Confessed British child sex-abuser Richard Huckle took Malaysian children with him to church and regularly roamed an impoverished Kuala Lumpur neighbourhood to snap pictures of kids, those who met him said today.
	But several people interviewed by AFP said they had seen no reason to suspect Huckle of the sickening pattern of child sex abuse that could see him locked up for life.
	Huckle, 30, could be sentenced as early as today by a London court on 91 charges including the rape or sexual assault of children as young as six months, committed during his several years living in Malaysia.
	"I've seen him and met some of the children he brought to the church," said Paul Packianathan, senior pastor of a Protestant church located in a Kuala Lumpur suburb.
	But Packianathan said Huckle's church visits were infrequent and aroused "no suspicions." He condemned Huckle's actions as "despicable".
	Huckle was frequently seen in a predominantly Hindu neighbourhood peopled largely by poor members of .

UK paedophile 'took children to church' in Malaysia

PTI Automatic

The United States said today it had signed a major new loan guarantee with Ukraine aimed at helping the war-scarred former Soviet republic stabilise its floundering economy.
	The USD 1-billion (900-million-euro) commitment is the third of its kind issued by Washington since a pro-EU revolution brought down Ukraine's Russia-backed president in February 2014.
	The pledge is meant to provide Ukraine with more affordable access to international capital markets and fill its gaping budget hole.
	"The guarantee sends a strong signal of the United States' continued support for Ukraine as it pursues reforms that fulfill the Ukrainian people's aspirations for a prosperous and democratic future," US Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt said in a statement.
	The new US assistance is part of a USD 40-billion global rescue package agreed by Ukraine and the International Monetary Fund in March 2015.
	About USD 17.5 billion of that money is a loan from the Fund. The rest includes a restructuring programme ...

US guarantees major new Ukraine loan

The bodies of at least 104 migrants have washed up on a beach in the western Libyan town of Zwara, the navy said today, warning however that the toll could rise.
	"The number of bodies retrieved Thursday evening was 104 but the toll is expected to rise since an average boat carries 115-125 passengers," said Libyan navy spokesman Colonel Ayoub Qassem.

104 migrant bodies washed up on Libyan beach: navy

A translator for two Uighur men accused of a deadly Bangkok bombing was remanded in custody today for drug possession, further complicating a murky trial that has failed to answer key questions about the unprecedented attack on Thailand.
	Sirojiddin Bakhodirov was arrested this week with small amounts of marijuana and crystal meth.
	Today a Bangkok court extended the Uzbeck national's remand, according to police.
	But Bakhodirov, who is the only Uighur translator at the Bangkok bomb trial, told AFP by phone the drugs were planted on him as punishment for helping Thailand's Uighur community.
	The mostly Muslim ethnic minority faces persecution and discrimination in their homeland in northwestern China, forcing many to flee and often use Thailand as a transit country.
	Two Uighur men were arrested over the August 2015 bombing that killed 20 people -- mostly ethnic Chinese tourists -- at Bangkok's Erawan shrine.
	"I am innocent, they set me up," Bakhodirov told AFP of his drug ...

Translator for Bangkok bomb suspects held on drug charges

French President Francois Hollande urged Israel and the Palestinians to make a "courageous choice" for peace as he opened a conference on the conflict in Paris today.
	The meeting is aiming to lay the ground for a fully-fledged peace conference to be held by the end of the year but few believe that genuine progress will be made.
	Neither Israel nor the Palestinians have been invited to the talks and Israel has angrily compared the French initiative to the 1916 Sykes-Picot agreement to draw up the region's borders.
	And although US Secretary of State John Kerry is attending the conference, Washington has made it clear it believes little or nothing will be achieved.
	Hollande said a solution would have to come from the Middle East region, but in the end it was up to the Israelis and Palestinians "to make the courageous choice of peace".
	"The discussion on the conditions of a lasting agreement between Israelis and Palestinians must take into account the whole of the region," he told ...

