Israel is to allow a visit by barred US congresswoman Rashida Tlaib who is of Palestinian origin on "humanitarian" grounds, the interior ministry announced Friday.
It said Interior Minister Aryeh Deri decided to allow Tlaib to make a "humanitarian visit to her grandmother" in the Israeli-occupied West Bank after the lawmaker had sent him a written pledge "to respect conditions imposed by Israel".

Israel says to let in barred US lawmaker for 'humanitarian' visit

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The grief-stricken parents of a Franco-Irish teen found dead in Malaysia after she disappeared from a rainforest resort claimed her body Friday, police said, following an autopsy that showed no signs of foul play.
Mohamad Mat Yusop, the police chief of Negeri Sembilan state where Nora Quoirin died, told AFP her remains would be repatriated to London where she had lived with her family.
An autopsy showed the 15-year-old likely starved and died of internal bleeding after about a week in the jungle, with no immediate signs of foul play, police said.
There was also no indication that the teenager, who had learning difficulties, was abducted or sexually assaulted, they said.
"The body of Nora has been claimed from the hospital by the family after a post-mortem found no foul play," Mohamad Mat said.
"Nora's body will be flown back to her home in London." The girl had gone missing from Dusun Resort, about 70 kilometres (40 miles) from the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, on August 4, a day ...

Parents claim body of Franco-Irish teen found dead in Malaysia

Opposition mass protests against deepening economic problems in Zimbabwe were called off on Friday after a court upheld an 11th hour ban imposed by the police.
Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) had vowed to launch protests marches on Friday against the worsening economy, despite government threats to stop them.
Late on Thursday police said the protests had been banned.
The MDC went to court in the early hours of Friday to challenge the ban, but lost the case.
"The court has said the demonstration should be off," MDC spokesman Nkululeko Sibanda told AFP.
The party's vice president Tendai Biti told reporters outside the high court that "we differ respectfully with the ruling".
"The fascist regime has denied the right for Zimbabweans to demonstrate," said Biti.
He added that even if they had won "this march was not going to take place because the city has been cordoned off" by police.
Armed police formed barricades around the city on Friday, turning back cars on .

Zimbabwe opposition calls off protests after court ban

A tanker carrying Iranian oil, released by Gibraltar authorities after being held since July 4, is preparing to set sail into the Mediterranean, a senior Iranian shipping official said Friday.
The ship's seizure, with the help of British Royal Marines, had triggered a sharp deterioration in relations between Tehran and London and the tit-for-tat detention by Iran of the British-flagged tanker Stena Impero.
The Grace 1 will be renamed and switch to the Iranian flag for its onward journey, the deputy head of Iran's Ports and Maritime Organisation, Jalil Eslami, told state television.
"At the owner's request, the Grace 1 will depart for the Mediterranean after being reflagged under the Islamic Republic of Iran's flag and renamed as Adrian Darya for the voyage," Eslami said.
"The ship was of Russian origin and Panama-flagged and is carrying two million barrels of Iranian oil," he added.
Gibraltar's Supreme Court ordered the tanker released on Thursday after the British overseas territory .

Iran says tanker freed by Gibraltar poised to set sail

Several more migrants have been taken from the rescue vessel Open Arms for medical reasons to the Italian island of Lampedusa, the Spanish charity which operates the boat said Friday.
Three people who suffered "medical complications which require specialised care" and an escort were brought ashore late on Thursday, Proactiva Open Arms, which is waiting for permission from Rome to dock in Lampedusa, said on Twitter.
All four migrants were taken to Lampedusa with the aid of the Italian coastguard, leaving 134 migrants on board the Open Arms, a Proactiva Open Arms spokeswoman said.
This was the sixth emergency evacuation of migrants from the vessel.  The mainly African migrants on board had been plucked from boats in the Mediterranean off Libya.
"All of the people on board need to disembark urgently. For humanity," Proactiva Open Arms added on Twitter.
Six EU countries -- France, Germany, Romania, Portugal, Spain and Luxembourg -- have agreed to take some of the migrants stranded on the .

More migrants evacuated from Spanish rescue ship Open Arms

Sri Lanka Friday ordered an investigation after a skeletal 70-year-old elephant was paraded at a high-profile Buddhist pageant in a move criticised as cruelty to the ailing animal.
Tourism and wildlife minister John Amaratunga said he ordered wildlife authorities to investigate how the elephant known as Tikiri was forced to take part in a lengthy parade despite her poor health.
Animal-lovers slammed the authorities for forcing the aged animal to participate in the annual Esala Perehara (pageant) wearing elaborate clothing at the hugely popular night festival in the central city of Kandy earlier in the week.
After a howl of protests over social media, festival organisers withdrew the aged animal from the grand finale on Wednesday.
"I have been informed that the elephant collapsed yesterday," the minister said in a statement.
"Considering what has transpired, I have ordered officials to initiate an inquiry and ascertain how and why an elephant in such poor health was used in the ...

