Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged newly-elected lawmakers today to resist "schemes" from the West as parliamentarians met in Tehran for the first time since elections finished in April.
	"The turbulent state of the region and the world and the international adventurism of oppressors and their vassals have confronted the Islamic Iran with conditions more complicated than before," said a message from Khamenei, read to a packed parliament chamber.
	Khamenei, who has the final say on all matters in the country, repeated his familiar call for loyalty to the principles of the 1979 revolution and resistance against Western infiltration.
	"It is the revolutionary and legal duty of you to make the parliament a stronghold against the schemes, charms and impudently excessive demands of the Arrogance," his message read.
	"Arrogance" was a term first used by the Islamic republic's founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to describe Western powers, especially the United States.
	The ...

Iran's Khamenei warns of Western 'schemes' as new MPs meet

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Thai rescue workers battled rough seas today as they resumed the search for a British man missing after a speedboat accident that left three foreign women dead, police said.
	The boat, which was carrying 32 tourists plus four crew, capsized Thursday afternoon after it was slammed by a wave near a rocky stretch of coast on Koh Samui, a popular island in the Gulf of Thailand.
	Thai officials say three women -- from the United Kingdom, Germany and Hong Kong --  died in the accident, which threw all of the passengers overboard, trapping some under the ship's hull.
	Forty rescue workers continued searching today for a missing British man, said an officer from the island's tourist police force.
	"The obstacle for today is the rough seas, but we will try our best," Thanakorn Pattananun told AFP.
	The tourist was travelling with his wife, who survived the accident, he added.
	The boats that ferry tourists around Thailand's popular beaches are notoriously reckless and life vests are often in ..

Thai rescuers battle rough seas in search for missing tourist

The World Health Organization has ruled out any change in timing or the location of the upcoming Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, shunning a call by doctors and scientists to shift the games over the Zika virus.
	The UN health body outlined its stance in a statement late yesterday after a group of 150 international doctors, scientists and researchers sent an open letter outlining fears that the arrival of half a million tourists for the Games could cause the virus to spread more rapidly around the world.
	But WHO said moving the Olympics would not have a major impact on the spread of Zika.
	"Based on current assessment, cancelling or changing the location of the 2016 Olympics will not significantly alter the international spread of Zika virus," it said.
	Zika can cause birth defects, including a devastating syndrome known as microcephaly in which babies are born with unusually small heads and brains.
	Nearly 1,300 babies have been born in Brazil with the irreversible defect since the .

WHO rejects calls to move Olympics over Zika fears

The family of a Malian civilian who died after being arrested by peacekeepers following a deadly jihadist attack claimed his death was due to abuse in custody as the UN promised to "shed light" on the incident.
	Five Chadian peacekeepers were killed in the ambush in northeast Mali on May 18 and a sixth died of his wounds on May 24, according to the latest toll from the UN mission in Mali (MINUSMA).
	Three suspects were arrested, one of whom "died on May 19 in the hours following his apprehension" while the other two were released, MINUSMA said last week as it announced the launch of an internal inquiry.
	The victim was an elderly Tuareg shepherd named Almoustapha Ag Intisniyiken, who was detained with his son and another relative, his family told AFP.
	"If they had not arrested my father with violence, he would not have died," his son Ousmane Ag Almoustapha told AFP by telephone, speaking in the Tuareg language which one of his relatives then translated.
	"We were behind our flock ...

Mali family blame UN peacekeepers for death in custody

Passengers of a Korean Air plane recalled the terrifying moment one of the aircraft's twin engines caught fire as it was gaining speed for take-off at Tokyo's Haneda airport.
	All 302 passengers and 17 crew members were evacuated safely from the Korean Air Boeing 777 yesterday, escaping down the plane's inflatable emergency evacuation slides onto the runway.
	"As the plane was picking up speed to take off, there was a bang and I saw a plume of black smoke rising from the wing," Keum Min-Woo, 34, told journalists after the passengers arrived in Seoul on an alternative flight late yesterday.
	Crew members calmly led passengers into safety, Keum said.
	Another passenger Hwang Kyung-Tae, 59, said the plane screeched to a halt after the explosion.
	"A minute passed and we were told to evacuate. If the plane had taken off several minutes earlier, we all would have died," said Hwang.
	Kim Byung-Jin, 47, had a bandage over his forehead from a cut he suffered when he bumped into another ...

