Fireworks sparked a fire at a luxury beach resort in southern Sri Lanka minutes after it was opened by President Maithripala Sirisena, hotel and local officials said.
	Police have already begun an investigation into yesterday's incident at the 300-room Shangri-La at Hambantota, the upmarket hotel operator's first hotel in the island.
	"During the festivities, fireworks sparked a fire on a thatched roof covering a pool installation," the group's Hong Kong-based public relations chief Ilona Yim said.
	"No one was hurt and we are thankful for the help of the fire brigade, which was onsite and extinguished the fire within 10 minutes."
	The hotel said the president stayed on for a private dinner that was part of the opening at Hambantota, 240 kilometres south of the capital Colombo.
	"The president had just walked back to the hotel while the fireworks display was still on," his spokesman Dharmasri Bandara told AFP.
	Initial reports said the president was immediately evacuated, but his ...

Fireworks spark blaze as Sri Lanka president opens resort

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Argentina football star Lionel Messi said today he trusted his father with his finances and "knew nothing" about how his wealth was managed as he took the stand at his tax fraud trial.
     "I was playing football. I had no idea about anything," the five-time World Player of the Year told the Barcelona court hearing the case.
     "I trusted my dad and my lawyers," the 28-year-old, who wore a black suit and tie, added on the third day of the trial.
     Messi and his father Jorge Horacio Messi are accused of using a chain of fake companies in Belize and Uruguay to avoid paying taxes on 4.16 million euros ($4.6 million) of Messi's income earned through the sale of his image rights from 2007-09.
     The income related to Messi's image rights that was allegedly hidden and includes endorsement deals with Banco Sabadell, Danone, Adidas, Pepsi-Cola, Procter & Gamble and the Kuwait Food Company.
     "All I knew was that we signed agreements with certain sponsors, for 'X' amount of ...

Messi says 'knew nothing' at tax fraud trial in Spain

Each time he hears of the latest deadly machete attack, Ashraful Islam can't help but think of his father's gruesome murder and fear his fellow Sufi Muslims will never be safe again in Bangladesh.
	"The killings are not declining, they're getting worse. And every one reminds me what happened to my father," said the 30-year-old medical student.
	"I've no idea why they are doing this but if they aren't stopped then our future is doomed, we'll become another Pakistan."
	Islamists have claimed responsibility for around 40 killings in the last three years of foreigners, secular bloggers, gay activists, Hindus and Christians. Many have been slaughtered with machetes.
	But no group has suffered as much as Sufis, an offshoot of mainstream Islam whose followers are often denounced as "infidels" for their mystical traditions, including worshipping at shrines.
	Fourteen have died since December 2014 in religiously motivated attacks, including Islam's father Khizir Khan.
	More than 100,000 Sufis .

Sufis live in fear after Bangladeshi machete slaughter

British department store chain BHS is to close with the loss of up to 11,000 jobs, administrators said today after failing to find a buyer.
	The 88-year-old chain, which sells clothing, food and homeware, has failed to keep pace with traditional rivals such as Marks & Spencer and online giants like Amazon, resulting in a major loss of market share.
	"Philip Duffy and Benjamin Wiles, managing directors of Duff & Phelps (the administrators) have today announced the orderly wind down of the BHS business," read a statement.
	The company's 163 stores will enter "close-down sale mode" over the coming weeks in an "orderly wind-down" of the business.
	A total of 11,000 jobs are in peril, comprising 8,000 BHS staff who are "likely to go", plus another 3,000 non-BHS in-store employees also at risk.
	"Despite the considerable efforts of the administrators and BHS senior management it has not been possible to agree a sale of the business," the statement added.
	"Although multiple offers ...

UK retailer BHS collapses with loss of up to 11,000 jobs

An embezzlement probe has been launched after nearly USD 100 million vanished from a fund set up by Myanmar's gem companies, a trade body said today, raising corruption fears in an industry notorious for its shady dealings.
	Mining-especially for jade-was firmly in the hands of the military and their 'crony' elites during the final years of junta rule, but remains cloaked in secrecy despite reforms under a quasi-civilian government that came to power in 2011.
	The fund, drawn from a one percent levy on profits from the multi-billion-dollar extractive trade, has USD 7.8 million left from a high of USD 104 million, according to the Myanmar Gems and Jewellery Entrepeneurs Association.
	"But we don't know anything (about the money). How was it managed and where did the money go?" association member Kyaw Kyaw Oo told reporters.
	He did not say how many years the fund was collected for, name the contributors or speculate what has happened to the cash.
	But he said a parliamentary commission 

