A Pakistani suspected of involvement in the Peshawar market bombing - one of the country's bloodiest attacks - has been arrested in Rome, Italian police said today.
	The man, who has been living in Italy, is accused of taking part in the attack in 2009 in which 134 died, including many women and children. He was held at Rome's Fiumicino airport after stepping off a flight from Pakistan.
	Anti-terrorist police believe he also hid a "suspected suicide attacker who was supposed to carry out an attack" in Italy.
	In April, Italy claimed to have dismantled an Islamist terror cell on the island of Sardinia led by two former bodyguards of Osama bin Laden who were plotting a possible attack on the Vatican.
	Arrest warrants were issued for 18 people, several of whom are also suspected of being part of Islamist networks in Pakistan.
	Nine were arrested across Italy, including three on Sardinia.
	The Vatican has played down the threat to the pope's life.

Italy arrests Pakistani accused of bloody 2009 Peshawar blasts

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Saudi Arabia is pursuing its own nuclear projects and building alliances to counter Iran, which is days away from a potential atomic deal Riyadh fears could further destabilise the region.
	The United States and other major powers will hold weekend talks with Iran in Vienna, aiming to finalise by Tuesday an agreement to prevent Tehran from getting a nuclear weapon.
	Sunni-dominated Gulf states led by Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, have concerns that Shiite Iran, Riyadh's regional rival, could still be able to develop a weapon under the emerging deal to end 12 years of nuclear tensions.
	They also worry Washington is not taking their concerns about Iran's "destabilising acts" in the Middle East seriously enough.
	On Wednesday, France and Saudi Arabia announced a feasibility study for building two nuclear reactors in the kingdom.
	Like its neighbour the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia wants to diversify its energy sources and has plans for 16 reactors.
	The Paris pact is 

Saudi seeks nuclear deals, alliances to counter Iran

An attacker carrying an Islamist flag killed one person and injured several others today at a gas factory in eastern France, according to a legal source.
	The suspected attacker entered the factory and set off several small explosive devices, the source said. A decapitated body was found nearby the factory, another source said.
	"According to the initial findings of the enquiry, one or several individuals on board a vehicle, drove into the factory. An explosion then took place," said one of the sources.
	"The decapitated body of a person was found nearby the factory but we do not yet know whether the body was transported to the place or not," added this source, adding a "flag with Arabic writing on it was found on the scene."
	A man thought to be the person who carried out the attack has been arrested, according to sources close to the enquiry.
	Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said he would go "immediately" to the scene, his office said.
	The attack occurred around 10:00 am local .

1 dead, several hurt in attack on French factory

An attacker carrying an Islamist flag killed one person and injured several others today at a gas factory in eastern France, according to a legal source.
	The suspected attacker entered the factory and set off several small explosive devices, the source said. A decapitated body was found nearby the factory, another source said.
	"According to the initial findings of the enquiry, one or several individuals on board a vehicle, drove into the factory. An explosion then took place," said one of the sources.
	"The decapitated body of a person was found nearby the factory but we do not yet know whether the body was transported to the place or not," added this source, adding that a "flag with Arabic writing on it was found on the scene."
	The attack came nearly six months after the Islamist attacks in and around Paris that killed 17 people in January that started with a shooting at satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.
	Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said he would go "immediately" to the ...

1 dead, several hurt in attack on French factory: legal source

Pakistan were granted an extra review option today after being robbed of a wicket due to an apparent error by TV umpire Paul Reiffel during the second Test in Colombo.

Review row hits Sri Lanka-Pakistan Test

Iran said today there were few gaps to be filled to finalise a nuclear agreement with the major powers by a Tuesday deadline but that they were big ones.
	US Secretary of State John Kerry was due in Vienna later today to join the drive to fill in the holes in a framework accord struck in April to seal a historic deal.
	His Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif is to join him on Saturday as Tehran strives to secure an end to years of isolation and crippling Western economic sanctions in return for reining in its nuclear programme.
	"It is true that progress has been made and that the gaps have been filled in a large part of the text of a final agreement," Iran's official IRNA news agency quoted a source close to its negotiating team as saying.
	"But the gaps that remain all involve issues of substantial and essential divergence," the source said.
	The news agency did not detail the points of contention but other Iranian media said that they concerned the timetable for the lifting of 