France urges Israel and Palestinians to make courageous choice

FIFA denied today reports in German media that president Gianni Infantino was under investigation for a possible ethics violation.
     Die Welt newspaper reported that Infantino had improperly ordered the destruction of the minutes of a FIFA executive committee meeting held at last month's congress in Mexico city.
     According to the paper, FIFA's independent ethics committee was looking at the issue and could impose a 90-day ban on the new president if the allegation was confirmed.
     But a spokesman for the ethics committee's investigatory arm, Roman Geiser, told AFP that "there are no formal proceedings going on against Mr. Infantino".
     FIFA spokeswoman Delia Fischer, in a separate statement emailed to AFP, said the allegations were baseless.
     "The email exchange that makes mention of the deletion of audio files refers to a copy of the original audio file of the meeting that was improperly stored on a local drive," she said.
     "This mention does not refer to the ...

FIFA dismiss report of Infantino probe

At least 700 people on board capsized boat off Greece:

Islamic State jihadists in the strategic northern Syria town of Manbij "aspire" to directing international terror plots, US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said today.
	Anti-IS fighters known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, a US-backed alliance of Kurds and Arabs, this week launched an offensive to capture Manbij.
	The town is on the north-south axis between Jarablus, on the border with Turkey and controlled by IS fighters, and Raqa, the Islamic State group's self-proclaimed capital in Syria.
	Its capture has long been seen as key in stemming the flow of foreign fighters into and out of Syria.
	"There are people there, and I can't go into any details, who aspire to inspiring or even directing plots outside of Syria," Carter said at a news conference in Singapore, where he is attending a regional security summit.
	"That, along with that fact that it is a transit hub for foreign fighter flows in both directions, is a reason why it is an important objective and we are pleased to work ...

IS fighters in northern Syria 'aspire' to foreign plots:Carter

Protesters who oppose Donald Trump scuffled with his supporters as the presumptive Republican presidential nominee held a rally in California, with fistfights erupting and one supporter hit with an egg.
	Hundreds of demonstrators blocked a police van and then entered the parking area of the San Jose Convention Center where the event took place, insulting Trump supporters in their cars and attacking those leaving the rally.
	A dozen or more people were punched, the Los Angeles Times reported, saying at least one person was hit with an egg.
	ABC News reported that some protesters surrounded the car of a presumed Trump supporter as it left the convention center garage, shaking the car and smashing its tail light.
	Crowds had earlier chanted "No hate in our state" and carried signs that read "Dump Trump" as they marched near the convention centre.
	One protester was seen burning an American flag and some supporters were spat on. Several fistfights erupted but were quickly broken ...

Anti-Trump protesters attack supporters at California rally

The two Koreas stepped up an angry war of words today as tensions mounted over a series of North Korean defections and the South's rejection of Pyongyang's repeated offers of military talks.
	Tensions have been running high on the divided Korean peninsula ever since the North conducted its fourth nuclear test in January followed by a long-range rocket launch.
	In the past month, a new source of friction has emerged with two cases of group defections by North Korean staff working in Pyongyang-run restaurants in China.
	A dozen women and their restaurant manager arrived in Seoul in April, and three others from a separate restaurant followed them this week.
	North Korea insists the staff were duped and effectively kidnapped by South Korean intelligence agents and are being held in the South against their will -- an accusation Seoul categorically denies.
	"The allurement and abduction clearly proves that the puppet forces of south Korea are the most hideous human rights abusers," a ...

Two Koreas squabble over defections, talks offer

Two people were killed and dozens injured in Colombia as more than 30,000  farmers joined a growing anti-government protest, blocking roads and clashing with police, officials said.
	The farmers, who launched their protest Monday, complain that free-trade agreements with Europe and the United States are flooding the country with cheap food imports, exacerbating rural poverty.
	Defense Minister Luis Carlos Villegas announced the "death of two indigenous persons during the day's protests" in a tweet.
	In a subsequent posting, he said there was no evidence yet that the deaths were the result of police action.
	The National Indigenous Organization of Colombia (ONIC) said the two victims were from the western department of Cauca and died from gunshot wounds.
	Some 135 people were injured, according to ONIC. Earlier, at midday the government ombudsman reported 21 civilians wounded.
	The Defense Ministry reported that 31 members of the security forces were injured.
	The farmers accuse ...

