An Egyptian court today sentenced a police officer to 15 years in jail over the shooting of a leftist female protester during a peaceful rally, a court official said.
	Shaima al-Sabbagh, a 34-year-old mother of a five-year-old, was shot dead with birdshot in January as police dispersed a small march on the fourth anniversary of the uprising that toppled president Hosni Mubarak.

Egypt jails policeman 15 years over death of woman protester

PTI Automatic

Iraqi forces battling jihadists on several fronts today were poised to receive the help of 450 extra US troops slated for deployment near Ramadi.
	In neighbouring Syria, a rebel alliance that includes groups supported by Washington, seized most of a military airport in a southern province controlled by the regime, a spokesman said.
	State television denied the claim but both the Southern Front and a monitoring group said the regime had lost most of Al-Thaala airport in Sweida province.
	They also said the rebels shot down a Syrian warplane. State TV acknowledged that an aircraft went down and said an investigation was underway.
	Washington's decision to send more advisers and trainers to Iraq has failed to silence critics who say the White House lacks a strategy to combat the Islamic State group.
	A year after a jihadist offensive saw the government lose swathes of Iraq, military operations to weaken IS were experiencing mixed fortunes.
	The autonomous Kurdistan region's peshmerga ...

Iraq forces battle IS, more US troops heading to Anbar

A foiled attack on one of Egypt's most popular ancient attractions was raising fears Thursday for tourism and foreign investment as the country tries to recover from years of political and economic chaos.
	Bombings and militant attacks have been common since the army ousted president Mohamed Morsi in 2013, targeting security forces in retaliation for bloody repression of the Islamist's supporters.
	But experts believe jihadists have decided to target the Achilles' heel of tourism and investments in order to weaken the government of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who has pledged to fix the battered economy.
	"Luxor has no source of revenue other than tourism. Tourists running away means the people cannot lead a decent life," said archaeology expert Handaka Ali.
	Yesterday, assailants widely believed to be jihadists tried to carry out an attack at the Karnak temple, an ancient complex in the southern city of Luxor.
	One of them killed himself by setting off the explosive vest he was ...

Egypt fears for tourism after foiled 'massacre' in Luxor

UN peacekeepers routinely trade sex for money, jewellery, cellphones and other items in countries where they are deployed in clear violation of UN rules, according to a draft UN report.
	A third of allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse by UN personnel involve a minor under 18, according to the report by the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) obtained by AFP today.
	Interviews done with victims in Haiti and Liberia suggest that the United Nations is underreporting cases of sexual abuse and exploitation by its peacekeeping personnel.
	In Haiti, 231 people admitted to having "transactional sexual relationships" with peacekeeping personnel in exchange for "jewellery, 'church' shoes, dresses, fancy underwear, cell phones, perfume, radios, televisions and, in a few cases, laptops."
	Women interviewed in the report said they were hungry, homeless or needed items for their babies or their households.
	A survey of 489 women aged 18 to 30 in Monrovia showed that over a quarter .

UN peacekeepers routinely trade sex for goods: UN report

Muslims in the Nordic region can expect new guidelines for coping with a sun that never sets ahead of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, a Swedish Muslim association said today.
	Ramadan begins on June 18 this year -- three days before the longest day of the year -- when the sun blazes around the clock above the Arctic Circle and only sets for a few hours further south, presenting a problem for Muslims who are meant to fast until sunset.
	"We've got two difficult questions, not just when you can break the fast in the north but also when you should start fasting," Mohammed Kharraki, a spokesman for Sweden's Islamic Association, told AFP.
	"You're supposed to start fasting before the sun rises, at dawn. But there is no real dawn in the summer months in Stockholm."
	In previous years Muslims in sub-Arctic towns like Kiruna were advised to break their fast at the same time as people in the south but a meeting of Swedish and European imams in northern Sweden this week recommended a new ...

New Ramadan rules to help Nordic Muslims in midnight sun

Saudi Arabia today condemned foreign criticism of a 1,000-lash sentence that the kingdom's highest court upheld against a blogger, rejecting "interference" in its internal affairs.
	The kingdom "has expressed strong disbelief and condemnation" at statements about the case of Raif Badawi, the Saudi Press Agency said, citing an official source at the foreign ministry.
	Rights groups fear he could be flogged again as soon as tomorrow, despite appeals from the United States, European Union and France for his sentence to be rescinded.
	Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom on Tuesday accused Saudi Arabia of handing Badawi a "medieval" punishment.
	Saudi Arabia's judiciary "enjoys independence and the kingdom does not accept any interference in its judiciary and internal affairs from any party," the Saudi foreign ministry source said.
	Worldwide outrage followed a lower court's decision sentencing Badawi to 1,000 lashes and 10 years in jail for insulting Islam.
	But Badawi's wife said ..

