French investigators are checking again for security flaws at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport after yesterday's EgyptAir crash, despite already stripping hundreds of employees of their security clearance since last year's jihadist attacks.
	It is still far from clear whether the EgyptAir plane that crashed en route from Paris to Cairo was the victim of a terrorist attack or that any security lapse happened on French soil.
	But security staff are taking no chances.
	Following the attacks on Charlie Hebdo magazine and a Jewish supermarket in January 2015, the airport north of Paris imposed a zero-tolerance approach to staff, stripping more than 600 of its 86,000 employees of their security clearance.
	Anyone with a criminal record lost their security pass, but the police authority that handled the review said 85 were suspected of having sympathies with radical Islamists.
	Another 400 members of staff are still under investigation after being flagged as possible radicalisation cases, ...

Paris airport renews security crackdown after EgyptAir crash

PTI Automatic

Supporters of Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr managed to enter Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's office today after breaking into the Green Zone for the second time in three weeks.
	They initially faced tough resistance from forces guarding the premier's office but some were able to muscle past and briefly enter the premises, an AFP photographer at the scene said.
	Sadr followers have been protesting for weeks to demand reforms, a new government and an end to corruption.
	Several people were wounded in the process and many others were also hurt outside the walls of the Green Zone, where security forces fired tear gas directly into the crowd to keep the bulk of the protesters at bay.
	Security forces also fired live rounds but it was not immediately clear how many people were wounded and what the nature of their injuries was.
	"We came in a peaceful protest but the cowards began shooting at us," said one protester, holding a handful of bullet casings.
	The protesters gathered on Tahrir ...

Angry protesters briefly enter Iraq PM's office

Scoreboard at tea on the second day
of the first cricket Test between England and Sri Lanka at Headingley today:
     England 1st Innings (overnight: 171-5)
	A Cook c Chandimal b Shanaka           16
	A Hales c Chameera b Herath            86
	N Compton c Thirimanne b Shanaka        0
	J Root c Mendis b Shanaka               0
	J Vince c Mendis b Eranga               9
	B Stokes c Mathews b Pradeep           12
	J Bairstow c Pradeep b Chameera       140
	M Ali c Mendis b Chameera               0
	S Broad b Chameera                      2
	S Finn st Chandimal b Herath           17
	J Anderson not out                      1
	Extras: (LB-8, W-4, NB-3)              15
	Total: (all out in 90.3 overs)        298
	Fall of wickets: 1-49, 2-49, 3-51, 4-70, 5-83, 6-224, 7-231, 8-233, 9-289, 10-298
	Bowling: Eranga 19-4-68-1; Pradeep 19-7-56-1; Mathews 11-2-31-0; Chameera 17-0-64-3; Shanaka 13-3-46-3; Herath 11.3-1-25-2
     Sri Lanka 1st Innings:
     D Karunaratne c Bairstow b Broad        ...

Leeds, May 20 (AFP) Scoreboard at tea on the second day

Stuart Broad sparked a Sri Lanka top-order collapse as England took charge of the first cricket Test at Headingley today.
     Sri Lanka were 43 for three at tea on the second day, 255 runs adrift of England's first innings 298 which featured Jonathan Bairstow's 140 on his Yorkshire home ground.
	Dinesh Chandimal and Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews were both 15 not out in testing, overcast conditions.
	Broad, the world's number one-ranked Test bowler, needed just 12 balls to take his first wicket today.
	Coming from round the wicket, Broad had Dimuth Karunaratne out for a duck as the left-handed opener edged an excellent delivery that nipped away through to wicket-keeper Bairstow.
     Kaushal Silva, Sri Lanka's other opener, was caught behind off a sharply rising ball from James Anderson for 11.
	Kusal Mendis, like Karunaratne, fell for a duck when he edged Broad and gave Bairstow his third routine catch of the innings.
	Sri Lanka were now 12 for three, with Broad having taken two ..

