US Vice President Joe Biden arrived in Baghdad today for an unannounced visit to Iraq, whose leadership is bogged down in a protracted political crisis even as its forces battle jihadists.
	"The vice president has arrived in Iraq for meetings with (the) Iraqi leadership focused on encouraging Iraqi national unity and continued momentum in the fight against ISIL," a statement from Biden's office said, using an acronym for the Islamic State jihadist group.
	"The vice president will also be discussing steps the international community can take to promote Iraq's economic stability and further regional cooperation," the statement said.
	It is the highest-ranking visit by a US official to Iraq since Biden went there in 2011.
	With the US election campaign in full swing and President Barack Obama due to step down after two terms, Biden's visit is also likely to be his last to Iraq as vice president.
	"The vice president has been the point person on Iraq for the administration since the ...

US Vice President Biden on surprise visit to Iraq

PTI Automatic

A Bangladeshi Test cricketer banned from the game after he was charged with torturing an 11-year-old girl he employed as a maid apologised Thursday and appealed to be allowed to return to the game.
     Shahadat Hossain, who has denied abusing the girl in the past, apologised for what he called his "misdeed" and said he had made a mistake.
     "I regret the unwarranted incident I was involved in and apologise to the whole nation," he said in a statement in Bengali.
     "For the sake of cricket and my livelihood, I want to return to cricket.
     "I appeal to the nation, the BCB (Bangladesh Cricket Board), to allow me to return to cricket and correct my mistake. I apologise for my misdeed," he said.
     The 29-year-old pace bowler played 38 Tests and 51 one-day internationals before he was suspended from all forms of the game.
     Bangladeshi police charged him and his wife, Nritto Shahadat, with assault and torture in December after the young girl was found crying on a roadside, ..

Disgraced Bangladesh cricketer seeks comeback

A suicide bomber targeted the police chief of Yemen's second city Aden today in the latest attack against senior officials in the base of the Saudi-backed government, a security official said.
     The bombing came after loyalist forces backed by a Saudi-led military coalition seized the key south-eastern port city of Mukalla and the nearby airport and oil facilities from Al-Qaeda, ending a year-long occupation by the jihadists.
     General Shallal Shayae escaped unharmed from the attack but one guard was wounded when the bomber blew up a vehicle packed with explosives, the official said.
     A witness said the bomber, dressed as a woman, was stopped at a checkpoint on the perimeter of the compound around the general's house, where he blew himself up.
     There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing, but Shayae has survived attacks by jihadists more than once.
     In February, suspected Al-Qaeda militants opened fire on a convoy carrying Shayae and Aden governor .

Yemen suicide bomber targets Aden police chief

Growing safety fears surrounding Israel's largest but ageing atomic research centre have provoked fresh questions over its future and a dilemma over the secrecy of the country's alleged nuclear arsenal.
	Israel, believed to be the Middle East's sole nuclear power, has long refused to confirm or deny that it has such weapons.
     The Haaretz newspaper reported on Tuesday that a study had uncovered 1,537 defects in the decades-old aluminium core of the Dimona nuclear reactor in the Negev desert of southern Israel.
     The defects at the centre, where nuclear weapons were allegedly developed, were not seen to be severe and the risk of a nuclear outbreak is very limited, the report said.
     However, there are growing calls for new safeguards and even a new research centre -- which could present the country with a decision on whether to acknowledge for the first time that it has nuclear weapons.
     The US-based Institute for Science and International Security estimated in 2015 that ..

Israel nuclear reactor defects spark secrecy dilemma

A Turkish court today sentenced two prominent Turkish journalists to two years behind bars for illustrating their columns with a controversial cartoon published by French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, their lawyer said.
	The sentence handed to the columnists for the opposition Cumhuriyet daily Hikmet Cetinkaya and Ceyda Karan - which is still subject to appeal - comes amid growing alarm over press freedoms in Turkey.
	"The two journalists were sentenced to two years each in jail," said Bulent Utku, the lawyer of the pair. "But we will appeal the ruling at the appeals court," he told AFP.
	Karan and Cetinkaya went on trial in January last year on charges of "inciting public hatred" and "insulting religious values" after illustrating their columns with the controversial cartoon.
	The opposition Cumhuriyet had published a four-page Charlie Hebdo pullout translated into Turkish that marked the French satirical weekly's first issue since the deadly attack on its Paris offices by Islamist 