Korean Air passengers recall near-disaster at Tokyo airport

A crime journalist has been shot dead in Manila, police and colleagues said today, the latest addition to a lengthening list of unsolved murders of media workers in the Philippines.
	Alex Balcoba, 56, was attacked in central Manila late Friday outside a watch repair shop owned by his family, the country's National Press Club said in a statement.
	The club's president Paul Gutierrez said the attack on Balcoba, a reporter for the People's Brigada tabloid, brought to more than 30 the number of journalists killed in the Philippines since 2010, with no suspects yet brought to justice.
	"The culture of impunity that is behind these attacks is yet to be addressed by the authorities despite their repeated boasts and promises," Gutierrez added.
	The two gunmen fled on a motorcycle after shooting Balcoba, Gutierrez said.
	Fellow journalists took Balcoba to hospital, where he was pronounced dead, he added.
	Manila police confirmed Balcoba had been shot and killed, but gave no further ...

Journalist shot dead in Philippine capital: police

Marcus Rashford made a bold claim for a place at Euro 2016 as the Manchester United sensation took just 135 seconds to became the youngest player to score on his England debut in the 2-1 win against Australia.
     Rashford's meteoric rise hit new heights when the teenage striker opened the scoring in the Euro 2016 warm-up with a clinical volley at the Stadium of Light last night.
     No player of such a tender age had ever found the net on his England bow and at the age of 18 years and 209 days, Rashford is behind only former Liverpool star Michael Owen (18 years and 164 days) and United captain Wayne Rooney (17 years 317 days) in the list of the youngest scorers in an England shirt.
	Rashford has less than a season's worth of experience, but England manager Roy Hodgson now has strong evidence he is already worthy of featuring at the European Championships.
	Rooney came off the bench to score England's second after the interval before Australia got one back through Eric Dier's own ..

Rashford's dream debut boosts Euro bid

Lionel Messi was taken to hospital after suffering an injury scare as Argentina defeated Honduras 1-0 in their only warm-up game before next month's Copa America Centenario in the United States.
     A first-half goal from in-form Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuain settled a low-key encounter in San Juan last night, with two-time world champions Argentina dominating possession and shots.
     But the result was overshadowed by an alarming incident involving Messi midway through the second half that forced the Barcelona superstar to leave the field clutching his lower back in pain.
	The five-time FIFA World Player of the Year appeared to be hurt after a heavy aerial collision with an opposing player in the 59th minute.
     Messi grimaced and rubbed his lower back after the challenge and required treatment on the field for several minutes before he was swiftly substituted by Ever Banega.
     Messi was taken to hospital to assess the nature of the injury, the Argentina Football Association 

Messi scare as Argentina down Honduras

Nine-time champion Rafael Nadal rocked the French Open when he pulled out with a left wrist injury as Andy Murray and defending champion Stan Wawrinka moved closer to a semi-final showdown.
     Nadal, 29, said he had been playing with an anesthetic injection in the wrist in the first two rounds and that MRI scans had shown that the injury to the tendon was getting worse.
     "It's not broken, but if I continue to play it will be 100 percent broken in a few days," said last night an emotional Nadal, the fourth seeded winner of 14 majors.
	"To win the tournament I need five more matches, and the doctor says that's 100 per cent impossible."
	Nadal, plagued by knee and wrist injuries througout his career, added: "This is a very bad position, but that's life.
	"It's obvious that if it's not Roland Garros I would not take risks on playing the first two days, but it is the most important event of the year for me so we tried our best."
	Despite his latest setback, the charismatic Spaniard ..

Injured Nadal out of French Open as Murray, Wawrinka cruise

The law firm at the heart of the Panama Papers revelations is closing its offices in the British-dependent territories of Jersey, Isle of Man and Gibraltar, it has tweeted.
	Mossack Fonseca "will be ceasing operations" in those territories, "but we will continue serving all of our clients," it said.
	"This decision has been taken with great regret, as Mossack Fonseca has had a presence in these locations for more than 20 years," the Panama-based law firm added.
	The office closures were part of a strategy to "consolidate our service office network," it said.
	The announcement came nearly eight weeks after the first reports about the Panama Papers emerged, divulging details taken from nearly four decades of records from Mossack Fonseca's computer archives.
	They revealed that many prominent leaders, politicians, celebrities and wealthy individuals around the world used Mossack Fonseca to start up or run offshore entities to hold their assets.
	Although offshore companies are not in ...

