The skeletal remains of a young child have been found dumped in bushland in southern Australia, with police today looking for an elderly man seen carrying a suitcase in the area.
	Superintendent Des Bray told reporters the dead child, whose sex has not been determined and is believed to have been aged between two and seven, was likely killed elsewhere.
	He said the body was stuffed in a suitcase and left alongside the Karoonda Highway, 130 kilometres east of Adelaide, some four to six weeks ago.
	By the time it was found by a passing motorist on Tuesday, the remains were about two metres away from the bag.
	"The child was originally in the suitcase and at some point, somebody has, we believe removed the child from the suitcase," he said.
	"It's hard to say what happened, and why, but we know for certain that somebody has come, found the suitcase, opened it to have a look what was in there, tipped out the contents and at that stage become aware that it was most likely human ...

Dead mystery child dumped in suitcase in Australia

PTI Automatic

Israel's military said its aircraft struck Hamas facilities in the Gaza Strip early today after Palestinians fired a rocket from the territory into southern Israel overnight.
	"Overnight, a rocket was fired from the Gaza Strip, targeting civilians in southern Israel," a military statement said, adding that the rocket fell on open ground near the city of Ashkelon and no injuries were reported.
	"In response to this attack, Israel Air Force aircraft targeted terror infrastructure in the Gaza Strip."
	Hamas security forces said the strikes targeted a training centre for the Islamic movement's military wing at El Bureij refugee camp, in the centre of the strip, and a "communications centre" in the north.
	There were no casualties, they said in a statement.

Israel hits Gaza after Palestinian rocket attack: army

A Thai farmer was arrested today after he confessed to erecting an electrified fence which killed three elephants close to a national park, police said.
	The three pachyderms - one male and two females - were found dead yesterday near a village pond outside Kaeng Krachan national park in Prachuap Khiri Khan province.
	Police initially thought they had been poisoned by eating pesticide-sprayed crops but they now believe the animals were electrocuted.
	Local farmer Sompong Yapakdi, 46, has confessed to putting electrified wire around the village pond to stop the elephants accessing the water.
	"He said he used wire to circle the reservoir to prevent the elephants from jumping into the pond," Major Naruepanat Nujui of Ban Nong Plub police told AFP by telephone.
	"He faces charges of killing an endangered or protected animal which carried up to four years jail terms or a 40,000 baht (USD 1,170) fine," he added.
	Police gave the elephant ages as 10, 5 and 2.
	Thailand has roughly 2,500 ...

Thai man arrested for electrocuting three elephants

South Korea's Supreme Court today ordered a lower court to review its conviction of former spy chief Won Sei-Hoon who was jailed for three years for election meddling.
	Won, 64, was convicted in September last year of illegally engaging in political acts as head of the National Intelligence Service (NIS).
	The charges related to an online smear campaign by NIS agents against the opposition party candidate whom the current president, Park Geun-Hye, defeated in the 2012 poll by a narrow margin.
	A district court initially gave Won a two-and-a-half year suspended sentence, ruling that while there was clear evidence of wrongdoing, there was not enough proof that he had directly sought to influence the outcome of the ballot.
	On appeal, however, the Seoul High Court in February ruled Won had clearly intended to intervene in the ballot and handed down a three-year custodial sentence.
	In its unanimous decision today, the Supreme Court declined to rule on Won's guilt, but ordered the High ...

S Korea's top court orders review of spy chief's conviction

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has warned President Hassan Rouhani that "some" world powers are not to be trusted in implementing a nuclear deal, urging vigilance for any breaches.
	In a letter to Rouhani, Khamenei, who had the final word on the historic deal struck Tuesday with six powers led by the United States, congratulated Iran's negotiators for "their tireless efforts".
	Bringing the talks to a close was a "milestone", Khamenei said, but the agreement requires "careful scrutiny" before it is approved.
	Rouhani "must be concerned about possible violation of commitments by the other parties and close paths to it," the leader wrote in the letter, published on his website late Wednesday.
	"You are well aware that some of the six states participating in negotiations are not trustworthy at all," Khamenei said.
	He did not specify which of the six countries  -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany -- he was referring to.
	Throughout the ...

Iran leader tells Rouhani 'some' world powers untrustworthy

Pakistan veteran Younis Khan has vowed to hold off retiring until he has guided his team to Test series victories in England and Australia to cap off a remarkable career.
	The 37-year-old played his hundredth Test on the tour of Sri Lanka earlier this month and struck a brilliant 171 not out in Pakistan's run chase of 377 to anchor the win in the third and final match in Pallekele.
	The win gave Pakistan a 2-1 series victory, their first in Sri Lanka since 2006.
     But Younis insisted he was not ready to put away his pads yet.
	"I will go on my own terms and want to see and contribute to Pakistan wins in Australia and England," he said Wednesday at a ceremony to mark his century of Test matches.
	"Pakistan will become a great team if we win in England and Australia, and since I have not scored a hundred in Australia I want to achieve that too before retiring."
	Pakistan's last series win in England came in 1996 while they have never won a series on Australian soil.
	Known for his ...

