Archaeologists in Greece have discovered the ruins of an ancient palace with important archaic inscriptions dating back to the Mycenaean Age, the culture ministry said today.
	The palace, likely built around the 17th-16th centuries BC, had around ten rooms and was discovered near Sparta in southern Greece.
	At the site, archaeologists found objects of worship, clay figurines, a cup adorned with a bull's head, swords and fragments of murals.
	Since 2009, excavations in the area have unearthed inscriptions on tablets detailing religious ceremonies and names and places in a script called Linear B, the oldest script to be discovered in Europe. It first appears in Crete from around 1375 BC and was only deciphered in the mid 20th century.
	The new discovery will allow for more research on the "political, administrative, economic and societal organisation of the region", and provide "new information on the beliefs and language systems of the Mycenean people," the ministry said in a ...

Archaeologists unearth ancient Greek palace near Sparta

PTI Automatic

Zimbabwe's veteran President Robert Mugabe was booed and heckled by opposition lawmakers over the deteriorating economy as he gave his state of the nation address to parliament today.
	Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) lawmakers questioned his economic policies, jeering as the 91-year-old delivered a policy speech which lasted less than half an hour.
	When Mugabe who has been in power since Zimbabwe's independence from Britain in 1980 outlined his government's plan to improve the economy, one lawmaker yelled at him to admit that "you can't do much about it".
	Mugabe presented a 10-point plan which included boosting agricultural growth, encouraging private sector investment and fighting graft.
	"What about job creation?" one opposition member shouted while another accused Mugabe's government of "corruption".
	The economy of the southern African nation has been on a downward spiral for more than a decade with slow growth, low liquidity and high unemployment.
	The government has cut ..

Zimbabwe's Mugabe booed in parliament over economic crisis

Israel released hundreds of African migrants from a desert detention centre today after a court order, but asylum seekers were left with few options after being barred from two cities.
	Detainees leaving the facility waited at bus stops for rides and wondered where they would live after being banned from Tel Aviv and Eilat, where African migrant communities have sprung up.
	The mayor of a third city warned that freed migrants would be prevented from entering his town.
	One man said he was leaving the Holot Detention Centre with just USD 17 and a sandwich.
	The supreme court ordered Israel to release illegal migrants held for more than a year at the detention centre in the Negev desert, in a ruling that affected 1,178 asylum seekers.
	Today, 750 people were released in small groups with the rest to be freed on Wednesday, said Sivan Weizman, a prison service spokeswoman.
	Authorities have barred those freed from entering Tel Aviv and Eilat in the face of hostility from many ...

Israel frees hundreds of migrants from desert facility

Activists and medical organisations have documented an alleged chemical weapons attack on a Syrian town last week that affected dozens of civilians, with one source blaming the Islamic State group.
	Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said it had treated civilians apparently exposed to a chemical agent in Marea, without saying what type or providing overall casualty figures.
	The Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) said its own doctors in the northern town had identified the agent as mustard gas.
	Mamoun al-Khatib, a journalist and activist from Marea, said more than 50 artillery shells crashed into the centre of the town, an opposition stronghold in the northern province of Aleppo, before midday last Friday.
	Khatib accused the Islamic State (IS) group, which has attempted to seize Marea in recent months, of firing the shells which he said emitted a "hideous stench".
	"We went to the local field hospital, and the doctors told us there were cases of suffocation, severe coughing, redness .

Allegations of new chemical attack in Syria

Lebanon's cabinet ended an acrimonious meeting today with no solution to a trash crisis that has sparked violent protests and calls for the government's resignation.
	The cabinet meeting came as people continued to gather in central Beirut for demonstrations that began over a trash crisis but evolved into an outlet for deep-seated frustrations over government impotence.
	After more than five hours of talks, the cabinet decided to reject a list of tenders for waste management contracts across Lebanon and refer the problem to a ministerial committee.
	"Given the high prices (quoted by would-be contractors), the council of ministers has decided not to approve the tenders and is charging the ministerial committee with finding alternatives," a cabinet statement said.
	The decision came after a session that saw six ministers from one political bloc walk out.
	For months, the 18-month-old government has been paralysed by political disagreements between its two main blocs, rendering ...

