From the Queen of Sheba to Britain's Duchess of Cambridge, Sri Lanka's sapphires have adorned royalty through the ages, but a flood of cheap imitations is threatening the island's reputation for the precious stones.
	Ceylon sapphires, known after the island's colonial-era name, enjoyed a huge boost five years ago when it was revealed that one formed the centrepiece of the engagement ring Prince William gave Catherine Middleton.
	They are renowned as the best sapphires in the world, but gem traders say artificial stones -- coloured glass that to the untrained eye are virtually indistinguishable from sapphires -- are being passed off as the real thing to unsuspecting buyers.
	They fear that is tarnishing the image of the gems, seen as a major potential income stream for an economy still recovering from decades of civil war.
	"This is the biggest threat to our industry. Our reputation is at stake," said Nissanka Weerasena, who owns a chain of upmarket jewellery stores in Sri ...

Fake stones threaten to undermine Sri Lanka's gem trade

PTI Automatic

Longtime Chinese human rights champion and former political prisoner Harry Wu, who advocated on behalf of those in brutal forced labor camps, has died at age 79, according to his research foundation.
	Wu died yesterday morning while vacationing in Honduras with friends, the Laogai Research Foundation said in a statement.
	He founded the organization in 1992 to analyze and raise awareness about China's "laogai" or forced labor detention centers, which began under Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong.
	While studying at university in China, Wu was sentenced to 19 years in prison after speaking out against the Soviet Union, an ally of China.
	He claimed to have spent time in 12 different labor camps, surviving a system thought to have claimed the lives of millions, including many punished for political crimes.
	He was released in 1979 and in 1985 came to the United States, where he became a citizen and worked to raise awareness about the laogai.
	Through his foundation, he played a ...

Chinese rights activist Harry Wu dies at 79

At least 27 Yemeni soldiers were killed in a government offensive -- backed by Saudi-led forces, which drove Al-Qaeda militants out of a key southeastern city, military officials and medics said today.
	Life, meanwhile, was returning to normal in the port city, residents said.
	More than 60 other soldiers were wounded in the operations that began at the weekend and saw government forces recapture Mukalla, the provincial capital of Hadramawt, the officials said.
	The city had been held by Al-Qaeda militants for over a year.
	Recapturing Mukalla was part of a wider counter-offensive against the Sunni extremists launched by pro-government forces last month after a year in which they had focused their firepower on Shiite Huthi rebels who control the capital.
	Government troops were backed by special forces from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as well as coalition air strikes, the Arab coalition said, claiming 800 militants were killed in the offensive.
	Life began to return to .

27 Yemeni soldiers killed in Mukalla offensive

Germany announced today it is replacing the head of its foreign intelligence service, which has been rocked by revelations it helped the US National Security Agency spy on European targets.
	Gerhard Schindler, 63, will take early retirement from July 1, leaving the reins of the BND service to Bruno Kahl, a trained lawyer and currently high-ranking finance ministry official.
	"The BND faces major challenges in coming years," said Peter Altmaier, chief of staff of Angela Merkel's chancellery, in a statement.
	These "include the development of its profile given the changing security challenges" as well as the "organisational and legal consequences of the work of the NSA investigation committee," he added.
	Altmaier did not spell out the reasons for Schindler's departure and government spokesman Steffen Seibert declined comment when asked at a regular press briefing.
	But German media speculated that the change was down to a combination of factors that included the BND's controversial ...

Germany replaces spy chief after damning NSA report

Iran's supreme leader and president accused the United States of hostility and bad faith today saying the implementation of its nuclear deal with world powers was not being honoured.
	Ayatollah Ali Khamenei echoed other officials in Tehran who allege that Washington is creating hurdles for European financial institutions, more than three months after the agreement came into force.
	With nuclear-related sanctions lifted, US and European diplomats have said there is no bar on non-American banks doing business with Iran. But it is not happening in reality, Khamenei said.
	"On paper they say that foreign banks can do business with Iran but, in practice, they are fomenting Iranophobia to prevent relations.
	"The United States creates disruptions and then asks us afterwards: 'Why are you suspicious'?" Khamenei told workers in the capital.
	European officials have told AFP their bankers fear they could face fines or even criminal cases against their US subsidiaries if they rush back to ...

