Shares in Air France-KLM went into freefall today, a day after the company said Alexandre de Juniac is to resign as chairman and CEO to take charge of aviation industry group IATA.
	Juniac helped Europe's second biggest airline group return to profit last year for the first time since 2008, but his four-year spell at the helm was also marked by acrimonious relations with pilots.
	On announcing the surprise move, the Franco-Dutch company said it was hoping to appoint De Juniac's replacement from August 1 at the latest.
	Around 0720 GMT, the company's shares were down nearly seven per cent on an overall firmer Paris stock exchange.
	Air France-KLM paid tribute to De Juniac's role in "achieving the group's economic and financial recovery, enhancing its range of services and winning back customers."
	De Juniac took charge at Air France in 2011, becoming chairman of Air France-KLM a year later.
	He leaves the company on the track to recovery but still in a fragile position, facing tough ...

Air France-KLM shares nosedive after chief quits

PTI Automatic

A Syrian fighter who appeared in a gruesome video cutting out the heart of a regime soldier and eating it has been shot dead by rival rebels, a monitoring group said.
	Known by his nom de guerre Abu Sakkar, the rebel reportedly joined the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Nusra Front about a year ago, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
	Rival rebels "assassinated Khaled al-Hamad, who was known as Abu Sakkar and who was a military commander in Al-Nusra, by gunning him down" in the northwestern province of Idlib, the Observatory said late yesterday.
	In May 2013, Abu Sakkar appeared in a video showing him eating the heart of a dead regime soldier, sparking an international outcry and condemnation from the mainstream Syrian opposition.
	At the time, he was fighting in a rebel brigade in central Homs province.
	"He was likely killed in a settling of accounts" between Al-Nusra, which dominates much of Idlib province, and other Islamist rebels in the area, Observatory chief Rami Abdel ...

Syria 'heart-eating' rebel killed: monitor

The president of the United Arab Emirates owns London properties worth more than 1.2 billion pounds (USD 1.7 billion, 1.5 billion euros) through offshore companies revealed in the so-called Panama Papers, The Guardian reported today.
	Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan was among numerous public figures named as owners of billions of pounds of central London real estate following the huge leak of documents from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca.
	Owning British property through offshore companies is perfectly legal, but it is controversial because such holdings obscure the identity of the owners, allowing them to avoid scrutiny and tax.
	Sheikh Khalifa's property portfolio includes the BHS department store building on Oxford Street and the designer shops of Bruton Street and Berkeley Square, with tenants including Stella McCartney, The Guardian said.
	Three children of Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif have also been shown to own London real estate through offshore companies ...

Panama Papers: UAE president leads London property holdings

Twenty million poor Bangladeshis are still drinking water contaminated with arsenic, two decades after the potentially deadly toxin was discovered in the supply, Human Rights Watch said Wednesday.
	A new report from the rights group said Bangladesh had failed to take the basic steps needed to tackle the problem, which kills an estimated 43,000 Bangladeshis every year, mostly in poor rural areas.
	The contaminated supply dates back to the 1970s, when the Bangladesh government drilled millions of shallow tube wells to provide villagers with clean water, not realising that the soil was heavily laced with naturally occurring arsenic.
	"Bangladesh isn't taking basic, obvious steps to get arsenic out of the drinking water of millions of its rural poor," HRW researcher Richard Pearshouse told AFP.
	"The reasons why this huge tragedy has remained so pervasive are due to poor governance."
	Bangladesh has been building deep tube wells to source water from beneath the arsenic-tainted soil.
	But .

Millions drinking arsenic-laced water in Bangladesh: HRW

France today urged the OECD to place Panama on its "blacklist" of tax havens following the so-called Panama Papers scandal.
	"I want the OECD to meet so that the same decision (as France) is taken by all the countries concerned," French Finance Minister Michel Sapin told Europe 1 radio.
	Sapin had told parliament on Tuesday that France would put Panama back on its list of "uncooperative countries.