Iran says few gaps in nuclear talks but big ones

Opener Kaushal Silva continued to torment Pakistan's bowlers as he helped Sri Lanka take the lead on the second day of the second Test in Colombo

Silva anchors Sri Lanka in second Pakistan Test

British supermarket giant Tesco reported a 2.0 percent drop in sales for its first quarter today and warned of "volatility" but said performance was improving following a record annual loss.
	The company also reported a decline in like-for-like sales, which exclude petrol costs and sales taxes, in key Asian markets due to "external conditions".
	Tesco's like-for-like sales dropped by 3.0 percent in South Korea, where it is reportedly mulling a sale of its business for around USD 5.0 billion (4.5 billion euros) and by 2.0 percent in Thailand.
	In its core UK business like-for-like sales were up 1.3 percent -- a turnaround from a drop of 1.7 percent reported for its fourth quarter.
	Sales were also up for Tesco in central Europe.
	"Total group sales including VAT (value-added tax) and fuel declined by 2.0 percent," the company said in a trading statement, adding that like-for-like sales for the group instead rose by 1.3 percent.
	"Whilst the market is still challenging and volatility is 

Britain's Tesco reports improvements despite sales drop

Sixty-five extremely rare pink and red diamonds were unveiled today by mining giant Rio Tinto which expects the stones from a remote western Australia mine to fetch record prices.
	The diamonds come from the Anglo-Australian firm's Argyle mine -- where more than 90 percent of the world's pink and red jewels are produced each year.
	"This year, we probably have the most valuable tender ever," Rio Tinto diamonds and minerals chief executive Alan Davies told AFP of the annual sale.
	"So we've got a number of fancy reds and the colour and the clarity this year is truly unique.
	"They are so rare that all of the pinks you can have in the palm of your hand and all the reds you can count on one hand, so they truly are in the category of luxury collection."
	The 2015 collection features five "hero" gems, including a 1.93 carat fancy vivid purplish pink shield-shaped diamond and a 1.47 carat fancy red oval-shaped jewel.
	Rio said this year's selection, which weighs a total of 44.14 carats, had 

Rio Tinto puts 'vivid' pink and red diamonds on market

Emotions ran high as defiant mourners held the first funeral services for nine African Americans shot dead by a white alleged supremacist in a Charleston church.
	Hundreds filed past the open coffin of Ethel Lance, 70, at a funeral home in North Charleston yesterday, ahead of an afternoon service for Sharonda Singleton, 45.
	The deceased were among the Bible study group that was targeted in the June 17 massacre at the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church.
	Dylann Roof, 21, is charged with murder in connection with the multiple killings, which he reportedly hoped would trigger a race war between blacks and whites.
	President Barack Obama is scheduled to deliver the eulogy at today's funeral of another victim, Emanuel's chief pastor Clementa Pinckney, 41.
	Obama will also meet the families of some of the other victims.
	There was raw emotion at the Royal Missionary Baptist Church as friends and relatives bid a final farewell to Lance, a custodian at a Charleston arts ...

High emotions as Charleston mourns massacre victims

A giant gorilla with brooding good looks and rippling muscles is causing a stir at a Japanese zoo, with women flocking to check out the hunky pin-up.
	Shabani, an 18-year-old silverback who tips the scales at around 180 kilograms (400 pounds), has become the star attraction at Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Nagoya, striking smouldering poses the movie model in  "Zoolander" would be proud of.
	"He often rests his chin on his hands and looks intently at you," zoo spokesman Takayuki Ishikawa told AFP on Friday.
	"He is more buff than most gorillas and he's at his peak physically. We've seen a rise in the number of female visitors -- women say he's very good-looking."
	Shabani, who has been at the zoo since 2007, shot to fame after being made the campaign model for the zoo's spring festival earlier this year, Ishikawa said, adding that the ape's paternal skills are also a big hit with women.
	"He's a father and he always protects and looks over his children," he said. "Zoo-goers 

Women flock to Japan zoo to see 'hunky' gorilla

Hiroshima will host Group of Seven foreign ministerial talks next year, Japan said today, paving the way for the first visit by a sitting US secretary of state to the atomic-bombed city.
	Japan has chosen the regional commercial hub, destroyed by the world's first atomic bombing by American forces 70 years ago, as the location of the meeting, which brings together top diplomats from powerful nations, many of which possess nuclear arms.
	"We think it would be a good opportunity for them to visit the site (of the bombing) after the meeting, and see for themselves what happened," said Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga.
	Japan, a member of the G7, will host -- Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the United States -- at a secluded retreat in Mie prefecture in May 2016.
	In the weeks leading up to the summit, a number of ministerial talks will take place in various cities across Japan, including the Hiroshima session for foreign ministers.
	The industrial city was flattened by .