Iran's Khamenei says US lifted sanctions only on paper

The UN cultural agency said today that the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra had suffered significant damage at the hands of Islamic State fighters, but that the archaeological site retains much of its authenticity.
	UNESCO sent experts to the world heritage site to study damage caused by the Islamic State group which held the city for nearly a year before it was retaken by President Bashar al-Assad's forces last month.
	Escorted by UN security, the mission inspected both the Palmyra museum and the archaeological site.
	"They took stock of considerable damage to the museum where they found that most of those statues and sarcophagi that were too large to be removed for safekeeping were defaced, smashed, their heads severed, their fragments left lying on the ground," UNESCO said in a statement.
	At the archeological site, the experts noted that parts of the grand colonnade -- an ancient avenue -- and agora courtyard were intact.
	"They observed the destruction of the triumphal arch and ...

Despite damage Palmyra retains 'authenticity': UNESCO

UN chief Ban Ki-moon called today for the US, China and other nuclear-armed states to end the "madness" of atomic testing by finally ratifying the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, which turns 20 this year.
	"I call on remaining states, the eight remaining states, to sign and ratify the treaty without further delay," Ban said in Vienna at an event marking the anniversary.
	"Nuclear testing poisons water, causes cancers and pollutes the area with radioactive fallout for generations and generations to come," he said.
	"We are here to honour the victims. The best tribute to them is action, to ban and to stop nuclear testing. Their sufferings should teach the world to end this madness."
	The CTBT, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly in September 1996, bans all nuclear explosions.
	It has been signed by 183 states and ratified by 164 including Russia, France and Britain, three of the nine countries which have, or are thought to have, nuclear weapons.
	But to enter in force, ..

UN chief urges end to 'madness' of nuclear weapons testing

More than a dozen Rohingya refugees abandoned by people smugglers have been found in a southern Thai forest, police said today, almost a year on from a crackdown which has forced traffickers to find new routes.
	Muslim Rohingya, an ethnic minority from Myanmar's western Rakhine state who are forced to live in apartheid-like conditions, have for years fled their homeland seeking work in Muslim-majority Malaysia.
	"Fourteen Rohingyas, including kids as young as a few years old, were found at around 6am (Wednesday)," police captain Panuwat Chomyong, a highway officer in central Chumpon province, told AFP.
	Smugglers abandoned the group ahead of a police checkpoint, Panuwat said, adding they had initially entered Thailand through Kanchanaburi province, a much more northern entry point than those usually used by traffickers.
	The discovery suggests new routes are being sought by migrants and smugglers following Thailand's belated crackdown on the grim and lucrative trade last May which has 

Rohingya found in forest a year on from Thai crackdown

Etihad Airways said today its net profit for 2015 surged 41 per cent to USD 103 million on the back of rising passenger numbers and cargo volumes.
     The Abu Dhabi-based carrier said its consolidated revenues reached USD 9.02 billion, compared with airline-only revenues of USD 7.55 billion the year before.
     Revenues from partner companies amounted to USD 1.38 billion, compared to USD 1.13 billion in 2014.
     Etihad acknowledged that the inclusion of non-airline revenues, such as catering and ground handling, in the 2015 figures meant they were not directly comparable with the previous year's.
     The carrier said it transported 17.6 million passengers in 2015, up 18.9 per cent from the year before, while cargo tonnage increased to 591,000 tonnes from 569,000 tonnes in 2014.
     "Our mandate is to build a sustainably profitable airline. A fifth year of net profits, with our best annual financial performance to date, shows that we are delivering against that goal," Etihad ...

Etihad Airways 2015 profit hits USD 103 mn

UN chief Ban Ki-moon called today for the US, China and other nuclear-armed states to end the "madness" of atomic testing by finally ratifying the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), which turns 20 this year.
	"I call on the eight remaining states to sign and ratify the treaty without further delay," Ban said in Vienna at an event marking the anniversary.
     "Nuclear testing poisons water, causes cancers and pollutes the area with radioactive fallout for generations and generations to come," he said.
     "We are here to honour the victims...To ban and to stop nuclear testing. First and foremost, we should teach the world to end this madness."
     The CTBT, which opened for signature in September 1996, bans all nuclear explosions. It has been signed by 183 states and ratified by 164 including Russia, France and Britain, three of the nine countries which have or are thought to have nuclear weapons.
     But, to enter in force, the treaty needs 44 particular "nuclear ...