Younis won't retire before winning in Australia, England

Greek lawmakers have backed a deeply contentious bailout package, clearing the first hurdle towards securing a rescue hours before fresh talks between eurozone ministers but leaving the radical left government in Athens weakened.
	Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras managed to push through a series of unpopular reforms demanded by the country's international creditors, while on the streets of Athens anti-austerity protests turned angry as protesters threw firebombs at police.
	But the premier suffered a major mutiny within his radical left Syriza party -- 32 out of 149 voted against the measures, and a further six abstained -- and had to rely on the support of pro-European opposition parties.
	A final count showed 229 members of parliament out of 300 voted in favour of the measures, which included sweeping changes to Greece's taxes, pensions and labour rules.
	Backing from the Greek parliament was a requirement for Athens to secure a third bailout worth up to 86 billion euros (USD 94 ...

Greek lawmakers back bailout ahead of EU, ECB talks

Controversial security bills that opponents say will undermine 70 years of pacifism and could see Japanese troops fighting abroad for the first time since World War II passed through the powerful lower house of parliament today.
	Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling coalition was left alone to vote after all main opposition parties walked out of the chamber in protest, a move intended to reflect widespread public anger over the legislation.
	"The security situation surrounding Japan is increasingly severe," Abe told reporters after the vote, in an apparent reference to the rise of China.
	"These bills are necessary to protect Japanese people's lives and prevent a war before it breaks out."
	The vote came a day after as many as 60,000 people took part in a rally outside parliament, after the bills -- which will give Japan's tightly-restricted military greater scope to act -- were pushed through a key lower house panel.
	There were scuffles as police pushed protestors back, and two men in 

Japan lawmakers pass security bills despite public anger

Comparing FIFA to the mafia is "almost insulting to the mafia," a US senator said, turning up the heat on football's corruption-tainted world governing body to reform.
     Richard Blumenthal made the remark at a Senate subcommittee hearing scrutinizing FIFA, after US authorities in May indicted 14 people -- including top football officials -- over tens of millions of dollars of alleged bribes for media rights contracts.
     Swiss authorities are also investigating the hugely controversial award of the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 tournament to Qatar.
     "The fact of the matter is that what has been revealed so far is a mafia-style crime syndicate in charge of this sport," Blumenthal told the subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, Insurance, and Data Security yesterday.
     "The only hesitation in using that term is that it is almost insulting to the mafia because mafia would never have been so blatant, overt and arrogant in its corruption."
     Senators on 

Comparing FIFA to mafia 'insulting to mafia': US senator

Mexico has held the first oil auction of a historic energy reform that reopens the industry to foreign investors, with US, European and Asian firms jostling for contracts.
	Nearly 80 years after kicking foreign energy companies out of the country, the government is offering 14 blocks in shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico worth an estimated USD 17 billion in total.
	The yesterday's auction is the climax of President Enrique Pena Nieto's top economic reform, which was enacted last year after a heated debate in Congress, with leftist parties warning against giving up a symbol of national sovereignty.
	The daylong event could give Pena Nieto's administration a brief break from the embarrassing fallout of the weekend jailbreak of the country's most powerful drug lord, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, his second escape in 14 years.
	While foreign firms have eagerly-awaited this moment, the government has played down expectations of a big sale, predicting that between a third and half of the 14 .

Mexico, foreign firms set for landmark oil auction

Hundreds of Sikhs protested outside the British parliament today, calling for the release of what they said were Sikh political prisoners in India.
	   Demonstrators also raised the case of octogenarian Bapu Surat Singh Khalsa, who is on hunger strike in India to press the same cause.
	   The demonstration, which blocked the roads outside the Houses of Parliament in London, was called by the Sikh Federation (UK), the largest Sikh organisation in Britain.
	   Its chair, Bhai Amrik Singh, said British Prime Minister David Cameron and Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond "were asked to urgently take up the issue of the release of Sikh political prisoners in Indian jails who have completed the terms of their sentence. But we have had no answers.
	   "It is a sad reflection that the present UK government is turning a blind eye to human rights violations of minorities in India fearing various trade deals could be jeopardised," he said.
	   "We have been forced to peacefully demonstrate at the ..