Turkish scribes get 2 yrs jail for publishing Prophet cartoon

Hundreds of employees at China's top statistics bureau are being investigated after selling data, the government has said, despite longstanding doubts over the reliability of official figures.
	More than 300 NBS staff have also been asked to return 3.23 million yuan (USD 500,000) they made by selling annual reports and providing data to affiliates, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) -- the Communist party's internal corruption watchdog -- said on its website.
	The news comes just months after the former head of the NBS was sacked in a corruption probe -- announced shortly after he appeared at a briefing on China's economy when he reiterated that the country's gross domestic product calculations were reliable.
	Last year, official figures showed that China's economy grew at its slowest annual pace in a quarter of a century, but questions have repeatedly been raised about the accuracy of the Chinese government's economic data.
	Critics say it can be subject to ...

Chinese officials under investigation for selling data: govt

The Iraqi authorities have shut down the Al-Jazeera channel's Baghdad office, accusing Qatar's state-funded TV network of inciting violence and sectarianism.
     Iraq's Communications and Media Commission (CMC) sent the Al-Jazeera Media Network a letter informing it of a March 24 decision to withdraw the bureau's licence and close its office for one year.
     The letter cited "your continuing violations and offences and persistent media discourse instigating violence and sectarianism."
     In a statement issued yesterday, the Doha-based news network, one of the largest in the region, said that it had not violated regulations or deviated from professional and objective coverage.
     Al-Jazeera has repeatedly come under fire from the Iraqi authorities for coverage perceived as 'too friendly' to the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group and hostile to the country's Shiite majority.
     The network's foreign staff were already unable to enter Iraq because the authorities had made it ...

Iraq shuts Al-Jazeera bureau for 'instigating violence'

China's biggest bank ICBC today announced mounting problem loans, after International Monetary Fund staff argued that the world's second-biggest economy needs a more "comprehensive" plan to tackle bad debts.
	The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), believed to be the world's largest bank by assets, said its non-performing loan ratio rose to 1.66 per cent at the end of March, up from 1.50 per cent at the end of last year.
	Its first-quarter net profits rose just 0.59 per cent year-on-year to 74.76 billion yuan (USD 11.51 billion), according to a statement to the Hong Kong stock exchange.
	China is considering both converting non-performing loans into equity, and repackaging bad loans into securities which could then be sold, according to media reports which have not been confirmed by the government.
	"While such techniques can play a role in addressing these problems and have been used successfully by other countries, they are not comprehensive solutions by themselves," ...

China's biggest bank ICBC reports rise in bad loans

Russia's new Vostochny cosmodrome hosted its first rocket launch today, the Roscosmos space agency said, after a last-minute delay a day earlier led to President Vladimir Putin criticising the programme's officials.
	The launch is good news for Russia's beleaguered space sector, with the new cosmodrome touted to mark a rebirth of an industry plagued by a string of embarrassments in recent years.
	The Soyuz 2.1a rocket carrying three satellites took off at 11:01 am local time, the national space agency said in a statement, after the countdown was automatically halted for technical reasons 24 hours previously.
	"The rocket launch was carried out successfully. All three satellites are now in orbit," Roscosmos said in a statement.
	Russian television showed the Soyuz 2.1a taking off into a blue sky in light winds, though foreign media organisations including AFP were not allowed to enter the new space centre.
	Putin was present for the event, having traveled to Russia's far east to ...

First rocket launch from Russia's Vostochny after delay

US-based Delta Air Lines has placed an order for 75 CS100 Bombardier aircraft, with an option to purchase 50 more, in a deal worth USD 5.6 billion, the Canadian aviation giant announced today.
	"As we reshape our fleet for the future, the innovative onboard experience of the C Series is a perfect complement for the top-notch service provided every day by Delta people," incoming Delta chief executive Ed Bastian said.
	Delta reserves the right to convert a number of the 50 optional planes into slightly roomier CS300 aircraft at a later date.

