France's lower house of parliament approved Tuesday a sweeping bioethics bill to give single women and lesbians access to fertility treatments, a move which critics vowed to fight as the legislation moves to the Senate.
National Assembly lawmakers voted 359 to 114, with 72 abstentions, in favour of the first major social reform of President Emmanuel Macron's term.
Macron pledged during his 2017 election campaign to support the bill despite deep resistance among rightwing opponents as well as conservative Roman Catholics and other religious groups.
"These measures, while respecting our ethical principles, recognise the family in all its diversity," France's health, justice and research ministers said in a joint statement after the vote.
But the text now heads in January to the Senate, where Macron's centrist party is far outnumbered by the rightwing Republicans.
Tuesday's vote "does not in any way mean this is done," said Ludovine de la Rochere, president of the Protest for Everyone ...

French assembly approves IVF for single women, lesbians

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UEFA have launched disciplinary proceedings against Bulgaria after racist chanting from their fans during their Euro 2020 qualifier defeat by England, the governing body announced on Tuesday.
In a statement, UEFA said that they were investigating racist behaviour, the throwing of objects and the disruption of the national anthem after the match in Sofia had to be halted twice after monkey noises and Nazi salutes from a section of the home support.
England won the Group A match 6-0.

UEFA opens probe into Bulgarian racism against England

UEFA announced on Tuesday that it is opening disciplinary proceedings against Turkey into "potential provocative political behaviour" by their players after making military salutes in their last two matches.
In both their Euro 2020 qualifiers against Albania on Friday and France on Tuesday, Turkish players made the salutes -- seen as supporting Turkey's current military operation in Syria -- as they celebrated late goals.
UEFA said in a statement that it has appointed an 'Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector' to investigate.

UEFA investigates Turkey for military salute in Euro qualifiers

Rescuers in Japan were working around the clock Tuesday in an increasingly desperate search for survivors of a powerful weekend typhoon that killed more than 70 people and caused widespread destruction.
Hagibis slammed into Japan on Saturday, unleashing fierce winds and unprecedented rain that triggered landslides and caused dozens of rivers to burst their banks.
By Tuesday night, public broadcaster NHK put the toll at 72, with around a dozen people missing. The government's tally was lower, but it said it was still updating information.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said there was no plan to slow rescue operations, with around 110,000 police, coast guard, firefighters and military troops involved.  "Rescue work and searches for the missing are continuing around the clock," Abe told parliament.
"Where rivers flooded, work is ongoing to fix spots where banks broke, and water is being pumped out where floods occurred," he added.
His office said more than 3,000 people were rescued in the ...

Japan rescuers still scrambling as typhoon toll tops 70

The Bulgarian Football Union was raided by special prosecutors and police on Tuesday just hours after its head resigned over racist chants that marred Bulgaria's Euro 2020 qualifier defeat to England, an official said.
According to the public Bulgarian national radio, 30 specialised prosecutors, anti-organised crime officers and police entered the headquarters of the BFU on Sofia's outskirts, conducting searches and confiscating documents.
Special prosecution spokesman Bozhidar Dimitrov confirmed the raid to AFP but gave no further details, while radio reports said five officials were also reportedly taken in for questioning.
It was not immediately clear if the searches were related to the resignation earlier on Tuesday of BFU President Borislav Mihaylov, as neither the BFU nor police provided any details.
Mihaylov, who had headed the BFU since 2005, caved in to pressure to resign earlier Tuesday after monkey noises and apparent Nazi salutes from some of the crowd forced Monday's 6-0 .

Bulgarian football federation raided after England racism storm

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed deals worth over $1.3 billion with the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, wrapping up a tour of the Gulf where he also courted investment in Saudi Arabia.
A day after inking a major oil cooperation deal with Riyadh, Putin was greeted by Abu Dhabi's powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.  "You will not be disappointed by your Russian partners," Putin said.
The pair struck six agreements, including one on shared investments between Russia's sovereign wealth fund and the Emirati investment fund Mubadala.  Deals worth more than $1.3 billion, notably in the energy, advanced technology and health sectors, were tabled during Putin's visit, according to the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF).
"This historic visit reflects the strength of UAE-Russia relations, which we will continue to jointly promote at all levels for the mutual benefit of our nations," Abu Dhabi's crown prince tweeted.
In 2018, commerce between the two countries tabled ...