Two die, dozens injured in Colombia farmer protests

Colombia goalkeeper David Ospina admitted Thursday he was concerned Copa America referees may favour the United States on the eve of his team's clash with the host nation in Santa Clara.
     Arsenal star Ospina said he was wary of how match officials may react in Friday's Group A opener at the Levi's Stadium, where a near sell-out crowd will be overwhelmingly behind the Americans.
     "We are worried about that," Ospina said when asked about the referees.
     "But at the same time it's a beautiful party. We wait for everyone to have good intentions. There will be a lot of respect in the soccer field, for the referees to do their job the right way."
     Colombia coach Jose Pekerman meanwhile played down the concerns, voicing optimism that "external" factors would not influence Friday's game.
     "Soccer is in a special moment," the respected Argentinian said.
     "Everyone wants everything to be transparent. This is a great opportunity to show that technology and everything else .

Colombians wary of refs for Copa opener

Novak Djokovic, fresh from breaking the USD 100 million prize money barrier, aims for a place in a fourth French Open final Friday with fans handed the chance to watch the world number one for just USD 22.
     After a rain-ravaged tournament saw only two hours of play on Monday and Tuesday, Roland Garros organisers have been battling to get back on schedule.
     Usually, just the men's semi-finals are played on the second Friday but this year all four semi-finals in the men's and women's singles are being staged with two on the Philippe Chatrier Court and two uniquely on the Suzanne Lenglen arena.
     That has led organisers to offer 8,000 seats at 20 euros (USD 22.3) for Lenglen where Djokovic will face Austria's Dominic Thiem after Samantha Stosur and Garbine Muguruza have completed the first women's last-four clash.
     In stark contrast, on Saturday and Sunday, the women's and men's finals will respectively be held, as tradition demands, on Philippe Chatrier.
     Tickets for .

USD 100 million Djokovic on show for USD 22 in Friday special

Fiery Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios on Friday pulled out of the Rio Olympics, blaming "unwarranted attacks" on him by Australian Olympic chiefs after he was warned to behave.
     His decision follows fellow Australian Bernard Tomic making himself unavailable for Games selection last month after widespread criticism about his recent on-court attitude and behaviour.
     "Unfortunately, while I have expressed every intention of trying to win a medal for my country in Rio, it's very clear to me that the Australian Olympic Committee has other plans," the world number 19 said in a statement.
     "AOC's unfair and unjust treatment of me over the last four weeks, as well as the organisation's crystal clear position on whether they want me to be a part of the Australian Olympic team, has solidified my final decision."
     His bombshell announcement follows a war of words with the AOC's chef de mission Kitty Chiller, who had voiced concerns over selecting Kyrgios and Tomic due to ...

Kyrgios pulls out of Olympics, lashes out at AOC

A popular Australian television sports show apologised today over a joke in which a presenter asked an Asian woman whether she was planning on eating one of her dogs.
	The quip was part of a light-hearted segment on The Footy Show in which host and former rugby league player Beau Ryan chats with people in the street.
	Walking up to an Asian woman taking a photograph of three small dogs behind a glass door, Ryan asks: "Picking out which one for dinner?"
	Channel Nine then tweeted the brief exchange, prompting viewers to criticise it as racist, disgraceful and offensive.
	"Appalling racism" wrote one Twitter user, while another questioned not just the comment itself, but that the show left it "edited in, broadcast & then tweeted" the remark.
	The reaction prompted the show's executive producer to apologise.
	"We apologise for any offence caused, the segment is a comedy one where we have fun with people, but not intentionally at their expense," producer Glenn Pallister said in a ...

Australian sports show sorry for 'racist' dog joke

Cristiano Ronaldo's presence makes Portugal a more significant potential target for terror attacks during Euro 2016, according to coach Fernando Santos.
     France is on high alert ahead of the tournament, which starts on June 10, following the Islamic State group terror attacks in Paris last November that left 130 people dead.
     "As everybody knows, Portugal is considered one of the high-risk teams due to the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo. But we are prepared for this," Santos told reporters at Wembley after his side's 1-0 friendly loss to England on Thursday.
     "In reality, this will be the responsibility of the French security. Our fans will have to understand that at certain moments we won't be able to release our players as we would like."
     The United States warned its citizens earlier this week that the tournament will present "potential targets for terrorists", echoing comments by French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve.
     A three-time Ballon d'Or winner, Real .