Lebanon cabinet fails on trash crisis amid new protests

FIFA presidential candidate Chung Mong-Joon today warned the election to succeed Sepp Blatter was in danger of "being manipulated to a degree unseen even in previous notorious FIFA presidential elections".
     The 63-year-old billionaire South Korean has been subjected to attacks in the German press, who have not cited their source, since he launched his campaign to replace Blatter last week.
     The 79-year-old Swiss stepped down shortly after winning a fifth term earlier this year with FIFA embroiled in allegations of corruption, 14 FIFA and sports business executives were charged by US authorities in May over more than USD 150 million in bribes allegedly paid for television and marketing deals.
     Seven FIFA officials have been detained but Blatter has not been linked to any corruption case.
     Chung, a former FIFA vice-president, had on Saturday refuted the allegations against him in that he tried in 2010 to influence the vote in his home country's favour for the hosting of .

Chung slams FIFA dirty tricks

Usain Bolt and fierce rival Justin Gatlin eased into the 200 metres semi-finals as middle distance greats David Rudisha and Genzebe Dibaba blazed to gold at the world championships today.
     Bolt, the biggest name in athletics, returned to the Beijing track two days after pipping Gatlin to retain his world 100m title, and won his 200m heat in an easy 20.28 seconds. Gatlin topped his heat in 20.19.
     Sweat dripping from his beard on a humid evening, Bolt then icily shrugged off the threat of two-time doping offender Gatlin in his favourite event.
     "It actually means more to me than the 100m," said the world record holder, who recovered from pelvic trouble just in time to deliver positive headlines after allegations of widespread doping engulfed the sport.
     "I'm feeling tired and my legs are sore -- just from the fact it was an up and down season. Hopefully I can get my technique right and give it my best in the final," added Bolt, who returns to the Bird's Nest for ...

Bolt stalks Gatlin as battle resumes in Beijing

Germany scrambled today to quell a wave of anti-migrant violence, as a suspected arson attack hit a planned refugee shelter just hours after Chancellor Angela Merkel denounced xenophobic protests as "vile".
	Vowing to take tough action against perpetrators of such attacks, top politicians sought to reassure the unprecedented number of migrants arriving in the country that far-right extremists did not represent Germany.
	"With regards to xenophobic violence, there can only be one answer: police, justice and, if possible for those we catch, prison as well," said Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel.
	Merkel, who has been criticised for failing to forcefully address the wave of anti-migrant sentiment until this week, will on Wednesday visit a refugee centre targeted by far-right extremists and neo-Nazis in the eastern town of Heidenau.
	President Joachim Gauck will make a trip to a refugee centre in Berlin, also on Wednesday.
	"Despite the scale of the challenge, there are many instances in ...

Germany battles anti-refugee violence as attack hits shelter

Aung San Suu Kyi said today she was confident her opposition party would win Myanmar's landmark elections if they are free and fair, but raised concerns over the country's overall progress towards democracy.
	The Nobel Peace Prize winner told AFP in an interview she expects her National League for Democracy (NLD) will secure a majority in November.
	It will be the first nationwide poll the NLD has contested for 25 years in a country strait-jacketed for almost half a century by military rule.
	The party won by a landslide in 1990 but was barred by the military from taking power.
	Asked if she was confident of winning a dominant share of seats Suu Kyi replied: "If the elections are free and fair, of course."
	"I think looking at the governments which have gone before us, we should be in a position to form a better government," she told AFP, in some of her most sanguine comments yet as Myanmar fast approaches an election many hope will be the freest in its modern history.
	Suu Kyi, the ..

Suu Kyi eyes poll majority, but fears for wider democratic

Libya's foreign minister today renewed a call for the lifting of an arms embargo and for international air strikes to help tackle the Islamic State group which threatens to create a "rear base" in the country.
	"The situation is extremely serious," Mohamed al-Dayri, foreign minister for Libya's internationally-recognised government based in Misrata, told AFP on a visit to Paris.
	"People are dying, are crucified, are disinterred from their graves, are burned alive. Libyans don't understand why the international community doesn't wake up to these dangers."
	Libya has two rival governments and has been torn apart since the international community helped oust its leader Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.
	One government which Dayri is part of controls most eastern regions after fleeing Tripoli in July 2014, driven out by a motley coalition of Islamists and militants.
	Dayri said the Islamic State (IS) group was present in the towns of Derna, Benghazi, Sirte and Sabratha.
	"They have not yet seized .

