Mexican security forces scrambled today to save face and recapture drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman as authorities investigated whether guards helped him escape prison through a tunnel under his cell.
	For the second time in 14 years the head of the powerful Sinaloa drug cartel managed to flee a maximum-security prison, dealing an embarrassing setback to President Enrique Pena Nieto.
	Troops and police were deployed to hunt down Guzman after he vanished late Saturday from the Altiplano prison 90 kilometres (55 miles) west of Mexico City, after just 17 months behind bars.
	Prosecutors questioned 30 prison employees of various rank, including the warden, who spent the night at the anti-organised crime unit of the attorney general's office.
	The guards in charge of the capo's cell and those who monitored the surveillance cameras that look into the room were among those interrogated, said an official in the attorney general's office.
	"They are making statements, with the assistance 

Mexico hunts drug kingpin, probes prison guards

PTI Automatic

Bahrain's King Hamad today pardoned leading rights activist Nabeel Rajab, serving a six-month jail sentence, for "health reasons", the official news agency BNA reported.
	It said the king issued a decree granting the activist "a special pardon for health reasons", but without elaborating.
	In May, an appeals court upheld a six-month prison sentence for Rajab, a member of Bahrain's Shiite majority arrested in April, for insulting public institutions on Twitter.
	Rajab, 51, was sentenced in January over comments he posted about the interior and defence ministries in the Sunni-ruled monarchy.
	In one of the messages deemed offensive, Rajab charged that many Bahrainis fighting with jihadists in Syria were former Bahraini security forces personnel who had developed Sunni extremist views while in service.
	At the time of his appeal, Rajab was already in jail for posting comments on Twitter denouncing alleged torture in a prison where Shiite activists are held.
	The activist, who has led ...

Bahrain king pardons Shiite activist Rajab for 'health

At least 23 people, among them a child, were killed in government raids on the Islamic State group-held town of Al-Bab in northern Syria today, a monitor said.
	The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said "container bombs" had been dropped on the town in Aleppo province from helicopters.
	"Ten charred bodies have been found, taking to 23 the number of people killed in the bombardment," the Britain-based monitor's chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.
	He added that it had been impossible to identify the 10 as they had been so badly burned.
	A previous Observatory toll spoke of 13 dead, including seven women and a child, and 40 wounded.
	One of the places hit in Al-Bab was a market selling petrol, the monitor said.
	The Local Coordination Committees activist network had earlier reported charred bodies being recovered from the site of one of the strikes.
	On Saturday, 34 people, most of them civilians and among them three children, were killed in similar regime raids on Al-Bab.
	Syria's army ..

23 dead in Syria regime raids on IS-held town

Israeli police today rearrested Palestinian Khader Adnan a day after he was freed following a 56-day hunger strike that brought him near death, a police spokeswoman said.
	"Khader Adnan was arrested because he had no right to be in the Old City of Jerusalem where free access is allowed to West Bank Palestinians only aged 50 and above, and he is just 37," Luba Samri told AFP.
	Samri insisted however it was not an arrest as such but an "inquiry to investigate the offence committed by Khader Adnan".
	Micky Rosenfeld, another police spokesman, said Adnan is "an Islamic Jihad activist and is also prohibited for this reason from entering Israeli territory".
	Israel considers the Islamic Jihad group a "terrorist" organisation.
	Officials with the Palestinian security services said Adnan was arrested while traveling to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, the third holiest site in Islam, for a special ceremony during the sacred fasting month of Ramadan.
	Adnan had been given a hero's welcome in his ..

Israel rearrests freed Palestinian hunger-striker

An Italian court overturned today a 500,000-euro (USD 550,000) fine slapped on TripAdvisor for failing to warn users that some opinions posted on the popular hotel and restaurant review website may be fakes.
	"TripAdvisor never asserted that all the opinions were real, even mentioning that verification was impossible and to consider the trend rather than each comment one by one," said the administrative court ruling.
	Italy's competition watchdog slapped the fine on the local subsidiary of the popular travel website in December, saying the company's advertising had emphasised "the authentic and genuine nature of the reviews, persuading consumers to believe the information is always reliable and reflects real tourist experiences."
	Italy's hotel and restaurant trade association, Federalberghi, expressed its disappointment in the court ruling, which it said confirms that gaps in the country's legislation allows the company to avoid correcting its practices.
	Federalberghi cited the ...