Atomic-bombed Hiroshima to host G7 foreign minister talks

Bangladesh paceman Taskin Ahmed will be out for at least three weeks following a rib injury, a team official said today.
     Taskin suffered the injury on his left side during a training session on June 23 and missed the third one-day international against India on the following day.
     "Usually it takes three weeks to recover. Only in a few exceptional cases can the players return to full fitness early," team physiotherapist Baizidul Islam told AFP.
     The injury made Taskin uncertain for the limited-over leg of next month's home series against South Africa.
     The Proteas will arrive in Bangladesh next week to play two Twenty20 internationals, three ODIs and two Tests.
     The two T20Is will be held on July 5 and 7 while the three ODIs will be played on July 10, 12 and 15.
     "He is very unlikely to play the Twenty20 internationals. We are now trying our best to make him fit before the ODI series," said Baizidul.
     The two-match Test series will start in Chittagong on ..

Bangladesh's Taskin out for at least three weeks

A sightseeing plane crashed in southeast Alaska killing all nine people onboard, US police said.
	Emergency crews were able to reach the aircraft that crashed against a granite rock face and confirm the deceased, but weather in the fjords prevented recovery efforts, Megan Peters from Alaska's Department of Public Safety said.
	"Due to inclement weather, the body recovery effort will not be attempted until tomorrow," she said in a statement.
	The plane, a single-engine DHC-3 Otter, went down near down near Ketchikan, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
	The aircraft was reported to be part of Holland America Line, a cruise line operating in the area.
	"We are incredibly distressed by this situation, and our thoughts and prayers are with those onboard the plane and their families," the cruise line said in a statement according to the Alaska Dispatch News.
	Holland America Line was not available to comment to AFP on the reports.
	The National Transportation Safety Board said on ...

9 dead in Alaska sightseeing plane crash: police

French President Francois Hollande today condemned violent protests against ride-booking app Uber after taxi drivers set fire to vehicles and blocked highways but he said the service should be taken off the road.
	Hollande described the demonstrations, in which US rocker Courtney Love was caught up, as "unacceptable violence in a democracy, in a country like France."
	But Hollande, attending an EU leaders summit in Brussels, added: "UberPOP should be dissolved and declared illegal."
	The service has been illegal in France since January, but the law has proved difficult to enforce and it continues to operate.
	Around 3,000 cabbies took part in the strike yesterday, blocking access to the capital's Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports, and preventing cars reaching train stations around the country.
	Ten people were arrested, seven police officers were injured and 70 vehicles were damaged in clashes between Uber drivers and taxi drivers.
	Taxi drivers are furious at what they see as ...

Hollande condemns violent French protests against Uber

Pakistan's pace spearhead Wahab Riaz was today ruled out of the rest of the Test series against Sri Lanka after suffering a hairline fracture on his bowling hand during the ongoing second Test.
     Wahab was hit on the left hand by a delivery from fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera while batting during the first day's play at the P. Sara Oval in Colombo on Thursday.
     He returned to bowl nine overs before stumps during Sri Lanka's first innings, but did not take the field on the second day when the hosts resumed at 70-1 in reply to Pakistan's 138.
     Team manager Naveed Cheema said Wahab would be out of action for two weeks, which rules him out of the third and final Test in Pallekele from July 3.
     "Wahab underwent X-rays after play on Thursday and they showed a hairline fracture on his left-hand," Cheema told reporters. "He can't play for at least two weeks."
     It was unclear if Wahab will be available for the subsequent five-match one-day series which starts on July 11.
   