Libya calls for international air strikes against IS

Ukraine said today that the leaders of Germany and France had agreed to back "firm" steps against Russia should pro-Moscow rebels hold disputed elections in the ex-Soviet state's separatist east.
	A top aide to President Petro Poroshenko said German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande had agreed at trilateral talks in Berlin on Monday to a set of "red lines" Russia must not cross.
	"European leaders agreed on a set 'red lines' whose violation by Russia would prompt a firm EU response," deputy administration chief Kostyantyn Yeliseyev told reporters.
	"One of these lines is the fake elections that the (rebels) of Donetsk and Lugansk intend to hold on October 18 and November 1," he said in reference to the two separatist regions.
	"Russia must pressure its loyalists to cancel these so-called elections. They will not be recognised and only pose a serious threat to the Minsk (peace) process if they go ahead," he told reporters.
	Unceasing fighting has left in ..

Ukraine says EU ready to toughen stance against Russia

The man whose attack on a high-speed train in France was thwarted by passengers was carrying 270 bullets for his assault rifle and a bottle of petrol, a French prosecutor said today.
	Ayoub El Khazzani, 25, was also carrying a  Luger pistol and a box-cutter, and had watched a jihadist video on YouTube on his mobile phone before carrying out the attack, prosecutor Francois Molins said.

Gunman had 270 rifle bullets and bottle of petrol: Prosecutor

The suspect in the attack on a high-speed train in France looked at an online video of jihadist songs on his mobile phone shortly before boarding, a source in the investigation said today.
	Ayoub El Khazzani "looked at this video between the time that he bought his ticket and the time he boarded the train" a few hours later, the source said.
	He was initially thought to be carrying two phones, but the source said he was actually only in possession of one mobile phone, which had been activated on the morning of the attack.
	Khazzani, 25, boarded the high-speed train in Brussels on Friday armed with a Kalashnikov assault rifle, a Luger automatic pistol, ammunition and a box-cutter.
	He is being questioned by anti-terror investigators, who have until Tuesday evening to charge or release him, though he insists he had only been seeking to rob passengers.

Suspect looked at jihadist video before France train attack

The Asian Development Bank said today it has approved a new assistance programme for Pakistan worth USD 1.2 billion annually, to improve infrastructure and create jobs.
	The Manila-based bank said Pakistan, which has suffered sluggish growth in recent years, was on track to meet targets for cutting poverty.
	But it said overall development was below potential and further institutional reforms were needed.
	Tax collection in Pakistan is tiny, severely hampering the government's ability to manage its finances. A chronic crisis in the power sector -- made worse by poorly targeted subsidies -- is also a major brake on growth.
	"The main challenge in Pakistan was to deliver higher, sustained and inclusive growth to cut poverty and create productive jobs for the growing labour force," ADB Pakistan country director Werner Liepach said in a statement.
	The new programme, which runs until 2019, will target six sectors including energy, transport and public sector management, the ADB said.
	The 

ADB announces new USD 1.2 bn annual package for Pakistan

Eight South African policeman were today found guilty of murdering a Mozambican man who died after being dragged behind a moving police van two years ago.
	The 27-year-old taxi driver, Mido Macia, died in police custody in February 2013 after being arrested for parking his car on the wrong side of the road.
	Bystanders filmed Macia being manhandled, handcuffed to the back of a police van and dragged hundreds of metres (yards) in Daveyton, east of Johannesburg.
	Just over two hours later he was found dead in his cell in a pool of blood.
	In Pretoria's high court today, Judge Bert Bam convicted all eight officers captured on the video of murder, dismissing their defence that Macia violently resisted arrest and had assaulted a police officer.
	The driver of the police van had also claimed he drove away to escape an angry crowd that had gathered, and did not know Macia was being dragged behind.
	But, describing the defence as "fraught with discrepancies and improbabilities", the judge ...

SAfrican police convicted over taxi driver dragged to death

British insurer Royal & Sun Alliance said Tuesday that it has received a 5.6-billion pounds takeover approach from Swiss rival Zurich Insurance, sending its share price soaring.
	RSA announced in a statement that Zurich has made an informal bid of 550 pence per share, adding that the pair are now in talks.
	"The board has indicated to Zurich that it would be willing to recommend an offer at the level of the possible offer to RSA shareholders subject to the satisfactory resolution of the other terms of the offer," the British firm said in a statement.
	"Accordingly, the board is in discussions with Zurich in relation to these terms."
	The announcement sent RSA's share price surging to the top of the risers board on the London stock market.
	RSA shares jumped 4.65 per cent to 518 pence in early afternoon deals on the British capital's FTSE 100 index of leading companies, which was 2.83 per cent higher at 6,065.42 points.
	"We expect RSA's shares to respond favourably... With a deal ...