Myanmar gem firms say $100m 'missing' from industry fund

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today warned that the German parliament's recognition of World War I killings of Armenians by Ottoman forces as genocide would "seriously affect" ties.
	"The resolution adopted by the German parliament will seriously affect relations between Germany and Turkey," Erdogan said in Nairobi after talks with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta.
	He confirmed Ankara has recalled its ambassador to Germany, Huseyin Avni Karslioglu, for consultations.
	Germany's charge d'affaires in the capital has also been summoned to the Turkish foreign ministry later in the day, a spokesperson for German embassy in Ankara told AFP.
	Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus also slammed as "null and void" and a "historic mistake" the German parliament's resolution.
	"The German parliament's recognition of 'distorted and groundless' allegations as 'genocide' is a historic mistake," Kurtulmus, who is also government spokesman, said on his official Twitter ...

German 'genocide' resolution to 'seriously' hit ties: Erdogan

German lawmakers passed a resolution today recognising the World War I massacre of Armenians by Ottoman forces as genocide, drawing a furious rebuke from Turkey which called it a "historic mistake".
	Only one MP voted against and another abstained, as parliament approved overwhelmingly by a show of hands the resolution titled "Remembrance and commemoration of the genocide of Armenians and other Christian minorities in 1915 and 1916".
	In the public gallery of the Bundestag, people held up banners saying "thank you" as the parliamentary speaker announced the result of the vote to applause.
	Armenia Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian praised the decision as "Germany's valuable contribution not only to the international recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide, but also to the universal fight for the prevention of genocides, crimes against humanity."
	But Turkey swiftly condemned the resolution.
	"The German parliament's recognition of 'distorted and groundless' allegations .

Germany adopts Armenian 'genocide' resolution

Turkey today recalled its envoy to Germany and threatened consequences, in a furious reaction over the Bundestag's decision to adopt a resolution recognising the World War I massacre of Armenians by Ottoman forces as genocide.
	Only one MP voted against and another abstained, as the German parliament approved overwhelmingly by a show of hands the resolution titled "Remembrance and commemoration of the genocide of Armenians and other Christian minorities in 1915 and 1916".
	In the public gallery of the Bundestag, onlookers including members of the Armenian community held up banners saying "thank you" as the parliamentary speaker announced the result of the vote to applause.
	Armenia Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian praised the decision as "Germany's valuable contribution not only to the international recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide, but also to the universal fight for the prevention of genocides, crimes against humanity."
	But Turkey swiftly condemned the ...

Turkey recalls envoy over Germany's Armenian 'genocide' issue

Families of six Malaysia Airlines crew members who were killed when flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine nearly two years ago filed a lawsuit today blaming the carrier for the tragedy.
	The suit accuses the airline of negligence and breach of contract and is believed to be the first filed against the company over the 2014 disaster, said Balan Nair, a lawyer representing families of the six Malaysian crew members.
	It comes two weeks after a suit by 33 next-of-kin from Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia was filed against Russia and President Vladimir Putin in the European Court of Human Rights.
	All 298 passengers and crew -- the majority of them Dutch -- died when the Boeing 777 was hit by a Russian-made BUK anti-aircraft missile over war-torn eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014.
	Today's filing in Malaysia blames the airline for the tragedy, saying it "dispatched and executed the MH17 flight over an area known to be under armed conflict, which posed an unreasonable risk of harm and ..

Families of MH17 crew file suit against Malaysia Airlines

Turkey today slammed as "null and void" and a "historic mistake" the German parliament's resolution recognising the World War I killings of Armenians by Ottoman forces as genocide.
	"The German parliament's recognition of 'distorted and groundless' allegations as 'genocide' is a historic mistake," Deputy Prime Minister and government spokesman Numan Kurtulmus said on his official Twitter account, calling the resolution "null and void."
	German lawmakers overwhelmingly adopted the resolution, defying Turkey's warnings that the vote could severely damage bilateral ties.
	Kurtulmus said the decision was not beneficial for friendly relations between Turkey and Germany.
	"This is an issue that needs to be finalised not by politicians or parliaments but by scientists and historians," he said.
	Kurtulmus also warned that: "Of course, as Turkey, we will give an appropriate response to this decision on every level."
	Yerevan has long sought international recognition of the term "genocide" for .