Tripadvisor escapes fine in Italy over fake reviews

The White House hailed a bailout deal between the eurozone and Greece today as "a credible step" on the long path to economic growth and debt sustainability in the hard-up country.
	But Josh Earnest, President Barack Obama's spokesman, cautioned that difficult work remained and there were "still important decisions and important steps to be taken" to prevent Athens from falling into the economic abyss.
	After grueling 17-hour talks during which the future of European integration hung in the balance, leftist Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras accepted terms set by his distrustful partners.
	The deal requires the Greek parliament to approve a raft of market-oriented laws by Wednesday as a sign of good faith and face scrutiny by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for compliance.
	"The United States welcomes the agreement that was reached today between Greece and its creditors," said Earnest.
	"The agreement reflects a commitment by Greece's creditors to provide financial support and .

White House says Greece deal 'credible step'

The US-led international coalition carried out 29 air strikes against the Islamic State jihadist group near Ramadi, the capital of Iraq's western province of Anbar, the American military said today.
	"Near Ramadi, 29 air strikes struck 67 ISIL staging areas destroying two ISIL excavators, an ISIL armoured personnel carrier, and an ISIL vehicle," the US statement said, using another acronym for IS.
	The strikes were conducted yesterday, on the eve of a fresh ground operation launched by Iraqi forces to tighten the noose on IS in its bastions of Ramadi and Fallujah, Anbar's two main cities.
	Government forces had resisted IS attacks in the provincial capital for almost a year and a half before retreating in the face of a three-day blitz by the jihadists in mid-May.
	The fall of Ramadi, which lies on the Euphrates river about 100 kilometres west of Baghdad, was a huge blow to the government, which vowed to swiftly recapture it.
	The coalition has conducted more than 5,200 strikes since ..

US-led coalition carries out 29 strikes near Iraq's Ramadi

Malaysian police said today a special task force set up to probe reported transfers involving a state investment fund to Prime Minister Najib Razak is now itself under investigation to see if its members leaked classified information.
	The Wall Street Journal reported on July 3 that investigators had discovered nearly USD 700 million had moved through government agencies, banks and companies linked to 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) before ending up in Najib's personal accounts.
	The report created a storm of controversy in Malaysia with the prime minister dismissing the WSJ report as "political sabotage" and threatening possible legal action, while 1MDB denied any wrongdoing, saying it had not transferred any funds to the premier.
	Police chief Khalid Abu Bakar in a statement released Monday said that after the publication of the report, on July 8, the Attorney-General instructed the police to launch an investigation into "the criminal act of leaking classified documents to foreign .

Malaysian police looking for those behind leaked documents

Oil prices were stable today as markets waited to see whether Iran and western powers would agree a landmark deal that would lift sanctions on Tehran and lift crude exports.
	US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for August delivery was up 13 cents at USD 52.87 barrel compared with Friday's close.
	Brent North Sea crude for August slipped 22 cents to stand at USD 58.51 a barrel in late London deals.
	Despite earlier optimism, there is little possibility that Iran and major powers will agree a historic nuclear deal before Monday night's deadline, an Iranian source told AFP.
	Asked if reaching a deal today was now out of the question, the source close to the Iranian delegation said that there was only a "low chance".
	Iran's President Hassan Rouhani was to address the nation Monday on state television amid reports a nuclear deal with world powers could be imminent.
	Rouhani's appearance is scheduled for around 10:00 pm (1730 GMT) the official said, noting that the president would talk ...

Oil prices steady awaiting Iran deal

President Petro Poroshenko confronted a fresh crisis today as a deadly standoff between interior ministry units and armed Ukrainian ultra nationalists entered a third day in a western enclave near Hungary.
	The EU-backed leader convened his "military cabinet" of top generals to try and diffuse tensions between two forces vital to his bid to stamp out a separatist insurgency 1,000 kilometres (more than 600 miles) away in eastern Ukraine.
	The Pravy Sektor (Right Sector) nationalists played a small but instrumental role in three months of pro-European protests that eventually toppled the Kremlin-backed leadership in February 2014.
	They then formed the heart of some of the best-equipped -- and allegedly most ruthless -- units to wage war against pro-Russian militias that overran parts of Ukraine's eastern industrial heartland in the wake of the Kiev revolution.
	Interior ministry battalions are also at the forefront of the 15-month battle against separatist fighters that has claimed ...