Sri Lanka probes elephant cruelty at Buddhist parade

A Pacific summit has descended into tears, recriminations and shouting between pro-coal Australia and low-lying island nations facing an existential threat from climate change.
The annual Pacific Island Forum wrapped up in Tuvalu late Thursday with Australia and the group's 17 other members sharply at odds, potentially undermining Canberra's efforts to curb China's growing influence in the region.
"There were serious arguments and even shouting, crying, people, leaders were shedding tears," Tuvalu Prime Minister Enele Sopoaga told Australia's national broadcaster ABC after the summit broke up with a communique with "watered down" language on global warming.
The group had gathered in Funafuti hoping to issue a compelling global call to action from nations on the frontline of climate change ahead of UN talks in New York next month.
But Sopoaga conceded that a climate statement and communique released in the early hours of Friday morning after 12 hours of tense negotiations fell short of 

Tears and shouting as Australia dilutes Pacific climate warning

Lee Ching-hei runs a pop-up store in Hong Kong but instead of offering the latest food trends or fashion must-haves he sells another highly sought-after commodity: protest supplies.
Helmets, goggles and gas masks are bestsellers at "National Calamity Hardware", which has held two pop-up sessions in the districts of Mong Kok and Tai Po -- both major hotspots during Hong Kong's two months of huge, sometimes violent, pro-democracy protests.
"We sold 50-60 sets of gas masks in the first hour of business, so we're sold out now," the 33-year-old businessman said while fitting a customer for a helmet ahead of a planned protest in Hong Kong's Tai Po neighbourhood.  Lee said he had been an avid collector of gas masks -- dubbed pig snouts in Cantonese -- even before the protests began.
"So I had a really large number of 3M masks saved up," he said, referring to the most popular brand among protesters as his shop bustled with customers.
Hong Kong's protesters have been gearing up with ...

Gas masks and hard hats at Hong Kong's protest pop-up store

New Zealand erased the first-innings deficit of 18 runs as they reached 18 for one at lunch on day three of the first Test against Sri Lanka here on Friday.
The tourists lost opener Jeet Raval for four runs but captain Kane Williamson, who joined Tom Latham, was watchful and the Kiwis went to lunch without further damage.
Suranga Lakmal shared the new ball with off-spinner Akila Dananjaya, who was preferred over seamer Lahiru Kumara.
After a couple of tidy overs, Dananjaya was replaced by part-time off-spinner Dhananjaya de Silva, who dismissed Raval. The batsman was early on his shot and ended up lobbying the ball to skipper Dimuth Karunaratne at short extra cover.
Sri Lanka did well to get a slender first-innings lead after being 161 for seven. An eighth-wicket stand between Niroshan Dickwella and Suranga Lakmal proved to be crucial as the hosts got ahead of the Kiwis.
Dickwella posted his 12th Test half-century while Lakmal contributed with 40 runs as the pair added 81 runs for the 

New Zealand level with Sri Lanka in first Test

President Donald Trump is asking advisers if it is possible for the US to buy Greenland, according to a report.
Trump has expressed interest in the self-governing part of Denmark -- which is mostly covered in ice -- asking advisors if it is possible for the US to acquire the territory, The Wall Street Journal said Thursday, citing people familiar with the discussions.
The president has been curious about the area's natural resources and geopolitical relevance, the paper reported.
Greenland is a self-governing region of Denmark, which colonized the 772,000 square-mile (two-million square kilometer) island in the 18th century, and is home to nearly 57,000 people, most of whom belong to the indigenous Inuit community.
There was no official comment from the White House, and the Danish embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment.
Some Trump advisors say acquiring Greenland, which is northeast of Canada, could be good for the US, while others called it ...

Trump wants US to buy Greenland: report

Firefighters in Greece on Friday made progress against a four-day wildfire on the island of Evia that has burned through a pine forest and threatened villages, officials said.
"The situation looks better today, there is no active front, but our forces remain in place," a fire department spokesman told AFP, adding that there are still "pockets of fire" smouldering in a ravine.
A massive force of nearly 400 firefighters backed by 110 vehicles, nine planes and four helicopters has been deployed against the blaze.  Two water bombers from Italy and one from Spain are assisting the effort, the spokesman said.
State agency ANA said the fire, which broke out Tuesday, has destroyed over 1,000 hectares of dense pine forest.
EU Humanitarian Commissioner Christos Stylianides on Wednesday called the mobilisation of Greek forces "exemplary" after emergency crews managed to save inhabited areas.
A firefighter was hospitalised with burns on Tuesday, and at least four cars have been ...