Bombardier sells 75 CS100 planes to Delta in USD 5.6 bn deal

Saudi Arabia today executed a Jordanian convicted of drug smuggling, bringing to 88 the number of foreigners and Saudis put to death this year.
	Mohammed Abu Zayed had been found guilty of smuggling amphetamines in his car, the interior ministry said.
	Authorities carried out the sentence against him in northwestern Tabuk region, which borders Jordan.
	Amphetamines are stimulants most often targeted at students and labourers in the kingdom, interior ministry spokesman General Mansour al-Turki told reporters last month.
	He added that war-ravaged Syria has become one of the biggest producers of the drug.
	Most people put to death in Saudi Arabia are beheaded with a sword.
	The executions so far this year include 47 for "terrorism" carried out in a single day on January 2.
	Murder and drug trafficking cases account for the majority of Saudi executions.
	Amnesty International said Saudi Arabia had the third highest number of people put to death last year -- at least 158.
	That was far ...

Saudi executes Jordanian for drug smuggling

A Japanese tourism board has called on foreign tourists to refrain from public "belching or flatulence" in an etiquette guide which was hastily rewritten, reportedly after complaints from a Chinese resident.
	The Hokkaido Tourism Organization, which represents Japan's northern-most island, published a downloadable brochure on its website, with polite instructions on everything from public bathing to using a Japanese toilet.
	Helpfully, it even dedicated an entire section to protocol for avoiding bodily functions.
	"Japanese etiquette is based on avoiding causing discomfort or nuisance to others," the guide points out.
	"Accordingly, Japanese will avoid bodily functions such as belching or flatulence in public entirely, or perform bodily functions as discreetly as possible."
	However, the Chinese-language guide -- originally entitled "Common Sense When Travelling in Hokkaido" -- upset a Chinese resident who angrily claimed the diagrams featuring examples of bad tourist behaviour were ..

Japan wants foreign tourists to avoid 'public flatulence'

Michel Platini appears before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Friday to appeal his six-year FIFA ban for ethics violations, with his future in football hanging on the outcome.
     The stakes could not be higher for the suspended head of European football. A favourable verdict and the 60-year-old will take his place in the stands at the Stade de France for the Euro 2016 opener between hosts France and Romania on June 10.
     A negative verdict will mean the former Juventus star barred from entering the national stadium, his glittering career in the sport having come to an ignominious end.
     "This is the last avenue of appeal," Platini's lawyer Thibaud D'Ales conceded to AFP.
     The Frenchman has been sanctioned over an infamous two million Swiss franc ($2 million, 1.8 million euro) payment he received in 2011 from then-FIFA president Sepp Blatter.
     FIFA's ethics committee in December banned both men from all football activities for eight years. The suspensions ...

Platini prepares for make-or-break CAS hearing

Japan's space agency said today that a quarter-of-a-billion-dollar satellite sent to study mysterious black holes has failed, concluding a month-long effort to salvage the ambitious project closely watched across the globe.
	The ultra-high-tech satellite "Hitomi" -- or eye -- was launched in February to observe X-rays emanating from black holes and galaxy clusters.
	But the device -- developed in collaboration between the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), NASA and other groups -- stopped responding to ground crews around the end of last month, apparently due to a lack of battery power.
	Technicians scrambled to find out what had happened to Hitomi and recover its functions.
	"We concluded that the satellite is in a state in which its functions are not expected to recover," Saku Tsuneta, director general of JAXA's Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, told a press conference on Thursday.
	"I deeply apologise for abandoning operation" of the satellite, he said.
	JAXA ...

Japan gives up on failed black hole research satellite

At least 38 civilians were killed and dozens more wounded in fresh violence in Syria's second city Aleppo today, a monitoring group said.
	Rebel rocket and artillery fire on government-held neighbourhoods killed 18 civilians, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
	Regime air strikes on rebel-held districts, including the heavily populated Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, killed 20 civilians, the Britain-based group said.