France to urge OECD to put Panama on tax haven list: minister

The US-led coalition fighting Islamic State (IS) group jihadists in Iraq and Syria conducted an airstrike in the Iraqi city of Mosul that destroyed the former Turkish consulate, an official has said.
	Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said Monday's strike was carried out with the full cooperation of the Turkish government.
	"ISIL repurposed the compound and used it as a headquarters for senior ISIL leaders, in addition to a bed-down location and weapons storage facility," he said, using an acronym for the IS group.
	"That compound has now been destroyed by coalition aircraft."
	IS group jihadists seized the key city of Mosul in June 2014 as they overran vast regions in northern and north-central Iraq, as well as in Syria.
	Mosul, in northern Iraq, lies some 50 miles (80 kilometers) west of the Kurdish capital Arbil.
	The city holds special significance for the IS group as the location where its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed his "caliphate" straddling Iraq and ...

US-led strike destroys former Turkish consulate in Mosul

Oil prices climbed in Asia today after Kuwait said an agreement to freeze output during a producers' meeting this month could still be reached despite conflicting statements by participants.
	But analysts said the rebound would not likely last owing to a painful supply glut and weak demand caused by the slowing world economy.
	At around 0430 GMT today, US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for delivery in May was up 97 cents, or 2.70 per cent, at USD 36.86 and Brent crude for June was 68 cents, or 1.80 per cent, higher at USD 38.55.
	Both contracts eked out an increase yesterday, but prices are still well below the USD 40 level reached last month following a rally driven by hopes of an agreement during the April 17 producers' meeting in Doha.
	Prices dived after Saudi deputy crown prince Mohammed bin Salman said last week his country will only agree to limit output if rival producers such as Iran followed suit.
	But Iran, which has been raising production since the West lifted ...

Oil up as Kuwait revives hope for output freeze deal

Almost half of all natural World Heritage Sites, including the Great Barrier Reef and Machu Picchu, are threatened by industrial activities such as mining, oil exploration and illegal logging, conservation group WWF warned today.
	The 114 threatened sites, virtually half the total listed by UNESCO, provide food, water, shelter and medicine to over 11 million people -- more than the population of Portugal, according to a WWF-commissioned report.
	The sites are meant to be protected for future generations.
	"Despite the obvious benefits of these natural areas, we still haven't managed to decouple economic development from environmental degradation," WWF director general Marco Lambertini said in a foreword.
	"Instead, too often, we grant concessions for exploration of oil, gas or minerals, and plan large-scale industrial projects without considering social and environmental risks."
	The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) lists 197 "natural" and 32 "mixed" ...

Industry threatens nearly half of natural heritage sites: WWF

Top-ranked Jason Day, defending champion Jordan Spieth, career Grand Slam seeker Rory McIlroy and a host of elite rivals have sparked an exceptional level of excitement for the 80th Masters.
     A field of 89 will tee off Thursday morning at Augusta National in quest of the green jacket awarded a Masters champion, but only one will slide their arms inside the sleeves come Sunday.
     Australia's Day comes off triumphs at Bay Hill and the WGC Match Play. Northern Ireland's McIlroy has found his form at just the right moment and American Spieth's record-tying wire-to-wire win from last year still resonates in the Georgia pines.
     Add Aussie Adam Scott, twice a winner last month, plus fourth-ranked Bubba Watson, a two-time Masters champion, 2015 Players winner Rickie Fowler and five-time major winner Phil Mickelson and the stage is set for a showdown on golf's most acclaimed course.
     "I would enjoy a Spieth McIlroy Fowler Scott Watson Mickelson Sunday," Day said. "That would be .

0Day, Spieth, McIlroy pace lineup for Masters showdown

Darren Sammy's success in captaining the West Indies to the World Twenty20 title has been recognised by his native St Lucia after it was announced that the island's main cricket ground would be renamed in his honour.
     The Beausejour Cricket Ground will now be known as the Darren Sammy National Cricket Ground, with one of the stands to be named in honour of fellow St Lucian and Twenty20 winner Johnson Charles.
     According to the West Indies Cricket Board, the announcement was made by the Prime Minister of St Lucia, Kenny D. Anthony, at a "welcome reception" on the island on Tuesday.
     "The West Indies Cricket Board would like to congratulate West Indies captain, Darren Sammy and opener, Johnson Charles for the honour their home country St Lucia has bestowed on them," the WICB added in a statement, issued from their St John's, Antigua, headquarters.
     Sunday's victory over England, in a thrilling Kolkata final where Carlos Brathwaite hit four successive sixes in the last ...

