More than 500 people were arrested after clashes in Indonesia's capital amid nationwide protests against a raft of divisive reforms -- including banning pre-marital sex and weakening the anti-graft agency -- authorities said Tuesday.
The arrests came after a night of pitched street battles between riot police and stone-throwing protesters -- many high school and university students -- in Jakarta's sprawling downtown core.
Security forces geared up for more unrest Tuesday as some 575 lawmakers were sworn in at the country's heavily barricaded parliament building.
Since last week, at least two students have died and hundreds more have been injured as a wave of unrest swept across the Southeast Asian archipelago, just weeks before President Joko Widodo kicks off another term as head of the world's third-biggest democracy.
The protests are among the biggest student rallies since mass street demonstrations in 1998 toppled the Suharto dictatorship.
"So far we have detained 519 rioters from .

Hundreds arrested after fresh Indonesia legal-reforms protests

PTI Automatic

An Iranian court has reduced the jail sentence against President Hassan Rouhani's brother to five years on charges of corruption, a judiciary spokesman said Tuesday.
"Regarding the case of Hossein Fereydoun, the sentence of seven years handed down by the court of first instance has been reduced to five years," Gholamhossein Esmaili told a press conference.
Esmaili said the sentence was final as there was no further avenue of appeal.
Fereydoun was also ordered to pay a fine and to pay back the bribes he was alleged to have received, the spokesman said without giving any figures.
Fereydoun acted as a key adviser and gatekeeper to the president before his arrest in July 2017.
The brothers do not share the same name because Rouhani changed his when he was younger to a word meaning "cleric".
Fereydoun's trial opened in February. Very few details have emerged in the Iranian press.

Iran court cuts Rouhani brother jail term to 5 years

North Korea and the US will hold working-level nuclear talks on Saturday, Pyongyang said, signalling the resumption of dialogue that has been effectively stalled since the collapse of a summit in February.
The two sides agreed to have "preliminary contact" on October 4 and hold negotiations the following day, the North's vice foreign minister Choe Son Hui said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.
"It is my expectation that the working-level negotiations would accelerate the positive development of the DPRK-US relations," she added without disclosing a venue.
US State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus later confirmed the talks, which she said would happen "within the next week".
Negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington have been gridlocked since a second summit between North Korea's Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump in February ended without a deal.
The two agreed to restart dialogue during an impromptu meeting at the Demilitarized Zone ...

North Korea says to hold nuclear talks with US on Saturday

Lucas Hernandez, the most expensive signing in Bayern Munich's history, says "unbelievable" fees are currently being paid on the transfer market, putting pressure on the players concerned to justify the astronomical sums.
The 23-year-old 2018 World Cup winner signed for 80 million euros ($87.2 million) from Atletico Madrid and  became a Bayern player in July after recovering from knee surgery in March.
The Frenchman cost nearly double the price of Bayern's previous record signings -- Corentin Tolisso, from Lyon in 2017/18 for 41.5 million euros, and Javi Martinez for 40 million euros from Bilbao in 2012/13.
The price Bayern paid for Hernandez is dwarfed by the world record 220 million euros Paris Saint Germain paid Barcelona for Brazil forward Neymar in August 2017.
"Transfer fees have recently become more and more exaggerated. Unbelievable sums are being paid," Hernandez told broadcaster DAZN.
He has played the full 90 minutes in four of his last seven games and is set to feature ...

Current transfer fees are "unbelievable", says Bayern's record signing

Iconic Belfast shipyard Harland and Wolff, which built the Titanic, has been rescued from bankruptcy by InfraStrata, the British energy infrastructure company announced Tuesday.
The giant of Northern Ireland's industrial past has been purchased for USD 7.4 million from administrators BDO, InfraStrata said in a statement.
This shipyard's main assets "comprise a multi-purpose fabrication facility, quaysides and docking facilities in the port of Belfast, ideally suited for the energy infrastructure industry," the statement said.
As well as building the doomed Titanic, which sank in 1912, Harland and Wolff built its two sister ships Olympic and Britannic, and also supplied almost 150 warships during World War II. It has since moved away from shipbuilding and was until recently working mostly on wind energy and marine engineering projects.
Harland and Wolff, whose history dates back to 1861, sank into administration in August after its Norwegian parent, Dolphin Drilling, filed for ...