Broad strikes as Sri Lanka slump

Protesters enter Iraqi PM's office. (AFP)

Thousands of supporters of Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr today attempted to break into Baghdad's fortified "Green Zone" again, three weeks after storming parliament.
	A huge deployment of security forces met the protesters with tear gas, sound bombs and water cannons, according to an AFP reporter who saw several lightly injured demonstrators.
	The protesters gathered on Tahrir Square in central Baghdad, removed barbed wire on one of the main bridges over the Tigris and massed outside the Green Zone.
	The Sadr supporters, who have been protesting for months to demand reforms and an end to corruption, pushed past a gate of the Green Zone but were swiftly pinned back.
	Sadr supporters had encountered relatively little resistance when they pulled down slabs of blast walls surrounding the Green Zone last month and were able to enter the main parliament building.
	The breach of the Green Zone -- which is also home to the prime minister's office as well as the US and several other embassies ..

Protesters try to break into Baghdad Green Zone again

Pope Francis came under fire today after meeting Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, the Lyon archbishop who is suspected of covering up for a paedophile priest in a scandal that has rocked the Church in France.
	"There was a meeting, nothing out of the ordinary," Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said, adding that he expected the two men had discussed the crisis in the French church, as well as regular business.
	A support group for the alleged victims in the French scandal voiced regret that Francis had met with Barbarin while magistrates are still mulling whether the cardinal should face criminal charges.
	"We would have liked to have been received instead of the cardinal, we note that once again it's the victims who are sidelined," Bertrand Virieux, a co-founder of Lyon-based group "La Parole Liberee", told AFP.
	Virieux said he had written to the pope in March seeking an audience.
	The surprise meeting with Barbarin came three days after the pope was quoted as saying it would be ...

Pope under fire for meeting French cardinal accused of sex

Bosnian prosecutors today charged a former Islamic fighter of Egyptian origin with war crimes allegedly committed while fighting alongside the country's Muslims during the 1990s conflict.
	Mirsad Hodzic, who obtained Bosnian citizenship, was a member of the notorious El Mujaheed unit of foreign Islamic volunteers during the 1992-1995 war, which was known for atrocities and criminal activities.
	At the time, he was known as Abdallah Hany.
	The 46-year-old was indicted for involvement in taking at least five ethnic Croat civilians hostage in October 1993 with the aim of exchanging them for detained members of his unit, a prosecutors' statement said.
	Specifically, Hodzic was charged over his role in abducting two people from their apartment in the central town of Travnik.
	The hostages were held at the unit's training camp in Orasac near Travnik, where they were tortured and beaten.
	The suspect, who lives in the Travnik area, has not yet been arrested but has been questioned, a ...

Bosnia charges former Islamic fighter with war crimes

One of the three suicide attackers at the Bataclan concert hall in Paris last November was buried today in eastern France, said a source close to the investigation.
	Foued Mohamed-Aggad, who was 23 when he died, was buried before dawn in a Muslim part of the Wissembourg cemetery in northern Alsace, the source said.
	He had lived in the town with his mother before leaving for Syria in late 2013 along with the other two men who attacked the Bataclan, Omar Ismail Mostefai and Samy Amimour.
	Leaked Islamic State group documents showed Mohamed-Aggad had arrived in IS territory on December 18, 2013 with an unusually large group of French jihadists that included 14 men and their families.
	A text sent from Syria by Mohamed-Aggad's wife to her mother, saying: "Your son has died a martyr with his brothers on November 13" helped identify him. His DNA was later matched to that of his mother.
	The three men, using guns and suicide vests, killed 90 people at the Bataclan during a concert by rock ..

Bataclan gunman buried in eastern France

Three people were killed in Tanzania after a group of youths armed with machetes stormed into a mosque slashing those inside, police said today.
	The attack took place late Thursday in the northern Tanzanian town of Mwanza, on the shores of Lake Victoria.
	"Police are holding three people in connection with the incident," local police chief Ahmed Msangi said, but gave no details for any possible motivation for the killings.
	Around a third of Tanzania's 51 million people are believed to be Muslim and around a half Christian although there are no official figures.
	Communities traditionally live peacefully side by side, but there have been sporadic attacks on both mosques and churches in recent years.
	Earlier this week a video was released on social media purporting to be Tanzanian men waving an Islamist black flag.