Turkey: German parliament genocide resolution historic mistake

Eight Vietnamese were killed and dozens of others were injured today when a passenger bus exploded in eastern Laos in unknown circumstances, a border guard said.
	The bus, which was also carrying some timber, burst into flames in the early morning, a guard from central Nghe An province told AFP on the condition of anonymity, without elaborating.
	It is common for passenger buses in the remote region to be packed with goods.
	According to VNExpress news site, the 35-seat bus was 10 kilometres from the border with Vietnam when the incident happened.
	"After a huge bomb-like explosion, the bus was torn into pieces," the site quoted passenger Pham Dinh Tu as saying.
	"I was in a back seat, sleeping, when I was thrown out and felt timber fall on my body. I fainted and later woke up to find myself in an ambulance," he told the news site.
	The report added that Laos authorities confirmed the dead were Vietnamese nationals working in Laos.
	Several other injured victims are reportedly ...

8 Vietnamese killed in bus explosion on Laos border: official

Britain and France urged the United Nations to begin humanitarian air drops to Syria's besieged areas including a rebel-held town near Damascus after the first aid convoy there in years contained no food.
	In northern Syria, a US-supported Kurdish-Arab alliance today pressed its advance towards the town of Manbij held by the Islamic State jihadist group.
	A US-led coalition is backing offensives against the extremists in Syria and neighbouring Iraq where forces have surrounded the IS-held city of Fallujah.
	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.
	Last month the United Nations said if it did not see improvement on aid access to besieged areas by June 1, it would task the World Food Programme to carry out air drops.
	Calls from London and Paris for aerial aid came despite supply deliveries yesterday to two towns besieged by government ...

Britain, France pressure UN over Syria aid drops

Mainland hackers were likely to be behind an attack on the website of Taiwan's ruling party, a US-based security firm said today, as the island warns of growing cyber threats.
	Cross-strait relations have turned increasingly frosty since Taiwan's new president Tsai Ing-wen of the China-sceptic Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) won elections in January and took office last month, with Beijing wary the new government may seek independence.
	Taiwan has been self-ruling since the two sides split in 1949 after a civil war -- but China still sees it as part of its territory.
	The party's website came under attack in early April, redirecting visitors to a fake website, California-based FireEye said in a statement today.
	The tactic is one often used by Chinese hackers, it said.
	Administrators fixed the problem the next day but the website was compromised again a few days later, suggesting the site is being monitored, according to the statement.
	"FireEye believes this operation likely ...

Chinese cyber spies hack Taiwan ruling party: security firm

A powerful earthquake off Indonesia's Sumatra island today sent panicked people fleeing for higher ground and left eight people injured and scores of buildings damaged.
	The 6.5-magnitude quake hit around dawn, waking up residents of the major port city Padang on Sumatra's west coast and sending them running from their homes.
	No tsunami warning was issued after the tremor, which struck around 140 kilometres from Padang, according to the US Geological Survey.
	In Padang two people were seriously injured by falling debris, said disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.
	He said in a nearby district six people were injured, while 54 houses and a hospital suffered mostly light damage around the region.
	An 80-year-old man died of a heart attack in Padang following the quake, but it was not clear if his death was linked to the tremor, Nugroho said.
	Ade Nelvi, a woman living in Padang, said she was woken by the tremor.
	"It was strong and my house was shaking, so I ran to my kids' ..

Indonesian earthquake causes injuries, damages buildings

Tajikistan today jailed 13 leading members of a banned moderate Islamist opposition party for up to life, officials said.
	The ex-Soviet Central Asian country handed life sentences to two leading figures in the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT) while 11 others received up to 28 years, officials in Dushanbe told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
	Tajikistan has not yet released an official statement on the outcome of the closed trial at the supreme court.
	Savrinisso Dzhurabekova, wife of one of the jailed men, confirmed to AFP that "two have been sentenced to life" including her husband Makhmadali Khait, the deputy head of the party.
	The convicts' ages range from 41 to 70.
	Khait is known for "his vocal support for human rights, freedom of expression, and freedom of religion," Steve Swerdlow, Central Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch, said last month.
	The high-profile trial of the formal opposition to Tajikistan's strongman President Emomali Rakhmon has ...

Tajkistan jails 13 leaders of Islamist party for up to life

Thai authorities uncovered a trove of animal parts and intercepted a monk trying to leave a controversial "tiger temple" with skins and fangs today, the latest discovery to fuel accusations that the zoo is involved in the illegal wildlife trade.
	Dozens of police and park officials have been stationed at the Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua temple in western Kanchanaburi province since Monday after receiving a court order to remove over 100 adult cats from the complex.
	For decades the infamous temple has been a popular stop for tourists who pay a steep fee to pet and be photographed with the predators - which animal rights groups say are heavily sedated.
	"Today we found found tigers skins and amulets in a car which was trying to leave the temple," Adisorn Noochdumrong, the deputy director of Thailand's parks department, told AFP.
	In addition to more skins that were later found in monks' quarters, officials discovered a live lion, hornbill, sun bear and banteng (an endangered species of wild ...

