Three-time MotoGP world champion Jorge Lorenzo said Thursday he would retire following the Valencia Grand Prix.
The 32-year-old Spaniard, who rides for Honda and claimed the world title in 2010, 2012 and 2015, told a press conference that he was pulling out following Sunday's Valencia race.
The rider, who was also twice crowned 250cc champion, has suffered from poor form and injuries this season.

Triple MotoGP world champion Lorenzo retires

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A suspected US jihadist, trapped for days between the Turkish and Greek borders, will be sent back to the United States following talks with Washington, Turkey's interior ministry said Thursday.
The man, identified as Muhammad Darwis B, a US citizen of Jordanian descent, was captured in Syria on suspicion of ties to the Islamic State group, according to state news agency Anadolu.
Turkish authorities say the US initially refused to accept him, and that he chose deportation to Greece, only for Greek authorities to refuse him entry on Monday.
He has since been trapped in no-man's land between the borders, next to Turkey's northeastern province of Edirne.
Turkish border guards have provided him with food and a car to sleep in at night, Anadolu said.
There was an apparent breakthrough on Thursday, with the Turkish interior ministry saying: "The necessary proceedings are being undertaken to send back the foreign terrorist fighter to America after the US committed to taking him back to the ..

Jihadist trapped between Turkey, Greece to return to US

With wooden catapults to launch petrol bombs and bows and arrows pilfered from sports departments, Hong Kong's democracy protesters are combining new tactics with medieval tech as they battle police.
Roads in the financial hub have been blockaded with bamboo lattices this week, while mini Stonehenge-like structures have been built from dug-up pavement as the southern Chinese city lurches deeper into crisis.
Universities have become the epicentre of battle, with students -- joined by other black-clad 'braves' of the frontline protest movement -- saying they have been pressed into the defence of their campuses by police threats.
As a rolling strike cripples the transport system of the famously frenetic city and fuels already intense clashes with police, hardcore protesters have bolstered their arsenal of Molotovs and bricks with an unlikely array of weapons.
Those include sports gear -- javelins and bows and arrows lifted from university storerooms, as well as tennis racquets to bat ...

Catapults, flaming arrows: Hong Kong protesters' medieval tech

Brazil will not get involved in a trade war, President Jair Bolsonaro said Thursday, after US-foes China and Russia criticised growing protectionism as the global economy slows.
Bolsonaro, who has been walking a diplomatic tightrope at the BRICS summit in Brazil this week as he seeks to strengthen ties with China without upsetting key ally Donald Trump, said Brazil "trades with the entire world."
"I won't enter into this trade war," he told local media outside his residence in the Brazilian capital.
"We want the best for our people through this kind of relationship." Bolsonaro's remarks come after Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin used a business forum on the sidelines of the BRICS get-together to attack unfair trade practices, in remarks apparently directed at the United States.
Beijing is involved in a protracted trade war with Washington that has roiled the global economy.
"Mounting protectionism and bullyism have eroded international trade and ...

Bolsonaro says Brazil to stay out of trade war

The world's oldest captive white rhino, South African-born Sana, has died at the age of 55, the French zoo that she called home for the last 26 years said Thursday.
Born in 1964 in the Umfolozi National Park in South Africa's eastern KwaZulu-Natal province, the southern white rhino was transported to Europe seven years later as a zoo attraction.
Sana lived in several parks in Germany before arriving in 1993 at Planete Sauvage, a zoo in western France near the city of Nantes that had opened the previous year.
The life expectancy of white rhinos in the wild is about 50 years, according to the Save the Rhino advocacy group.
Sana required special care in her later years, the park said in a statement.
Notably, she was no longer able to roll in the mud, a popular and crucial pastime that helps rhinos regulate their body temperature, prevent sunburn and ward off pesky insects.
"Once a week, they coated her in green clay to help her skin stay hydrated and to stave off infections," the park ...

World's oldest captive white rhino dies in French zoo

Vietnam is struggling to curb fraud in exports destined for America, custom officials said Thursday, as manufacturers seek to dodge punishing tariffs due to the US-China trade spat by illegally using "Made in Vietnam" labels.
Exporters have started shifting production from China to Vietnam to avoid steep tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of Chinese goods.
The move has also prompted concerns on a rise in manufacturers illegally claiming their products are from Vietnam when they in fact originate in China -- and authorities have vowed to crack down with more stringent inspections and punishments.
Custom officials in Hanoi said Thursday they currently lack the resources to properly tackle the issue, and only five percent of all import-export declaration forms are verified.
"We can't check all the goods. Only when we identify the risks or signs of violations will the customs authorities check," said Au Anh Tuan, director of customs ...

