Iran said today it rejected a US request for its cooperation against the jihadist Islamic State as part of an international coalition whose true aim Tehran sees as regime change in Syria.
	Seen from Tehran, which has helped both Damascus and Baghdad to confront IS advances, the coalition lacks credibility because some of its members had financed and armed the group as part of their campaign to bring down Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
	"Right from the start, the United States asked through its ambassador in Iraq whether we could cooperate against Daesh," Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei said in a statement on his official website, using the Arabic acronym for IS.
	"I said no, because they have dirty hands," said Khamenei, who has the final say on all matters of state in the Islamic Republic.
	"Secretary of State (John Kerry) personally asked (Iranian counterpart) Mohammad Javad Zarif and he rejected the request," said Khamenei, who was leaving hospital after what doctors said was 

Iran rejects US-led coalition against jihadists

PTI Automatic

NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said today that if Scotland votes for independence this week it will have to reapply to join the military alliance.
	He also insisted that Britain's own role in NATO was not in question whatever the result of the referendum, despite uncertainty over the fate of its Scottish-based nuclear deterrent.
	Rasmussen told an event hosted by the Carnegie Europe think-tank in Brussels that he was "not going to interfere with the referendum campaign in Scotland".
	But he added: "If a new independent state wants to become a member of NATO it will have to apply for membership of NATO.
	"And such an application will be addressed in exactly the same way as all applications are dealt with and eventually it will require consensus, unanimity in the alliance to accept a new member."
	Rasmussen would not estimate how long it would take to decide on new membership, saying it depended on the country and their "ability to fulfil the necessary criteria".
	The Dane added that .

NATO says independent Scotland would have to reapply

Bangladesh's central bank today warned against dealing in bitcoin, saying anybody caught using the virtual currency could be jailed under the country's strict anti-money laundering laws.
	The Bangladesh Bank, which regulates the impoverished country's banking industry, said it issued the order after reports in local media of Bitcoin transactions through various online exchange platforms.
	"Bitcoin is not a legal tender of any country. Any transaction through Bitcoin or any other crypto currency is a punishable offence," the bank said in a statement.
	Bank officials told AFP separately that anyone found guilty in Bangladesh of using Bitcoin could be sentenced to up to 12 years in jail.
	Launched in 2009, Bitcoin is a virtual payment system launched in 2009 that can be used to pay for goods from a computer or mobile device.
	Backers say virtual currencies allow for an efficient and anonymous way to store and transfer funds online.
	But virtual currencies, most famously Bitcoin, have ...

Bangladesh warns of jail for Bitcoin traders

China's President Xi Jinping secured Maldivian support today for a "21st century maritime silk road" as he began a South Asian tour in the strategically located Indian Ocean atoll nation.
	The Maldives is best known for its tourist industry but also straddles major international shipping lanes, and Chinese investment there has grown significantly as Beijing tries to secure vital trade routes.
	In a joint statement, the two countries also said they agreed to cooperate on security issues -- a potentially sensitive issue in a region traditionally dominated by India.
	"The Maldives welcomes and supports the proposal put forward by China to build the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, and is prepared to actively participate in relevant cooperation," the statement said.
	"The two sides agreed to enhance cooperation in other areas, such as marine, economy, and security," it said, without elaborating.
	Xi is the first Chinese head of state to visit the Maldives since the former British ...

China's Xi wins Maldives backing for 'maritime silk route'

Apple today said it had received record pre-orders for its new iPhone models, and that some customers will have to wait for the larger-screen versions of the smartphones.
	"Demand for the new iPhones exceeds the initial pre-order supply and while a significant amount will be delivered to customers beginning on Friday and throughout September, many iPhone pre-orders are scheduled to be delivered in October," Apple said in a statement.
	Apple last week unveiled the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, in a move aimed at satisfying consumer preference for bigger smartphone displays.
	The announcement means Apple may see shortages and long lines at its retail stores when sales begin on Friday.
	"Pre-orders for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus set a new record for Apple, and we can't wait to get our best iPhones yet into the hands of customers starting this Friday," Apple chief executive Tim Cook said in the statement.
	Sales are set to open at 8 am local time in the US, Australia, Canada, France, ...

