Hundreds of Swedes gathered in the hot summer sun today to watch former reality show starlet Sofia Hellqvist become a real-life princess when she marries Prince Carl Philip in a lavish Stockholm wedding.
	Royal watchers clutching blue and yellow national flags pitched rugs and deck chairs along the route that the newlyweds will take after exchanging vows and before returning to the palace for a 21-gun salute and wedding banquet.
	About 550 guests will attend the ceremony including Britain's Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Princess Takamado of Japan.
	The celebrations marking Sweden's latest royal wedding began last evening with a boat ride across the sparkling waters of Stockholm bay and a dinner on a small city centre island.
	Hellqvist, a slender and elegant brunette, is a 30-year-old commoner known for her infectious gap-toothed smile and easygoing ways.
	Her fiance, 36-year-old Carl Philip, is the second child of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia and holds the title of Duke .

Reality starlet weds Swedish prince

PTI Automatic

Iranian officials with access to classified information will be forbidden from using smartphones in connection with their work because of fears of espionage, a security official said today.
	Such phones are not secure as "data entered on to them is backed up, cannot be removed and can be accessed," Brigadier General Gholamreza Jalali told ISNA news agency, alluding to smartphone applications and manufacturers.
	Jalali, head of Iran's Civil Defence Organisation, said the new rule, which is pending final approval, would mean officials "should use other phones for work that involves sensitive information."
	There is nothing to stop such workers using smartphones in their private lives, based on what he said.
	The restrictions, however, come after reports that nuclear talks between Iran and world powers which face a June 30 deadline were compromised by cyber hacking.
	Swiss and Austrian authorities said Thursday they had opened separate probes into alleged spying in hotels where the ...

Spying fears prompt smartphone ban for Iran officials

Russian President Vladimir Putin today met Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan for talks expected to touch on energy issues and the Syria crisis.
	The two leaders met a day after attending the opening ceremony of the inaugural European Games, hosted by Azerbaijan and tainted by controversy over the ex-Soviet country's rights record.
	Speaking ahead of their closed-door talks, Erdogan, a close ally of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, remarked to Putin on the absence of EU leaders from the Games in Baku.
	"It's called the European Games but there aren't actually any leaders of EU member states here," Erdogan was quoted as saying by Turkish news agencies.
	"Turkey, a candidate for EU entry, represented the whole European Union," a smiling Putin said in televised comments before the pair held what Turkish media said was an hour and a half meeting.
	Ahead of what he said would be "very substantive talks," Putin's spokesman said that the leaders could discuss the TurkStream pipeline 

Putin meets Erdogan for closed-door talks

Defending champions Japan became the first team to advance to the last 16 of the Women's World Cup as the United States' progress was stalled by a goalless draw with Sweden.
     Aya Sameshima and Yuika Sugasawa sealed Japan's 2-1 win over Group C rivals Cameroon in Vancouver, seeing the Nadeshiko through to the knockout stage with a game to spare.
     Japan have six points from two games, having also beaten Switzerland 1-0, with the Swiss on three after whipping Ecuador 10-1 on Friday.
     Cameroon, who beat Ecuador 6-0 on Monday, are also on three points while the winless South Americans are the first team to be eliminated from the World Cup.
     The United States, among the tournament favourites, were held to a 0-0 draw by a Swedish side led by the Americans' former coach Pia Sundhage, as Group D goes down to the wire following Australia's 2-0 win over Nigeria, courtesy of a Kyah Simon brace.
     The United States lead the group with four points, followed by Australia on three, 

Holders Japan advance, USA held in Women's World Cup

Indonesia today demanded answers from Australia over allegations an official paid thousands of dollars to turn back a boat of asylum-seekers, saying such a development would mark a "new low".
	The call came after Prime Minister Tony Abbott yesterday refused to deny allegations that the captain and five crew of a boat carrying asylum-seekers were each paid USD 5,000 by an Australian immigration official to return to the Southeast Asian nation.
	The claims were made to local police on Rote island in eastern Indonesia, where the boat carrying 65 asylum-seekers came ashore late May after being intercepted by the Australian navy.
	The escalating row risks further damaging relations between Australia and its northern neighbour, which are already tense after Indonesia executed two Australian drug smugglers by firing squad in April.
	Indonesian foreign ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir said Jakarta was seeking clarification from Australia on the issue.
	"We have consistently said that the ..