Hanoi struggles to curb fake "Made in Vietnam" goods

Former Catalan minister Clara Ponsati, wanted in Spain for her role in the region's unilateral bid for independence in 2017, was arrested by Scottish police on Thursday.
Ponsati, 62, handed herself in at a police station in Edinburgh before a scheduled court appearance to face a sedition charge stemming from Catalonia's unsanctioned referendum.
A small group of demonstrators displaying Catalan and Scottish independence flags and banners greeted her outside St Leonard's police station.
Madrid first attempted to extradite the St Andrews University academic, a former education minister in the regional government of deposed Catalan president Carles Puigdemont, last year.
But a Spanish Supreme Court judge abruptly dropped European and international arrest warrants for her and several other separatist leaders in July, 2018.
However, the same court on October 14 sentenced nine Catalan separatist leaders to lengthy prison terms over the failed 2017 independence bid and issued a fresh arrest ..

Catalan ex-minister Ponsati arrested in Scotland

Retail giant Walmart saw profits surge in the latest quarter on an explosion in online sales and a boost from Indian retailer Flipkart, according to results released Thursday.
"The sales environment in the US continues to be positive, while internationally its softer and we're responding appropriately," Walmart chief Doug McMillon said in a statement.
The world's largest retailer's net income jumped more than 92 per cent to nearly USD 3.3 billion in the three months ended October 31 compared to the same quarter a year earlier, the company reported.
Total revenue rose 2.5 per cent or USD 3.1 billion, to USD 128 billion.
This resulted in adjusted earnings per share, a key US benchmark, of USD 1.16, well above the median estimate of USD 1.09 expected by analysts.
The company now projects the full year results to be "up slightly" -- a modest improvement over its previous outlook.
US ecommerce sales surged 41 percent, including a big jump in online grocery sales.
US sales rose at Walmart ..

Walmart Q3 earnings surge to USD 3.3 bn, beating expectations

A Taliban spokesman said Thursday the insurgents were still holding two Western hostages, as officials stayed tight-lipped over the outcome of an apparent prisoner swap announced by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani earlier this week.
Ghani announced on Tuesday that his government would "conditionally" release three high-ranking Taliban insurgents, including Anas Haqqani, brother to the leader of the eponymous Haqqani Network, one of the Taliban's deadliest and most feared factions.
He did not specify the fate of the Western hostages -- an Australian and an American -- but noted that their health had been deteriorating, and that their release would help pave the way for peace negotiations.
Two days later, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed to AFP that no swap had yet taken place.
"The three people have not been handed over to us, and we have not freed our prisoners yet," he said.
The reasons for the delay were not clear. Afghan officials remained tight-lipped Thursday, and the 

Taliban still holding Western hostages: spokesman

The Kuwaiti prime minister submitted his resignation Thursday along with his cabinet, officials said, amid allegations of infighting between ministers and criticism of their performance.
Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Sabah "submitted the resignation of the cabinet to the emir... in order to allow for a cabinet reshuffle," government spokesman Tareq al-Mazrem said in a statement.
Minister of Finance Nayef al-Hajraf resigned last month to avoid being questioned in parliament over violating Islamic law by charging interest on loans taken by retired Kuwaitis from the state-run pension agency.
And Public Works Minister Jenan Bushehri announced her resignation following a lengthy grilling in parliament during which she came under fire for alleged mismanagement of her portfolios and poor use of public funds.
On Tuesday, parliament also grilled Interior Minister Sheikh Khaled al-Jarrah Al-Sabah, a member of the ruling family, over similar accusations and MPs filed a no-confidence ...

Kuwait PM, cabinet quit after disputes with parliament

Investigators looking into the downing of flight MH17 over Ukraine released intercepted phone calls on Thursday showing close links between "high-ranking" Russian officials and rebel suspects facing trial over the crash.
The international probe said the communications raised questions about the possible involvement of top officials in Moscow in the deployment of the missile that shot down the Malaysia Airlines plane in 2014.
The intercepts also showed that ties between the Kremlin and fighters from the separatist Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) in eastern Ukraine were "much closer" than originally believed, the probe said.
"There was almost daily telephone contact between the leadership of the DPR and their contacts in the Russian Federation," the Dutch-led Joint Investigation Team said in a statement.
"They spoke with leaders in Moscow, near the border with Ukraine and in Crimea. Communication mostly took place via secure telephones provided by the Russian security service."
The ...