Saudi Arabia condemns foreign criticism of blogger case

Chinese hackers accused of attacking US federal databases may have snared the names of Chinese with links to American officials, putting them in danger, a media report has said.
	Last week, the US government admitted hackers accessed the personal data of at least four million current and former federal employees, in a vast cyberattack suspected to have originated in China.
	Investigators say that the hackers who breached the databases of the Office of Personnel Management could have obtained the names of Chinese relatives, friends and associates of American diplomats and other government officials, the Times said.
	Beijing -- which labeled claims of Chinese involvement in the huge hack "irresponsible" -- could use that information for blackmail or retaliation, The New York Times said.
	Federal employees involved with national security information are required to list some or all of their foreign contacts to receive high-level clearance, the report said.
	According to the Times, ...

Hackers may have snared details of Chinese linked to US

British Nobel Prize-winning scientist Tim Hunt has resigned from his post at University College London over controversial comments he made about female scientists.
	Hunt, who holds other posts, has apologised for causing offence after suggesting that female scientists could not take criticism without crying, and that relationships between men and women in the laboratory disrupted work.
	The 72-year-old said yesterday his comments, made at a lunch for women attending the World Conference of Science Journalists in South Korea, were intended to be light-hearted but also "honest".
	University College London said that Hunt had resigned from his unpaid, non-teaching position as honorary professor with the UCL Faculty of Life Sciences.
	"UCL was the first university in England to admit women students on equal terms to men, and the university believes that this outcome is compatible with our commitment to gender equality," it said.
	Hunt shared the 2001 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine ..

UK Nobel laureate resigns over remarks about 'girls' in labs

Two Western astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut landed in Kazakhstan today, safely returning to Earth after their flight back home was delayed for a month by a Russian rocket failure.
	Both Russian mission control and NASA showed a capsule carrying Russian Anton Shkaplerov, Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti and Terry Virts of the United States landing on schedule in the steppes of Kazakhstan.
	The trio appeared in good health as they emerged out of the capsule with the help of officials, giving them thumbs up and smiling under a setting sun.
	"It was a textbook homecoming," a NASA commentator said.
	A spokesman for the Russian mission control said that the Soyuz descent module landed southeast of Dzhezkazgan in Kazakhstan, after detaching from the ISS more than three hours earlier.
	"Everything is fine, everything is okay," he told AFP.
	Soyuz commander Shkaplerov expressed hope that "joint work" would continue in the future.
	All eyes were trained on the flight back home for ...

Astronauts land in Kazakhstan after delayed return from ISS

Syrian Kurdish fighters advanced towards the Islamic State group-held town of Tal Abyad on the Turkish border today, backed by US-led coalition strikes, a monitor said.
	The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) forces backed by Arab rebel fighters "stormed the town of Suluk and took control of the eastern part of it."
	Fierce clashes continued through the day between IS and Kurdish forces.
	Suluk, in the IS bastion province of Raqa in northern Syria, lies to the east of Tal Abyad, a key border town that is controlled by the jihadist group.
	The town is a key target for the Kurds who want to free up the route between Kobane to the west and Qamishli, further east along the Turkish border.
	With their advance into Suluk, YPG forces are now some 20 kilometres east of Tal Abyad, and they are also positioned around 10 kilometres to the west.
	"The Kurds plan to lay siege to Tal Abyad," Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said.
	The YPG has been 

Kurds advance towards IS-held Syria border town: monitor

Swiss and Austrian investigators have launched probes into alleged spying in hotels hosting delicate Iranian nuclear talks, with Israel denying today its secret services were involved.
	The revelation comes in run-up to a June 30 deadline for a historic agreement between Iran and world powers on curtailing Tehran's nuclear programme in return for relief from punishing sanctions, and a day after a Russian-based security firm said a computer worm widely linked to Israel was used to spy on the negotiations.
	Israel is vehemently opposed to a nuclear deal with Iran, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warning that the accord would not "block Iran's path to the bomb".
	But it has denied spying on the talks with deputy foreign minister Tzipi Hotovely telling Israeli army radio today: "There is no basis to the all the international reports on Israel's involvement in the affair. What is much more important is that we prevent a bad agreement, otherwise at the end of the day we'll find ...