Putin talks investments and space in Abu Dhabi

The Scottish National Party will call for a new referendum on independence next year, its leader said on Tuesday, after polls indicated growing support of a breakaway from the rest of Britain.
Nicola Sturgeon told delegates at the party's annual conference in Aberdeen it was "beyond doubt" that it was time to offer a choice on the issue.
"My call is that the referendum must happen next year," she said, adding that legal preparations were under way for the vote and would be completed in the new year.
"Before the end of this year, I will demand the transfer of power that puts the legality of a referendum beyond any doubt." The devolved government in Edinburgh, which Sturgeon leads as first minister, has to seek permission from British parliament in London to hold a second referendum.  Members of the Scottish parliament in 2017 gave their backing for a request but the then-prime minister Theresa May said it was "not the time" to be talking about a new independence vote.
Scottish voters ..

Scottish nationalists want new independence referendum in 2020

Australia ran riot in a 7-1 demolition of Taiwan on Tuesday to continue their runaway start to qualifying for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Adam Taggart, Jackson Irvine and defender Harry Souttar all scored twice along with Jamie Maclaren's solitary strike as the Socceroos solidified their lead of Asia's Group B.
Australia, who have already had 3-0 and 5-0 wins over Kuwait and Nepal, conceded their first goal of the qualifying campaign through Chen Yi-wei's 21st-minute header.
But the Aussies were already two goals to the good by then after Taggart scored in the 12th and 19th minutes -- his first goals for the Socceroos in six years.
"We were looking to get crosses in the box, especially early when they weren't set, and they worked a couple of times and we got some goals in there," Taggart said after the match.
Taggart's opener was a header from Rhyan Grant's pinpoint cross, and he tapped in his second after slick work on the left from Brad Smith and Awer Mabil.
Taiwan scored with ...

Seven-up Australia thrash Taiwan in World Cup qualifying

Turkey's sports minister voiced support on Tuesday for national team players who saluted the country's soldiers during their Euro 2020 match with France.
Sports Minister Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoglu described the controversial goal celebration -- in which players were seen as supporting Turkey's current military operation in Syria -- as a "nice salute".
France drew 1-1 with Turkey in the Euro 2020 qualifier amid mounting tensions after Paris condemned Turkey's military operation against Kurdish militants in Syria.
European football's ruling body UEFA had already said it would "examine" a military salute given by Turkish players during an earlier match against Albania.
But the sports minister said the controversy was unwarranted, and pointed to the fact that French star Antoine Griezmann had also given a military salute to President Emmanuel Macron in June.
"Those who remained quiet about Griezmann's military salute are trying to distort our national footballers' nice salute," Kasapoglu ..

Turkey defends footballers saluting soldiers

Google on Tuesday unveiled its newest Pixel handsets, aiming to boost its smartphone market share with features including gesture recognition that lets users simply wave their hands to get things done.
Pixel 4 models made their public debut as the internet titan updated its hardware line ahead of the year-end shopping season.
Google said Pixel 4 has a starting price of USD 799 in the United States and will be available starting October 24.
The new devices aim to ramp up Google challenge in the premium smartphone segment dominated by Apple and Samsung, and with Chinese-based Huawei pressured by US sanctions.
Google's New York City event unveiled included updates to Nest smart home cameras and speakers that come on the heels of Amazon's new Alexa-powered products.  While Pixel smartphones don't command much of the overall market, which is dominated by Android handsets from Samsung, they provide an opportunity to showcase the operating system's capabilities made available to device ...

Google in smartphone push with motion-sensing Pixel 4

The organisers of the inaugural World Beach Games that kicked off this week have heaped praise on Qatar for stepping in to host the event at short notice after San Diego pulled out.
More than 1,500 athletes competing in sports from beach volleyball to skateboarding have descended on the tiny peninsula emirate for the event, which organisers hope will raise the profile of smaller sports.
"It's a great choice because Qatar is used to organising big sports competitions," said Gunilla Lindberg, secretary general of the Association of National Olympic Committees.
"I'm absolutely sure (Qatar) was the right choice."
ANOC was left to scout out alternatives to San Diego when the California coastal city pulled out in May after four years of planning, citing financial constraints.
While several other cities put in a bid to host, Doha won out because of its experience staging major events and ready-made infrastructure, Lindberg told AFP.
The event, partially held at Doha's beachside Katara ...

