More than 400 Roman writing tablets have been unearthed in the heart of London, shedding light on the commerce-driven life in what would become the City of London financial hub, archaeologists said today.
	The wooden tablets contain the earliest surviving written reference to London, and the earliest dated handwritten document from Britain: January 8, 57 -- less than 14 years after the Roman invasion.
	The tablets reveal correspondence requesting payments, boasting of money-lending, asking favours to be returned, litigation requiring a judge and also evidence of someone practising the alphabet.
	They also show early London was inhabited by businessmen and soldiers, many from Gaul and the Rhineland.
	"It was like the email of the Roman world," said Sophie Jackson, archaeologist and director at Museum of London Archaeology, an independent charitable company which led the dig.
	The tablets were found beneath Bloomberg's new European headquarters by the Bank of England.
	Romans used waxed 

Roman writing tablets reveal early London life

PTI Automatic

Lionel Messi's former tax advisors came out in support of the football star Wednesday as his trial for alleged fraud continued in Barcelona, saying he never handled his wealth management.
	Messi, 28, 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 trial kicked off in Barcelona on Tuesday, and the Argentina star himself will take the stand on Thursday.
	He "didn't take any decisions and I didn't see anyone consulting him for anything," said Angel Juarez, one of the partners at law firm Juarez Veciana which managed Messi's tax affairs at the time.
	"I don't know if any of my correspondence has been included in the case, but they will see that Lionel Messi does not appear in any of it," added Inigo de Loyola, another partner.
     Juarez acknowledged in court that it was all about getting ...

Messi's ex-advisors absolve him in tax fraud trial

World number one Novak Djokovic became the first player to smash the $100 million prize money barrier when he reached the French Open quarter-finals for the 10th time Wednesday.
     The 29-year-old Serb started the tournament with USD 99,673,404 and the 294,000 euros (USD 328,303) he earned by beating Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut took him past the landmark figure.
     Top seed Djokovic defeated 14th seeded Bautista Agut 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 7-5 to move into a 28th consecutive Grand Slam quarter-final and 36th in all.
     He will on Thursday take on Czech seventh seed Tomas Berdych, who beat Spanish 11th seed David Ferrer 6-3, 7-5, 6-3. Djokovic has a 23-2 career stranglehold on Berdych who will be playing in his third Roland Garros quarter-final.
     Djokovic, seeking a first French Open title to complete a career Grand Slam, was 4-1 ahead of Bautista Agut in the third set Tuesday when play was halted due to rain after just two hours of action had been possible.
     But the Serb ...

Djokovic hits USD 100m jackpot as French Open plays catch-up

Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed the importance of "friendly relations" to a visiting North Korean official today, after the envoy reportedly told Chinese officials Pyongyang would continue its internationally condemned nuclear programme.
	Xi told top North Korean party official Ri Su-Yong in Beijing that "China places great value on the friendly cooperative relationship" with its isolated neighbour, an official report said.
	China is North Korea's largest trading partner and has been its key diplomatic protector for decades. But relations have soured over the North's nuclear tests and long-range missile launches, with Beijing supporting UN sanctions.
	According to South Korea, the North yesterday made an unsuccessful attempt to launch a powerful new medium-range missile.
	Ri told Chinese officials on Tuesday that Pyongyang would stick to its policy of "simultaneously pushing forward economic construction and the building of nuclear force", according to the North's official KCNA .

Chinese President stresses 'friendly' ties to N Korea envoy

A signal has been detected from one of two black boxes belonging to the doomed EgyptAir flight that crashed en route from Paris to Cairo on May 19, French investigators confirmed Wednesday.
	"The signal from a beacon from a flight recorder has been detected" by navy vessel Laplace, said Remi Jouty of France's Bureau of Investigations and Analysis, following an announcement from Egyptian authorities that the signal had probably been picked up.