Apple sees record demand for new iPhones

Fourteen Nobel Peace Laureates have asked President Jacob Zuma to guarantee the Dalai Lama a visa to South Africa, after the Tibetan spiritual leader was forced to abandon a trip to the country.
	The Dalai Lama was to attend a summit of Nobel peace prize winners in Cape Town next month, the first-ever meeting of its kind in Africa.
	But, according to an aide, he cancelled after Pretoria denied him a visa in a bid to avoid angering China, which regards the Buddhist monk as a campaigner for Tibetan independence.
	"We are deeply concerned about the damage that will be done to South Africa's international image by a refusal -- or failure -- to grant him a visa yet again," the group said in a letter to Zuma.
	Signatories include Poland's Lech Walesa, Bangladeshi entrepreneur Muhammad Yunus, Iranian lawyer Shirin Ebadi, Liberian activist Leymah Gbowee and Northern Irish peacemakers David Trimble and John Hume.
	The Dalai Lama has applied three times in the last five years to visit the ...

14 Nobel Laureates urge Zuma to give Dalai Lama visa

Rescue workers have pulled three more bodies from a collapsed guesthouse at a megachurch in Nigeria's financial capital Lagos, raising the death toll to 45, emergency services said today.
	Ibrahim Farinloye, southwest coordinator for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), told AFP by text message that 45 bodies had now been removed from the rubble on the sprawling campus of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) in the Ikotun of Lagos.
	About 130 others were injured when the building, which housed visiting followers of the church's preacher and televangelist TB Joshua, came down on Friday.
	TB Joshua, dubbed "The Prophet", has an almost fanatical following among Nigerians and across the world, attracted by his purported healing powers and prophecies.
	Joshua preaches to massive crowds at his megachurch in Ikotun every week and, according to his website, SCOAN "hosts thousands of national and international visitors" each year.
	Joshua has suggested that a mysterious ...

Death toll at Nigeria church building collapse rises to 45

An Egyptian court today ordered the release on bail of Alaa Abdel Fattah, a top activist of the revolt against ex-president Hosni Mubarak, at his retrial in a case where he had been sentenced to 15 years.
	Abdel Fattah, one of the most prominent faces of the 2011 uprising, is being retried after he was sentenced to 15 years in prison on charges of assaulting a policeman at an illegal protest.
	His detention, and that of several other activists, has raised fears among rights groups that Egypt under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi could be returning to autocratic rule worse than that of the Mubarak regime.
	"The court ordered the release on bail of Alaa Abdel Fattah and two other detainees," the defence lawyer Mohamed Abdel Aziz said.
	They were to be released upon paying 5,000 Egyptian pounds (USD 700, 540 euros) each.
	"The court also recused itself because of the defendants' lack of respect for it," possibly because they "had previously accused the presiding judge of supervising ...

Egypt court bails top 2011 revolt activist Abdel Fattah

The world's top diplomats pledged today to support Iraq in its fight against Islamic State militants by "any means necessary", including "appropriate military assistance", as leaders stressed the urgency of the crisis.
	Representatives from around 30 countries and international organisations, including the US, Russia and China, gathered in Paris as the brutal beheading over the weekend of a third Western hostage focussed participants' minds.
	The pledge came as US Secretary of State John Kerry stepped up efforts to forge a broad anti-jihadist coalition.
	In a joint statement issued after the talks, diplomats vowed to support Baghdad "by any means necessary, including appropriate military assistance, in line with the needs expressed by the Iraqi authorities, in accordance with international law and without jeopardising civilian security."
	They stressed IS extremists were "a threat not only to Iraq but also to the entire international community" and underscored the "urgent need" to ...

Iraq wins pledge of military support against IS

Bangladesh today approved a law setting a two-year jail term for anyone involved in marrying a girl aged under 18, in a bid to cut the country's notoriously high child marriage rate.
	The new law comes days after new UN figures showed two-thirds of Bangladeshi girls marry before they reach adulthood. It targets the parents or guardians and the marriage registrar as well as the groom.
	"Anyone found responsible for child marriage, including the groom, the marriage registrar or the guardians, would be jailed for up to two years," said cabinet secretary Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan.
	The current legal age for marriage in Bangladesh is 18 for women and 21 for men. Child marriage is punishable by up to three months in jail but the law is poorly enforced.
	The bill is expected to be passed during the current session of the parliament, Bhuiyan told AFP. Girls and women will not be punished for marrying an underage man.
	"We do not want to jail people but the goal is to prevent people from this .