38 civilians dead in attacks in Syria's Aleppo: monitor

Serena Williams remains the "queen" of women's tennis but don't be surprised if she's no longer number one by the end of the year, Martina Navratilova said Thursday.
     Speaking in Singapore to promote this year's WTA Finals, the 59-year-old Czech said she was pleased to see stronger competition in the women's game.
     "Right now there is competition but not quite rivalry yet. But certainly, a lot of players are stepping on Serena's heels for the year," Navratilova said.
     "It's not a foregone conclusion. The last couple of years by now, we pretty much knew Serena would end up world number one at the end of the year but this year it's up in the air.
     "It's going to be difficult for her to keep that cushion but at the same time, she's still the queen."
     Williams has not won a tournament since her triumph at Cincinnati in August.
     Navratilova, an 18-time Major champion, said that Williams was under added pressure after last year's scintillating run, when she won three 

Chasing pack closing on Serena, says Navratilova

Turkish police today arrested 12 suspects as they stepped up efforts to identify a female bomber who blew herself up in the city of Bursa, wounding 13 people, state media said.
	The arrests took place in Bursa, Istanbul, the southeastern city of Sanliurfa and Afyon in central Turkey, Anatolia news agency said.
	Yesterday's bombing, the latest attack to strike Turkey, took place near Bursa's 14th century Grand Mosque, a historic symbol of the city that was the first capital of the Ottoman empire.
	Of the 13 who were hurt, eight were still in hospital today. None of them suffered critical injuries, local officials said.
	Nobody has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, which was carried out by a woman, according to Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
	Local newspapers however said the Islamic State group, which is blamed for previous deadly attacks in Turkey, was likely behind the latest assault.
	They also said the bomber may have detonated her explosives prematurely, avoiding a ...

Turkey arrests 12 in bid to identify female bomber: report

Italy is to introduce the fingerprinting of migrants crossing the Mediterranean as soon as they are picked up by rescue boats, officials say.
	The move could help to reduce mounting tensions between Italy and its EU partners over the large numbers of migrants who arrive in Italy but are not registered here and then travel on to northern Europe.
	If they are not registered in Italy, neighbouring countries like Austria and France and popular destination states like Germany and Sweden do not have the option of sending them back to Italy.
	In theory they should be able to do this under the EU's Dublin convention rules governing asylum claims.
	The Italian move follows talks yesterday between Interior Minister Angelo Alfano and EU migration commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos in Sicily, where most migrants arrive and are processed at "hotspot" reception centres.
	"With this we will now have hotspots at sea," Alfano said.
	It was not clear if the policy will be applied systematically -- ...

Italy to start fingerprinting migrants at sea

North Korea today tried and appeared to have failed a second attempt to launch a powerful, new medium-range ballistic missile, South Korea's defence ministry said.
	A ministry official said the North had launched what was believed to be a Musudan missile at around 6:40 AM (0310 IST) from Wonsan on the east coast.
	"It fell within seconds after the launch so is believed to have failed," the official said.

Apparent N Korea mid-range missile launch failed again: South

South Africa great Allan Donald was today hired by Australia as bowling coach for their upcoming tour of Sri Lanka, while Stuart Law will mentor the batsmen.
     The renowned pace spearhead, whose speed saw him nicknamed "White Lightning", temporarily fills the vacancy left by Craig McDermott who stepped down as bowling coach at the end of the World T20 in India.
     Head coach Darren Lehmann said it was a massive coup to secure Donald's services.
     "He brings a wealth of experience with him and our guys will benefit greatly from having him around," he said.
     "His Test record speaks for itself and he was without a doubt one of the most formidable bowlers of his generation."
     There was media speculation on Wednesday that Donald could also stay on for Australia's summer series against South Africa, but this was not confirmed by Cricket Australia.
     Donald, who has previously coached with England, New Zealand and South Africa, took 330 Test and 272 one-day international ..

Donald, Law join Australia coaching staff

Star batsman Kane Williamson got the nod as New Zealand's captain in all three forms of the game today, replacing the retired Brendon McCullum.
     Williamson has long been seen as McCullum's heir apparent and has already skippered the Black Caps in several one-day and Twenty20 matches.
     "Kane has been a leader within the team for a long time now and already shown himself to be an extremely capable captain," NZ Cricket chief executive David White said.
     "He's respected by his peers and the wider cricket community for his professional approach both on and off the field, and has a superb cricket brain."
     Williamson, who is currently in India playing in the IPL, said he wanted to build on the achievements of McCullum, who retired in February.
     "It's certainly an honour... (I) believe this team can achieve a lot," he said in a statement.
     Williamson led New Zealand on a giant-killing charge to the semi-finals at the recent World Twenty20 tournament in India, winning ..

AFP

AFP

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