The United States today voiced fears for the lives of the hundreds of migrants abandoned by traffickers at land and sea, calling on Southeast Asian nations to co-operate to address the crisis.
	Waves of Bangladeshis and Myanmar Rohingyas have fled poverty and persecution in rickety boats across the Bay of Bengal at the hands of people traffickers running a thriving and lucrative regional smuggling network.
	In the last fortnight thousands of desperate migrants have been abandoned by smugglers, some in remote jungle camps and others aboard boats, following a recent crackdown against the trade by Thailand.
	Most migrants were making the journey "because of the dire humanitarian and economic situations they face at home and/or out of fear of ethnic and religious violence," a spokeswoman at the US Embassy told AFP.
	"This is a regional challenge that needs to be addressed regionally, through a coordinated international effort and in accordance with international conventions and maritime ..

US calls for regional response to SE Asia migrant crisis

PTI Automatic

China's bank lending slowed in April from the previous month, the central bank said today, reflecting slowing growth in the world's second-largest economy.
	Domestic banks extended new loans of 707.9 billion yuan (USD 115.9 billion), the People's Bank of China (PBoC) said in a statement, down from 1.18 trillion yuan in March.
	Total social financing -- a broader measure of credit in the economy -- totalled 1.05 trillion yuan for April, it said, down from 1.18 trillion yuan in March.
	The median forecast for total social financing, also known as aggregate financing, in a survey of economists by Bloomberg News was 1.2 trillion yuan.
	China's economy expanded 7.0 percent year-on-year in the first quarter, slumping to a post global financial crisis low, even as Beijing took steps to bolster growth.
	The country's gross domestic product (GDP) expanded 7.4 percent in 2014, the slowest pace in 24 years, and the government has cut the annual growth target for 2015 to "approximately" seven ...

China bank lending slowed in April: central bank

At least three people were killed today when a gunfight erupted between Afghan police and heavily armed militants holed up inside a mosque in southern Afghanistan, as the Taliban's annual spring offensive ground on.
	It was not immediately clear if the gunmen were holding hostages inside the mosque as the gun battle was still ongoing in Lashkar Gah, the capital of the volatile poppy-rich province of Helmand.
	"Two attackers armed with RPGs and guns tried to enter the governor's building in Lashkar Gah but were prevented by the police," an Afghan security official told AFP.
	"They were forced to enter a nearby mosque and are now exchanging fire with the police who have surrounded them," added the official, who declined to be named.
	Another security official, who was also not authorised to speak to the media, said three people including the head of the Ulema Council of Helmand, a top religious authority, were killed.
	But the chief of Helmand's health department, Enayatullah Ghafari, ..

Three killed in militant siege on Afghan mosque

Three people have been killed and dozens more are feared dead after a fire gutted a footwear factory in the Philippine capital Manila today, officials said.
	Rex Gatchalian, mayor of the northern Manila industrial suburb of Valenzuela, said firemen took four hours to get the blaze under control, and entered the burnt-out building to find an undetermined number of bodies.
	They were unable to count the dead inside, but found no survivors, he said.
	"None of those trapped inside survived," Gatchalian announced to wailing relatives outside the factory.
	He added that firemen could not immediately determine how many bodies had been inside, but relatives told officials up to 63 of their kin working in the factory at the time were unaccounted for.
	Gatchalian urged the relatives to check again whether the missing kin were among those who had managed to escape the blaze.
	"I'm not saying all (the missing) are dead. We're still hoping they were able to jump out," he added.
	The fire broke out 

Three killed, dozens feared dead in Philippines factory fire

Five people were found shot dead in a home in Arizona in a possible murder-suicide, local media reported.
	The adult victims appeared to have died sometime yesterday in the city of Tucson, the Arizona Daily Star said.
	Tucson police were not immediately available to comment.
	The victims found in the single-storey home were men and women, the paper said, quoting Tucson Police Chief Roberto Villasenor.
	Police initially called the incident a murder-suicide but Villasenor later said it was too early to confirm this, the newspaper added.
	The police chief said they were alerted by a man who went to the house to meet an acquaintance, looked inside and saw someone with clear signs of trauma.
	Officers arrived shortly afterwards and found the five bodies in different parts of the house.
	Police would not comment on whether weapons were found inside.