Indonesia demands answers from Australia on asylum 'payment'

Iran has asked Austria's government to take immediate measures to protect the cyber security of nuclear talks, media reported today after reports emerged of suspected espionage at negotiation venues.
	Swiss and Austrian authorities said on Thursday they had opened separate investigations into alleged spying in hotels where the nuclear talks with Iran are taking place.
	IT experts pointed the finger at Israel, but deputy foreign minister Tzipi Hotovely on Thursday denied that its secret services were involved.
	In a statement, Iran's embassy in Austria, "demanded Austria's foreign ministry immediately provide all required security measures for the talks, including enhanced security for the venues as well as better cyber protection," the ISNA news agency reported.
	Iranian embassies in Vienna and Bern, in separate notes, also asked the Austrian and Swiss foreign ministries to inform them of "the results of spying investigations" by both governments on nuclear talks.
	A Russian-based ...

Iran asks Austria to secure nuclear talks against spying

Switzerland has flown out of Azerbaijan an opposition journalist who had been sheltering for 10 months at its embassy in Baku, officials said today, a day after the inaugural European Games opened in the tightly- controlled ex-Soviet country.
	Emin Huseynov flew out of Azerbaijan on the plane of Switzerland's top diplomat Didier Burkhalter, who attended the Euro Games ceremony in Baku late yesterday, the federal department of foreign affairs said.
	His departure came after months of negotiations with the Azerbaijani authorities, department spokesman Jean-Marc Crevoisier told the ATS news agency.
	The 35-year-old journalist and rights activist was currently in Bern, did not for the moment wish to speak to the media and has until September to decide whether he wants to apply for asylum in Switzerland, Crevoisier was quoted as saying.
	A fierce critic of authoritarian President Ilham Aliyev's human rights record, Huseynov has been sheltering at the Swiss embassy in Baku since August 18, .

Swiss flies out opposition journalist hiding at Baku embassy

A female prison worker plead not guilty Friday to allegedly helping two convicted killers in New York state escape by smuggling tools to them, US media reported, as police stepped up their week-long manhunt.
	Swarms of state, local and federal agents combed thick woods east of the Clinton Correctional Facility, which Richard Matt, 49, and David Sweat, 35, busted out of, using power tools to cut their way out, before crawling along pipes and out to freedom via a manhole.
	Investigators have focused on who helped Matt, who was convicted of dismembering his 76-year-old former boss, and Sweat, who shot dead a sheriff's deputy.
	Joyce Mitchell, 51, who worked at a tailoring shop at the sprawling prison, was arrested and charged Friday with "promoting prison contraband" and criminal facilitation.
	Mitchell was presented with the charges in court late Friday during an arraignment in which she appeared handcuffed and visibly nervous.
	CNN and other US media reported that she plead not ...

'US prison worker pleads not guilty to helping killers escape'

Mexico coach Miguel Herrera watched in frustration and anger as his side failed to break down minnows Bolivia in a Copa America encounter Friday that ended in a goalless draw.
     Herrera was lucky his side did not concede a killer goal in game that left hosts Chile in charge of Group A after their 2-0 win over Ecuador on the opening day of the South American championship.
     He chided his side -- weakened by the absence of star players such as Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez, Carlos Vela and Giovani dos Santos -- from the touchline as they failed to break down the world 89th ranked Bolivians.
     But Herrera erupted at Paraguayan referee Enrique Caceres for not awarding a penalty when Javier Aquino, Mexico's most effective player, appeared to be brought down in the 79th minute.
     Herrera brought a weakened squad to the Copa America as he is saving his main players for the Gold Cup in the United States next month. But he still insists that Mexico, 29th in the FIFA rankings, are ..

Mexico held by minnows Bolivia at Copa America

Defending champion Martin Kaymer will play alongside world number one Rory McIlroy in the first two rounds of the US Open at Chambers Bay next week.
     The star duo will be joined by US Amateur champion Gunn Yang of South Korea, the group teeing off on the 10th hole at 11:28 am (18:28 GMT) on Thursday.
     Kaymer also won the 2010 PGA Championship, while McIlroy is the reigning British Open and PGA Championship winner.
     Six-time runner-up Phil Mickelson will play alongside 2007 titlist Angel Cabrera and two-time Masters winner Bubba Watson.
     Tiger Woods, whose 14 major titles include three US Opens, will play alongside Rickie Fowler and 2010 Open Champion Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa for the first two rounds.
     Immediately preceding that trio will be Masters champion Jordan Spieth, 2013 US Open winner Justin Rose and Australian Jason Day, a two-time US Open runner-up.
     Former champions Geoff Ogilvy, Ernie Els and Retief Goosen are paired together for the first ...

