Police in Spain have seized 74 African elephant tusks worth USD 223,000 from a man who was allegedly trying to sell them with a fake permit, authorities said today.
	The tusks, which weighed 744 kilos (1,640 pounds), were seized in April in Colmenar de Oreja, a town located southwest of Madrid, police said.
	The owner of the tusks had tried to use a hunting licence issued in 1970 in Mozambique, a former Portuguese colony on the southeast coast of Africa, to try to sell them, police added.
	The hunting licence allowed for one elephant to be killed, not 37 as the doctored version of the document claimed.
	The man has been charged with falsifying documents, smuggling and endangering wildlife.
	The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) banned the ivory trade in 1989.
	But some countries allow the resale of ivory bought before the ban, and CITES-approved government stockpiles can also be sold with certification.
	Africa is home to between ..

Spanish police seize 74 African tusks

PTI Automatic

London's new mayor Mayor Sadiq Khan said today he was pushing a "positive case" for staying in the EU rather than simply predicting doom if Britain votes out.
	He told AFP a victory for Remain campaigners in the June 23 referendum would help boost workers' rights, improve air quality and support the battle against climate change while keeping Britain safe.
	"What we need to be doing, people like me who passionately believe that we should remain in the European Union, is to argue the positive case for remaining," he told AFP as he launched his campaign at a meeting with young entrepreneurs in the British capital.
	"We've always been a city and a country that's been open, outward looking," said Khan, the first Muslim elected to run a Western capital city.
	The Labour mayor is hoping to win over undecided Londoners as well as encouraging the city's people to actually go to the polls.
	Khan, 45, who took office on May 9, also wants to move the campaign away from so-called scare stories ...

London mayor kicks off 'positive' pro-EU campaign

Daniel Ricciardo scorched to the fastest time for Red Bull ahead of the two Mercedes in Thursday's action-packed second free practice for Sunday's 74th running of the classic Monaco Grand Prix.
	The Australian clocked a best lap time around the Mediterranean street circuit in one minute and 14.607 seconds to finish more than six-tenths of a second faster than defending three-time champion Lewis Hamilton and nearly nine-tenths clear of championship leader Nico Rosberg.
	To endorse Red Bull's revival, Ricciardo's team-mate record-breaking teenager Max Verstappen was fourth-fastest just behind Rosberg.
	Russian Daniil Kvyat, the man replaced at Red Bull by the 18-year-old Dutchman, was fifth for Toro Rosso ahead of his team-mate Spaniard Carlos Sainz and seventh-placed Finn Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari.
	Mexican Sergio Perez was eighth for Force India ahead of four-time champion German Sebastian Vettel in the second Ferrari and 2009 champion Briton Jenson Button of McLaren Honda.
	Vettel ...

Ricciardo on top in second practice

World number one Novak Djokovic and nine-time champion Rafael Nadal racked up personal Grand Slam milestones on Thursday as they moved into the French Open third round.
     Top seed Djokovic, looking for a Roland Garros title to complete a career Grand Slam, claimed his 50th win at the tournament by seeing off Belgian qualifier Steve Darcis 7-5, 6-3, 6-4.
     It was the Serb's third win in three career meetings with Darcis, a player nicknamed 'Shark' who dumped Nadal out of Wimbledon in 2013.
     But it was a far from a smooth display from the 11-time major winner and three-time French Open runner-up who committed 42 unforced errors.
     "He plays with a lot of speed, is good from the baseline and it was not easy for me to play the points the way I wanted," Djokovic said of 32-year-old Darcis.
     "He has a lot of talent and it was tough. I am happy to have won in three sets."
     Djokovic next takes on Britain's Slovenian-born Aljaz Bedene who reached the third round of a major 

Djokovic, Nadal reach milestones at French Open

Russia have included Maria Sharapova in their Olympic tennis team despite the star player being suspended over a positive test for the banned drug meldonium, the country's tennis federation said on Thursday.
     "By the end of the first week of Roland Garros, the question of Sharapova's participation at the Olympic Games should be resolved," Shamil Tarpischev, the head of Russia's tennis federation, told R-Sport news agency.
     "She has been put on our Olympic application. It has to be submitted by June 6."
     Sharapova, who won silver at the 2012 London Olympics, was suspended in March after she admitted she had tested positive for meldonium at the Australian Open in January.
     Since then, a string of high profile Russian athletes -- including Olympic swimmer Yulia Efimova -- also tested positive for meldonium.
     But the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which had only banned the Latvian-made drug from January 1, said in April that athletes could escape a ban for taking ...

