plan to diversify the kingdom's economy away from oil and have sent it for cabinet approval, official media said today.
	The National Transformation Programme (NTP) will elaborate upon Vision 2030, an 84-page document released in April by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, 30, who is leading the reform charge.
	At the heart of the Vision is a plan to float less than five percent of state oil firm Saudi Aramco on the stock market.
	The proceeds would become part of the world's largest state investment fund, with USD 2 trillion in assets.
	Profits from the investment fund would help economic diversification and provide an alternative to oil revenues that have fallen by about half since 2014.
	The collapse has accelerated Saudi efforts to move away from petroleum which still accounts for the bulk of government income.
	The main economic coordinating body, the Council of Economic Affairs and Development chaired by Prince Mohammed, last night 

Saudi economic diversification plan finalised

A Chinese-run gold mine in ex-Soviet Tajikistan has produced its first gold, state media reported Monday, highlighting Beijing's deepening interest in the impoverished Central Asian country's extractive sector.
	State television showed footage of Tajikistan's President Emomali Rakhmon clutching two gold ingots produced at the Pokrud gold mine and announced investments totalling $256 million at the mine to date.
	The mine operated by the Pokrud Chinese-Tajik joint venture is expected to produce around 1.3 tonnes of gold per year initially, with production rising to 2 tonnes per year later, the TV report said.
	The mineral concession just south of the capital Dushanbe is one of several operated by Chinese companies.
	Notably a leading Chinese gold producer Zijin Mining operates the Zarafshan concession in the north of the country and expects to produce five tonnes of gold there annually in the coming years.
	Tajikistan, a landlocked country of over 8 million that borders both China and .

China reaps first gold at Tajikistan mine

British trade unions representing six million workers today urged their members to vote to stay in the European Union, warning that a Brexit would threaten workers' rights.
	The general secretaries of Unite, Unison and the GMB were among 10 union leaders who wrote a letter to the Guardian newspaper claiming that parental leave and holiday rights would be under threat without EU protection.
	"Maternity and paternity rights, equal treatment for full-time, part-time and agency workers and the right to paid leave - continue to underpin and protect working rights for British people," read the letter.
	"If Britain leaves the EU, we are in no doubt these protections would be under great threat. The Tories would negotiate our exit and, we believe, would negotiate away our rights," it said.
	Len McCluskey, boss of Unite - Britain's biggest union - has not always been a vocal supporter of the EU, and threatened to call for a vote to leave if Prime Minister David Cameron diluted worker rights ...

UK trade unions urge 6 mln members to stay in EU

Australia's team boss for the Rio Olympics has defended the decision to send controversial tennis star Nick Kyrgios a 16-page letter asking him to explain his behaviour if he wanted to be picked for the Games.
     Kyrgios, Australia's highest-ranked male tennis player at 19 in the world, responded to the letter by declaring himself unavailable for selection, saying he had been subjected to "unwarranted attacks" from the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC).
     But Australia's chef de mission for Rio, Kitty Chiller, rejected his claims, saying Kyrgios was never singled out and that she was just following the rules governing the behaviour of all team members.
     "Someone needs to stand up," she told reporters at the weekend. "Why I'm doing this is, we fought long and hard for the last three years to establish a set of behaviours for our team in Rio.
     "I'm doing this for the 428 other athletes that we will have in Rio."
     Chiller confirmed that the AOC sent Krygios the 16 pages 

Aussie chief defends 16-page Kyrgios letter

Five Jordanian intelligence agents were today killed in a "terrorist attack" on their office in a Palestinian refugee camp north of the capital Amman, the government said.
	Jordan is a leading member of the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group in neighbouring Iraq and Syria and has been the target of jihadist attacks in the past.
	"The intelligence agency office in the Baqaa camp was the target of a cowardly attack shortly before 7:00 am (0400 GMT) today that left five agents dead," government spokesman Mohammed Momani said.
	Momani said security forces were investigating who was responsible for the "terrorist attack" on the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
	Jordan has seen spillover from the conflicts in Iraq and Syria in the past.
	In December 2005, suicide attacks on three Amman hotels claimed by IS's predecessor Al-Qaeda in Iraq killed 60 people and wounded dozens.
	The Baqaa camp, where today's attack took place, is 20 kilometres from the centre of ...

'Terror attack' kills 5 Jordan intelligence agents

A Malaysian graphic artist was charged today with violating multimedia laws by caricaturing Prime Minister Najib Razak as a sinister clown to protest at allegations of massive corruption.
	Fahmi Reza's depictions of Najib went viral earlier this year, and posters and stickers bearing the images have also appeared in public places, earning the designer-activist comparisons to street-art provocateurs like Banksy.
	He was charged under a section of Malaysian communications and multimedia laws that forbid disseminating online content deemed to "annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass" others.
	Fahmi, 38, faces a possible one-year prison sentence and 50,000 ringgit (USD 12,200) fine, said his attorney, Syahredzan Johan.
	"This is essentially criminalising (free) expression," said Syahredzan.
	Fahmi pleaded not guilty after the charge was read out in court.
	Syahredzan said police were also investigating him for sedition.
	In a Facebook posting today, Fahmi vowed to "defend my rights to criticise 

Malaysian artist charged for depicting PM as clown

Ukraine's security service today said it had arrested a Frenchman who was allegedly planning to stage 15 terror attacks before and during the Euro 2016 football championship that starts in France later this week.
	SBU security service chief Vasyl Grytsak said the man intended to blow up "a Muslim mosque, a Jewish synagogue, tax collection organisations, police patrol units and numerous other locations."
	The Frenchman "planned to conduct 15 terrorist strikes," Grytsak told reporters.
	"He obtained five Kalashnikov rifles, more than 5,000 bullets, two anti-tank grenade launchers, 125 kilogrammes of TNT, 100 detonators, 20 balaclavas and other things.

AFP

AFP

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