Thai tiger temple monk caught fleeing with skins, fangs

Mustafizur Rahman's participation in the English Twenty20 tournament for Sussex was thrown into doubt today after Bangladesh cricket officials said they feared the paceman may be suffering from burnout.
     The 20-year-old bowling sensation, nicknamed Fizz, returned home this week to a hero's welcome after helping Sunrisers Hyderabad win their maiden Indian Premier League title with 17 wickets from 16 matches.
	Rahman was named emerging player of the tournament, the first foreign cricketer to be bestowed with the honour, after conceding just 6.9 runs per over, the most miserly among those who bowled in at least 10 matches.
     He is scheduled to join English county side Sussex next week after signing as their second overseas cricketer in March for the NatWest T20 Blast and the Royal London One-Day Cup.
	But his participation appeared to hit a stumbling block after the Bangladesh Cricket Board said they would first assess his health before allowing him to join the English side.
     .

Bangladesh wary 'Fizz' may be suffering burnout

A giant panda on loan to Belgium from China has given birth to a cub, a rare event for the endangered species, the Pairi Daiza zoo said today.
	The zoo and the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda "have the great pleasure to announce the birth of a panda cub", Pairi Daiza said in a statement.
	"Less than 2,000 pandas can be found in the wild, making every birth a true miracle", it said.
	"Over the past twenty years, only two European countries (Austria and Spain) were able, with China's help, to successfully reproduce pandas.
	"Belgium will thus be the third European country to have ever had the pleasure of welcoming a panda cub."
	The mother, Hao Hao, and her mate Xing Hui were loaned to Belgium for 15 years in February 2014, on the occasion of a state visit to the kingdom by China's President Xi Jinping.
	She was artificially inseminated twice in February with the sperm of Xing Hui.
	The zoo, in Brugelette, about 50 kilometres west of Brussels, said last month .

Chinese panda gives birth in Belgium

Hillary Clinton ventures to California aiming to snatch a Democratic nomination victory next week and dash the White House dreams of rival Bernie Sanders, allowing her to finally turn to her election matchup against Donald Trump.
	Clinton has six days to press her case in the nation's most populous state, where she is desperate to secure a symbolic victory and take Sanders' last remaining argument for staying in the presidential race off the table.
	Still-popular former president Bill Clinton heads out West on his wife's behalf, launching a five-day campaign swing beginning today that will take him "up and down California," while Hillary holds her own packed schedule of rallies there beginning today, according to her campaign.
	But Sanders is mounting a last stand of sorts in the progressive bastion, where he has campaigned relentlessly for several days. He is out to prove on June 7 -- the final "Super Tuesday" of 2016, with six states voting -- that he can beat the nearly impossible .

Clinton struggling to vanquish Sanders in California

Ten Parisian restaurants are to open their kitchens to refugee chefs from Syria to Sri Lanka as part of a new festival aimed at "changing attitudes" to migrants, organisers said.
	"We tend to forget that these people arrive in France with skills, know-how, a cultural heritage, especially in cuisine, which must be appreciated to help them integrate into French society, said Food Sweet Food co-founder Louis Martin.
	The chefs will be invited to cook in the Parisian eateries between June 17 and 21 as part of the Refugee Food Festival which is being run in conjunction with the UN's refugee agency and which will coincide with World Refugee Day on June 20.
	Seven chefs with refugee status from Syria, India, Iran, Ivory Coast, Chechnya and Sri Lanka will take part.
	At one of the participating restaurants, L'Ami Jean in Paris's 7th arrondissement, chef  Stephane Jego will team up with Syrian Mohamad El Khady to prepare a selection of dishes.
	"We realised the extent to which cuisine has the .

Refugee chefs to cook up Parisian feast

Ground-level traffic lights for pedestrians constantly looking down at smartphones are set to be trialled in Sydney as Australian authorities seek to drive down the road death toll.
	It comes amid alarm about rising road fatalities this year, with officials launching the "Towards Zero" advertising campaign this week to increase awareness about accident rates.
	In addition, the New South Wales government is shelling out Australian dollar 250,000 (USD 181,000) to test "in-ground traffic-light technology" at key crossings in Sydney's central business district, the state's Roads Minister Duncan Gay said.
	"Pedestrians are less protected in a road crash, and are therefore more likely to be seriously injured or killed," NSW Centre for Road Safety's executive director Bernard Carlon said in a statement sent to AFP today.
	"This is why we need to create a road system that keeps them safe, and this includes situations when they may not be paying attention. The lights are aimed at pedestrians ..

AFP

AFP

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