Suspended Sharapova named on Russian Olympic team

Two pro-Russian rebels were killed and another injured in fresh clashes with government forces in the country's war-torn east as simmering violence showed little sign of abating, separatist authorities said today.
	The new casualties came the day after Ukraine scored a major diplomatic victory by securing the return of Ukrainian pilot Nadiya Savchenko as part of a prisoner swap with the Kremlin.
	Senior rebel commander Eduard Basurin said Ukrainian forces attacked rebel positions near the town of Avdiivka located some 10 kilometres (6 miles) north of the rebels' de facto capital Donetsk.
	"During the attack two soldiers of the Donetsk People's Republic were killed and one injured", he told reporters.
	Kiev military spokesman Oleksandr Motuzyanyk said the situation around Donetsk had been tense over the past day.
	"As a result of hostilities, Ukraine's armed forces did not sustain any casualties but two of our soldiers were wounded", Motuzyanyk told reporters.
	Citing data received as .

Two rebels killed in fresh clashes in eastern Ukraine

Congolese security forces fired tear gas and charged at several thousand stone-throwing protesters in the capital Kinshasa today as nationwide rallies against veteran President Joseph Kabila turned violent.
	Large numbers of riot police were deployed across the Democratic Republic of Congo for the protests called by three opposition groups in defiance of government bans.
	The violence erupted in the north of Kinshasa, where about 5,000 demonstrators were on the streets to oppose moves to keep Kabila in power beyond the expiry of his second term in December.
	Police said although the Kinshasa demonstration had permission from the authorities, the crowds had deviated from an agreed route.
	"In these cases we don't negotiate, we disperse," national police spokesman colonel Pierre Rombaut Mwanamputu told AFP.
	Police fired tear gas against stone-throwing protesters and then charged them to break up the demonstration, AFP journalists said.
	Tensions have been soaring in the country where ..

Violence erupts at opposition protests in DR Congo

Kuwait's largest opposition group announced today an end to its four-year boycott of elections ahead of next year's polls.
	The Muslim Brotherhood-linked Islamic Constitutional Movement (ICM) was among a broad alliance of Islamist, nationalist and liberal opposition groups which boycotted two general polls in 2012 and 2013 in protest against a change in electoral law.
	The opposition alliance said at the time that the change, brought unilaterally by authorities but later endorsed by Kuwait's top court, would allow the government to control parliament.
	Earlier this month, a smaller Islamic group, the Principles of the Nation, also ended its boycott.
	The alliance will now field candidates for polls in 2017.
	ICM said that the opposition's absence from parliament had "contributed to an increase in corruption, a setback in development... And the passing of several laws that breached the constitution."
	The opposition held massive street protests in 2011 and 2012 demanding democratic ...

Kuwait's main opposition group ends polls boycott

Thailand has shut down 10 popular diving sites in a bid to slow a coral bleaching crisis, an official said today, in a rare move to shun tourism profits to protect the environment.
	The tropical country's southern coastline and string of islands are home to some of the world's most prized white sand beaches and scuba sites, and the booming tourism industry props up Thailand's lagging economy.
	But warming waters and ever-growing swarms of visitors have damaged coral reefs and local ecosystems.
	The National Parks department has now indefinitely closed at least 10 diving spots after a survey found bleaching on up to 80 per cent of some reefs.
	"The coral reefs are affected by unaware tourists - when they go diving they may touch or step on the reef. Closing those spots will help the reefs recover naturally," National Park Officer director Reungsak Theekasuk told AFP.
	The diving sites lie off beaches stretching from Rayong province in the east down to Satun in the far south.
	Coral ...

Thailand closes dive sites over coral bleaching crisis

The Ugandan ringleader of a 2010 bombing by the Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab that killed 76 people in Kinshasa was found guilty today of masterminding one of the region's worst attacks in decades.
	Twin suicide blasts claimed by Somalia's Shebab targeted football fans watching the World Cup final between the Netherlands and Spain at a restaurant and a rugby club in the Ugandan capital.
	Judge Alfonse Owiny-Dollo said Issa Luyima, a Ugandan, had been shown during the trial to have played a key part in planning the attacks.
	"I therefore find Issa Luyima guilty for the offence of terrorism of which he was charged, so I convict him," Owiny-Dollo said.
	Prosecutors said Luyima -- one of 13 men receiving their verdicts -- had gone to Somalia where he trained with Shebab.
	The judge was reading the verdicts against 12 other suspects also in court.
	The 13 men, all who pleaded not guilty, were brought to the High Court in Kampala under heavy security, with roads and shops around the court ...