Ground honour for West Indies captain Sammy

Atletico Madrid were left to rue Fernando Torres's first-half red card as Luis Suarez's double handed Barcelona a 2-1 lead, heading into the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
     Torres got Atletico off to the perfect start as he slotted home Koke's through ball for a vital away goal on 25 minutes, but saw two quickfire yellow cards to leave his side a man short for over an hour.
     A second-half onslaught from Barca ensued and Suarez turned the game on its head as he bundled home to equalise, before powering in a header for the winner 16 minutes from time.
     The sides meet once more to decide who will progress to the semi-finals at Atletico's Vicente Calderon on April 13.
     "Obviously a sending off in the first half will affect the game, even more when it's a great player," said Suarez.
     "Everyone knows his quality, but he made two strong fouls. It was a pity, I would have liked to come back against 11."
     However, Atletico were incensed as Suarez ...

Suarez double salvages Barca against 10-man Atletico

He got a look at it last year only to fall agonizingly short, but Jordan Spieth still says that winning all four majors in the same year is possible.
     The then-21-year-old Texan took the golfing world by storm last year when he won the Masters and US Open and came close to becoming just the second player ever, after Ben Hogan, to win the first three majors of the year at the British Open.
     He finished the year with a 1-1-T4-2 record in golf's four crown jewels tournaments -- a performance that only Tiger Woods in recent years has been able to match.
     At just 22, he has a good 20 years, and perhaps more, of top-level golf before him and plenty of other opportunities to make golfing history.
     Asked if the Grand Slam was achievable, Spieth replied: "You know what, I would have said prior to last year, no.
     "And it's very, almost, conceited for me to say because of last year maybe. But we were so close and it was one break here or there.
     "Now we got the breaks ...

Grand Slam can be done says Spieth

'Panama Papers' law firm says 'hacked by servers abroad',

They say politics and sport should never mix -- but don't try telling that to veteran boxing promoter Bob Arum.
     The 84-year-old matchmaker is hoping to drum up interest for Saturday's Manny Pacquiao v Tim Bradley rematch by delivering a jab to controversial Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump.
     Billed as the "No Trump" undercard, it will feature mostly Hispanic fighters in what Arum views as a gesture of solidarity with the Latino community.
     Arum told AFP he felt obliged to act in the face of Trump's campaign rhetoric branding Mexican immigrants as "rapists" and pledges to deport millions of undocumented workers.
     "I have great roots in the Hispanic community and I'm horribly offended by the positions Trump has taken, the statements he's making about these people being rapists and so forth, and deporting 11.5 million people," Arum said.
     "I felt this was an opportunity since I had these terrific Hispanic kids to put them together on a card. I want ..

'No Trump' undercard packs punch for Hispanics

Senator Bernie Sanders scored a crucial victory over Hillary Clinton in the US state of Wisconsin, throwing a road block in his Democratic rival's march toward the party's presidential nomination.
	US networks NBC and Fox News projected Sanders the victor in the primary, extending his winning streak to six of the last seven contests and bolstering his claim that he can challenge the former secretary of state in her adopted home state later this month.

Sanders wins Wisconsin Democratic primary: US networks

Germany could lift temporary border controls brought in last year to help stem the migrant flow by mid-May if the number of arrivals continues to dwindle, Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere has said.
	"We would not extend the border controls beyond May 12 if the numbers remain this low," he told Austrian national broadcaster ORF yesterday, referring to a recent drop in arrivals following the closure of the main Balkan migrant trail.
	De Maiziere made the comments following a meeting of interior ministers from German-speaking countries in the Austrian capital.
	The controls on the Austrian border were introduced last September when more than 10,000 migrants and refugees were arriving in Germany on a daily basis.
	A majority of them were fleeing war and violence in Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. Many had undertaken a dangerous sea journey from Turkey to Greece, before trekking up the western Balkans in their bid to reach northern EU nations.
	Germany let in a record 1.1 million migrants 

Germany could lift border controls in May: interior minister

A California man is facing up to six years in prison for leaving his nine-month-old baby girl alone in a parked car while he went into a strip club.
	Los Angeles district attorney Jackie Lacey yesterday said in a statement that Auwin Dargin, 24, had been charged with child abuse in the incident that took place in March.
	Authorities said employees at the strip club and neighbouring businesses rescued the baby after hearing her cries and then called police.
	The club's employees said they became suspicious after noticing Dargin leave the venue every 15 minutes on the afternoon of March 9 and then returning.
	Local news reports said he was in the middle of a lap dance when the club's manager informed him that his child had been found.
	The baby appeared disoriented and was taken to a nearby hospital, suffering from mild dehydration, authorities said.
	Dargin has pleaded not guilty in the case.