MH17 calls 'show ties between Russian officials, rebels'

Four protesters were killed by tear gas canisters in Baghdad on Thursday as security forces try to snuff out the largest grassroots movement to sweep Iraq in years.
Iraq's political elite has come under renewed pressure in recent days from both the street and the international community to seriously address calls for sweeping reform.
There has been mounting international criticism of the authorities' response to the protests, which have left more than 330 dead since October 1.
Early Thursday, four protesters were killed by tear gas canisters near the main Baghdad protest camp in Tahrir (Liberation) Square, medical sources told AFP.
Skirmishes broke out between security forces and protesters, with clusters of young men wearing surgical masks and construction helmets tossing tear gas canisters back at riot police stationed behind concrete blast walls.
The protesters have occupied the square for three weeks, braving live rounds, stun grenades and even machine gun fire.
Security forces ...

Tear gas grenades kill Iraq protesters as authorities feel heat

More than 250 Sri Lankan convicts aged over 65 have been given amnesty just days after the president sparked outrage by pardoning the well-connected killer of a Swedish teen, officials said Thursday.
Jude Jayamaha, the scion of a wealthy Sri Lankan family and convicted in 2005 of murdering Yvonne Jonsson, walked free from death row on Saturday after Maithripala Sirisena's pardon.
His release prompted outrage from the victim's family, rights groups, and people on social media -- and also initiated a mini-rebellion from inmates at the country's main high-security prison, who demanded similar treatment.
In an apparent bid to calm the situation, Sirisena -- due to step down after elections on Saturday -- issued a pardon for some 267 prisoners aged over 65.
"We have now got orders from the president and the prisoners will walk free today and tomorrow," a justice ministry official told AFP.
Officials said all those granted pardons were serving time for offences other than rape or murder.  ..

After Swede killer's pardon, Sri Lanka frees 267 more prisoners

Facebook on Wednesday said that its software is getting more skilled at spying banned content at the social network, then working with humans to quickly remove terrorist videos and more.
"While we err on the side of free expression, we generally draw the line at anything that could result in real harm," Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said during a briefing on the company's latest report on ferreting out posts that violate its policies.
"This is a tiny fraction of the content on Facebook and Instagram, and we remove much of it before anyone sees it." Facebook has been investing heavily in artificial intelligence (AI) to automatically spot banned content, often before it is seen by users, and human teams of reviewers who check whether the software was on target.
Facebook has more than 35,000 people working on safety and security, and spends billions of dollars annually on that mission, according to Zuckerberg.
"Our efforts are paying off," Zuckerberg said. "Systems we built ...

Facebook says AI getting better at spying unwanted content

The French army general charged with overseeing the rebuilding of Paris' fire-mangled Notre-Dame, has caused astonishment by publicly telling the cathedral's chief architect to "shut his mouth" in a sign of tension over the monument's future look.
General Jean-Louis Georgelin and chief architect Philippe Villeneuve are at odds over whether to replace the cathedral's spire -- which was toppled in the April 15 blaze -- with an exact replica, or mix things up with a modern twist.
President Emmanuel Macron, who appointed Georgelin to head the massive reconstruction project, has said he is in favour of adding a "contemporary" touch.
But Villeneuve insists the tower must be redone exactly as it was before.
Tensions boiled over into an open squabble at a meeting of the cultural affairs committee of the National Assembly -- the lower house of parliament-- late Wednesday.
"As for the chief architect, I have already explained that he should shut his mouth," Georgelin erupted, to gasps of ...

Tempers flare over rebuilding of Notre-Dame spire

The United Arab Emirates and Egypt launched a $20 billion joint investment programme on Thursday to develop "economic and social projects".
Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan made the announcement during a visit to the Emirati capital by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.
"We launched a joint strategic investment platform between the UAE and Egypt worth $20 billion to implement vital economic and social projects for our brotherly countries," Sheikh Mohammed said in a tweet.
He added that he discussed with Sisi ways to strengthen relations and enhance coordination.
The UAE has been a firm regional backer of former army chief Sisi since the military overthrew Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.
The UAE and Egypt are also part of a Saudi-led alliance that cut relations with Qatar in June 2017, accusing it of bankrolling Islamist extremist groups and of being too close to regional rival Iran. Doha denied the accusations.
Cairo has been seeking ...