Uganda 2010 bombing mastermind found guilty

Busy world leaders got a taste of life in the slow lane in between G7 meetings today as they took a very leisurely spin around the block in Japan's latest fuel-cell cars.
	Matteo Renzi of Italy and Canadian leader Justin Trudeau were bundled into eco-friendly sedans for an achingly slow ride around a carpark that ended with the photogenic pair dropped off for the talks, which are being held southwest of Tokyo.
	European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council President Donald Tusk also got a very uneventful crash course on the cars, which are powered by hydrogen and emit only water from their exhaust pipe.
	Juncker emerged from his low-adrenaline ride looking a little underwhelmed and offered what appeared to be a shrug.
	Japan is a world leader in the technology which is seen as the Holy Grail for an industry increasingly shifting focus to green solutions, including electric vehicles.
	US president Barack Obama and Germany's Angela Merkel were among the other ...

World leaders take a ride in the slow lane at G7 meeting

US President Barack Obama took aim at North Korea today, calling it a "big worry" after a meeting with his G7 counterparts, as tensions escalate following Pyongyang's series of nuclear tests.
	Obama made the remark at a briefing on the sidelines of Group of Seven talks in Japan where the country's provocations are among the topics on a packed agenda.
	"North Korea is a big worry for all of us," Obama said.
	"It is not the thing that poses necessarily the most immediate risk. (But) when you have such an unstable regime that is so isolated, that poses the kind of medium-term threat that we have to pay a lot of attention to."
	Tensions between North and South Korea have been running high since Pyongyang conducted its fourth nuclear test in January.
	In recent weeks, the North has made repeated proposals for military talks aimed at de-escalating the situation -- but the South has dismissed the offer as an "insincere" propaganda ploy.
	The current administration of South Korean President ..

North Korea is a 'big worry for all of us': Obama at G7

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi urged protesters not to demonstrate in Baghdad tomorrow because security forces are mobilised in the battle to retake Fallujah.
	Protesters, mostly followers of powerful Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, have held demonstrations almost every Friday for weeks to demand a government reshuffle.
	Last week they breached the fortified Green Zone, which houses most of the country's top institutions, for the second time in three weeks.
	"I call upon our youth to postpone their protest tomorrow, because our security forces are busy fighting in Fallujah," Abadi said, speaking from the command centre for the operation he announced on May 22-23.
	Tens of thousands of security forces are deployed in the Fallujah area for an assault aimed at retaking the city from the Islamic State group.
	Fallujah, which lies only 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of Baghdad, has been out of government control since January 2014 and is one of only two remaining major Iraqi cities ...

Iraq PM urges protesters to stay home during Fallujah op

Up to 30 dead in shipwreck off Libya: EU naval force

The Taliban is unlikely to come to the table for peace talks with the government of Afghanistan "anytime soon", despite the organisation's new leadership, US President Barack Obama said today.
	Obama told reporters in Ise-Shima, where he is meeting with other leaders of the Group of Seven, that he expected the extremist group to continue their killing in Afghanistan.
	"We anticipate the Taliban will continue an agenda of violence," he said.
	Obma was speaking the day after the Afghan Taliban named Haibatullah Akhundzada as their new leader, elevating a low-profile religious figure in a swift power transition after the death of Mullah Mansour in a US drone strike.
	Analysts said it was not clear if Akhundzada, formerly one of Mansour's deputies, would emulate his former boss in shunning peace talks with the Afghan government.
	Obama acknowledged that he was never going to find a willing negotiating partner at the helm of the extremist group.
	"I was not expecting a liberal democrat to .

Taliban violence will continue, despite new leadership: Obama

Outraged Taiwanese took to the Internet today to slam sexist comments by a Chinese analyst who said the island's new president practises "emotional" politics because she is a single woman.
	The scathing attack Tuesday from a member of China's organisation overseeing relations with the island comes amid heightened tensions between Beijing and Taipei after the election of Taiwan's first female leader, Beijing-sceptic Tsai Ing-wen.
	Tsai's office and the ruling DPP declined to comment on the remarks, but enraged politicians and citizens openly voiced their displeasure.
	"It's such a ridiculous remark and discrimination against single people. Everyone has the right to choose his or her lifestyle by having partners or staying single and that should be respected," DPP lawmaker Yeh Yi-chin told AFP.
	Another lawmaker Wang Yu-min was equally incensed over the comments.
	"Such a personal attack is extremely improper. It's gender discrimination and we strongly oppose such remarks," said Wang, ..