McIlroy, Kaymer paired at US Open

West Indies slumped to 143 for eight in reply to Australia's first innings total of 399 following an eventful second day of the second and final Test, highlighted by Steve Smith missing out on a double-century by just one run.
     In the second half of the day though it was Nathan Lyon's off-spin that brought him three wickets as first-change bowler, pushing him ahead of Hugh Trumble as Australia's most successful Test off-spinner ever with 144 victims.
     "This was a much more helpful wicket than (the first Test) in Dominica," said Lyon.
     "You just had to bowl in the right areas and be patient. There was always something likely to happen."
     Pacer Josh Hazlewood also claimed three scalps, including Jermaine Blackwood for a top score of 51, in another typically miserly effort.
     Two wickets in the last two overs of the day left the West Indies in an almost hopeless situation needing another 56 runs just to avoid the follow-on.
     Having provided the foundation around ...

Windies collapse as Smith just misses double ton

South Korea today reported the 14th death from an outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), with 12 new cases including that of an ambulance driver who moved a patient infected with the deadly virus.
	The latest fatality was a 68-year-old woman who contracted the virus at a hospital in Pyeongtaek City, 65 kilometres (40 miles) south of Seoul, the Health Ministry said.
	It said all the 14 deceased had pre-existing health conditions, with the most recent fatality suffering from hypertension and hypothyroidism.
	Twelve new infected patients brought to 138 the total number of confirmed cases, in the largest outbreak of the virus outside Saudi Arabia.
	The new cases included an ambulance driver who fell ill after transporting a 75-year-old infected woman to Samsung Medical Centre in southern Seoul on June 7, where she died three days later.
	Out of 133 people whose contacts have been traced, the largest single group of 60 people have contracted the disease at Samsung Medical ...

S Korea reports 14th MERS death, 12 new cases

IMF chief Christine Lagarde said today that Ukraine cannot use its central bank reserves to pay creditors, rebuffing a suggestion by bondholders that it do so.
	The reserves of the National Bank of Ukraine "cannot be used for sovereign debt service without the government incurring new debt," which runs against the aims of the IMF bailout of the country, Lagarde said.

IMF: Ukraine cannot use reserves to pay bondholders

- Scoreboard at tea on the second day of the second and final Test between the West Indies and Australia at Sabina Park in Jamaica on Friday.
	   Australia 1st Innings (overnight 258 for 4)
	   D. Warner c Hope b Taylor           0
	   S. Marsh lbw b Taylor              11
	   S. Smith lbw b Taylor             199
	   M. Clarke c Ramdin b Holder        47
	   A. Voges c Ramdin b Taylor         37
	   S. Watson b Taylor                 25
	   B. Haddin b Taylor                 22
	   M. Johnson c Bravo b Roach          5
	   M. Starc b Holder                   6
	   J. Hazlewood c Blackwood b Permaul 24
	   N. Lyon not out                     5
	   Extras (b5, lb7, nb6)              18
	   Total (126.5 overs, all out)      399
	   Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Warner), 2-16 (Marsh), 3-134 (Clarke), 4-210 (Voges), 5-264 (Watson), 6-296 (Haddin), 7-306 (Johnson), 8-330 (Starc), 9-393 (Smith), 10-399 (Hazlewood).
	   Bowling: Taylor 25-10-47-6 (2nb), Roach 25-2-113-1 (4nb), Holder 22-3-64-2, ...

Cricket: West Indies v Australia second Test scoreboard - 1st

A French court today acquitted former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn of procuring prostitutes, in a case that dragged his colourful sex life into the public eye.
	The verdict draws a line under four years of legal proceedings for a man whose strong prospects of becoming French president were destroyed by a New York chamber maid's accusations of sexual assault in 2011.
	In a court in the northern city of Lille, 66-year-old Strauss-Kahn merely nodded his head to acknowledge the verdict of not guilty to charges of "aggravated pimping" at parties in Paris, Brussels and Washington.
	One of Strauss-Kahn's lawyers, Richard Malka, said the case had collapsed "like a house of cards" after even the prosecutor called for him to be let off due to a lack of evidence that he had organised or profited from prostitution.
	Chief judge Bernard Lemaire ruled that Strauss-Kahn was not the "instigator" of orgies attended by prostitutes but merely the "beneficiary of group sex".
	The trial was the latest 

French court acquits Strauss-Kahn of pimping charges

A civil rights leader who claims to be part African-American came under the glare of the US media Friday, after her parents said she was white and had lied about her ethnic identity.
	With coils of dark hair and tawny skin, Rachel Dolezal, 37, looked the part as she built a career around a black racial identity.
	She rose to become the president of the Spokane, Washington branch of the National Association for the Advancement Colored People (NAACP) and also served as an independent mediator for the Spokane police.
	Neither position required that she be black, but the Coeur d'Alene Press said Dolezal identified herself in application forms as part black, part white and part Indian.
	Yesterday, the city of Spokane said it takes the concerns raised about Dolezal "very seriously" and was gathering facts to determine if any city policies had been violated.
	"That information will be reviewed by the city council, which has oversight of city boards and commissions," it said.
	The NAACP said .

