A Rohingya couple was shot dead during a gunfight in a border town camp hours after they were detained by Bangladesh police, officials said Sunday, the latest killings amid growing tensions between the refugees and authorities.
Police in Teknaf town said the refugee couple -- Dil Mohammad, 32, and his 26-year-old wife Jaheda Begum -- were members of a Rohingya "bandit group".
Authorities claim the gang killed a local ruling party official, Omar Faruk, in a refugee settlement in southeastern Bangladesh last month.
At least 13 Rohingya refugees have been killed in alleged gunfights between criminals and officers since Faruk's murder on August 22, police inspector Ali Arshad said.
"Eleven of them were involved in Faruk's murder," he told AFP, but said that while part of the gang, the couple were not accused of carrying out the shooting.
Police officer Mohammad Babul told AFP the pair were detained by investigators late Saturday and led officials to a suspected gang hideout in search of ..

Rohingya 'bandit' couple killed in Bangladesh gunfight

PTI Automatic

The World Health Organization has accused Tanzania of failing to provide information on suspected cases of Ebola in the country, potentially hindering efforts to curb the spread of the deadly virus.
East African nations have been on high alert over an outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has left 2,103 people dead.
Four people were diagnosed with the virus in Uganda and later died.
The WHO said it had learned on September 10 of a suspected case of the disease in Tanzania's port city of Dar es Salaam, and information emerged that this patient's contacts had been quarantined, and that the person had tested positive for Ebola.
Two other suspected cases were also unofficially reported.
"Despite several requests, WHO did not receive further details of any of these cases from Tanzanian authorities," the organisation said in a statement issued Saturday.
On September 14 Tanzanian authorities officially reported there was no Ebola in the country, but declined "secondary 

Tanzania not sharing information on suspected Ebola: WHO

In the wake of the 'Blue girl' incident where a woman killed herself after being arrested trying to access a football stadium a FIFA delegation has demanded Iran allow women free unlimited access to stadiums.
FIFA travelled to Iran ahead of the weekend for talks on the matter of women and football and released a statement Sunday.
"FIFA has reiterated its firm and clear position that women need to be allowed to enter football matches freely and that the number of women who attend the stadiums be determined by the demand, resulting in ticket sales," it said.
The Islamic republic has barred female spectators from football and other stadiums since 1981, with clerics arguing they must be protected from the masculine atmosphere and sight of semi-clad men.
Sahar Khodayari, dubbed "blue girl" because of the colours of the team she supported, Esteghlal FC, was reportedly detained last year when trying to enter a stadium dressed as a man to watch them.
She died of her injuries in a Tehran ...

FIFA orders Iran to allow women free access to football stadiums

The World Anti-Doping Agency doubts the authenticity of files and samples retrieved from Moscow's disgraced former drug-testing laboratory, a source close to the matter has told AFP.
The Compliance Review Committee (CRC) is preparing to recommend sanctions and is readying a report to present to WADA at a meeting in Tokyo on Monday, the source said Saturday.
This source confirms a tweet from journalist Hajo Seppelt from German TV station ARD saying Russia is "suspected of having tampered with the samples from the Moscow lab".
Contacted by AFP, a spokesman for WADA confirmed the results of the CRC report would be made public after the meeting on Monday but said it was too early to discus them.
Providing full WADA access to the Moscow lab's test files was a key condition of Russia's controversial reinstatement last September following a major state-sponsored doping scandal.
If a fraud was revealed, this could possibly lead to sanctions like banning Russia from future competitions such as 

Tampering doubts over Russian doping samples

Thomas Cook's 178-year existence was hanging by a thread on Sunday after the iconic British travel firm struggled to find further private investment and is now relying on an unlikely government bailout.
The operator said Friday that it needed USD 250 million - in addition to the 900-million pounds rescue deal secured last month - or else face administration, which could leave thousands of holidaymakers stranded and require Britain's largest repatriation since World War II.
A source close to the negotiations told AFP on Saturday that the company had failed to find the 200 million pounds from private investors and would collapse unless the government intervened.
But ministers are unlikely to step in due to worries about the pioneering operator's longer-term viability, the Times reported on Saturday, leaving it on the brink of collapse and stranding up to 150,000 British holidaymakers abroad.
"We will know by tomorrow (Sunday) if agreement is reached," the source told AFP.
Conservative ..