Panama Papers law firm closes Jersey, Gibraltar offices

Five soldiers have been killed 	and four others wounded in northern Mali when their vehicles were hit by an explosion, authorities said.
	"Two vehicles from the Malian armed forces were blown up by an improvised explosive device causing the death of five Malian soldiers and wounding four others yesterday," an army statement said.
	The government pledged in the statement that "everything will be done to locate and bring those responsible to justice" for the attack between the localities of Ansongo and Indelimane.
	Mali's vast, desolate north fell under the control of the Tuareg-led rebels who allied with jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda in 2012.
	The Islamists were largely ousted by an ongoing French-led military operation launched in January 2013, although they have since launched sporadic attacks on security forces from desert hideouts.
	However, rival armed factions and smuggling networks mean the region has struggled for stability since the west African nation gained independence 

Blast kills five soldiers and wounds four in Mali: army

Egypt has hired a private firm to help in the hunt for the black boxes from the EgyptAir plane that crashed last week en route from Paris to Cairo, authorities said.
	Egyptian civil aviation officials said yesterday in a statement they had signed an agreement with Deep Ocean Search (DOS) to carry out the search and retrieval process of the two data recorders.
	EgyptAir Flight MS804 crashed in the Mediterranean last Thursday between the Greek island of Crete and Egypt's north coast with 66 people aboard, including 30 Egyptians and 15 French nationals.
	French and Egyptian aviation officials have said it is too soon to determine what caused the disaster, although a terror attack on the Airbus A320 has not been ruled out.
	DOS says it can operate in depths of up to 6,000 metres (20,000 feet) and has a robot that is capable of mapping the seabed.
	France's aviation safety agency has said the aircraft transmitted automated messages indicating smoke in the cabin and a fault in the flight ...

Private firm hired to hunt for EgyptAir black boxes

Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman has appealed the government's decision to extradite him to the United States to face narcotics and murder charges, officials and his lawyers have said.
	Court documents said the appeal was filed Thursday in Mexico City by two lawyers for Guzman, who is considered the world's most wanted drug boss as leader of the Sinaloa cartel.
	"We have filed an appeal against the unconstitutional decision by the ministry of foreign affairs, against those who are in a big hurry for 'El Chapo' Guzman to leave for the United States," said one of the lawyers, Jose Luis Gonzalez, in a press conference yesterday.
	The government has 48 hours to respond, officials said.
	The appeal comes a week after the foreign ministry announced it had agreed to extradite Guzman, who escaped from a maximum-security prison in July 2015 -- his second dramatic jailbreak -- and was recaptured in January.
	Police caught him after a colourful episode involving a US-Mexican soap ...

'El Chapo' appeals extradition to US

Violence in Honduras remains "alarmingly high" by global standards, but it has subsided somewhat in recent years, a UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions has said.
	Cristof Heyns, a South African human rights professor, told a news conference yesterday that much of the violence and impunity in Honduras is rooted in regional drug trafficking.
	Heyns did note that while three years ago there were 79 murders per 100,000 inhabitants, the homicide count for early 2016 suggested that rate had dropped to 60 killings.
	He attributed the reduction in murders to reinforced state security measures, the capture of gang leaders, and the extradition of drug traffickers. Heyns said these successes mean the problem "is not insurmountable."
	Honduras, along with its neighbours El Salvador and Guatemala, make up the so-called Northern Triangle of Central America, where feared gangs engage in murder, extortion, the drug trade and turf battles.
	That risk of violence ...

UN: Violence in Honduras 'alarmingly high' but ebbing

Prime Minister David Cameron today said he was "appalled" by warnings issued by those calling for Britain to leave the European Union about the potential dangers of Turkey joining the bloc.
	Cameron, who is campaigning for Britain to stay in the union, accused the Leave campaign of alienating British Muslims and claimed the warnings were a "sign of desperation".
	Campaigners for a Brexit vote on June 23 have repeatedly raised the spectre of millions of Turks being free to live in Britain as a reason to pull out of the 28-nation bloc.
	There are currently about 500,000 people of Turkish origin living in Britain, according to the Home Office.
	They have also suggested that British security would be at risk, warning that crime and gun ownership is higher in Turkey.
	"I do find it concerning the way that the Leave campaign are talking about Turkish people in this referendum," Cameron told online newspaper Muslim News.
	"Some of the material they are putting out, painting Turkish people as 

UK's Cameron 'appalled' by pro-Brexit Turkey warnings

Brazilian police today were investigating the gang-rape of a 16-year-old girl whose attackers boasted about it by posting an online video of her that has horrified the country.
	Online social networks erupted with outrage over the video posted on Wednesday featuring the girl naked on a bed and the apparent rapists bragging that she had been raped by more than 30 men.
	They are suspected of assaulting her on May 21 in Rio de Janeiro, a city stricken by violent crime that will host the Olympic Games in August.
	"There are strong indications that the young woman was raped," Rio police chief Fernando Veloso told a news conference.
	"We cannot say whether there were 30 attackers, 33 or 36. The investigations will determine that," he said.
	Police have identified four of the men suspected of taking a "direct or indirect" part in the rape or the posting of the video, he added.
	Brazil's acting president Michel Temer and other senior figures reacted with outrage.
	"I condemn most forcefully ..