Qatar swims to the rescue of first beach games

Bulgaria's prime minister on Tuesday urged the country's football union president Borislav Mihaylov to resign after a match against England was twice halted because of racist abuse.
"I urge Borislav Mihaylov to hand in his resignation immediately!" Prime Minister Boyko Borisov wrote on Facebook, adding it was "inadmissible that Bulgaria... is associated with racism and xenophobia".
The Euro 2020 qualifier in Sofia, which England won 6-0, was halted after England players were targeted by racist chanting.
Borisov said he "categorically condemned the behaviour of some of those present at the stadium," insisting that EU member Bulgaria was "one of the most tolerant countries in the world".
Borisov said the government would sever all ties, including financial, with the Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) over what he called "a shameful loss" and the overall poor standing of Bulgarian football until Mihaylov resigned.
BFU media chief Hristo Zapryanov said his union was not to blame for the ...

Bulgaria PM urges football chief to resign after England match racism

The 2020 Tour de France promises to be one for the climbers after organisers revealed a route on Tuesday which includes 29 mountains across eight mountain stages with five summit finishes including the individual time trial.
The race, which starts a week earlier than usual on June 27 to accomodate the Tokyo Olympics, also has three hilly stages and should suit the 2019 champion Egan Bernal and his Ineos teammate Chris Froome as well as the French duo of Thibaut Pinot and Romain Bardet.
The 3,470km race rarely strays from the mountains even though there are nine flat stages.
"There are 29 mountains, it will be physically challenging throughout," said Tour chief Christian Prudhomme.
"Even the so called flat stages will be very tough for the pure sprinters. There are traps everywhere along the route." The race crosses the sub-Alpine Jura Mountains, the Massif Central, the Vosges, a low range of mountains close to the German border, as well as the tradition giants -- the Pyrenees and the .

Epic mountain slog unveiled for 2020 Tour de France

Nepali adventurer Nirmal Purja is on track to make history after Chinese authorities granted him a special permit Tuesday to climb the final mountain of a 14-peak quest despite closing the peak for the season.
Purja, 36, who served in the British special forces, embarked in April on his ambitious "Project Possible" to scale the 14 peaks above 8,000 metres (26,356 feet) on Earth in seven months, starting with with Nepal's Annapurna.
But his plans hit a roadblock after the Chinese government decided to close the 8,027 metre (26,335 feet) Mount Shishapangma for the season.
A permit was granted after intensive lobbying including from the Nepali government.
"I'm full of mixed emotions. I am thankful everyone is helping, treating it like their own project," Purja told AFP, confirming he had received the permit.  Purja hopes to summit Shishapangma by October 23, a month ahead of his target.  It took Polish climber Jerzy Kukuczka seven years, 11 months and 14 days to complete the same ...

Nepali climber set for final summit in record 14-peak bid

Liverpool chief executive Peter Moore says a long-overdue Premier League title would sit alongside their Champions League triumph as a "barometer of success" for the club.
Jurgen Klopp's side won a sixth European Cup in June, less than a month after they were pipped by Manchester City to the league title by a single point.  The league resumes on Saturday with Liverpool eight points clear of City and favourites to win their first top-flight title for 30 years.
"I think that is what our fans want," Moore told the Press Association. "We were so close last year, 97 points, and in any other year we would have won it.
"But the club goes on and I think that (a league title), for many of our fans, would sit alongside our Champions League triumph as the barometer of success."
City have been the domestic benchmark for their rivals, with four Premier League titles, four League Cups and two FA Cups since 2011, but Moore said Liverpool were following their own path.
"What Liverpool had to do was ..

Liverpool eye Premier League title as 'barometer of success'

The UN Security Council will convene again Wednesday to discuss Turkey's military incursion in northeast Syria, diplomats said.
This session was requested by European countries with seats on the 15-member council, the diplomats said Tuesday.
At a first meeting last Thursday, the council was divided, and only the European members issued a statement calling for an end to the Turkish offensive.
On Friday, Russia and China blocked a US-sponsored text that also called for and end to the Turkish assault.