UK travel giant Thomas Cook faces collapse

Typhoon Tapah approached southwestern Japan Sunday, with heavy rain and strong winds grounding hundreds of regional flights.
Tapah, with gusts up to 162 kilometres (100 miles) per hour, was expected to draw near Nagasaki prefecture overnight, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
It was on course to travel through the channel between Japan and the Korean Peninsula before moving toward northern Japan on Monday, when it is expected to weaken and be downgraded, the agency said.
The storm prompted cancellations of more than 400 domestic flights, according to national broadcaster NHK.
"Serious caution is warranted for violent winds, high waves and landslides," said Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency in a statement.
So far the typhoon has caused 21 minor injuries, mostly in a southern island region of Okinawa that was hit by the storm earlier.
Evacuation advisories have been issued to more than 2,000 regional residents, according to the disaster management agency.
Tapah ...

Flights cancelled as Typhoon Tapah approaches Japan

Hong Kong reduced rail and bus links to the city's airport on Sunday and police stepped up security checks in a bid to scupper plans by pro-democracy protesters to disrupt the bustling transport hub.
The airport -- the world's eighth busiest -- has become a frequent target for a protest movement pushing for greater democratic rights and police accountability.
Online forums used by the largely leaderless movement had called for a "stress test" of the airport on Sunday, code for disrupting travel links or occupying buildings.
But in a bid to stop large numbers of protesters making their way to the airport, transport operators on Sunday reduced the number of stations the city's Airport Express train would stop at and also pared down bus services.
Millions of pro-democracy supporters have taken to Hong Kong's streets for the past three months in the biggest challenge to China's rule since the city's handover from Britain in 1997.
With few protester demands met, violent clashes have become 

Hong Kong curbs airport links as protesters vow 'stress test'

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said on Sunday that the presence of foreign forces creates "insecurity" in the Gulf, after the US ordered the deployment of more troops to the region.
"Foreign forces can cause problems and insecurity for our people and for our region," Rouhani said in a televised speech at an annual military parade, adding that Iran would present to the UN a regional cooperation plan for peace.
Tensions escalated between arch-foes Iran and the United States after devastating September 14 attacks on Saudi oil installations that Washington and Riyadh have blamed on Tehran.
Following the attacks, the United States announced on Friday that it was sending reinforcements to Saudi Arabia at "the kingdom's request".  In his speech on Sunday, Rouhani called on the foreign powers in the Gulf region to "stay away".
"If they're sincere, then they should not make our region the site of an arms race," he said.
"Your presence has always brought pain and misery for the region. The ...

Foreign forces raise Gulf 'insecurity': Iran's Rouhani

Joe Biden accused Donald Trump Saturday of "an overwhelming abuse of power" and called for an investigation into accusations the US leader pressured his Ukrainian counterpart to investigate the presidential candidate's son.
Biden's allegations prompted a swift rebuke from Trump, who himself accuses the Democratic frontrunner of wrongdoing in Ukraine during his time as vice president under former president Barack Obama.
The back-and-forth recriminations stem from a Washington Post report stating a whistleblower complaint had been filed over Trump's communications with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and a "promise" allegedly made by the US leader.
Trump allegedly pressured Zelensky to investigate possible corruption involving Biden and his son Hunter, who had worked with a Ukrainian natural gas company while his father was vice president.
Trump has urged media to "look into" Biden's comments in early 2016 when the then US vice president said the Obama administration would ...

Trump, Biden spar over Ukraine after whistleblower complaint

US President Donald Trump will stand before the United Nations on Tuesday to declare his country top of the world. But with diplomatic troubles building, his annual boast may ring hollow.
Trump's political brand is as well known inside the United Nations as his businessman version is to the rest of New York: brash, unabashedly self-promoting, and all about claiming the win.
At this year's UN General Assembly, the former real estate tycoon won't disappoint.
"We'll say the United States is the greatest country in the world. It's never been stronger and it's never been better," he said in a mini-review of his speech.
Oh -- and that Americans "certainly have one of the great presidents in our history."
Trump's declaration last year that he had "accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country" triggered laughter in the cavernous UN hall.
Headlines like "The Whole World Laughed at Trump" followed, to which Trump insisted that diplomats were chuckling with, not 

Trump to boast to UN about US success, but troubles mounting

It could be a manipulated video embarrassing a candidate. Or a computer voting system locked by ransomware. Or doubts about electronic voting machines with no paper backups.
As Americans prepare for 2020 elections, digital threats to election security are multiplying, stoking fears of a tainted outcome.
Worries are running high following revelations of a wide-ranging misinformation campaign on Facebook and other social platforms, largely directed by Russian operatives, in 2016.
This was described in detail by special counsel Robert Mueller, whose office obtained several indictments for election interference.
Cyber interference and disinformation operations surrounding elections "are part of a much larger, ongoing challenge to democracies everywhere," said a report from Stanford University's Cyber Policy Center.
Maurice Turner, an election security specialist with the Washington-based Center for Democracy & Technology, said these threats could lead to "a negative impact on voter ...