'Black' US advocate said to be white, drawing scrutiny

An investigation into the death of United Nations secretary-general Dag Hammarskjold in a mysterious plane crash in southern Africa more than 50 years ago has come up with new information, a UN spokesman said today.
	A three-member panel has presented its final report on the Swedish diplomat's death to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who plans to make it public soon.
	The investigators traveled to Zambia to meet with "new witnesses" and "successfully gathered additional new information" from governments and from private archives in Belgium, Britain and Sweden, said spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
	Hammarskjold died at age 56 when his plane crashed on September 17 or 18 1961 near Ndola, in northern Rhodesia, now known as Zambia, as he was on his way to negotiate a ceasefire for Katanga province in Congo.
	The UN's second secretary-general was to meet Moise Tshombe, the leader of the province of Katanga, which had seceded from the Congo and proclaimed its independence.
	In September 2013, a 

UN probe of Hammarskjold's death digs up new information

Canada today offered to take in Raif Badawi, a jailed Saudi blogger who faces flogging, listing him as a priority immigrant on humanitarian grounds so that he might rejoin his family already living here.
	The province of Quebec cleared the way for his coming to this country by offering Badawi a so-called immigration selection certificate.
	These are issued "in exceptional circumstances to foreigners in need of protection," Quebec Immigration Minister Kathleen Weil said.
	In this case, it opens the door for Ottawa to increase pressure on Saudi Arabia to release Badawi and allow him to join his wife Ensaf Haidar and three children in exile.
	The family lives in Sherbrooke, Quebec, 150 kilometers (93 miles) east of Montreal.
	Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney said he was hopeful the offer to help Badawi immigrate to Canada "will allow us to break the logjam and have a happy ending to this."
	Worldwide outrage followed a lower court's decision sentencing Badawi to 1,000 lashes and 10 ..

Canada offers to take in jailed Saudi blogger Badawi

Canada's lawmakers and staff were warned today of an ongoing cyberattack targeting the country's parliament, local media reported.
	A government email published by the daily Ottawa Citizen said "private and public sector employees, including House of Commons employees, are currently being targeted by several cyberattacks."
	The security bulletin from the House of Commons chief information officer also said the attacks have so far resulted "in the theft of large volumes of personal data" and urged vigilance against hacking, warning against opening suspicious email links or attachments.
	Officials were not immediately available to comment.

Canada parliament under cyberattack, government warns

A Russian fighter jet flew dangerously close to an American reconnaissance aircraft during an "unprofessional" intercept in international airspace over the Black Sea last month, the Pentagon said today.
	The American RC-135 was conducting routine operations May 30 when a Russian SU-27 Flanker flew up from behind, passed underneath then crossed over to the American plane's right-hand side, spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said.
	"We don't know exactly why this intercept was conducted unprofessionally," he told reporters.
	"It may have been a lack of training on the part of the Russian pilot. It may have been just a general level of unprofessionalism of the individual who was flying the Flanker."
	CNN reported that the Russian plane came within just 10 feet of the US aircraft. Warren said only that the Russian jet passed at a "distance we felt was unprofessionally and unsafely close."
	The US plane was intercepted a second time on the same flight, but that was deemed to have been done ...

Russian fighter flies dangerously close to US plane: Pentagon

World oil prices rallied this week, supported by a drop in US stockpiles, while traders on the metals markets took their lead from movements in the dollar and Chinese data.
	OIL: Crude futures rallied as data showed a much bigger than expected drop in US crude inventories, while OPEC said demand would pick up.
	Oil prices had surged more than two dollars Tuesday on expectations that the US inventory data would reveal a drop,
	The Department of Energy indeed said that commercial stockpiles of US crude slumped by 6.8 million barrels last week to 470.6 million. Analysts' consensus forecast had been for a drop of 1.45 million, according to Bloomberg.
	A drop in US stockpiles is seen as an indicator of healthy demand in the world's top crude consumer, supporting global prices.
	OPEC meanwhile stuck to its forecast that oil demand will pick up this year but warned that over-supply may still keep a "ceiling" on crude prices, even as it kept on increasing its own output to a two-year ...

AFP

AFP

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