Five found shot dead in home in Arizona

A Chinese baby born with a cleft lip was abandoned by his parents and buried in a cardboard box two days later, but rescued alive eight days further on, media reported.
	The parents left the baby in a remote countryside in the southern province of Guangxi, before he was buried, apparently by relatives who believed he had died, Guangxi Online News said.
	But water and air were able to seep into the box, the report said.
	The baby was buried in a container the size of a shoebox on a dusty dry, landscape, surrounded by long grass, according to images posted by China Central Television on its verified account on Sina Weibo, China's version of Twitter.
	He was discovered when a woman heard him crying as she was picking herbs, the post by the state broadcaster late yesterday said.
	The baby was spitting soil when doctors examined him last week, the Guangxi Online News said.
	"Five people including three relatives have been detained on suspicion of intentional murder," CCTV said.
	A disabled 

China baby survives eight days buried alive: reports

US Secretary of State John Kerry today said NATO member states wanted to see a clearer defence agreement with Gulf Arab states to fight terror, ahead of summit with Gulf leaders to be hosted by President Barack Obama.
	"I think all of the member states feel very strongly that defining a... Clearer defence arrangement between the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) and other friendly countries and the United States is going to critical to helping them push back against terrorism," he said at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Turkey.

Kerry wants 'clearer arrangement' with Gulf to fight terror

The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor said that she was ready to investigate crimes committed by the Islamic State in Libya, where the United Nations is pushing for a peace deal.
	Fatou Bensouda told the UN Security Council that the court's jurisdiction "extends to such alleged crimes" by jihadist groups aligned with IS.
	Islamic State fighters have claimed responsiblity for the beheadings in Libya of 21 Coptic Christians mostly from Egypt in February and 28 Ethiopian Christians in April.
	International alarm over IS's expansion into Libya after Syria and Iraq has prompted the United Nations to redouble efforts to broker a deal in Libya on a national unity government able to confront the jihadists.
	ICC investigations have mostly focused on crimes related to the regime of Moamer Kadhafi, who was ousted in an uprising in 2011.
	Bensouda said she was "actively considering the investigation and prosecution of further cases, and will not hesitate to take such action as may ..

ICC ready to investigate Islamic State crimes in Libya

A South Korean army reservist killed one person and wounded three others, before turning the gun on himself during an apparent shooting spree Wednesday at a military training camp, the defence ministry said.
	The unidentified reservist opened fire with his rifle during shooting practice at the camp in southern Seoul, a ministry spokesman said.
	"The man killed himself on the spot following the shooting spree that killed one of his fellow reservists and wounded three others," the spokesman told AFP.
	"The exact reason is still not clear, but our initial investigation found the incident appeared to be related to a personal matter," he added.
	Every able-bodied South Korean male between the ages of 18 and 35 is required to serve two years in the military.
	Upon completion, they must serve in the reserve forces for eight more years, with a maximum of 160 hours of duty per year.
	While there have been a number of similar shooting incidents involving conscripts doing their full-time ...

Two dead in shooting at S Korea military camp

Pakistan's cricket chiefs face a battle to address the reasons behind their disastrous tour to Bangladesh as they gear up for their first home series against Test opposition in six years.
     Pakistan slumped to ninth in the ICC one-day international table -- their lowest since rankings were introduced in 2002 -- after losing the ODI series to minnows Bangladesh 3-0, threatening their participation in the 2017 Champions Trophy in England where only top eight teams will feature.
    	The tourists also suffered their first ever Twenty20 defeat against Bangladesh. Although they managed to win the two-Test series 1-0 with victory in the second Test last week, the national pastime of inquisition and blame game is back in full flow.
	Legendary paceman and 1992 World Cup-winning captain Imran Khan termed the Bangladesh one-day series defeat as "unimaginable" while former captain Ramiz Raja described it as "the lowest point in country's cricket history".
    	As a bewildering number of ...

Pakistan blame game in full flow after Bangladesh debacle

Star batsman Kevin Pietersen said he was "devastated" after being informed by newly-appointed England director of cricket Andrew Strauss that he would not feature for the national team over the home summer because there was a "massive trust issue".
     Strauss, in his first press conference since being appointed to the director role after the England and Wales Cricket Board sacked Paul Downton, stopped short of saying there was no way back into the international set-up for fellow former England captain Pietersen, adding: "He is not banned from the side but I can give him no guarantees for the future."
    	Pietersen, 34, England's leading all-time run-scorer across all formats, was sent into international exile last year following the team's 5-0 Ashes thrashing in Australia.
	But the South Africa-born batsman was given hope of an international recall when new ECB chairman Colin Graves said there could be a way back if he scored enough runs in county cricket.
	Yet just hours after he .