Israel denies spying on Iran talks hotels

Rupert Murdoch is preparing to step down as chief executive of the media-entertainment conglomerate 21st Century Fox and hand the job to his son James, it was reported today.
	The report, citing "numerous sources close to the Murdoch family," said the 84-year-old tycoon would remain executive chairman of the group with his other son Lachlan as co-chairman in the move this year or in early 2016.
	The company did not immediately respond to an AFP query on the report.
	The report said James Murdoch, 42, would take over day to day management at Fox, working "in tandem with his 43-year-old brother Lachlan and his father."
	The company -- which includes the Fox Hollywood studios and television entities -- was created two years ago when Murdoch broke off the struggling publishing operations of his News Corp. Empire from the faster-growing media and entertainment operations.
	He and his family remained in control of both companies after the split. The Australian-born Murdoch is executive ...

Rupert Murdoch sets 21st Century Fox transition: CNBC

The son of Iran's former president Akbar Rafsanjani will be jailed for 10 years after being convicted of financial and security crimes, judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejeie said today.
	In March, Mehdi Hashemi was handed three jails sentences amounting to 15 years in separate cases involving national security as well as fraud and embezzlement.
	The 45-year-old, who was also ordered to pay an undisclosed fine and barred from holding public office, appealed the case but lost.
	The appeals court confirmed his conviction but in line with Iranian law Hashemi will only serve the longest of the three sentences, which in his case will be 10 years, Mohseni-Ejeie told the IRNA news agency.
	Hashemi had been accused of involvement in massive protests that followed Iran's 2009 disputed presidential election, won by hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
	At the time, Hashemi backed the so-called Green Movement led by reformist presidential candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, who 

Son of ex-Iran president to serve 10-year jail term

Syrian rebels seized most of a military airport in regime-controlled Sweida province today and shot down a warplane nearby, a spokesman told AFP.
	"The Southern Front has liberated Al-Thaala military airport and is carrying out mopping-up operations against remaining forces," the alliance's spokesman Major Essam al-Rayes told AFP.
	The Syrian Observatory for Human rights monitor also reported the rebel advance into the airport in the Druze- majority southern province.
	"They have control of parts of the airport, which is used by the regime for aircraft that bomb Daraa and Damascus provinces," said Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman.
	But Syrian state television denied the claims, and interviewed the provincial governor, who accused media of spreading lies.
	"There is no truth to claims that terrorist groups have occupied Al-Thaala in Sweida province," state television said, citing its reporter in the area.
	"We're used to the criminal media and their falsehoods, the information ...

Syria rebels seize most of Sweida military airport: spokesman

The European Parliament called today on Sepp Blatter to step down immediately as FIFA president and allow for an interim leader to launch reforms in global football's governing body.
     In a show of hands, members of parliament overwhelmingly voted for the resolution during a plenary session in Strasbourg, France.
     The resolution is not legally binding, but amounts to political pressure.
     Blatter, 79, tendered his resignation on June 2 in the midst of a massive corruption scandal, but it will not take effect until December at the earliest.
     In the text approved by parliament, legislators welcomed Blatter's resignation, which came just four days after he was re-elected as head of FIFA for a fifth term.
     But it expressed serious concern "that the credibility of FIFA, as world football's governing body, and the urgent reforms required, cannot begin in earnest until a new leadership is appointed."
     Since that might not happen for another nine months under FIFA rules, 

EU parliament urges Blatter to quit FIFA job immediately

Shell is considering exiting a major shale gas project in eastern Ukraine, a source said today, almost a year after freezing exploration owing to fighting between government troops and pro-Russian rebels.
	The Anglo-Dutch oil company signed a deal with the Ukrainian government in early 2013 to explore the Yuzivska field, an important agreement for Kiev as it seeks to reduce its dependence on Russian energy.
	However Shell announced in July 2014 that it was prevented from working on the site, located in part in the rebel bastion of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, due to "force majeur" -- forces outside its control, namely the proximity to the fighting.
	"Due to the said events, project implementation conditions have been materially changed," a Shell spokeswoman told AFP today.
	Therefore, we have begun discussions with the Ukrainian government and our partner Nadra Yuzivska LLC on the way forward with the PSA, pursuant to its terms."
	A source close to the matter confirmed that withdrawing 