Three killed in Tanzanian mosque machete attack: police

Moscow today proposed that Russia and United States, which have been flying separate bombing campaigns in Syria, launch joint air strikes against jihadists in the war-torn country from next week.
	"We are proposing to the US, as the head of the International Syria Support Group, to take part as of May 25 in joint operations between the Russian air force and the air force of the coalition," Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu said in televised comments.
	Shoigu said that the proposal included strikes against Jabhat al-Nusra and other illegal armed groups that do not support a frail truce brokered by Moscow and Washington in February.
	He also proposed that joint strikes be made against "convoys containing weapons and ammunition, armed units that illegally cross the Syrian-Turkish border."
	Russia and the United States pledged earlier this month to redouble efforts to find a solution to the Syrian conflict, which has killed more than 270,000 people and displaced millions since 2011, .

'Moscow proposes joint Syria air strikes with US from May 25'

A Nepali mountaineer broke her own world record for the maximum number of Everest summits by a woman after scaling the peak for the seventh time today, her expedition company said.
	The daughter of a yak herder, 43-year-old Lhakpa Sherpa worked as a porter and kitchen hand on trekking and mountaineering expeditions when she was young, before becoming a climber herself.
	The mother-of-three retired from climbing after her sixth summit of the 8,850-metre (29,035-foot) high Mount Everest in 2006 before deciding to make a comeback, 16 years after she first scaled the world's tallest peak.
	"Lhakpa summited Everest at 5:00 am (2315 GMT) today for the seventh time," said Svetlana Nujoom, program manager of 7 Summits Adventure, which organised her expedition.
	In an interview with AFP in March, Sherpa said she intended to summit Everest twice this season, although Nujoom was unable to confirm whether she still planned a second bid before weather conditions worsen by the end of the ...

Nepali woman beats own record for most Everest summits

The Zika virus strain linked to surging cases of neurological disorders and birth defects in Latin America has for the first time been found in Africa, the World Health Organization said today.
	The UN health agency announced that the Zika virus strain circulating in Cape Verde had been shown to be the same as the one behind an explosion of cases in the Americas.
	"This is the first time that the Zika strain responsible for the outbreaks linked to neurological disorders and microcepaly has been detected in Africa," Matshidiso Moeti, WHO's Africa regional chief, told reporters in Geneva.

Zika strain from Americas outbreak spreads in Africa for first

Zika strain from Americas outbreak spreading in Africa

The days of branded cigarette packets in Britain and France are over as new plain packaging laws came into effect today, hailed by campaigners despite resistance from tobacco firms.
	The logos and distinctive colours on new cigarette packets will be replaced with neutral packaging, a move hailed by health campaigners as a major step in reducing demand for a "deadly and addictive product".
	The new packs will be introduced in both countries over the coming months following similar legislation in Australia credited with helping to cut down on smoking rates, especially among young people.
	British retailers will have a year to sell existing stock and those in France have until January 1, at which point branded packets will become a thing of the past.
	"For too long glitzy, cleverly designed packaging has lured young people into smoking," British Lung Foundation chief executive Penny Woods said.
	"Australia introduced plain packaging in 2012 and has already seen a decline in smoking ...

Plain cigarette packs become law in UK, France

Japan pledged USD 6 billion in fresh aid to the Middle East today to prevent violent extremism and stabilise the region, ahead of next week's Group of Seven summit which is expected to address global hotspot issues such terrorism.
	Japan is hosting the annual event that draws leaders from some of the world's richest nations including US President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
	They are likely to discuss security threats as well as geopolitical instability in the Middle East and elsewhere.
	Japan's foreign ministry issued a statement promising to provide about USD 6 billion in aid for the troubled region between 2016 and 2018 to prevent more violent extremism and to create a "tolerant and stable society".
	The support was designed to tackle root causes of problems in the Middle East, including refugees it said.
	Earlier this year, Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said that during the two-day summit, Japan plans to take up issues including "terrorism, the Middle East, .