Titanic shipyard rescued from bankruptcy

A Belgian commercial court in Ghent on Tuesday declared the local travel agency business of British tour operator Thomas Cook bankrupt, putting 500 jobs at risk.
Thomas Cook Retail Belgium is the group's largest Belgian subsidiary and the fourth and final one to collapse in the wake of the parent company's failure.
The 178-year-old core group was plagued by debt and declared bankruptcy last week after a lengthy period of financial turmoil, leaving 22,000 staff jobless.
The firm's main Belgian subsidiary ran 91 high street travel agents under the Thomas Cook and Neckermann brands, employing 501 staff.
Three smaller Belgian units, which went under last week, employed a further 75 people.
The retail wing had wanted to keep going, but the court heard that it had failed to find the five million euros (USD 5.5 million) needed to continue under judicial administration.
Meeting worker's representatives, management revealed on Monday that "discussions with various parties have not allowed us ..

Thomas Cook Belgian arm bankrupt, 500 jobs at risk

The United States confirmed on Tuesday that it will resume nuclear talks with North Korea in a matter of days.
"I can confirm that US and DPRK officials plan to meet within the next week," State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said.
She said she had no further details on the meeting.

US confirms nuclear talks with North Korea to resume

One person died and 10 people were injured in a "violent incident" at a vocational college in the eastern Finnish town of Kuopio, with the suspected attacker among the injured, police said on Tuesday.
"Officers used firearms during the situation. Police have detained one perpetrator. The injured have been evacuated," East Finland police said in a statement, while media reports said the assailant was armed with a sword.

One dead, 10 injured in attack at Finnish vocational college: police

Andy Murray said his return to tennis is going "in the right direction" after the former number one claimed his biggest scalp Tuesday since career-saving hip surgery.
The Briton defeated US Open semi-finalist Matteo Berrettini 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (9/7) in just over two hours at the China Open in smoggy Beijing.
Murray meets compatriot Cameron Norrie in the last 16 after a gutsy victory over the 13th-ranked Italian.
Murray, 32, a three-time Grand Slam winner, said he had made big strides since the first singles match of his return, a defeat at the Cincinnati Masters in mid-August.
Last week in Zhuhai he won his first ATP singles match since January's major operation.
"I didn't really feel like I was playing at a great level," he said of his match against Richard Gasquet in Cincinnati "Whereas even last week (in Zhuhai), although I lost in the second round, I felt like I was playing tour-level tennis."
"I think things are going in the right direction," added Murray.
Now ranked 503 in the ...

Murray going 'in right direction' after biggest win since return

World number one Novak Djokovic displayed steady recovery of his left shoulder injury Tuesday by defeating an Australian challenger at the Japan Open, his first competition since pulling out of the US Open.
The experienced Serbian top-seed claimed a 6-4, 6-2 victory against 20-year-old Alexei Popyrin, who fought bravely at the Ariake Colosseum.
Popyrin mixed big serves with delicate drop shots to stage courageous offensives against 32-year-old Djokovic.
But Djokovic, taking part in a Japanese competition for the first time, kept his calm to always stay a step above the Aussie, never giving his opponent a break point while breaking once in the first set and twice in the second set.
Djokovic nailed seven aces, against eight by Popyrin, and managed to win points on 84 percent of his successful first serves.
He finished the roughly 90-minute match by winning the final five games straight.
It was Djokovic's first singles competition since he withdrew from his US Open fourth-round match ...

Djokovic returns to winning in Japan after US Open injury

Naomi Osaka said that having her father as her coach had been "nostalgic" and revealed Tuesday that one of his favourite phrases to her is, "It's not rocket science."
The 21-year-old Japanese has dispensed with two coaches this year, leaving her Haitian father, Leonard Francois, as the person to guide her.
It has proved a successful combination so far, the world number four winning the Pan Pacific Open on home soil and on Tuesday emphatically reaching the last 16 of the China Open.
"It feels like it took me back a little bit because he's always been around, but he's been in the shadows for the most part," said the two-time Grand Slam champion, after breezing past Andrea Petkovic 6-2, 6-0 in Beijing.
"I would say he is a person that knows my game the most.
"He's the person that knows the trigger words, whether good or bad. Definitely it's been very nostalgic.
"I think we're getting along good."
Asked what those "trigger words" were, Osaka replied with a smile: "He likes saying, 'It's ..