KP 'devasted' after Strauss rules out return over trust issue

Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola is now backing his ex-club Barcelona to win the Champions League after his Bavarian giants bowed out 5-3 on aggregate in the semi-finals.
     Guardiola's Bayern exited at the last-four stage for the second year running, despite ending Barcelona's 18-game unbeaten run with a 3-2 semi-final, second-leg win in Munich.
     Bayern were given an early glimmer of hope in their bid to overturn a three-goal deficit in Munich when the unmarked Medhi Benatia headed home on seven minutes at the Allianz Arena.
     But Barca effectively booked their place in the Berlin final on June 6 when Luis Suarez twice set up Neymar to score for the visitors before half an hour had been played.
     Bayern produced a rousing second-half performance with goals by Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Mueller, but Barcelona advance to face either bitter rivals Real Madrid or Juventus in the final.
    	Having won 16 titles as a player, then a further 14 in four years as head coach at 

Guardiola backing Barca to win Berlin final

Oil prices extended gains in Asia today on a weaker dollar and amid expectations the latest US crude-oil inventories report will show a decline, easing a global supply glut, analysts said.
	US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for June delivery gained 46 cents to USD 61.21 while Brent crude for June rose 20 cents to USD 67.06 in mid-morning trade.
	WTI surged USD 1.50 in New York while Brent closed up USD 1.95 in London, gaining support from a weaker US dollar.
	The greenback bought 119.78 yen in Asia today, down from 119.90 in New York on Tuesday and 120.11 on Monday.
	A weaker greenback makes dollar-priced oil cheaper for buyers using weaker currencies, boosting demand and pushing global prices higher.
	Daniel Ang, investment analyst at Phillip Futures in Singapore, said prices are also supported by expectations of a "further drop in US stockpiles this week".
	The US Department of Energy (DoE) will release its crude stockpiles report for the week to May 8 later today.
	Last ...

Oil prices extend gains in Asia

Dozens of people have been injured after a regional train derailed near Philadelphia, with 10 cars overturned, firefighters said.
	The Philadelphia Fire Department said it had sounded its fourth alarm, indicating a large-scale operation for passengers of Amtrak Train 188 traveling from Washington and bound for New York yesterday.
	At least one of the metal train cars was bent in an L-shape.
	Dozens of emergency personnel used flashlights to comb the area for survivors after dark. They used ladders to climb over the flipped trains.
	Multiple fire engines, ambulances and police cars were deployed on the scene.
	The fire department said it had requested helicopters for additional lighting.
	Train 188, a Northeast Regional rail service train, was scheduled to leave Washington at 7:10 pm (local time) and arrive in New York at 10:34 pm.
	There are no seatbelts on trains operated by Amtrak, the national long-distance rail service.
	The National Transportation Safety Board said it was ...

Dozens injured in Philadelphia train derailment

North Korean Defence Minister Hyon Yong-Chol has been executed by anti-aircraft fire for disloyalty and showing disrespect to leader Kim Jong-Un, South Korea's intelligence agency said today.
	Hundreds of officials watched Hyon's execution on April 30, Han Ki-Beom, the deputy director of the National Intelligence Agency (NIS), told a parliamentary committee, the Yonhap news agency reported.
	Hyon, who was appointed to the post of Minister of the People's Armed Forces less than a year ago, was apparently caught dozing off during formal military events and also talked back to Kim Jong-Un on several occasions, Yonhap said.
	The Yonhap report was based on a briefing by a ruling Saenuri party lawmaker who attended the parliamentary committee meeting.
	Han told the committee that Hyon was executed with anti-aircraft fire - a method cited in various unconfirmed reports as being reserved for senior officials who the leadership wishes to make examples of.
	In North Korea, the defence minister .

N Korea defence minister executed: S Korea intelligence

Macedonia's interior and transport ministers as well as the country's intelligence chief have resigned after deadly violence that pitted ethnic Albanian rebels against Macedonian police, a government spokesman said.
	"Interior Minister Gordana Jankuloska, Transport Minister Mile Janakieski as well as the director of DBK Saso Mijalkov presented their resignations," a government spokesman told AFP yesterday. "Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski accepted their resignations."
	Spokesman Aleksandar Gjeorgiev did not elaborate on the reasons for their move, which comes after the Balkan nation was rocked by two days of clashes in a northern town at the weekend that left 22 people dead, including eight police officers.
	The parliament was to convene today to appoint the ministers' successors.
	Intelligence chief Mijalkov's resignation letter, published by state-run news agency MIA, said his move was "in the interest of Macedonia" and "would help the political crisis to be resolved." He claimed the 