Taiwan angry over 'emotional' female president comments

US President Barack Obama today said that global leaders are "rattled" by some of presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's policies, blasting the ideas as demonstrating "ignorance" of how the world works.
	Trump, the billionaire US real-estate mogul and reality TV star, has dominated headlines since launching his presidential campaign last year with a mix of incendiary comments and policy stances seen as insulting Mexicans, Muslims and women, among others.
	He has proposed building a giant wall along the US border with Mexico to keep out illegal immigrants and vows that he will get the southern neighbour to pay for it.
	Trump has also proposed a temporary ban on Muslim immigration, citing fears of jihadist attacks such as those that have occurred in Europe and the US city of San Bernardino.
	"They are not sure how seriously to take some of his pronouncements," Obama told reporters on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit, referring to global leaders.
	"But ...

Obama says world leaders 'rattled' by Trump

Prime Minister David Cameron is by "instinct" in favour of Britain leaving the European Union, one of his former top aides said in an interview published today.
	Steve Hilton, a close friend who helped Cameron get elected in 2010 and worked with him in government, said the Conservative leader was only backing a "Remain" vote in the June 23 referendum because of his office.
	"If he was a member of the public, or a backbench MP or a junior minister or even a cabinet minister, I'm certain that he would be for 'Leave'," Hilton told The Times newspaper in an interview.
	The 46-year-old, who worked with Cameron for two decades, said the premier's political mission used to be about leaving the EU, adding: "That's his whole instinct. That's who he is.
	"As prime minister he sees it from a different perspective, and that's perfectly reasonable... But I think that if he didn't have that perspective he would be for 'Leave'."
	Cameron has been campaigning hard for a "Remain" vote in the ...

Cameron is pro-Brexit by 'instinct': ex-aide

Japan has passed a law regulating virtual currency, after the country found itself at the epicentre of a multi-million dollar embezzlement scandal following the spectacular collapse of the Tokyo-based MtGox Bitcoin exchange.
	Once one of the largest, most established exchanges for the cryptocurrency, MtGox collapsed in 2014 after a suspected theft worth nearly half a billion dollars, which hammered the digital currency's reputation.
	Japanese lawmakers passed a bill late yesterday stipulating that all "virtual currency" exchanges must be regulated by the country's Financial Services Agency.
	The new law defines a virtual currency as something with an "asset-like nature" that can be exchanged for goods and services.
	Digital currency exchanges must now register with the financial watchdog and verify the identity of customers opening accounts.
	The new legislation aims to "tackle issues of money-laundering and protect users", Japan's Financial Services Agency said in a ...

Japan regulates virtual currency after Bitcoin scandal

Indonesia's introduction of the death penalty and chemical castration for child sex offenders won applause from the public today, but activists warned the punishments would not serve as a deterrent.
	President Joko Widodo signed a decree yesterday introducing the tougher measures, which also included fitting monitoring devices to offenders after their release from jail, in response to public anger at the fatal gang-rape of a schoolgirl.
	The 14-year-old was snatched by a group of drunken men and boys on western Sumatra island in April and was found days later in woods, tied up and naked.
	The case sparked a national debate about sexual violence and as more reports of sex attacks emerged, pressure mounted on the government to take action.
	The new punishments mostly won praise in Indonesia, where there is strong backing for the death penalty, with members of the public and lawmakers voicing support.
	"Castration is intended to have a deterrent effect and prevent repeat sexual ...

Indonesians back death for child abusers, activists unhappy

A Sydney-based man was arrested on charges of planning a terrorist attack in Australia, which reportedly involved targeting a naval base close to the capital's famous opera house, police said.
	The 24-year-old, named in local media as Farhad Said, was charged with "conspiracy to conduct an act in preparation for a terrorist act" after being seized by counter-terrorism police outside his home in the suburb of Bankstown on Tuesday.
	Several other men are already facing charges over the same alleged plot, which was uncovered in late 2014, with reports last year saying the Garden Island naval base close to the Sydney Opera House and other government buildings were among locations mentioned.
	"It will be alleged in court the man was one of a number of people -- who have been previously charged regarding this matter -- involved in formulating documents connected with preparations to facilitate, assist or engage a person to undertake a terrorist act," the Australian Federal Police said.
	The 

AFP

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