Sikh protest blocks road outside British parliament

Opener Soumya Sarkar and Tamim Iqbal hit half-centuries as Bangladesh drubbed South Africa by nine wickets in the third and final one-day international to take the three-match series 2-1 in Chittagong today.
	   Soumya, fresh from his unbeaten 88 in the series equalling second match, scored 90 and Tamim added an unbeaten 61 as Bangladesh raced to 170-1 after the home bowlers had restricted the mighty Proteas to 168-9 in a rain-hit game.
	   The first series win over the world cricket heavyweights continues minnows Bangladesh's coming-of-age party, capping another historic success for Mashrafe Mortaza's men after their maiden appearance in the World Cup quarter-final and successive series wins over India and Pakistan earlier this year.
	   Soumya led the batting charge with his stroke-filled 75-ball innings, which included 13 fours and a six, with local boy Tamim playing the role of an anchor in their 154-run opening stand.
	   "After losing the first match, it was difficult to come ...

Cricket: Bangladesh crush South Africa to win ODI series

Scoreboard of the third and final one-day international between Bangladesh and South Africa at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong today:
	   South Africa
	   Q. De Kock b Mustafizur 7
	   H. Amla c Rahim b Shakib 15
	   F. Du Plessis c Rahim b Shakib 6
	   R. Rossouw c Rahim b Mahmuddullah 17
	   D. Miller c Sabbir b Mortaza 44
	   J. Duminy c Das b Rubel 51
	   F. Behardien c Sabbir b Shakib 12
	   K. Rabada b Mustafizur 1
	   K. Abbott b Rubel Hossain 5
	   M. Morkel not out 1
	   Extras (lb3, w4, nb2) 9
	   Total (nine wickets; 40 overs) 168
	   Did not bat: I. Tahir
	   Fall of wickets: 1-8 (de Kock), 2-19 (du Plessis), 3-45 (Amla), 4-50 (Rossouw), 5-113 (Miller), 6-149 (Behardien), 7-155 (Rabada), 8-167 (Abbott). 8-168 (Duminy)
	   Bowling: Mustafizur 8-0-24-2, Mashrafe Mortaza 5-0-29-1, Shakib 8-0-33-3, Rubel 6-0-29-2 (nb1, w4), Nasir 8-0-30-0, Mahmudullah 5-0-20-1
	   Bangladesh (target 170 according to D/L method):
	   Tamim Iqbal not out 61
	   Soumya Sarkar c ...

Cricket: Bangladesh v South Africa 3rd ODI scoreboard

Dinesh Chandimal hit an unbeaten 48 to guide Sri Lanka to a series-levelling two-wicket victory over Pakistan in the second one-day international in Pallekele today.
	   Chasing Pakistan's challenging 287-8, the hosts recovered from 159-5 to post 288-8 with 11 balls to spare in a tense finish to the day-night match.
	   Chandimal led the fightback by adding 37 for the sixth wicket with Milinda Siriwardana (26), 52 for the seventh with debutant Sachith Pathirana (33) and 37 for the eighth with Thisara Perera.
	   Perera was eighth out when three more runs were needed for victory, but Lasith Malinga kept his cool amid mounting tension before Chandimal hit the winning run.
	   Pakistan had won the first match in Dambulla by six wickets last Saturday to take the lead in the five-match series.
	   Ninth-ranked Pakistan need a series win to stay in contention for a place in the eight-nation Champions Trophy in England in 2017.
	   Sri Lanka, currently ranked fifth, are assured of taking ...

Cricket: Sri Lanka fight back to level Pakistan series

First day sales for Harper Lee's novel "Go Set a Watchman" made history for adult fiction at America's largest retail bookseller, the company announced on today.
	Barnes and Noble said the previous record was held by Dan Brown for his 2009 bestseller "The Lost Symbol," which is to be made into a film expected to star Tom Hanks.
	"Watchman" surpassed E L James' mommy-porn erotica "Grey" as the number one bestseller and is on track to be the company's bestselling book of 2015, the company said.
	Its global release on Tuesday was one of the biggest events in modern publishing history, more than half a century after her classic "To Kill a Mockingbird" made its debut.
	Pre-orders made the book an immediate bestseller for Barnes and Noble, and online retailer Amazon after its forthcoming release was announced by publishers HarperCollins in February.
	Sales for Lee's first novel had doubled since then and "Mockingbird" is now the number two bestselling book, Barnes and Noble added.
	It is ...

Harper Lee novel makes US bookstore history

Anti-austerity protesters hurled petrol bombs at police in front of Greece's parliament on today as lawmakers began debating deeply unpopular reforms needed to unlock a new eurozone bailout.
	Riot police responded with tear gas against dozens of hooded protesters who set ablaze parts of Syntagma square in central Athens as they targeted the officers, AFP journalists saw.
	The violence erupted on the sidelines of a demonstration gathering 12,500 people in front of the parliament building opposed to the passage of the reforms.
	Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has angered many in his anti-austerity party and leftwing supporters by throwing his weight behind the bills, which he and eurozone counterparts agreed to on Monday in order to unlock a new rescue to debt-laden Greece worth up to 86 billion (USD 94 billion).
	Greece's parliament looked likely to adopt the reforms later today, in large part thanks to pro-European opposition parties. Several in Tsipras's Syriza party rebelled against ..