Bangladesh sets two-year jail term for child marriage

Thailand's revered but ageing King Bhumibol Adulyadej left a Bangkok hospital today after a stay of almost six weeks for a check-up.
	The Royal Household Bureau said the 86-year-old king, the world's longest-serving monarch who is treated as a near-deity in politically turbulent Thailand, left the hospital for his coastal palace in the town of Hua Hin to the south.
	Hundreds of Thais, many wearing the royal yellow colour, waved flags as the convoy carrying Bhumibol, who is officially King Rama IX, left the Siriraj hospital.
	A separate van carried 82-year-old Queen Sirikit.
	The king arrived from Hua Hin in early August for "a thorough medical check-up which needs special equipment", the Royal Household Bureau said at the time.
	He lived in the same hospital for almost four years after being admitted with respiratory problems in 2009 -- but there was no explanation from the palace over his prolonged stay.
	Bhumibol, a keen saxophonist, photographer and sailor who is also a father ...

Thai king leaves Bangkok hospital for coastal palace

Nearly half of China's super-wealthy individuals are considering leaving the country, a survey said today, with most citing better overseas educational and employment opportunities for their children.
	The global survey of 2,000 high net worth individuals by Barclays Wealth found that 47 per cent of the wealthy Chinese who were questioned plan to move overseas within the next five years.
	The Chinese semi-autonomous city of Hong Kong is their preferred destination, cited by 30 per cent of respondents, followed by Canada with 23 per cent -- although earlier this year Ottawa closed an immigrant investor visa scheme that had been popular among wealthy Chinese.
	The results show that "better educational and employment opportunities for their children is the main pull factor for Chinese high net worth individuals", according to the survey.
	China has seen double-digit economic expansion in recent decades but faces mounting uncertainty over its pace of growth.
	Its economic expansion has ...

Half of wealthy Chinese plan to leave: survey

A South Korean fisherman today found a suspected North Korean drone in his net near a front line island south of the rivals' disputed sea border, military officials said.
	The wreckage, without a wing, engine or camera, was recovered when it got caught in his net off Baengnyeong island, a South Korean defence ministry spokesman said.
	"Its shape and colour were similar to those of the unmanned aerial vehicles discovered earlier," he said.
	In March and April, South Korea retrieved crashed drones equipped with cameras in three different places, including Baengnyeong island and the northern border city of Paju.
	Military officials said their memory chips contained pictures of border areas and the capital Seoul, including the presidential palace.
	After a joint investigation with US experts, Seoul claimed to have secured "smoking gun" proof that the three recovered drones were flown from North Korea and had been pre-programmed to fly over South Korean military installations.
	North Korea 

SKorea fisherman finds suspected North drone

The leaders of France and Iraq Monday urged swift action against Islamic State militants, with President Francois Hollande warning there was "no time to lose" as he opened an international conference to shore up an anti-jihadist coalition.
	"The fight of the Iraqis against terrorism is our fight as well," Hollande told representatives from around 30 countries and organisations, urging "clear, loyal and strong" global support for Iraq.
	Iraqi President Fuad Masum also stressed the urgency of firm action, as the beheading of a third Western hostage in the run-up to the conference stepped up the pressure on the international community to destroy the Islamic State (IS) extremist group.
	"They need to act quickly because if there is a delay, if this campaign and this support for Iraq is delayed, maybe Daesh will occupy other territories and their threat will be even bigger," said Masum, using an alternative name for IS.
	"We are still asking for regular aerial operations against terrorist .

France, Iraq urge quick action against IS at Paris conference

China has removed a senior official of its much-heralded Shanghai free-trade zone (FTZ) less than a year after it was opened, state media said today, amid reports he was under investigation for corruption.
	The official Xinhua news agency said Dai Haibo was no longer the Communist Party chief and executive deputy director of the zone, which was set up on September 29 last year. It gave no reason.
	Hong Kong's South China Morning Post today quoted anonymous sources as saying he was suspected of "disciplinary violations", a phrase which typically refers to corruption.
	Dai was the public face of the FTZ, appearing at news conferences and running the zone's administration on a day-to-day basis.
	When China launched the FTZ last year, officials promised widespread reform including free convertibility of the yuan currency, but the slow pace of change has frustrated businesses, especially foreign companies.
	In July, Shanghai released a revised "negative list" of what is barred in the FTZ ..