UN Security Council to meet Wednesday on Turkish Syria assault: diplomats

The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday sharply downgraded growth projections for Saudi Arabia and Iran, the two largest Mideast economies, citing the impact of US sanctions, geopolitical tensions and low oil prices.
In its World Economic Outlook, the global lender cut forecasts for almost all countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) as the region is buffeted by biting sanctions on Iran and nail-biting anxiety over last month's attacks on Saudi oil facilities.
The IMF said Iran's economy will contract by a massive 9.5 percent this year, its worst performance since 1984 when the Islamic republic was at war with neighbouring Iraq.
The figure is 3.5 percentage points lower than the IMF's April projections, reflecting a rapid deterioration in Tehran's economy after the US implemented tighter sanctions on its oil exports, the nation's main source of income.
This is the second year in a row that Iran's economy is mired in recession, after it shrank by 4.8 percent in ...

IMF sharply cuts Iran, Saudi growth forecasts

Poland's Nobel literature winner Olga Tokarczuk on Tuesday decried rising self-censorship in her country, while steering clear of the controversy engulfing fellow laureate Peter Handke.
Speaking at the opening press conference of the Frankfurt book fair, the dreadlocked author and outspoken critic of the ruling Law and Justice party (PiS) said there was "a kind of culture war" raging at home between the right-wing government and the opposition.
"There is no official censorship in literature, but I feel a certain fear when I see that a kind of self-censorship is developing in Poland," Tokarczuk said through a translator.
"Authors are somehow afraid of expressing what they really think or feel because they fear political consequences. I can only hope this development will not continue."
Tokarczuk, whose sweeping historical novels with a touch of mysticism have made her one of Poland's leading writers, last week warned that Poles faced a choice between "democracy and authoritarianism" as 

Nobel winner fears rising self-censorship in Poland

A transgender candidate has been elected as councillor for a rural Bangladeshi town, the first in the ultra-conservative Muslim-majority nation where laws still discriminate against sexual minorities.
Pinki Khatun was elected as vice chair of a town council in the country's west on Monday after beating her nearest rival by more than 4,000 votes, local police chief Mahbubul Alam said.
"I am very delighted. I campaigned door-to-door and people have responded positively," the garment shop owner told AFP. "I did not face any discrimination or hate campaigns."
Bangladesh has allowed transgenders, known as hijra -- an umbrella term referring to someone who is born male but does not refer to themselves as a man or woman -- to identify as a separate gender since 2013.
This year, they were allowed to register to vote identifying as this gender.
The 37-year-old councillor is a youth wing official of the ruling Awami League and campaigned as an independent candidate in the 200,000-population ...

Transgender councillor elected in Bangladesh first

A diet heavy on cheap, modern food like instant noodles that fills bellies but lacks key nutrients has left millions of children unhealthily thin or overweight in southeast Asia, experts say.
The Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia have booming economies and rising standards of living, yet many working parents do not have the time, money or awareness to steer clear of food hurting their kids.
In those three nations, an average of 40 percent of children aged five and below are malnourished, higher than the global average of one-in-three, according to a report out Tuesday from UNICEF, the UN children's agency.
"Parents believe that filling their children's stomach is the most important thing. They don't really think about an adequate intake of protein, calcium or fibre," Hasbullah Thabrany, a public health expert in Indonesia, told AFP.
UNICEF said the harm done to children is both a symptom of past deprivation and a predictor of future poverty, while iron deficiency impairs a child's ..

High on ease, low on nutrition: instant-noodle diet harms Asian kids

Bubble tea fans can frolic in a pool of 100,000 plastic purple pearls, take photos on a bubble tea IV drip, and swing on a giant wrecking ball at a new exhibit in Singapore.
The pop-up aims to be a "one-stop happy place" for visitors who love the tea-based beverage loaded with milk, sugar and tapioca pearls.
Originally from Taiwan, it is now popular across Asia -- including in Singapore, which is home to over 37 bubble tea chains, according to the Straits Times newspaper Exhibit organiser Tan Weiting said people get "really passionate" about the drink.
"When I was in the office, people sitting behind me, they're always discussing about bubble tea, what's their favourite flavour, which store has the best pearls... they even start fighting over which one's the best one," said Tan.
The exhibit opens to the public on Saturday. It will run for about two months, and Tan is planning a tour around Asia.
Music is played in the pastel-coloured rooms and Tan partnered with a "scent vendor" to ...

AFP

AFP

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