Poroshenko faces new security crisis in western Ukraine

US President Barack Obama today granted clemency to 46 convicted drug traffickers, saying their original sentences were unduly harsh under outdated laws.
	Obama has issued commutations before, mostly to non-violent drug offenders, but not in such a large number.
	"I am commuting the sentences of 46 prisoners who were convicted many years -- or in some cases decades -- ago," said Obama in a video released by the White House.
	"These men and women were not hardened criminals, but the overwhelming majority had been sentenced to at least 20 years... For non-violent drug offenses," he said.
	The move comes as part of the Obama administration's effort to reform the criminal justice system.
	"So their punishment did not fit the crime. And if they had been sentenced under today's laws, nearly all of them would have already served their time. I believe these folks deserve their second chance," he added.

Obama commutes sentences of 46 US convicts

UN chief Ban Ki-moon is "very much disappointed" by Yemen's failed ceasefire but was clinging to hope that the fighting might still be halted, his spokesman said today.
	A UN Yemen truce aimed at delivering desperately needed aid to millions threatened with famine failed to take hold Saturday as clashes and Saudi-led coalition air strikes persisted against Huthi rebels.
	The six-day ceasefire came into effect just before midnight Friday, but fighting between the Iran-backed Shiite rebels and fighters loyal to exiled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi hit several areas while coalition strikes targeted rebel positions.
	"The secretary general is very much disappointed that the humanitarian pause did not take hold over the weekend," spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, adding that "we continue to reiterate our call for an unconditional humanitarian pause."
	"We have not lost hope and discussions are ongoing," Dujarric said.
	He also defended the UN's decision to call the ceasefire.
	The UN's .

UN chief 'very disappointed' by Yemen truce failure

Marathon talks on a historic nuclear deal with Iran have made "real progress" but issues remain, the White House said today, suggesting negotiations in Vienna would stretch into another day.
	"They have made genuine progress... But there continues to be some sticking points that remain unresolved," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters in Washington.
	"The expectation right now is that the discussions will continue. I am not aware of any plan to take a break."
	Diplomats from the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany are negotiating with Tehran for a deal that would see Iran scale down its atomic activities in order to make any drive to make the atomic bomb all but impossible.
	Earnest said the United States and its partners did not want to rush the final stages of the lengthy talks.
	"Typically, some of the most difficult issues are the ones that get kicked to the end, and that's why the president is going to resist any effort to sort of fast-forward ..

US: Progress in Iran talks but 'sticking points' remain

A 24-year-old Norwegian man accused of fighting for Islamist groups in Syria was given an eight-year jail term today on charges of abetting a terrorist organisation, local media reported.
	Ishaq Ahmed fought for the Islamic State group before joining the Al-Nusra Front, Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, prosecutors said.
	An Oslo court found Ahmed "must be deemed to have had major involvement" in their activities and there were no mitigating circumstances, NTB news agency said.
	Prosecutors said he left the southeastern town of Fredrikstad in 2013 to head for Syria.
	Early 2014, suffering a bullet wound, he crossed the Syrian border into Turkey, where he contacted the Norwegian embassy to seek help to get back home.
	Photographs posted to a friend on Facebook showed him posing with weapons and in the months before his departure he carried out online research into weapons and body armour, according to the prosecution.
	Ahmed said he was innocent and was only in Syria to carry out ...

Norwegian jihadist who fought in Syria gets 8-year jail term

Eurogroup head Jeroen Dijsselbloem said today eurozone finance ministers had not been able to find a solution to provide short-term funding to Greece while it negotiates another huge debt rescue programme.
	"This is very complex, we looked at a number of possibilities. We have not yet found the 'golden key' to solve this issue," Dijsselbloem said just hours after eurozone leaders agreed to offer Greece a new bailout in return for draconian reform commitments.
	The mooted, 3-year, 86-billion-euro programme could take months to negotiate but in the meantime Greece must repay billions to creditors, including the European Central Bank on July 20.
	On June 30, Greece failed to make a payment to the International Monetary Fund, becoming the first developed economy to default on an IMF loan and sparking a crisis only partially resolved by the latest eurozone rescue offer.
	Finnish Finance Minister Alexander Stubb, one of Greece's harshest critics, said he expected the discussions on a ...

No solution yet on Greek bridge loan: Dijsselbloem

European equities surged higher today on news of a long-awaited Greek bailout agreement, but the euro ran out of steam as traders saw calm on the continent boosting chances of a US interest rate hike.
	The CAC 40 in Paris jumped 1.94 per cent higher to 4,998.10 points and Frankfurt's DAX 30 climbed 1.49 per cent to 11,484.38 points.
	Milan rose 1.00 per cent and Madrid gained 1.70 per cent.
	Outside the eurozone, London's FTSE 100 index won 0.97 percent to 6,737.95 points.
	Greece reached a desperately-needed bailout deal with the eurozone today after marathon overnight talks, in a historic agreement to prevent the country crashing out of the European single currency.
	In reaction, the euro briefly rose to a July peak of USD 1.1216. However, it then fell back to USD 1.1028, down sharply from USD 1.1149 late in New York on Friday.
	"The relief rally in the euro was short-lived as investors await details of the Greek agreement," said Nick Stamenkovic, macro strategist at RIA Capital ...