Greek fire crews make progress on island blaze

Daredevil Alain Robert -- dubbed the 'French Spiderman' -- climbed a Hong Kong skyscraper on Friday and unfurled a "peace banner" as the financial hub is rocked by historic political unrest.
The 57-year-old adventurer, who specialises in unsanctioned ascents of tall buildings, shimmied up the 68-storey Cheung Kong Center in Hong Kong's main business district in hot and humid conditions on Friday morning.  During the climb he attached a banner featuring the Hong Kong and Chinese flags, as well as two hands shaking.
Prior to the ascent Robert put out a statement saying the message of his climb was to make "an urgent appeal for peace and consultation between Hong Kong people and their government".
"Perhaps what I do can lower the temperature and maybe raise a smile. That's my hope anyway," Robert said in his media statement.  Hong Kong has been battered by 10 weeks of huge -- sometimes violent -- democracy protests.
They were sparked by opposition to a plan to allow extraditions to the ..

'French Spiderman' scales Hong Kong skyscraper with 'peace banner'

Hong Kong's police are confident they have the resources to continue battling pro-democracy protesters, even if violence escalates further, pouring cold water on concerns that the authoritarian mainland might need to intervene.
Three senior commanders said they were unaware of any plans by China to bolster their own ranks with mainland troops or police officers, even if the political chaos worsens.
And they admitted that any move to do so would place the city's police force in uncharted waters.
But, they insisted, the issue was moot because the local force could handle the crisis.
"I can't envisage it," said one senior commander. "At the operational level we have considerable depth. I think we have the determination, the cohesiveness and the depth of resources to keep going."
The three officers agreed to sit down with a group of foreign journalists on condition of anonymity so they could speak more freely during the worst unrest the force has faced since leftist riots in the late ...

Bruised but unbowed Hong Kong police say no need for China intervention

Sri Lanka took a slender 18-run lead after the first innings as they were bowled out for 267 on day three of the first Test here on Friday.
Sri Lanka owed their recovery largely to the eighth-wicket stand between Niroshan Dickwella and Suranga Lakmal. At 161 for seven, it looked an uphill task for the hosts to match New Zealand's total of 249.
But Dickwella and Lakmal added 81 runs for the eighth wicket in an entertaining stand. New Zealand kept attacking but the two Sri Lankans repeatedly found the boundary, forcing the Kiwis to spread the field.
Trent Boult was called up to have a crack with the second new ball and immediately he had Lakmal in trouble, hitting him on the right elbow with a rising delivery.
The blow shook up Lakmal and a couple of deliveries later he was bowled off an inside edge for 40. Dickwella went on to complete his 12th Test half-century before we was caught by Kane Williamson on 61 off the bowling of William Somerville.
Ajaz Patel finished up with five wickets 

Sri Lanka lead New Zealand by 18 runs in first Test

Indonesian leader Joko Widodo said Friday he would press on with plans to move the nation's capital and roll out measures to kickstart Southeast Asia's biggest economy as it feels the sting of slowing global growth.
In a sweeping state-of-the-nation address, Widodo asked parliament to sign off on a plan to move the capital to Borneo, shifting Indonesia's political heart from traffic-clogged megacity Jakarta -- one of the fastest-sinking cities on the planet.
"I'm asking for your permission to relocate our capital to the island of Kalimantan," Widodo told lawmakers, referring to Indonesia's portion of Borneo.
"A capital is not only a symbol of a nation's identity, it also represents its progress," he added.
Widodo did not reveal a specific location for the country's new capital or new details about when the move could happen.
Speaking a day before the 74th anniversary of Indonesia's independence, the recently re-elected leader said his second term would focus on cutting red tape and ...

Indonesia's leader pledges capital move, economic boost

More than a dozen workers remained missing Friday after a landslide in southwest China buried a section of railway that was under repair, according to state media.
The 17 missing people were carrying out maintenance work on the track Wednesday when the hill above them gave way, China Daily reported.
The landslide in Ganluo county in Sichuan province happened very quickly, a witness told the newspaper.
"I spotted a strange movement on the mountain slope after a truck passed. And I shouted, telling everyone to run away," said Chen Kun, an official from the China Railway Chengdu Group.
"The rocks and mud fell within two or three seconds...while we were running, we could feel rocks chasing us," Chen told China Daily.
Rescue operations are under way with 11 workers pulled from the rubble that buried 70 metres (yards) of track, the newspaper said.
The area has been hit by several landslides this summer as massive rains cause hills in the mountainous region to collapse.
Elsewhere in China a .