UAE, Egypt launch $20 bn joint investment programme: official

Armed men stabbed and injured a writer in Sri Lanka on Thursday, a week after he published a book criticising the main opposition candidate at Saturday's presidential polls, police said.
The attackers stormed the home of Lasantha Wijeratne, who released his book "Wasteful Development and Corruption" last week and gave a copy to ruling party candidate Sajith Premadasa.
"Four men broke into the house and stabbed him in the arm after holding a pistol to his wife's head,"Wijeratne's lawyer Tharaka Nanayakkara told AFP by telephone.
"They smashed furniture before escaping." Nanayakkara said the attackers accused Wijeratne of harming the campaign of Gotabaya Rajapaksa who is believed to be in a close race with Premadasa for the top job.
Gotabaya is the brother of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, during whose decade in power until 2015 at least 14 journalists were killed according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
Police said they launched an investigation into the incident in the south 

Sri Lanka author attacked ahead of key polls

Sri Lanka holds presidential elections on Saturday with a possible comeback by the powerful Rajapaksa clan sparking fears of a return to murky disappearances, murders and Chinese submarines docking in Colombo.
The frontrunners among the record 35 candidates -- who include two monks but just one woman -- are Sajith Premadasa, 52, son of assassinated president Ranasinghe Premadasa, and Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.
Gotabhaya, 70, is the younger brother of Mahinda Rajapaksa, president from 2005-15 and adored among the majority Sinhalese community for ending in 2009 the 37-year civil war with Tamil separatists in which 100,000 people died.
The horrific closing stages saw at least 40,000 Tamil civilians allegedly killed by government troops -- at a time when Gotabhaya was effectively in charge of the security forces.
He is also accused of running a "death squad" that bundled dozens of Tamils, political opponents, journalists and others into vans and dumping their bodies on the road -- something he .

Sri Lanka weighs return to murky past in presidential poll

Turkish police are treating as suicide the death of an ex-British Army officer who helped start Syria's White Helmets, but his wife has been banned from leaving the country, local media said Thursday.
Police are analysing James Le Mesurier's hospital records where he sought help for mental health issues, the private DHA news agency said.
Le Mesurier was discovered with fractures to his legs and head outside his Istanbul apartment building early on Monday.
He founded Mayday Rescue, which helped train the White Helmets, a voluntary search-and-rescue group that was established to respond to bombings by the Syrian government in opposition-held areas.
Authorities have barred his wife, Emma Hedvig Christina Winberg, from leaving Turkey until the investigation has been completed, Turkish agency DHA reported.
Winberg gave a three-hour statement to police on Wednesday, it added.
Turkish media have reported that Le Mesurier recently sought medical help for stress, and was using sleeping pills ..

Turkey treating death of UK backer of Syria's White Helmets as suicide

The United Arab Emirates and Egypt on Thursday launched a USD 20 billion joint investment programme to develop "economic and social projects".
Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan made the announcement during a visit to the Emirati capital by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.
"We launched a joint strategic investment platform between the UAE and Egypt worth USD 20 billion to implement vital economic and social projects for our brotherly countries," Sheikh Mohammed said in a tweet.

UAE, Egypt launch USD 20 bn joint investment programme: official

Chinese state media deleted a tweet Thursday claiming Hong Kong's government was to announce a weekend curfew, after some of the worst violence in months of pro-democracy unrest.
The tweet from the fiercely nationalistic Global Times was live for little over half an hour before it vanished.
"#HKSAR government is expected to announce curfew for weekend," the paper said in a post in English on its verified Twitter account.
The tabloid had cited unnamed sources in the tweet, which was quickly deleted.
The editor of the Global Times, Hu Xijin, later tweeted that he had asked for it to be deleted because the sourcing was "not sufficient".
"I just checked how the information was obtained. My conclusion is that the information is not sufficient to support this exclusive news," Hu tweeted shortly after the original tweet was removed.
Hong Kong Police spokesman John Tse said he was not in a position to comment on rumours of a curfew, because the decision rested with the territory's chief ...

AFP

AFP

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