China removes top official of free trade zone: media

China's President Xi Jinping said he hoped the Maldives would help build a "21st century maritime silk road" as he began a South Asian tour in the strategically located Indian Ocean island chain today.
	Xi said he was eager to boost relations with the Maldives, which is best known for its tourist industry but also straddles major international shipping routes.
	"Maldives was an important stop of the ancient maritime silk road," Xi wrote in an article published in the local Sun Online news portal late yesterday.
	"China welcomes Maldives to get actively involved in building the 21st century maritime silk road by leveraging its own strength."
	The "maritime silk road" -- touted by Xi during a visit to Indonesia last year -- is intended to revive a trade route running from China through Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean to Europe.
	Xi will also visit close ally Sri Lanka as well as India this week on a tour set to focus on China's growing economic influence in the region.
	He is due to 

China's Xi touts 'maritime silk road' on South Asia tour

Fiji imposed a strict media blackout today on coverage of the South Pacific nation's first elections since a 2006 military coup, warning journalists face up to five years jail if they do not comply.
	The blackout also applies to political campaigning, election material such as posters or banners, as well as discussion of this week's vote on public forums including social media sites.
	Fiji's elections supervisor Mohammed Saneem said the measure was intended to give the electorate a chance to reflect on how to vote in Wednesday's poll without being bombarded by partisan messages intended to influence their decision.
	"The blackout is there to protect the voter from incessant campaigning before polling so that the voter can decide without any influence or undue pressure," he told reporters.
	Campaign workers in Suva were busy removing promotional material before the start of the blackout, which runs from 7:30 am today to the close of polling at 6 pm on Wednesday.
	Countries such as New .

Fiji media blackout imposed ahead of election

More than 400 Vietnamese drug addicts have escaped from a rehabilitation centre where they were detained to receive compulsory treatment, a local official said today.
	The detainees, many wielding sticks, broke free from the centre near the port city of Haiphong in northeast Vietnam late Sunday.
	"More than 400 inmates fled after breaking the door and threatened the guards of the centre with sticks," Nguyen Huy Hoang, an official from Thuy Nguyen district where the centre is located told AFP.
	Police found some of the addicts back at their homes, while around 30 others voluntarily returned to the treatment centre.
	"The police are searching for those who are still at large," in Haiphong, the third largest city in Vietnam, Hoang added.
	The communist government enforces the compulsory treatment programme for the country's estimated 140,000 drug addicts.
	Addicts must undergo two-year spells of "rehabilitation" in what the government describes as an effort to bring down rising rates of .

Hundreds of Vietnamese drug addicts escape rehab

France has joined Britain in carrying out reconnaissance flights in support of the US air campaign against jihadists launched in Iraq early last month, the defence minister said today.
	"This very morning, the first reconnaissance flights will be carried out in agreement with the Iraqi and Emirati authorities," Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told French troops, including pilots, at the Al-Dhafra base in the United Arab Emirates.
	Le Drian's visit to the base came as Paris prepared to host an international conference on a fightback against militants of the Islamic State, who have seized swathes of Iraq and neighbouring Syria.
	The conference has been given added urgency by the beheading of a third Western hostage, British aid worker David Haines, on Saturday.
	Britain had already been conducting extensive surveillance flights over Iraq in support of the US from its regional base in Cyprus, but has so far held back from carrying out strikes on IS targets.

France begins spy flights to back US Iraq air campaign

Kemar Roach was at his devastating best as Bangladesh were reduced to 104 for seven at stumps after the West Indies were dismissed for 380 in their first innings on the second day of the second and final Test.
     In two sustained, controlled spells, the fast bowler tore through the top-order of the tourists' batting yesterday to finish with five for 33 -- his sixth five-wicket innings haul in Test cricket.
     Jerome Taylor joined in the rout with two wickets, including captain Mushfiqur Rahim to keep the pressure on the beleaguered Bangladeshis.
     Only Tamim Iqbal offered any sustained resistance on a pitch that continues to offer assistance to the fast bowlers. He got to 48 before edging a probing delivery from Roach to wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin.
     Bangladesh go into day three needing another 76 runs to avoid the follow-on with Mahmudullah and tail-ender Shafiul Islam at the crease.
     Shivnarine Chanderpaul was the fulcrum of the home side's batting effort in the first .

Five-wicket Roach sends Bangladesh reeling

Hurricane Odile has swirled menacingly toward Mexico's Los Cabos resorts, leading authorities to evacuate high-risk areas and open shelters as the powerful storm threatened to thrash the Pacific coast.
	Odile weakened slightly yesterday to category three strength in the five-level Saffir-Simpson scale as it crept toward the Baja California peninsula, packing 125 mile (205 kilometre) per hour winds, according to the US National Hurricane Centre.
	"All preparedness actions to protect life and property should be rushed to completion," the Miami-based centre said, warning the hurricane could produce life-threatening floods and mudslides.
	The core of Odile will pass close to, or over, the southern tip of the peninsula, known for its luxury resorts, late yesterday and today, it added.
	Hotel occupancy in Los Cabos is low at this time of year, but authorities evacuated an unspecified number of people from vulnerable coastal areas and prepared shelters for 30,000 residents as heavy rain ...

AFP

AFP

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