UK insurer RSA says receives 5.6bn pounds bid from Zurich

Pakistan will tour England next year, their first visit since their spot-fixing marred 2010 tour, the English Cricket Board (ECB) announced today.
     Pakistan are scheduled to face the recently-crowned Ashes winners in four Test matches, five one-day internationals and a T20 in 2016, the ECB confirmed.
     Pakistan's 2010 trip was overshadowed by a match-fixing affair that rocked the world of cricket.
     Pakistan's Mohammad Asif, Salman Butt and Mohammad Amir and their agent Mazhar Majeed arranged deliberate no-balls during the Lord's Test against England five years ago in return for money in a deal with an undercover reporter of a now defunct British tabloid.
     The lengthy sanctions against the three players expire next Tuesday.
     But the Pakistan Cricket Board's chief selector Haroon Rasheed last week effectively ruled out any early return for the trio when England face Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates in October.
     Before Pakistan's visit England will face Sri ...

Pakistan back in England, six years after spot-fixing scandal

Chinese stocks collapsed again today after fears of economic slowdown sparked a "Black Monday" rout across world markets, but European shares rebounded on bargain-hunting.
	A slump in Shanghai had sparked pandemonium on the first trading day of the week, wiping about USD 2.7 trillion off global equities as bourses from London to Buenos Aires were snared in a precipitous plunge.
	The dollar remained weak and oil prices were languishing after dropping below USD 40 a barrel for the first time in six years.
	But European equities -- which suffered their worst slump yesterday since the 2008 financial crisis -- surged on bargain-hunting as China's central bank unveiled new stimulus measures.
	"Monday's sell-off may have been overdone but the underlying fears remain. The Chinese economy is slowing and the more we see its markets collapse, the more concerned investors are going to become," said Craig Erlam at trading firm Oanda.
	"We have seen before that these large crashes can either spark .

China stocks plunge again but Europe rallies on rate cut

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir has finally agreed to sign a peace deal and power-sharing accord to end a 20-month civil war, his spokesman said today.
	Presidential spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny told AFP that the presidents of Kenya, Uganda and Sudan plus Ethiopia's prime minister "will converge on Juba tomorrow morning for a one day summit, and the President of the Republic of South Sudan will sign the peace agreement."
	The spokesman said, however, that the government was still unhappy with the accord, drawn up by the regional bloc IGAD.
	"The government has some reservations... Even if the President will sign," Ateny said.
	South Sudan's rebel leader Riek Machar, a former vice president, signed the deal yesterday, in line with a deadline to do so. Both sides in the conflict have been facing the threat on international sanctions if they refuse to sign.
	But Kiir only initialled part of the text, and his government slammed the accord as a "sellout" -- saying it needed more time for ..

South Sudan president 'to sign peace deal'

The UN atomic watchdog chief today sought to ease concerns in the United States about its investigation into Iran's alleged past nuclear activities following July's landmark deal with major powers.
	"The arrangements made with Iran are technically sound and consistent with IAEA safeguards practices. They do not compromise our standards in any way," International Atomic Energy Agency chief Yukiya Amano said at a meeting in Vienna.
	Under the July 14 agreement aimed at ending a 13-year standoff, Iran will dramatically reduce in scale its nuclear activities in order to make any dash to produce atomic weapons all but impossible.
	It will be up to the IAEA, which already has up to 10 inspectors in Iran every day, to verify that Iran sticks to its commitments and does not divert material to any covert nuclear weapons drive.
	This will require additional material and personnel, and Amano yesterday called on member states to provide an additional 9.2 million euros (USD 10.6 million) in annual 

Nuclear watchdog seeks to soothe concerns on Iran probe

Around 5,300 migrants, mainly from Sub-Saharan Africa, were rescued in the Mediterranean off the Libyan coast last week, EU border agency Frontex said today.
	Most were rescued over the weekend, plucked from wooden or rubber boats, in one of the busiest three-day periods since the Frontex-coordinated operation Triton was launched in November 2014.
	"Thousands of migrants have been rescued off the Libyan coast this weekend and I am proud to say that vessels and aircraft funded by Frontex helped save more than half of them," said Frontex Executive Director Fabrice Leggeri.
	"We have never had so many people on board before," said Lise Dunham chief commander of a Frontex-deployed Norwegian vessel.
	"We had many challenges on Saturday as there were so many boats in need at the same time. We are so happy that we had no casualties," said Lise Dunham chief commander of a Frontex-deployed Norwegian vessel.
	Italy's coastguard on Saturday oversaw the rescue of 4,400 people with help from ...

AFP

AFP

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