Injured Wahab out of Sri Lanka Test series

The celebrated Boxing Day Test will remain in Melbourne, Cricket Australia said today, after a report that administrators could reshuffle fixtures.
     The Australian newspaper had suggested that big matches could be moved around based on competitive bidding between states.
     But CA's executive general manager of operations Mike McKenna said the idea that the December 26 Test would move from the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) was "absolutely not correct".
     "We've got no plans whatsoever to move cricket and the Boxing Day Test from Melbourne," McKenna told Melbourne radio station 3AW.
     "Like any good commercial business, we've got to look at funding of cricket and if someone came to us with a massive offer we'd have to listen but our primary loyalty to the Boxing Day Test is to the MCG."
     McKenna said there had been no discussions with other states about taking the Boxing Day Test away from Victoria state, of which Melbourne is the capital.
     "Our conversations have .

Boxing Day Test to stay in Melbourne

New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum announced he had signed a one-year contract extension with the Black Caps today, ending speculation about his immediate international future.
     The 33-year-old, who led his side to a maiden World Cup final in March, has committed to the Black Caps until the ICC World Twenty20 in March-April next year.
     However, he will sit out next month's limited overs tour of Zimbabwe and South Africa, citing a busy schedule in recent months, including the just-concluded tour of England.
     McCullum had faced questions about his future as he battles a long-standing back injury, but he said he wanted to help the Black Caps maintain momentum.
     "It's a critical time for the team," he said. "We've had a very good past 18 months but we've got some real challenges ahead of us and we need to keep making progress.
     "This is a young, emerging side with some very big series on the horizon and it's a really exciting time to be involved."
     New Zealand ...

Black Caps skipper McCullum signs one-year deal

South Korea imposed financial sanctions today on a Syrian research centre as well as six Taiwanese individuals and companies for their alleged involvement in arms trading with North Korea.
	The South has previously imposed sweeping sanctions against companies based in the North, but this is the first time such measures have been taken against a group or individual outside the Korean peninsula.
	Syria's Scientific Studies and Research Center and three Taiwanese companies -- Global Interface Company Inc, Trans Merits Co and Trans Multi Mechanics Co -- were blacklisted, Seoul's foreign ministry said in a statement.
	Three Taiwanese individuals, including Tsai Hsein-Tai, Su Lu-Chi and Chang Wen-Fu, were also put on the blacklist, it said, without elaborating on them or the nature of their alleged involvement.
	The sanctions forbid South Korean individuals and companies from doing business with those blacklisted.
	Violators face a prison term of up to three years or a maximum of 300 ...

SKorea blacklists groups,individuals for arms trade with North

Two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson fired an eight-under par 62 today to seize a two-stroke lead after the opening round of the US PGA Travelers Championship.
     The 36-year-old American fired nine birdies in all, including four on the last five holes, the final one coming on 18 after a 139-yard second shot that bounced into the flagstick and stopped four inches beyond the cup.
     "It was about playing steady," Watson said.
     "It was about being consistent. It was about hitting the driver somewhat in play, hitting the wedges somewhat close and then making the putts and that's what I did."
     Watson seeks his eighth career PGA triumph on the same TPC River Highlands course where he won his first in 2010 and produced two other top-10 showings.
     It would be his second title of the 2014-15 season, having won the World Golf Championships HSBC Champions event in China last November.
     Watson matched the low round of his career to grab the advantage with fellow Americans ..

Watson fires 62 to grab two-shot Travelers lead

Brazilian-based striker Paolo Guerrero scored a hat trick as Peru swept aside Bolivia 3-1 to set up a Copa America semi-final showdown with fierce rivals Chile today.
     Flamengo forward Guerrero, who has spent the past three years in Brazil after spells in Germany with Bayern Munich and Hamburg, pounced in the 20th and 23rd minutes to snuff out Bolivia's campaign.
     The 31-year-old completed his hat trick in the 74th minute, strolling clear of the Bolivian defense to finish nonchalantly. Marcelo Martins scored a late consolation from the penalty spot for Bolivia.
     The result sets up the mouthwatering prospect of a semi-final next Monday between tournament hosts Chile and Peru, the latest installment of a ferocious footballing rivalry which began in 1935.
     Matches between the two neighbors are known as the "Clasico del Pacifico," laced with a historical enmity that dates back to the 1879-1883 War of the Pacific.
     Chile and Peru also fought a long-running legal battle .

AFP

AFP

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