Naomi Osaka's father tells star: 'It's not rocket science'

An umpire who asked a ball girl whether she was 'hot' during a men's tennis tournament in Italy has been banned from officiating pending an investigation, the ATP said Tuesday.
Umpire Gianluca Moscarella addressed the girl during a second-tier ATP men's tournament in Florence, Italy, last week, during which he was also accused of inappropriate conduct towards one of the players.
Video on social media showed the Moscarella telling the girl she was "very sexy, then asking: "are you hot...  physically or emotionally... or both?"
The incident occurred during the Challenger Tour match between Pedro Sousa and Enrico Dalla Valle during which the umpire offered encouragement to the former while Dalla Valle was absent from the court momentarily.
"We are aware of a number of incidents involving chair umpire Gianluca Moscarella during a match between Pedro Sousa and Enrico Dalla Valle at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Florence last week," the ATP said in a statement.
"Moscarella was ...

Umpire banned over comments to ball girl

Top running coach Alberto Salazar was barred from the World Athletics Championships on Tuesday following his four-year doping ban, officials confirmed.
In a statement following news of Salazar's suspension, the United States Track and Field Federation said it had moved to have the 61-year-old coach stripped of his credentials for Doha.
"USATF has taken the steps necessary to have Mr. Salazar's IAAF World Championships accreditation deactivated," the USATF said in a statement emailed to AFP.
An IAAF spokesperson later confirmed that Salazar's credentials for the championships have been revoked.
"USATF's commitment to clean sport and a level playing field for all athletes cannot be overstated," the US federation added.
"USATF's focus remains on the health and well-being of its athletes." Salazar was not a part of the US track and field team competing in Doha, but several athletes from his Nike Oregon Project stable are competing at the championships.
The status of athletes linked to ...

Salazar barred from World Championships after drug ban

Strife-torn Hong Kong on Tuesday marked the 70th anniversary of Communist China's founding with defiant "Day of Grief" protests and fresh clashes with police as pro-democracy activists ignored a ban on marches and took to the streets.
Activists are determined to overshadow Beijing's festivities, using the anniversary to step up their nearly four months of protests pushing for greater democratic freedoms and police accountability.
Thousands marched through the streets of Hong Kong island on Tuesday afternoon, despite authorities rejecting an application to hold a rally there as police warned people "to leave the scene as soon as possible".
Smaller crowds rallied in a number of other districts with clashes quickly breaking out.
In Tsuen Wan, masked protesters used umbrellas and sticks to beat riot officers after they made a series of arrests.
The officers retreated into a nearby town hall after they came under a barrage of projectiles.
In Wong Tai Sin, police fired brief volleys of tear 

Hong Kong defies China anniversary with 'Day of Grief' rallies and clashes

French carrier Air France will offset the carbon dioxide emissions of its 500-odd daily internal flights by 2020 at a cost of millions of euros, the company's CEO has announced.
In a bid to counteract its climate impact, the company will finance projects that support tree planting, forest protection and the global shift to less polluting energy, Anne Rigail told Le Parisien newspaper.
"It is an investment of several million euros, she said in an interview published late Monday, adding the company was acting "voluntarily".
Other projects would include banning single-use plastics such as cutlery from local flights as from January, and "to start separating and recycling waste" from October.
The airline industry has been under fire over its carbon emissions, which at 285 grammes of CO2 emitted per kilometre travelled by each passenger, far exceed all other modes of transport, according to the European Environment Agency.
Heavy duty transportation -- freight trucking, shipping and aviation 

Air France to offset daily CO2 emissions by next year

At least 11 policemen were killed and over a dozen captured Tuesday when Taliban fighters stormed their headquarters in northern Afghanistan, officials said.
A column of more than 400 Taliban fighters on motorbikes attacked Shortepa district police headquarters in Balkh province in the early hours, triggering a lengthy gunfight, provincial spokesman Munir Farhad told AFP.
"Eleven policemen were killed in the attack. The Taliban also suffered heavy losses," he said.
Karim Khan, the Shortepa district chief, told AFP the Taliban had captured 13 other policemen and set the headquarters' buildings on fire before leaving the area.
In a statement, the Taliban claimed responsibility, saying their fighters had overrun the district.
The attack comes days after millions of Afghans went to the polls to vote for their next president, despite hundreds of Taliban bombings and small-scale attacks at polling stations.
But officials have praised the Afghan security forces for preventing the Taliban ...