Ronaldo makes Portugal terror target: Coach

Oil prices held steady in Asian trading today after a fall in US crude inventories offset OPEC's decision to shun production caps.
	The commodity initially fell yesterday after the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries ended its meeting in Vienna with no agreement, as expected, to lower or cap output despite a global supply glut.
	However, it rebounded after a US Department of Energy report showed commercial crude inventories sank by 1.4 million barrels last week, indicating a pick-up in demand in the world's top crude consumer.
	At about 0230 GMT, US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for delivery in July was two cents up at USD 49.19 a barrel while Brent for August was four cents higher at USD 50.08.
	A final statement from OPEC said that since its December meeting "crude oil prices have risen by more than 80 per cent, supply and demand is converging and oil and producer stock levels in the OECD (industrial economies) have recently shown moderation".
	It added: "This is ..

Oil prices hold steady on lower US supplies

An 86th-minute header from centre-back Chris Smalling spared England's blushes as they squeezed past 10-man Portugal 1-0 at Wembley on Thursday in their final Euro 2016 warm-up game.
     While Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo was rested following his involvement in Real Madrid's Champions League final victory over Atletico Madrid last weekend, England manager Roy Hodgson was effectively able to name a full-strength line-up.
     But with his side's Group B opener against Russia in Marseille just nine days away, it took Smalling's first international goal to secure victory after the hosts had toiled badly despite playing against 10 men following the 35th-minute dismissal of Bruno Alves.
     A bullish Hodgson told ITV: "I'm not prepared to accept that we didn't play well. We looked good, we had composure throughout the game and it would have been better to play against 11.
     "I'm not prepared to stand here and criticise some players. If I start being dissatisfied with three wins .

Smalling saves England against 10-man Portugal

Helicopters could be used to deliver aid to besieged areas of Syria, the UN has said, on the eve of an emergency meeting of the Security Council about the issue.
	Humanitarian access in Syria has been a key sticking point in stalled UN-backed peace talks aimed at ending the five-year war that has killed at least 280,000 people and displaced millions.
	United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric yesterday said helicopters would have to be used to carry aid to 15 of 19 besieged areas that include densely populated towns.
	"In urban areas, airdrops are not feasible, so you are talking about the use of helicopters," he said.
	"One can imagine the security challenges for that -- plus the security challenges of flying helicopters over the skies of Syria."
	The comments came as a US-backed alliance of Kurds and Arabs pressed its advance in northern Syria towards the town of Manbij, held by the Islamic State jihadist group.
	The US-led coalition also dropped ammunition to Syrian rebels ...

UN could start using helicopters for Syria aid drops

A seven-year-old boy missing since being abandoned in a bear-inhabited forest in northern Japan as a punishment nearly a week ago was found alive today and reunited with his parents, officials said.
	The boy, apparently unharmed and in good health, was discovered at a military base. Reports said he had taken shelter in a hut and found a tap to drink from but was hungry and immediately asked for food when he was discovered.
	"A Self-Defence Force official who was on a drill found a boy whose age appeared to be seven," said Tomohito Tamura, spokesman for police in northern Hokkaido island.
	"There was no conspicuous external injury, and the boy introduced himself as Yamato Tanooka," he told AFP, adding that the boy's parents were reunited with him and confirmed he was their son.
	The child's sobbing father related the emotional reunion in a television interview.
	"I apologised to Yamato," his father said in a phone interview aired on TV Asahi, adding that his son nodded in ...

7-year-old boy missing in Japan forest found alive: officials

One of the US Supreme Court's justices has extended her influence to the insect world, inspiring the name of a newly discovered praying mantis species.
	Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second woman to sit on the nation's top court, is the namesake for the new "Ilomantis ginsburgae" species, the Museum of Natural History in Cleveland announced yesterday.
	The museum identified the new species by creating a classification system based on characteristics of its females.
	Researchers said they wanted to honor 83-year-old Ginsburg for her "relentless fight for gender equality."
	The diminutive Jewish grandmother, just over 5 feet (1.5 metres) tall, has a strong pop-cultural following, especially among young people. She gained particular notoriety as a top ally of the women's rights movement in the 1960s and '70s.
	"Traditionally in praying mantis taxonomy we use the male genital characters to help delimit and describe new species," said researcher Sydney Brannoch in a video posted online by the ..

AFP

AFP

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