EgyptAir black box signal detected: French investigators

A popular Iranian actress has found herself at the centre of a dispute over feminism in the Islamic republic after cameras appeared to capture a "women power" symbol tattooed on her arm.
	Taraneh Alidoosti's tattoo was seen sneaking from under her sleeve this week as she addressed reporters after returning from the Cannes Film Festival, where her latest film "The Salesman" won two awards.
	The images sparked intrigue and intense debate on Iran's colourful social media scene.
	Some media claimed the pictures were fake while some online commentators accused her of advocating feminism - which is viewed negatively among hardline conservatives in Iran.
	Others said she was promoting the right for women to have abortions, which are illegal in the Islamic republic.
	Alidoosti, 32, explained on Twitter the meaning of the "Feminist Fist" symbol, reminding fans in another update that she had previously explained that she viewed feminism as being about "showing unity and fairness".
	"Keep calm ..

Tattoo lands Iranian actress in feminism controversy

French investigators confirm EgyptAir black box found.

The world's longest tunnel officially opened on Wednesday, with the trailblazing rail passage under the Swiss Alps aiming to ease transit through the heart of Europe.
	German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi were on board for the inaugural 20-minute trip through 57-kilometre (35-mile) Gotthard Base Tunnel.

Swiss train starts trip through world's longest tunnel

US authorities have said they are establishing a network of labs that can respond quickly to antibiotic-resistant "superbugs", following America's first human case of a dangerous strain of E. Coli.
	The announcement by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention came yesterday as authorities try to identify people who had contact with a 49-year-old woman in the eastern state of Pennsylvania whose urinary tract infection tested positive for E. Coli bacteria carrying the antibiotic-resistant mcr-1 gene.
	Starting in the fall, the CDC will provide infrastructure and lab capacity for "seven to eight regional labs, and labs in all states and seven major cities/territories, to detect and respond to resistant organisms recovered from human samples," the agency said in a statement.
	State labs will be able to detect changes in antibiotic resistance and report the findings to federal authorities, leading to faster and more effective investigations and "stronger infection control among ...

US to establish lab network for combating 'superbugs'

Al-Qaeda's North African branch has claimed attacks in northern Mali that killed a Chinese UN peacekeeper and three civilians, the US-based monitoring group SITE said today.
	The attacks yesterday come days after five UN peacekeepers were killed in an ambush in central Mali, as concern grows over the future of the UN's deadliest active mission.
	"Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) reported that its al-Murabitoun battalion engaged in a clash with 'Crusader occupation forces'," referring to the UN mission in Mali, SITE said, adding that the jihadists called it an "epic battle".
	AQIM said in a statement its fighters were "thrashing" the enemy.
	Al-Murabitoun, led by one-eyed Algerian militant Mokhtar Belmokhtar, has claimed responsibility for several spectacular and bloody attacks in sub-Saharan Africa.
	One attack on a UN camp in the northern town of Gao yesterday killed a peacekeeper and seriously wounded three others, while a second armed attack on a UN de-mining unit killed two .

Al-Qaeda claims attack that killed 4 in Mali's north: SITE

Egypt says signal likely from EgyptAir black boxes

Upstart smartphone maker Xiaomi has bought nearly 1,500 patents from US technology giant Microsoft, the companies and reports said, as part of a "global partnership" that will help the Chinese firm expand outside its home market.
	The patents cover wireless communications, video, cloud and multi-media technologies, Bloomberg News quoted a Xiaomi spokeswoman as saying.
	"This will help ease of operation in new markets," spokeswoman Kaylene Hong said.
	Besides the patent transfers, Xiaomi will pre-install Microsoft Office and Skype on its Android smartphones and tablets, Microsoft said in a statement. Xiaomi sold more than 70 million handsets last year.
	In May, Microsoft announced the sale of its phone business for USD 350 million to a new Finnish company HMD Global and its Taiwanese partner, FIH Mobile of FoxConn Technology Group.
	Microsoft bought the unprofitable handset unit of Finland's Nokia in 2014, but is now seeking to shut it down as it largely exits production.
	"Microsoft ..