Protesters throw petrol bombs as Greek parliament debates

Pope Francis surpassed 22 million Twitter followers today on his multiple accounts, joining the ranks of tech-savvy entertainers and world leaders who command tens of millions of eyeballs on social media.
	According to the site Il Sismografo, the pope pulled in 29,000 new followers each day during his recent eight-day trip to South America, versus his already impressive average of 20,000.
	Of the nine accounts in languages such as French and German, his Spanish language account is the most popular -- with just over nine million followers -- while the English account comes in second with around 6.5 million followers.
	A Vatican office writes the tweets -- usually quotes from his speeches and homilies -- with the pope's approval.
	Despite the uptick in followers, the pope still has a long way to go to catch up with other world leaders like US President Barack Obama, who has over 60 million followers.
	Francis is also well behind American entertainer Katy Perry, who has the world's most .

Pope Francis surpasses 22 million Twitter followers

Left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan and skipper Mashrafe Moratza reached a 200-wicket landmark as Bangladesh restricted South Africa to 168-9 in the rain-hit third one-day international here today.
     Bangladesh, seeking their maiden series win over the Proteas, will need to score 170 runs in 40 overs according the Duckworth/ Lewis Method.
     The match was reduced to 40-over-a-side as rain intervened midway through the South African innings halting the play for nearly three hours at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.
     South Africa, opting to bat first, were in dire straits with 4-78 in 23 overs when the rain came.
     JP Duminy topscored 51 off 70 balls and put 63 runs with David Miller (44) for the fifth wicket to help the visitors recover before he became the last man dismissed.
     Shakib, who finished with 3-33, completed his milestone when he claimed the wickets of Faf du Plessis and captain Hashim Amla after Mustafizur Rahman gave the hosts their first breakthrough.
     .

Shakib, Mortaza reach milestone to put Bangladesh on top

A deal with world powers ended a "manufactured crisis" over Iran's nuclear programme, its foreign minister said today after negotiating the accord, which drew furious objections from US lawmakers.
	President Barack Obama faced a bruising battle to sell the deal in Washington as Congressional leaders queued up to denounce it.
	In return for curbs on its nuclear programme for at least 10 years, Iran will be freed from Western and UN sanctions that have crippled its economy.
	Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who led Iran's negotiating team in the final 18 days of talks that culminated in yesterday's deal, said on his return home that common ground had been found with the six powers led by the US.
	"We will take measures, and they will do their part," he told reporters at Tehran's Mehrabad airport.
	"It will happen in around four months from now," he said of the deal's formal implementation.
	Zarif's comments came after a night of celebrations in Tehran, where his own name was ...

Iran says nuclear deal ends 'manufactured crisis'

Scoreboard of the third and final one-day international between Bangladesh and South Africa at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium here today:
     South Africa
     Q. De Kock b Mustafizur 7
     H. Amla c Rahim b Shakib 15
     F. Du Plessis c Rahim b Shakib 6
     R. Rossouw c Rahim b Mahmuddullah 17
     D. Miller c Sabbir b Mortaza 44
     J. Duminy c Das b Rubel 51
     F. Behardien c Sabbir b Shakib 12
     K. Rabada b Mustafizur 1
     K. Abbott b Rubel Hossain 5
     M. Morkel not out 1
     Extras (lb3, w4, nb2) 9
     Total (nine wickets; 40 overs) 168
     Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-19, 3-45, 4-50, 5-11, 6-149, 7-155, 8-167, 8-168
     Bowling: Mustafizur 8-0-24-2, Mashrafe Mortaza 5-0-29-1, Shakib 8-0-33-3, Rubel 6-0-29-2, Nasir 8-0-30-0, Mahmudullah 5-0-20-1.

Bangladesh v South Africa 3rd ODI scoreboard

Iraq can offset the impact of the Iran nuclear deal on oil prices and competition for export markets with higher production and improved regional trade, the oil ministry said today.
	The deal reached between Tehran and world powers yesterday could lead to the lifting of economic sanctions on Iran and allow the Islamic republic to increase its oil exports.
	Experts predict that the return of Iranian oil exports could help keep oil prices low.
	Cash-strapped Iraq relies on oil exports for the vast majority of its income.
	"Iraq's income will be reduced but this has been taken into account," oil ministry spokesman Assem Jihad told AFP.
	World oil prices collapsed by 60 per cent between June 2014 and January, when they hit a low of USD 45 a barrel. This was due in part to excessive supplies caused by the boom in US shale oil.
	"Iraq has for some time already been working to increase production and exports to compensate for the losses caused by oil prices," Jihad said.
	Iraq's exports hit .

AFP

AFP

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