Japan pledges 	USD 6 bn aid to Middle East ahead of G7 Summit

England's Jonathan Bairstow scored a hundred on his home ground as wickets fell around him on the second day of the first cricket Test against Sri Lanka at Headingley today.
	At lunch, England were 243 for eight.
	Bairstow was unbeaten on 103 -- his second Test century and first in England following the Yorkshireman's 150 not out against South Africa at Cape Town in January.
	But there was no maiden Test century for Alex Hales, who fell for 86.
	Hales and Bairstow, dropped on 70, extended their overnight partnership to 141.
	But the opener's dismissal sparked a collapse that saw England lose three wickets for nine runs as they slumped from 224 for five to 233 for eight.
	Bairstow was still on 97 when No 10 batsman Steven Finn, three not out at lunch, came in.
	Finn, backing up too far, might have been out had Kaushal Silva's throw hit the stumps after Bairstow played the ball to extra-cover.
	But instead the ball went for three overthrow runs which allowed the 26-year-old Bairstow to .

Ton-up Bairstow stands firm as wickets tumble

Scoreboard at lunch on the second day
of the first cricket Test between England and Sri Lanka at Headingley today:
     England 1st Innings (overnight: 171-5)
	A Cook c Chandimal b Shanaka          16
	A Hales c Chameera b Herath           86
	N Compton c Thirimanne b Shanaka       0
	J Root c Mendis b Shanaka              0
	J Vince c Mendis b Eranga              9
	B Stokes c Mathews b Pradeep          12
	J Bairstow not out                   103
	M Ali c Mendis b Chameera              0
	S Broad b Chameera                     2
	S Finn not out                         3
	Extras: (LB-8, W-2, NB-2)             12
	Total: (for 8 wkts in 80 overs)      243
	Fall of wickets: 1-49, 2-49, 3-51, 4-70, 5-83, 6-224, 7-231, 8-233
     Bowling: Eranga 14-4-49-1; Pradeep 17-6-38-1; Mathews 11-2-31-0; Chameera 14-0-47-2; Shanaka 13-3-46-3; Herath 11-1-24-1.

Leeds, May 20 (AFP) Scoreboard at lunch on the second day

A Malaysian murder convict was hanged in Singapore today, police said, hours after the city-state's highest court rejected a final bid for him to escape the gallows, sparking condemnation from rights groups.
	"A 32-year-old male Malaysian national, Jabing Kho had his death sentence carried out on 20 May 2016 at Changi Prison Complex," the Singapore Police Force said in a statement.
	Kho, who was sentenced to death in 2010 for the murder of a Chinese construction worker, had been due to hang in Changi Prison at dawn today, but was granted a brief last-minute reprieve after his lawyer filed a challenge before midnight.
	The Court of Appeal heard the latest plea Friday morning but said it raised no new arguments about the 2008 robbery gone wrong, clearing the way for the execution.
	"This case has been about many things but today, it's about the abuse of the process of the court," said Court of Appeal Judge Chao Hick Tin.
	Allowing Kho to continue with legal challenges would throw the ...

Malaysian murder convict hanged in Singapore: police

Four members of France's paramilitary police were killed today when a helicopter crashed in a mountainous area of southwest France Friday, the force said.
	The helicopter crashed into a cliff face in the area around Cauterets, killing all four people aboard, the force said.
	The reason for the crash is not yet known.
	In a confused initial picture, figures for the number of dead changed several times, but officials said it has now been established that the pilot, co-pilot and two rescue specialists on board were killed.

Four killed as police helicopter crashes in France: police

Belgian Mourad Laachraoui, the younger brother of one of the Brussels airport bombers, has won gold in the European Taekwondo Championships and will compete in this summer's Olympics.
	Mourad Laachraoui, brother of Najim Laachraoui, beat Spaniard Jesus Tortosa 6-3 in the -54kg final in Montreux, Switzerland yesterday night.
	A silver medallist at the Summer Universiades in 2015, the 21-year-old has qualified for the Rio Games in August.
	Najim Laachraoui, 24, was one of the two suicide bombers who struck Brussels airport on March 22, while a third attacker blew himself up at on a metro train, with the two attacks killing 32 people.
	Two days after the Brussels attacks, Mourad Laachraoui said he had been "devastated" by what had happened. He said he not had contact with his older brother since the latter left for Syria in February 2013.
	"You don't choose your family," he told a press conference at the time, adding not to draw "any parallels" with his family who were trying to "turn ...

AFP

AFP

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