17 missing in SW China landslide

Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement faces a major test this weekend as it tries to muster another huge crowd following criticism over a recent violent airport protest and as concerns mount over Beijing's next move.
Ten weeks of protests have plunged the international finance hub into crisis with the communist mainland taking an increasingly hardline tone, including labelling the more violent protester actions "terrorist-like".
Chinese state media have put out images of military personnel and armoured personnel carriers across the border in Shenzhen, while the United States has warned Beijing against sending in troops, a move many analysts say would be a reputational and economic disaster for China.
The nationalistic Global Times newspaper said there would not be a repeat of the Tiananmen Square crackdown, in which hundreds -- or even thousands -- are believed to have been killed, if Beijing moves to quash the protests.
"The incident in Hong Kong won't be a repeat of the June 4th ...

Hong Kong protesters face crucial weekend test after airport setback

Chinese state media vowed Friday there "won't be a repeat" of the Tiananmen Square crackdown if Beijing moves to quash Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests.
In a rare reference to the bloody incident -- which is usually taboo in mainland China -- the Global Times newspaper insisted the country had more sophisticated methods than those it employed 30 years ago to crush protests in the capital.
"The incident in Hong Kong won't be a repeat of the June 4th political incident in 1989," it wrote in an editorial.
"China is much stronger and more mature, and its ability to manage complex situations has been greatly enhanced." Hong Kong has endured 10 weeks of civil unrest, which have morphed from opposition to a hated extradition bill into a wider, and sometimes violent, call for democratic rights.
An intensifying drumbeat of propaganda and strident warnings have sparked fears that Beijing might look to intervene -- possibly militarily -- in the semi-autonomous city.
Images of flag-waving ...

China media says Hong Kong response 'won't repeat' Tiananmen

Time is running out for Jakarta.
One of the fastest-sinking cities on earth, environmental experts warn that one third of it could be submerged by 2050 if current rates continue.
Decades of uncontrolled and excessive depletion of groundwater reserves, rising sea-levels, and increasingly volatile weather patterns mean swathes of it have already started to disappear.
Existing environmental measures have had little impact, so authorities are taking drastic action: the nation will have a new capital.
Its location could be announced imminently, according to local reports.
"The capital of our country will move to the island of Borneo," Indonesian leader Joko Widodo said on Twitter.
Relocating the country's administrative and political heart may be an act of national preservation, but it effectively sounds the death-knell for Jakarta where many of the city's 10 million residents have little means of escape.
"When the floods came I used to tremble," food stall owner Rasdi told AFP.
"I nearly .

Sinking city: Indonesia's capital on brink of disaster

The United States has threatened a visa ban on the crew of a seized Iranian supertanker whose departure from Gibraltar Washington failed to block.
State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said Thursday that the Grace 1 was assisting Iran's Revolutionary Guards -- which the US deems a terrorist organization -- by transporting oil from Iran to Syria when it was detained last month.
"Crewmembers of vessels assisting the IRGC (Revolutionary Guard Corps) by transporting oil from Iran may be ineligible for visas or admission to the United States under the terrorism-related inadmissibility grounds," Ortagus said.
"The maritime community should be aware that the US government intends to revoke visas held by members of such crews.
"In the case of the M/T Grace I, we will continue to act consistent with our existing policies concerning those who provide material support to the IRGC." Gibraltar's Supreme Court earlier Thursday ruled in favour of releasing the vessel seized on suspicion of ...

US threatens visa ban on crew of Iran tanker

Explosive tennis star Nick Kyrgios is an embarrassment to Australian sport, domestic media screamed Friday, branding his latest meltdown a "vile" new low.
The temperamental 24-year-old was fined US$113,000 after smashing two racquets, launching an abusive tirade at chair umpire Fergus Murphy before appearing to spit at him during his Cincinnati Masters defeat to Russia's Karen Khachanov.
The ATP warned him that he could also face another suspension from the sport once a full investigation has taken place.
Veteran Channel Nine television sports presenter Tony Jones said he should be immediately banned from the upcoming US Open.
"Yet again Nick Kyrgios has proved himself to be an embarrassment to Australian sport. Quite possibly world sport," he said on the broadcaster's website.
"Surely tennis authorities need to show something that resembles a backbone and deal with him accordingly.
"It's time the ATP adopted a heavy-handed approach and ban Kyrgios from this month's US Open," added ...

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