China smartphone maker Xiaomi buys Microsoft patents

Chinese President Xi Jinping met a visiting North Korean delegation today, state media reported, in an apparent attempt by Pyongyang to mend frayed ties with its powerful neighbour.
	Although the official Xinhua news agency did not give the names of those in the delegation, the encounter comes on the heels of a rare visit Tuesday by top North Korean politician Ri Su Yong, vice chairman of the country's ruling Workers' Party and former foreign minister.
	China is North Korea's largest trading partner and has been its key diplomatic protector for decades. But relations have soured following Pyongyang's internationally-condemned nuclear tests, with Beijing supporting UN sanctions against the hermit kingdom.
	UN resolutions ban North Korea from using any ballistic missile technology, although it regularly fires short-range missiles into the sea off its east coast.
	Ri Su Yong met Chinese official Song Tao yesterday, head of the international department of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) 

Chinese President meets N. Korea delegation

A Chinese peacekeeper serving with the UN's Mali mission and three civilians working with an explosives unit have been killed in separate attacks, the UN and China's foreign ministry said today.
	The attacks yesterday come days after five UN peacekeepers were killed in an ambush in central Mali, as concern grows over the future of the world body's deadliest active mission.
	"The MINUSMA camp... In Gao, was targeted with a rocket or mortar attack," a UN mission statement said.
	"According to a preliminary report, a peacekeeper was killed and three peacekeepers seriously wounded, and more than a dozen MINUSMA personnel slightly injured."
	A second armed attack on a UN de-mining unit killed "two security guards and an international expert", the statement said.
	At least 65 peacekeepers with the mission, known by the acronym MINUSMA, have been killed while on active service, while another four have died in friendly fire incidents, UN figures show.
	Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua 

Chinese peacekeeper, 3 civilians killed in Mali

A South Korean student who committed suicide by jumping from his 20th floor apartment hit and killed another man walking home with his pregnant wife and son, a news report said today.
	The 38-year-old local government employee was returning from work in the southern city of Gwangju yesterday when he was struck by the 25-year-old student, the Yonhap news agency said.
	The man had been walking with his wife who was eight months pregnant and their five-year-old son.
	Both men were taken to a nearby hospital but neither survived, Yonhap said.
	The agency said police planned to charge the dead student with manslaughter in order to ease any insurance claim brought by the other man's family.

S Korea suicide jumper kills man walking with family: reports

French industrial giant DCNS is seeking a possible tie-up in its submarine activities with German rival ThyssenKrupp, one of its directors said in comments to German newspapers today.
	"It's not perhaps the best moment just now for such discussions, but once the German side has overcome its disappointment, we'd be ready" to talk, DCNS' head of strategy, Andreas Loewenstein said.
	DCNS recently beat ThyssenKrupp in a bid for a 34-billion-euro (USD 38-billion) contract in Australia.
	His comments were reported by a number of German newspapers after a meeting with their correspondents in France.
	Loewenstein argued that a tie-up between the two European groups was necessary to retain the industry in Europe as new rivals emerge from China, South Korea and India.
	The two sides had entertained the possibility of joining forces in the past, without any concrete plans materialising.
	"The day after such a decision (on the Australian contract) may not be ideal to start discussing a project ...

France's DCNS seeks submarine tie-up with ThyssenKrupp

Muslim-majority Malaysia said today it would raise its minimum age for alcohol consumption to 21 next year from the current 18 to stem underage drinking and alcohol abuse.
	The new threshold goes into effect on December 1, 2017 along with a new requirement that manufacturers add warnings on the health dangers of alcohol consumption to their product labels, Health Minister S Subramaniam said in a statement.
	Businesses serving alcoholic beverages must display similar notices.
	Subramaniam said the step was in line with the "Global Strategy to Reduce Harmful Use of Alcohol", an effort spearheaded by the World Health Organisation.
	The New Straits Times newspaper quoted him as saying certain types of cheaply produced liquor were "creating a social problem among the lower-income group".
	More than 60 per cent of Malaysians are Muslim, and Islam - which bans alcohol consumption - is the official religion.
	Malaysia has some of Asia's highest excise taxes on alcohol, according to the ...