UN chief says end 'madness' of nuclear weapon testing

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu today pledged that Turkey's draft constitution would guarantee secularism after calls for a religious charter sparked controversy in the predominantly Muslim country.
	"Secularism will feature in the new constitution we draft as a principle that guarantees citizens' freedom of religion and faith and that ensures the state is at an equal distance from all faith groups," Davutoglu said in a televised speech.
	He said Turkey's secular and democratic character was "not up for debate" under the rule of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), which has been in power since 2002.
	Parliament speaker Ismail Kahraman on Monday said the country "must have a religious constitution", triggering fears that that the AKP government was seeking to Islamise the traditionally secular country.
	The call led to protests on Tuesday in major cities where police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse demonstrators in Ankara and Istanbul.
	Kahraman's comments also drew ..

Turkey PM says draft constitution will guarantee secularism

Taiwan's president-elect said today that democracy would be at the heart of future relations with China after they hit bumps recently over sensitive issues like the forced deportation of Taiwanese suspects from Kenya to the mainland.
	Tsai Ing-wen, who will take office on May 20 as the island's first female president, repeated her vow to maintain the "status quo" across the Taiwan Strait that separates the island from the mainland.
	"I have said several times in the past that the new government will do whatever we can to sustain the peace and stability of cross-strait ties and make them consistent and predictable," Tsai said.
	"I'll abide by my promise," she said while visiting the Mainland Affairs Council, where she served as minister for four years until 2004.
	But Tsai also highlighted a policy change when her China-sceptic Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) takes over the government from the Beijing-friendly Kuomintang party.
	"What will be different from the past eight years is ..

Taiwan's president-elect says democracy at heart of China ties

Philippine President Benigno Aquino vowed today to launch a military assault aimed at "neutralising" Islamic militants who beheaded a Canadian hostage and are holding more than 20 other foreigners.
	"Casualties are to be expected. But what has to be of utmost importance is neutralising the criminal activities of the ASG," Aquino said in a statement, referring to the Abu Sayyaf militant group by a commonly used acronym.
	Aquino released the statement after the severed head of Canadian John Ridsdel, kidnapped seven months ago from aboard a yacht, was dumped Monday on a street on Jolo, a remote southern island that is one of the Abu Sayyaf's main strongholds.
	"This murder was meant to terrorise our whole population. The Abu Sayyaf thought they could instill fear in us. Instead, they have galvanised us even further to ensure justice is meted out," Aquino said.
	"We have always been open to talks with those who desire peace, but those who commit atrocities can expect the full might of the 

Philippines' Aquino vows to 'neutralise' Abu Sayyaf kidnappers

An American surfer has been mauled by a two-metre (six-foot) shark off the Indonesian resort island of Bali, sustaining a serious arm injury, a doctor said today.
	Ryan Boarman, in his 20s, was admitted to hospital in the west of the holiday island Monday shortly after being attacked by the shark as he surfed at Balian beach.
	While shark attacks are generally rare in Bali there have been several such incidents in recent years at Balian, a popular surfing spot.
	Doctor Ni Gusti Ayu Made Sri Pujarini, who initially treated Boarman at a local hospital, said he was conscious when brought in.
	"He said that he saw a two-metre shark just before he felt the pain," she told AFP. "His wounds were consistent with shark bite injuries, you could see the teeth marks."
	Pujarini said he underwent emergency surgery and was then transferred to a bigger hospital in the Balinese capital Denpasar.
	Twiggy Van Ryan, an Australian who lives near Balian, described how he saw Boarman shortly after the ...

American surfer injured in Bali shark attack

Australian authorities today charged four men over a 2015 attack in which a teenage boy shot dead a police employee, alleging all were members of a terror organisation.
	Farhad Jabar, 15, shot senior accountant Curtis Cheng, 58, outside Sydney police headquarters where he worked last October. The teenager was killed in gunfire shortly afterwards.
	New South Wales Deputy Commissioner of police Catherine Burn said the four had been charged with conspiring to carry out an act in preparation for, or planning, a terrorist act.
	"We do allege that these four people acted together in concert and the fifth person, the 15-year-old, was a part of that," she told a press conference.
	She said the charges reflect "the criminality of all of them involved to come together to actually prepare and plan to do an absolutely heinous criminal act which resulted in the murder of a police employee".
	The men, aged 18, 20, 22 and 23, have all been charged with membership of a terrorist organisation, Burn ...

Australian police charge four over terror killing

Top Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam was handed over to French authorities today, federal prosecutors in Belgium said.
	Abdeslam, a French national of Moroccan origin who grew up in Belgium, is believed to be the last surviving member of the terror squad that killed 130 people in the French capital in November.
	"Within the framework of the Paris attacks of the 13th of November 2015, Salah Abdeslam has been surrendered to the French authorities this morning," a statement in English said.
	"No further information will be given concerning the exact time or the circumstances of his transfer," it said.
	Belgian police have also tried to question him over his links to three suicide bombers who struck Brussels airport and metro on March 22, killing 32 people and injuring hundreds more.