Macedonia ministers, intelligence chief resign after violence

Russia vowed today it was ready to work with the United States on a host of burning issues but insisted it would not bow to "coercion," as President Vladimir Putin hosted top US diplomat John Kerry.
	On the highest-level US visit to Russia since the conflict in Ukraine erupted in late 2013, Putin met with Kerry at his summer residence in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.
	After over four hours of talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Kerry and Putin held another four hours of talks.
	"Russia is ready for constructive cooperation with the United States both in the bilateral sphere and the international arena where our countries have special responsibility for global security and stability," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement after the Lavrov talks.
	"However cooperation is only possible on an honest and equal basis, without attempts to dictate and coerce."
	The Ukraine crisis is also likely to top the agenda at NATO foreign ministers talks tomorrow in Antalya, ..

Russia says will cooperate with US 'without coercion'

Ride-sharing service Sidecar today added medical marijuana to the list of goods it will promptly deliver to customers in San Francisco.
	"Now, you can order medical marijuana and a Sidecar will deliver it to your door," the San Francisco-based startup whose list of backers includes British tycoon Sir Richard Branson said in a blog post.
	Early this year, Sidecar began delivering flowers, groceries, hot food and other items in its hometown as it began expanding the same-day service to other US cities.
	At the time, Sidecar co-founder Sunil Paul said that he expected same-day delivery services to represent half the company's business by the end of this year.
	"Our vision is that one day any business will be able to take an order and get it to the customer in an hour, and Sidecar will be the service that powers this capability," Paul said.
	Half of Sidecar trips in San Francisco now involve deliveries, according to the company.
	Sidecar teamed with Meadow, which runs a website where ...

Ride-sharing service Sidecar adds marijuana delivery

Two Swedes and a Somali, handed to the FBI more than two years ago in Africa, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to aid the Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab group in Somalia, US prosecutors said.
	The trio face up to 15 years in an American prison and deportation, prosecutors said in New York.
	Prosecutors say Madhi Hashi, 25, from Somalia, and Swedes Ali Yasin Ahmed, 30, and Mohamed Yusuf, 32, were members of the Shebab militant group in Somalia from December 2008 to August 2012.
	Shebab is blacklisted as a foreign terrorist organization in the United States and federal prosecutors have spearheaded efforts to try foreign terror cases in New York courts in recent years.
	Shebab has claimed responsibility for some of the worst terror attacks in East Africa, including an April massacre at a Kenyan university that killed 148 people.
	The Swedes fought against US-funded African Union forces in Somalia, prosecutors said. Hashi was close to Omar Hammami, the US-born public face of Shebab who was ...

Two Swedes, Somali plead guilty in NY over Shebab conspiracy

Global oil prices rebounded sharply today on the falling greenback, which makes dollar-priced crude cheaper for buyers using stronger currencies.
	US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for June delivery jumped USD 1.72 to USD 60.97 per barrel.
	Brent North Sea crude for June rallied USD 2.02 to stand at USD 66.93 in London late afternoon trade.
	"Crude oil prices rebounded strongly... Supported by a softer US dollar, while investors remained cautious ahead of the release of the weekly oil inventories reports," said Sucden brokerage analyst Myrto Sokou.
	The European single currency rose against the dollar on relief that crisis-hit Greece narrowly averted a default Tuesday that could have seen it crashing out of the euro.
	Athens tapped an emergency account to meet a debt repayment of 750 million euros (USD 845 million) due to the International Monetary Fund.
	The oil market had fallen in earlier Asian deals on worries about a global oversupply after a veteran former energy ...

Oil prices shoot higher

A Swiss appeals court today confirmed a life sentence slapped on Guatemala's former police chief Erwin Sperisen for 10 murders committed in the Central American country.
	Sperisen, 44, holds Swiss and Guatemalan citizenship and was sentenced last year after a three-week trial for the deaths of seven prisoners. The sentence was then widened to include three other jail deaths.
	Having left his homeland for Geneva, Sperisen could not be extradited to stand trial for killing prisoners in the mid-2000s.
	But Swiss citizens can be tried at home for crimes committed abroad.
	The case was launched after a lawsuit filed by the mother of one of Sperisen's victims, and the trial opened on May 15 last year.
	Spreisen was charged over the summary execution and subsequent cover-up of the murder of seven inmates in Guatemala's Pavon jail in September 2006 and for the summary execution of three prisoners who had escaped from the Infiernito jail in 2005.
	He shot dead one of the Pavon prisoners ...

AFP

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