Gang-rape internet video shocks Brazil

The Italian navy has recovered the bodies of 45 migrants who drowned today in the latest Mediterranean shipwreck, while dozens of others are still feared missing, it said.
	"The vessel Vega rescued 135 migrants from a sinking vessel. Forty-five bodies were recovered and search efforts are ongoing," the navy said on Twitter.
	The latest tragedy struck just a day after up to 30 people were believed to have died in another shipwreck.
	And in one of the worst such incidents in the Mediterranean recently, a fishing trawler with some 650 people capsized off the coast of Libya on Wednesday.
	The Italian navy, which captured the tragedy in a horrifying video that shows the boat roll over and dump its passengers into the water, was able to rescue about 560 people.
	But at least five died and 100 are still feared missing, according to many survivors who reported having lost a loved one or a fellow passenger.
	"Three sinkings in three days, it's very worrying," said Carlotta Sami, spokeswoman ...

45 bodies found after Friday's migrant shipwreck: Italian navy

More storms are expected during the coming Atlantic hurricane season which should be "near-normal," after three years of unusually low storm activity, US government scientists said today.
	The Atlantic could see 10 to 16 tropical storms, of which four to eight could become hurricanes, said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center.
	Between one and four of the storms could become major hurricanes of Category Three or higher on a scale of 1-5.
	Wind speed in a Category Three hurricane reaches 111-129 miles per hour (178-208 kilometers per hour), with the potential to uproot trees and cause devastating damage to buildings and homes.
	The end of the warming climate pattern El Nino and the arrival of the cooling trend in the equatorial Pacific known as La Nina could favor the increase in hurricane activity, said NOAA administrator Kathryn Sullivan.
	"We could be in for more activity than we have seen in recent years," she told reporters, but ...

Expect more storms this Atlantic hurricane season

US-led coalition air and artillery strikes have killed 70 Islamic State fighters in Fallujah, including the jihadists' leader in the Iraqi city, a military spokesman said today.
	Baghdad-based Colonel Steve Warren said that over the last four days, 20 strikes in the besieged city had destroyed IS fighting positions and gun emplacements.
	"We've killed more than 70 enemy fighters, including Maher Al-Bilawi, who is the commander of ISIL forces in Fallujah," Warren said, using an acronym for the IS group.
	"This, of course, won't completely cause the enemy to stop fighting, but it's a blow. And it creates confusion and it causes the second-in-command to have to move up. It causes other leadership to have to move around," he added.
	Iraqi forces launched an operation to recapture Fallujah, an IS stronghold located just 30 miles (50 kilometers) west of Baghdad, at the start of this week.
	Between 500 and 1,000 IS fighters hold Fallujah, and about 50,000 civilians are trapped inside the ...

US strikes kill Fallujah's IS commander, dozens more fighters:

An Iranian delegation wrapped up a visit to Saudi Arabia today without reaching a final agreement on arrangements for hajj pilgrims from the Islamic republic, Saudi officials said.
	The Saudi hajj ministry said that the delegation had "asked to go back home without signing the agreement on arrangements for the pilgrims" despite two days of extensive talks.
	A statement said the ministry had offered "many solutions" to meet a string of demands made by the Iranians who had arrived on Tuesday.
	Agreement had been reached in some areas, including to use electronic visas which could be printed out by Iranian pilgrims, as Saudi diplomatic missions remain shut in Iran, it said.
	Riyadh cut ties with Tehran in January after demonstrators torched its embassy and a consulate in the Iranian capital following the execution of a prominent Shiite cleric in Saudi Arabia.
	Earlier this month Iran had accused its regional rival of seeking to "sabotage" the hajj, saying "arrangements have not been put .

Iran ends hajj talks in Saudi without final deal

The United Nations today hit back at Donald Trump after he vowed to scrap the Paris climate deal if elected US president, saying the agreement was critical to saving the planet.
	"The Paris agreement is one of the key achievements that world leaders have made in the critical fight that is designed to make sure that this planet is habitable for all of us, for generations to come," UN spokesman Farhan Haq said.
	The presumptive Republican presidential nominee vowed in a speech yesterday to "cancel" the hard-won agreement reached in Paris in December and signed by 175 countries at the United Nations last month.
	Trump had in the past said he was "not a big fan" of the Paris deal and that he would seek to renegotiate it, but on yesterday he declared that he would simply scrap it altogether.
	"We're going to cancel the Paris climate agreement, and stop all payments of United States tax dollars to UN global warming programs," he said.
	UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon considers the Paris ...

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