Shell mulls pulling out of Ukrainian shale gas project

The man responsible for reviewing Britain's anti-terrorism laws called today for greater judicial oversight over data interception as ministers prepare legislation firming up the powers of security services following leaks by Edward Snowden.
	The move would be a way of "helping build the relationship" with US technology giants and could make it more likely they would comply with requests from British law enforcement agencies, senior lawyer David Anderson said.
	After winning last month's general election outright, Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservative government wants to pass new legislation giving intelligence services and the police increased powers to monitor Internet and phone use.
	It is thought the law will aim to make it easier for British authorities to access details of terrorism suspects' conversations from Internet giants like Google and Facebook.
	Ministers and top spies say new measures are needed to keep Britain safe from groups such as the Islamic State jihadists .

Post-Snowden, UK watchdog issues online spying report

Rebels who have fought Myanmar's army along a rugged border area with China for four months declared a unilateral ceasefire today, after fighting left scores dead, threatened a nationwide peace pact and spilled over the frontier.
	Fighting between government troops and ethnic Chinese rebel fighters has raged in the Kokang region of northern Shan state since early February, causing tens of thousands of people to flee their homes, many into China.
	Myanmar's airforce has also dropped bombs on Chinese territory, killing several civilians and infuriating Beijing which issued a stern rebuke and carried out live-fire military drills near the border as a warning.
	"We stopped fighting unilaterally since this morning... but we are still holding (weapons ) for self-defence. If they (Myanmar army) shoots, we have to defend ourselves," Htun Myat Linn, a spokesman for the Myanmar Nationalities Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), the main insurgent group of the Chinese-speaking Kokang told ...

Rebels declare 'unilateral ceasefire' with Myanmar army

Another round of UN climate talks wrapped up today after making little headway towards producing a text for a worldwide pact due in just six months' time.
	After 11 days of wrangling by negotiators, the co-chairs of the 195-nation process said they had been asked to take matters in hand.
	In the coming months, they will strive to boil down a sprawling document to a set of manageable options ahead of a November 30-December 11 climate conference in Paris.
	"You will have by the end of October the draft package," co-chairman Ahmed Djoghlaf of Algeria told journalists, referring to a core political agreement backed by a set of technical decisions.
	The Paris accord is supposed to unite the world behind an endeavour to save future generations from disastrous climate change.
	The draft coalesces around the goal of limiting global warming to two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) over pre-Industrial Revolution levels.
	That is a figure scientists say offers a good chance of avoiding ...

October bid for climate text after troubled round

Russia today warned the United States of consequences if it moves to deploy land-based missiles in Europe in contravention of a key Cold-War era arms control treaty.
	"It is clear that such actions would mean complete destruction by the American side of the regime of the treaty with all its attendant consequences," the Russian foreign ministry said, referring to the 1987 INF treaty on intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles.
	"We urge the United States to ensure the full implementation of the INF, (and) not to threaten the feasibility of this document," the ministry said in a statement.
	The two countries have accused each other of violating the treaty signed by US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1987.
	US defence officials said last week Washington is considering a range of moves to counter Russia's alleged violation of the treaty, including bolstering missile defences or deploying land-based missiles in Europe.
	The INF agreement eliminated ...

Russia threatens consequences if US deploys missiles in Europe

Indonesian prosecutors today recommended an 18-year jail sentence for a New Zealand man accused of trafficking crystal methamphetamine into the resort island of Bali.
	Antony de Malmanche was detained with 1.7 kilogrammes of the drug hidden inside his backpack upon landing in Bali in December.
	His family have claimed the 53-year-old was the victim of an online dating scam and that he was heading to Bali to see a woman he met on the Internet, who had made his travel arrangements.
	However prosecutors said he was guilty of drug trafficking and called for him to spend 18 years behind bars, saying that 1,700 people could have consumed the drugs that he was transporting.
	"What the defendant did could paint an image of Bali as a heaven for drug trafficking," prosecutor Siti Sawiyah told a court in the Balinese capital Denpasar.
	The recommendation is lighter than the maximum penalty of death by firing squad for drug trafficking in Indonesia. Judges are not obliged to follow prosecutors' ..

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