Digital threats multiply ahead of 2020 US elections

Dozens of people will undertake a "funeral march" up a steep Swiss mountainside on Sunday to mark the disappearance of an Alpine glacier amid growing global alarm over climate change.
The Pizol "has lost so much substance that from a scientific perspective it is no longer a glacier," Alessandra Degiacomi, of the Swiss Association for Climate Protection, told AFP.
The organisation which helped organise Sunday's march said around 100 people were due to take part in the event, set to take place as the UN gathers youth activists and world leaders in New York to mull the action needed to curb global warming.
Dressed in black, they will make the solemn two-hour "funeral march" up the side of Pizol mountain in northeastern Switzerland to the foot of the steep and rapidly melting ice formation, situated at an altitude of around 2,700 metres (8,850 feet) near the Liechtenstein and Austrian borders.
Once they arrive, a chaplain and several scientists will give sombre speeches in remembrance of .

Swiss to hold high-altitude wake for lost glacier

Jack Sock and Nick Kyrgios paired up to defeat Rafael Nadal and Stefanos Tsitsipas as Team World cut Europe's lead to 7-5 heading into the final day of the Laver Cup in Geneva.
Sock and Kyrgios won Saturday's doubles 6-4, 3-6, 10-6 after Nadal defeated Milos Raonic in his first match since his US Open triumph in the singles.
"There was a lot on the line there," said Sock. "We obviously wanted to keep the overall weekend close. Being down 9-3 is different than 7-5.
"We've had so many chances this weekend, it's been crazy, so I think the score could be the other way round.
"I thought it was a high quality match and we're definitely happy to get the win."
Nadal, who won his 19th Grand Slam title in New York, had earlier overcome Canada's Raonic 6-3, 7-6 (7/1) after defending eight break points in the first set.
"I feel very lucky," said Nadal.
"I think he deserved that first set for sure. Later in the match I think I started to play a little bit better."
Roger Federer, who won his first .

Sock, Kyrgios keep World in touch at Laver Cup

Romelu Lukaku fired Inter Milan back top of Serie A with the second goal of a 2-0 derby win that extended their perfect start to the season at the expense of city rivals AC Milan.
Belgium striker Lukaku and Marcelo Brozovic's second half strikes gave Inter their fourth win in as many games, putting them two points ahead of Juventus after the champions' came back from a goal down beat Verona 2-1 thanks to Aaron Ramsey's first Serie A goal and a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty.
Antonio Conte's Inter were looking for a boost after their dismal 1-1 draw in their Champions League draw against Czech outsiders Slavia Prague.
And they hit back in a fiery Milan derby with Belgian striker Lukaku heading in his third goal in four games with 12 minutes remaining after Brozovic's 49th-minute opener.
"At 26 years old, I needed and wanted a coach like this, one who motivates me every day," said Lukaku of Conte.
"My relationship with Conte is very strong, he's a really good coach because he's someone who ..

Lukaku helps keep perfect Inter top with derby triumph

Barcelona threw on their stars of the present and the future but neither Lionel Messi nor Ansu Fati could save them from a dismal 2-0 defeat away at Granada.
Messi was still not deemed fit enough to start at Los Carmenes while Fati, the 16-year-old who has lit up La Liga in recent weeks, also began the game on the bench on Saturday.
But while both came on at half-time with Barca trailing to Ramon Azeez's opener, it was Granada that scored again, Alvaro Vadillo converting a penalty after Arturo Vidal was found guilty of a handball.
Barcelona have now won only two of their opening five league games and none away from Camp Nou, this their second loss already, just one fewer than the three they suffered during the entirety of last season.
With seven points on the board, this is their worst start to a season since 1994.
"Obviously I am worried," said coach Ernesto Valverde.
"Because we are not getting good results and when that happens in two or three games, it means we are not playing ...

Barcelona's poor start continues with surprise defeat by Granada

Essex captain Simon Harmer produced a match-winning cameo with the bat to lead his team to victory over Worcestershire on the final ball of T20 Blast final.
All-rounder Harmer took three for 16 including the key wicket of Moeen Ali as Essex restricted defending champions Worcestershire to 145 for 9 after winning the toss and bowling at Edgbaston on Saturday.
Essex's title ambitions looked in tatters when Moeen dismissed Ryan ten Doeschate and Dan Lawrence in quick succession to leave them 82 for 5 in the 14th over.
But Ravi Bopara, who made 36 off 22 balls, revived their hopes to leave Essex requiring 12 off the final over.
They managed just six from the first four balls against Wayne Parnell before Harmer smacked his compatriot for successive boundaries to propel Essex to a thrilling win.
County Championship leaders Essex will look to complete a double when they host second-placed Somerset in the final round of first-class matches next week.
Worcestershire, who beat Sussex to lift ...