US man leaves baby in car to enjoy strip club

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has said she would not reshuffle her cabinet until after a congressional impeachment vote as she fights for her political survival.
	Abandoned by her main coalition partner, Rousseff is racing to secure enough votes in Congress to block the lower house from sending her to face impeachment in the senate.
	A long recession and huge corruption scandal have pushed the government to the brink of collapse, exacerbated last week when the powerful PMDB party ditched her for the opposition.
	In a country teeming with dozens of political parties, ministerial posts and other government jobs have become key bargaining chips in Rousseff's negotiations to save her presidency.
	But the leftist leader said she would not reshuffle her cabinet before the lower house vote, expected in mid-April.
	"The (presidential) palace does not plan to carry out any ministerial restructuring before a vote in the Chamber," she told journalists yesterday. "We won't touch anything for 

Rousseff seeks allies as Brazil impeachment vote looms

Alexandre de Juniac is to resign as chairman and CEO of Air France-KLM to take charge of aviation industry group IATA in a surprise move announced.
	Juniac helped Europe's second biggest airline group return to profit last year for the first time since 2008, but his four-year spell at the helm was also marked by acrimonious relations with pilots.
	The Franco-Dutch company said it was hoping to appoint Juniac's replacement from August 1 at the latest.
	"Alexandre de Juniac will be the first person coming from a French airline to lead IATA," Air France-KLM said in a statement yesterday, paying tribute to his role in "achieving the group's economic and financial recovery, enhancing its range of services and winning back customers."
	Juniac took charge at Air France in 2011, becoming chairman of Air France-KLM a year later.
	He leaves the company on the track to recovery but still in a fragile position, facing tough competition from Gulf-based competitors for long-haul business and from ..

Air France-KLM chief quits in surprise move to IATA

The United States has handed back to Mongolia fossil remains of six species of dinosaur smuggled out of the country and impounded by agents in New York and Utah.
	The largest item was the skull of an Alioramus, an exceptionally rare dinosaur believed to have roamed the Gobi Desert 66 to 70 million years ago.
	A relative of the more widely known Tyrannosaurus, only two specimens are reported in scientific literature, both of them from Mongolia. US authorities described the fossil as the most complete Alioramus skull yet discovered.
	The skull was confiscated by customs after being shipped from France with false papers claiming it was a cheap replica, US authorities said yesterday. The shipper later submitted forged Mongolian export documents, officials added.
	Mongolia determined that fossils are national property in 1924, and their export is strictly forbidden.
	Yesterday's ceremony, hosted by the US attorney for Brooklyn, is the latest in a series of returns of fossils to Mongolia in 

US hands over looted dinosaur fossils to Mongolia

A Syrian rebel group allied with Al-Qaeda said it had downed a warplane over northern Syria today, with the pilot reportedly captured.
	In a statement on Twitter, Ahrar al-Sham, a hardline Islamist group that fights alongside Al-Qaeda's local affiliate, said it "shot down a warplane (over the town of Al-Eis) that was conducting airstrikes".
	Earlier, a rebel source had confirmed that a regime warplane had been shot down, but said it was likely by fighters from Al-Qaeda's Syrian branch, Al-Nusra Front.
	The source said the pilot had been taken alive.
	The Syrian pro-government website Al-Masdar News identified the captured pilot as Khaled Said, quoting army sources.
	It also reported, citing the same unnamed sources, the "death" of co-pilot Musaab Hourani, without giving further details.
	There was no immediate confirmation from the Syrian government or the armed forces.
	Video footage circulating on social media purported to show the scene where the plane came down, with a dozen men ..

AFP

AFP

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