European stocks rise on Greek deal; euro falters

Pope Francis today joked that he did not have to "take drugs" when questioned by a journalist as to the secret of his energy during a whirlwind tour of three Latin American countries.
	The 78-year-old pontiff delivered about two dozen speeches and said several masses during a week long trip to Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay.
	"You would like to say that I take drugs!" he said in jest, speaking in the plane flying him back to Rome from Asuncion, Paraguay's capital.
	"Mate is what helps me," he said, referring to a traditional caffeine-infused beverage popular in the pope's native land Argentina.
	"I have never tried coca. That should be made clear," he said, smilingly after Bolivian authorities said they did not exclude him chewing coca leaves to deal with the altitude in La Paz, perched 3,600 metres (11,800 feet) above sea level.
	Coca is native to western South America and is known throughout the world for its psychoactive alkaloid cocaine. Chewing the leaves or drinking coca tea does 

Pope jokes he doesn't 'do drugs'

Iran and major powers looked set today for another late night of talks on a nuclear deal to end a 13-year standoff, as they struggled to overcome the stubborn remaining obstacles.
	"The work is not yet finished. We are working without respite," a source close to Iranian negotiators said. Asked if the talks would continue for an 18th day tomorrow, he said: "This depends on our work tonight."
	Another Iranian source said the chances of a deal today were "low".
	Over the weekend hopes had been raised that the end might be finally in sight and that ministers from Iran and the six powers might be able to nail down the agreement on Monday.
	China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi, joining his counterparts at the Palais Coburg hotel in Vienna where the talks were being held, told reporters that there should be "no more delays".
	No deal could be "perfect" but "conditions are already in place for a good agreement", Wang said through an interpreter, before going into talks with US Secretary of State .

Struggle to conclude Iran nuclear talks marathon

More than a dozen top US companies announced today a drive to hire or train at least 100,000 young Americans from disadvantaged backgrounds by 2018.
	Starbucks and JPMorgan Chase are among the 17 companies forming the 100,000 Opportunities Initiative, a coalition to help Americans between the ages of 16 and 24 "who face systemic barriers to jobs and education," the companies said in a statement.
	Through apprenticeships, internships, training programs and both part-time and full-time jobs, the coalition aims to open up pathways to economic opportunities for the some of the 5.6 million youth who are out of school and not working.
	In the US, there are 3.5 million unfilled jobs that do not require a four-year college degree, the group noted, but often young people are unaware of them and lack the skills to pursue and land the jobs.
	US Labor Secretary Thomas Perez welcomed the initiative: "I hope more employers will follow their lead."
	"In America, your ZIP code should never determine .

Top US firms push to hire, train 100,000 young Americans

The Islamic State group today claimed a string of bomb attacks that killed at least 23 people in the Iraqi capital Baghdad.
	In a statement posted on social media, IS said yesterday night's operation was dubbed "The Pounce of the Monotheists on the Chests of the Apostates".
	The blasts, several of which were caused by suicide bombers, left 23 people dead and 68 wounded in Shiite neighbourhoods of Baghdad, according to police and medical sources.
	The string of attacks was one of the worst in recent weeks in Baghdad, where it had been feared IS would ramp up bombings during the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
	The United Nations said Monday that at least 15,000 civilians have been killed in Iraq's armed conflict since the start of 2014.

IS claims Baghdad bombings that killed 23

Greece's public servants are being called to stage a 24-hour strike for today, the day their country's parliament is to vote on reforms needed to unlock a crucial eurozone rescue.
	Their union, Adedy, called for the stoppage in a statement issued today, saying it was to show their opposition to the outline agreement with the eurozone.
	It will also urge the civil servants to take part in a demonstration against the reforms scheduled to take place in front of parliament late Wednesday.
	This will be the first strike to happen under the six-month-old government of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who is head of the radical left coalition Syriza.
	Before coming to power, Syriza participated in stoppages and demonstrations against austerity in 2010 and 2014 which previous conservative governments voted for.
	Demonstrations were already to take place in Athens late Monday against the latest reform package, which requires parliament to back tax hikes and pension cuts in return for the ...

AFP

AFP

Page 2194 - Afp