Paris attacks suspect Abdeslam transferred to France

Two Germans were killed todayin a crash on a motorway in central France known locally as "the road of death".
	The accident occurred near Montbeugny, just a short distance from the site of another crash in March that left 12 Portuguese minibus passengers dead.
	Today the two Germans' vehicle swerved to the left for an unknown reason and collided head-on with a heavy lorry, an AFP journalist said.
	The two crash victims, aged 23 and 28, died instantly. The shocked Spanish lorry driver was taken to hospital nearby.
	The Central Europe Atlantic Road (RCEA in its French acronym) sees several accidents each year, many of them deadly.
	On March 25, 12 Portuguese minibus passengers including a seven-year-old girl died when their vehicle collided with a heavy lorry on the same road.
	Their minibus was travelling from Switzerland to Portugal, taking the group home for the Easter holidays.
	A local official last month described the motorway, which cuts across the country from east to west, as ..

Two Germans killed in French motorway crash

South Africa great Allan Donald is set to join the Australian team as temporary bowling coach, including for a series against the Proteas, a report said today.
     The renowned bowling spearhead, whose speed saw him nicknamed 'White Lightning', is expected to oversee Australia's attack on their tour of Sri Lanka later this year.
     He could then stay on for the summer series against South Africa, the Sydney Daily Telegraph said, filling the vacancy left by Craig McDermott who stepped down as bowling coach at the end of the World T20 in India.
	Cricket Australia, who have drafted in ex-Tasmania fast bowler Adam Griffith to help out on the tour of the West Indies in June, have yet to confirm the appointment.
	Donald took 330 Test and 272 one-day international wickets during an illustrious career for South Africa that spanned 10 years.
	He is credited with helping the development of speedsters Morne Morkel, Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander and has worked in the past with Australian ...

Donald to join Australia coaching staff: report

Champions League top-scorer Cristiano Ronaldo was a frustrated spectator as his Real Madrid side played out a slow-burning 0-0 draw at Manchester City in yesterday's semi-final first leg.
     Injury prevented the Portuguese superstar from adding to his 16-goal tally and in his absence the visitors were unable to convert the handful of chances they created, with a sensational late Joe Hart save to deny Pepe the closest either side came to a goal at the Etihad Stadium.
     As an occasion, City's first semi-final appearance in the competition was a let-down, but by preventing Madrid from notching an away goal the tie's underdogs safeguarded their hopes of reaching the final ahead of next week's return leg at the Bernabeu.
	"We played a very intense game and defended well," said City manager Manuel Pellegrini.
	"This season we have played very well away. Now we go to the Bernabeu with the same attitude as playing at home.
	"Real Madrid must attack a little bit more. You cannot take too .

No Ronaldo, no goals as Man City, Real Madrid draw

Australian fast bowler John Hastings was today ruled out of the upcoming one-day tri-series tour of the West Indies with an ankle injury and will be replaced by Scott Boland.
     Hastings, 30, hurt his ankle during the Indian Premier League and returned home for scans which revealed he needed surgery to remove bone spurs.
	"John had this surgery over the weekend and now requires a period of rest to resolve the bone stress and recover from surgery before he will resume bowling," said Cricket Australia medical official Alex Kountouris.
	Boland joins a pace attack that also features Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Coulter-Nile.
	Australia begin the tri-series in Guyana on June 6 against South Africa before facing the hosts four days later at the same venue.
	The round-robin tournament sees teams play three matches against each opponent, with the top two advancing to the final on June 26 in Barbados.

Australia's Hastings out of Windies tour

Venezuela's government has announced enforced leave for public sector workers from Wednesday to Friday, meaning they will only work two days a week in efforts to tackle an electricity shortage.
	"There will be no work in the public sector on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, except for fundamental and necessary tasks," Vice President Aristobulo Isturiz said on television yesterday.
	It is the latest drastic measure by the government as it also grapples with an economic crisis that has Venezuelans queuing for hours to buy scarce supplies in shops.
	President Nicolas Maduro's government had already cut the work day for the country's two million public sector employees to six hours and put them on paid leave on Fridays until June 6.
	His vice president yesterday said the measure would now be extended by two days, apart from the weekend, so they will only work on Mondays and Tuesdays.
	He added that primary and high schools will also now be closed to pupils on Fridays.
	The government ...

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