At least 11 Afghan police killed in Taliban attack

The son of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who has denied a financial settlement with the government, spoke out in defence of the kingdom Tuesday ahead of the first anniversary of the killing.
Khashoggi -- a royal family insider turned critic -- was killed and dismembered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018, in an operation that reportedly involved 15 agents sent from Riyadh.
His body was never found.
Eleven unidentified suspects have been on trial in Riyadh, with five of them facing the death penalty.
Salah Khashoggi said he had "full confidence" in the judicial system, and hit out at opponents he said were seeking to exploit the case.
"A year has gone by since the passing of my beloved father.
During this time, opponents and enemies in the East and West sought to exploit his case... to undermine my country and leadership," he said in a tweet.
"I will not accept that his memory and case be taken advantage of to achieve that after his passing," said Salah, 

Khashoggi son defends Saudi against critics 'exploiting' murder

Andy Murray claimed his biggest scalp since career-saving hip surgery with victory over 13th-ranked Matteo Berrettini at the China Open on Tuesday.
The 32-year-old defeated the US Open semi-finalist 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (9/7) in just over two hours in the first round in smoggy Beijing.
Murray last week won his first ATP singles match since a major operation in January, as he attempts to get back to a semblance of his best form after a long lay-off.
Now ranked 503 in the world, the three-time Grand Slam champion from Britain fought back from a break down to force a tiebreak in the first set against the Italian.
Murray showed glimpses of the steely determination which made him number one in 2016 as he grabbed the first set from the eighth-seeded Berrettini.
The second set went with serve and again to a tiebreak, with Murray saving two set points on the way to a gutsy win.

Murray beats US Open semi-finalist for best win since surgery

A guest of Chinese tennis player Zhang Shuai's father has been barred from the China Open after an online video showed a man beating someone in the VIP seats.
The footage showed a blue-shirted individual repeatedly hitting and kicking a younger man courtside at the tournament in Beijing that features most of the world's top players.
"The unfortunate incident... has been investigated and resolved," said a statement Tuesday issued by the WTA, the governing body of the women's game.
"The individual involved, a guest of Zhang Shuai's father, will not be returning to the China Open this week."
The WTA declined to give further details of the incident that happened on Sunday after Zhang, ranked 35th in the world, lost in three sets to Germany's Angelique Kerber.

China Open bans guest of player's father after violent scenes

Laden with medicines, the speedboat sets off before dawn, its path lit only by the full moon as it cuts between miles of thick mangroves towards Kenya's border with Somalia, where few dare to go.
Two hours later at sunrise, the boat arrives at Kiangwe village, one of several remote coastal communities whose only healthcare comes from these monthly visits by the Safari Doctors mobile medical team.
Volunteer doctors and nurses roll up their trousers and heave containers full of medical supplies onto their shoulders before wading ashore and hiking up a hill to a building that will serve as their clinic for a few hours.
Kiangwe and surrounding villages have been hard-hit by the Kenyan government's war with Somali extremist group Al-Shabaab, whose militants operate from within the nearby Boni Forest which straddles the border.
In the distance, between stick-and-mud houses topped with palm fronds, stands a shuttered clinic that was built but never occupied.
"We have several buildings laying 

Forsaken in terror war, Kenyan islands await doctors by boat

Leaders of Austria's far-right Freedom Party (FPOe) gather Tuesday in Vienna as they reel from heavy losses in Sunday's elections and corruption scandals hanging over the party intensify.
The man at the centre of those scandals, its former leader Heinz-Christian Strache, has invited journalists to a "personal statement" on Tuesday morning as speculation mounts that he will be suspended or even expelled from the party.
Voters delivered a stinging rebuke to the FPOe, which plunged 10 points to 16 percent in the aftermath of May's so-called "Ibiza-gate" affair.
That scandal brought down Strache and saw the FPOe's government with the centre-right People's Party (OeVP) collapse.
Since the result on Sunday evening, one grim-faced FPOe politician after another has toured the TV studios to make clear that the party needs a spell in opposition to put its house in order -- a process that may well mean the knives are out for Strache.
On Monday evening the leader of the party in Upper Austria ...

AFP

AFP

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