Malaysia to raise drinking age to 21

Furious officials sent troops to Indonesian islets near Singapore after an online map of an eco resort mistakenly suggested they belong to the city-state.
	Indonesian lawmakers also demanded the country's sovereignty be defended as anger mounted at the map of the under-construction "Funtasy Island".
	The map initially showed Pulau Manis -- islets that make up the resort -- in blue, the same colour as Singapore, prompting outrage in Indonesian media at what they said was an attempt to claim their country's territory by stealth.
	Both governments scrambled to defuse the escalating anger, with the city-state's foreign ministry saying it was "deeply puzzled" since it did not claim the islands while Jakarta insisted it was a mistake.
	Pulau Manis was also changed to red on the website map, one of the colours on the Indonesian flag.
	But by this point, Indonesian army and navy personnel had already been dispatched from a local base to the resort to place the country's flag on the highest ...

Map blunder sparks Indonesia-Singapore row, troop dispatch

Veteran Sri Lankan seamer Nuwan Kulasekara announced his retirement from Test cricket today but said he would continue to be available for limited-overs matches.
     The 33-year-old paceman has not played a Test in almost two years and said in a letter to the Sri Lankan board that he was retiring with "immediate effect".
     "I hope it will allow me to better prepare for ODI and T20 cricket, which I would like to continue playing for Sri Lanka subject to good performance and selection," he said.
     Kulasekara made his Test debut against New Zealand in 2005 and went on to play 21 Tests, capturing 48 wickets.
     His best match figures were 8-58 against Pakistan at Colombo in 2009, while his highest score with the bat was 64 against England at Lord's in 2006.
     His last Test appearance, in 2014, was also against England at Lord's although he has remained a regular fixture in Sri Lanka's one-day international and Twenty20 line-ups.
     He has so far played 173 ODIs and was ...

Sri Lanka's Kulasekara retires from Tests

Taiwan's new government has repealed controversial changes to the high school curriculum that led to widespread protests last year over what critics said was "China-centric" education.
	The order to overturn the changes comes less than two weeks since the China-sceptic Democratic Progressive Party was sworn in, replacing the Beijing-friendly Kuomintang (KMT) government.
	Outgoing president Ma Ying-jeou oversaw an unprecedented rapprochement with Beijing -- while new president Tsai Ing-wen has said she will maintain the "status quo" with China.
	Ties have rapidly cooled since she won the presidency in January vowing to restore Taiwanese pride.
	Education ministry officials said the decision on the curriculum, made late yesterday, had been taken in response to public sentiment.
	Dozens of angry students broke in to the education ministry in central Taipei last July over amendments to the curriculum brought in by the KMT, which they said favoured China's view of the island's ...

Taiwan drops 'China-centric' curriculum after protests

Microsoft is out to use Windows software to do for altered reality what it did for personal computers: make them commonplace.
	The US technology giant today announced that Windows software already powering a wide range of devices including HoloLens augmented reality headgear is being opened to partners interested in building devices for "mixed reality" experiences.
	Devices built on the Windows platform will be interoperable, meaning that someone wearing HTC Vive virtual reality gear would be able to virtually visit and collaborate with someone using HoloLens virtual reality goggles, Microsoft executives told AFP.
	The list of partners already working with Microsoft included HTC, Lenovo, Asus, and HP.
	Microsoft said it built HoloLens to showcase the potential for the technology, which is based on the same Windows operating system that powers computers, smartphones, Xbox consoles and more.
	Sharing the Windows platform will mean that augmented or virtual reality gear from various ...

AFP

AFP

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