Harmer stars as Essex win first T20 Blast title

Prominent Hong Kong protesters were flying home from Washington Saturday night buoyed by international support and determined to press on with their struggle well beyond two looming anniversaries.
In an interview with AFP, Joshua Wong, 22, and pop star Denise Ho, 42, downplayed the personal toll of standing up to authoritarian China and its pro-Beijing leadership in the global financial hub.
They have become the faces of a protest movement which is leaderless and whose activists take to the streets masked, partly to protect themselves from reprisals in their push for universal suffrage and an independent inquiry into alleged police abuses.
Wong and Ho are returning to Hong Kong after raising awareness in the United States, Germany, Taiwan and Australia about the pro-democracy protests that have continued for more than three months despite escalating rhetoric from Beijing.
Next Saturday is the fifth anniversary of the 79-day Umbrella Movement, which Wong helped spearhead after Beijing .

Determined Hong Kong protesters head home before tense anniversaries

Egyptian security forces clashed with hundreds of anti-government protesters in the port city of Suez on Saturday, firing tear gas and live rounds, said several residents who participated in the demonstrations.
A heavy security presence was also maintained in Cairo's Tahrir Square, the epicentre of Egypt's 2011 revolution, after protests in several cities called for the removal of general-turned-president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
Such demonstrations are rare after Egypt effectively banned protests under a law passed following the 2013 military ouster of Islamist ex-president Mohamed Morsi.
But discontent over rising prices has been swelling in Egypt, where Sisi's government has imposed strict austerity measures since 2016 as part of a USD 12-billion loan package from the International Monetary Fund.
Nearly one in three Egyptians lives below the poverty line on less than USD 1.40 a day, according to official figures released in July.
On Saturday, protesters headed to downtown Suez for the 

Demonstrators clash with Egyptian security forces in rare anti-Sisi protests

Egyptian security forces clashed with hundreds of anti-government protesters in the seaport city of Suez on Saturday, firing tear gas and live rounds, said several residents who participated in the demonstrations.
In a rare show of dissent, hundreds of Egyptians in Suez took to the streets for the second night in a row heeding an online call for dissent against President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
But they were met with security forces barricading streets and deploying armoured vehicles in downtown Suez centring on Al-Arbaeen Street.
"There were about 200 or so people. They (security forces) fired tear gas, rubber and live bullets and there were injuries," a man, who took part in the demonstration but declined to be named, told AFP.
Another resident, who also preferred to remain anonymous, said the tear gas was so thick it had reached her apartment block a few kilometres away from the turbulent downtown area.
"My nose started burning up. The smell was seeping through the balcony. I also ...

Anti-Sisi protesters clash with security forces in Suez

The United Nations envoy for Yemen welcomed Saturday an offer from the country's Huthi rebels to halt all attacks on Saudi Arabia, saying it could bring an end to years of bloody conflict.
Implementation of the initiative by the Huthis "in good faith could send a powerful message of the will to end the war", Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths said.
The Iran-backed Huthis, which control the capital Sanaa and other parts of Yemen, have been fighting against a Saudi-led coalition which supports the country's internationally recognised government in a devastating five-year war.
Griffiths hailed "the desire for a political solution to end the conflict" in a statement issued from the UN headquarters in New York.
On Friday, the Huthis proposed halting attacks on Saudi Arabia as part of a peace initiative.
Saudi Arabia gave a cautious response, with minister of state for foreign affairs Adel al-Jubeir saying on Saturday, "We judge other parties by their deeds, actions and not by their ..

UN welcomes Huthi offer to halt attacks on Saudi Arabia

Hong Kong is a "police state" where officers -- once dubbed "Asia's finest" -- are conducting abuses in the service of the city's pro-Beijing leadership, prominent voices in the global financial hub's weeks-long protest movement told AFP Saturday.
The comments came as riot police and demonstrators in Hong Kong fought brief skirmishes Saturday near the Chinese border.
They were the latest clashes during more than three months of demonstrations to protest stuttering freedoms in the semi-autonomous territory.
"Within these three-and-a-half months, we have seen the police in Hong Kong getting totally out of control," activist and pop star Denise Ho said in an interview with AFP.
"Hong Kong has become a police state where the government is hiding behind the police force and refusing to find solutions to the present crisis." She and other well-known figures in the leaderless protest movement have visited the US, Germany, Taiwan and Australia to raise awareness.
"Our police system has been ..

AFP

AFP

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