Manchester City signed Portuguese international right-back Joao Cancelo from Juventus with Brazilian full-back Danilo heading in the other direction to join the Italian champions.
City will pay a net fee of 28 million euros ($31 million) with Cancelo's move valued at 65 million euros and Danilo costing 37 million euros.
"City are a fantastic club, with a brilliant manager and I am delighted to be here," said Cancelo, who signed a six-year contract on Wednesday.
"Everything about them has impressed me, from the facilities, to their style of play.
"I am always looking to develop my game and win trophies and I believe I can do that here, so now I'm really looking forward to the new season and testing myself in the Premier League."
Cancelo won one Serie A title with Juventus after a 40 million euro move from Valencia last year.
"Joao is a fine player and an excellent attacking full-back who will provide us with a real threat on the right-hand side," said City director of football Txiki ...

Man City land Cancelo as Danilo joins Juventus

PTI Automatic

As a tear gas canister clatters onto a street in Hong Kong, a pro-democracy protester wearing heat-proof gloves and carrying a traffic cone sprints from the crowd to put it out.
Police have ramped up their use of the crowd control measure as two months of rallies in the global financial hub have turned increasingly violent, peaking with 800 rounds fired on Monday in what protesters called a "tear gas buffet".
Hardcore demonstrators are responding with ever more creative methods to neutralise the threat, harnessing everything from traffic cones to kitchenware.
Their arsenal includes several must-haves: heat-resistant gloves, so they can pick up searingly hot canisters, and respirators that have been dubbed "pig snouts" in Cantonese.
Online forums host discussions on which models of 3M respirator filters work best against tear gas, and which local hardware stores still have the preferred models in stock.
"I really need to get one! The good masks are already very hard to find on the ...

Hong Kongers harness traffic cones, kitchenware to battle tear gas

They play on a football pitch with plastic wickets and most Chinese people have never even heard of cricket. The Ashes it is not.
But a devoted band of followers says the sport is gradually growing in China, where there is thought to be only one grass cricket pitch for a population of 1.4 billion.
They are up against it with scant domestic media coverage and limited facilities, and Chinese cricket making worldwide headlines for paltry scores.
In 2017 the men's national side was bowled out for a humiliating 28 runs against Saudi Arabia in a World Cricket League regional qualifier.
And this January the women's team were skittled out for just 14 runs against the United Arab Emirates, then the lowest women's total in T20 International cricket.
Undeterred, a handful of spectators recently turned out to watch Shanghai's women's team, and saw them thrash a Hong Kong outfit in a 20-overs-a-side game reduced to 15 overs because of the heat.
In the absence of a grass cricket pitch -- there is ..

One grass pitch, 1.4 billion people - cricket on sticky wicket in China

Joshua trees, an iconic species of the arid southwestern United States, may totally disappear by the end of the century because of climate change, according to a new study.
A team from the University of California at Riverside used data from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to assess the impact of warming on the distribution of Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia) in their namesake Joshua Tree National Park.
The park, which straddles the Colorado and Mojave deserts in southern California, is home to the greatest concentration of the species, which are in fact not trees at all but members of the agave family which can sometimes appear tree-like.
According to the team's modeling, in an optimistic scenario whereby humanity is able to limit greenhouse emissions to a degree, the trees' cover would retreat by about 80 percent by end of the 21st century.
But under a "business as usual" scenario, the modeling indicates the complete elimination of a species that dates to the ...

Climate change could wipe out California's Joshua trees by end of century

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday blamed US sanctions as he ordered his government's representatives not to travel to Barbados for scheduled talks with the political opposition.
Maduro "has decided to not send the Venezuelan delegation" for talks Thursday and Friday with representatives of opposition leader Juan Guaido "due to the grave and brutal aggression" being "continuously... carried out by the Trump administration against Venezuela," a government statement said.
US President Donald Trump has ordered a freeze on all Venezuelan government assets in the United States and barred transactions with its authorities.

Venezuela's Maduro halts talks with opposition after US sanctions

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed maritime security, Iran and Yemen with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in a phone call on Wednesday.
"The secretary discussed heightened tensions in the region and the need for stronger maritime security in order to promote freedom of navigation," State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement.
Iran has seized three tanker ships in strategic Gulf waters in less than a month, and the United States has accused it of carrying out multiple attacks on ships in the region.
The US has been struggling to piece together an international coalition to protect cargo ships travelling through the Gulf, with allies concerned about being dragged into conflict with Iran.
Ortagus also said that the top US diplomat and the crown prince "discussed other bilateral and regional developments, including countering the Iranian regime's destabilizing activities."
Tensions between Washington and Tehran -- Saudi Arabia's arch foe -- ...

Pompeo talks maritime security, Iran with Saudi crown prince

A 5.9-magnitude earthquake rattled Taiwan on Thursday, the US Geological Survey said, disrupting traffic and causing power outages although there were no immediate reports of casualties.
The quake struck at 5:28 am (2128 GMT Wednesday) at a depth of 10 kilometres (6.2 miles), off Yilan county on the northeastern coast.
Taiwan's central weather bureau put the magnitude at 6.0.  Highrises swayed in the capital Taipei, waking people from their sleep.
Authorities said the quake was felt across Taiwan, causing power outages to more than 1,300 houses in the greater Taipei area while the Taiwan Railways Administration has suspended some services in Yilan.  Taiwan lies near the junction of two tectonic plates and is regularly hit by quakes.
In April, a 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck the island, disrupting traffic and injuring 17 people.
Taiwan's worst tremor in recent decades was a 7.6-magnitude quake in September 1999 that killed around 2,400 people.

5.9-magnitude quake jolts Taiwan

The US government has approved the sale of USD 800 million worth of helicopters to South Korea, the Pentagon announced Wednesday, hours after President Donald Trump said Seoul had agreed to pay more for the US military presence in the country.
The Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency said the State Department had approved the sale of 12 MH-60R Multi-Mission Seahawk Helicopters and extensive associated radar, communications and weaponry equipment.
The helicopters bolster anti-surface and anti-submarine missions, and handle secondary missions like replenishment, search and rescue, and communications relay, the agency said.
"The Republic of Korea will use the enhanced capability as a deterrent to regional threats and to strengthen its homeland defense," it said.
The Seahawk is made by the Sikorsky division of US defense manufacturer Lockheed Martin.
The sale was approved after Trump tweeted Wednesday that the two countries had entered negotiations on South Korea paying for the .

US approves USD 800 mn in helicopters for SKorea

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday downplayed North Korea's latest missile launches, saying they won't alter the prospects for negotiations on Pyongyang's nuclear weapons.
One day after North Korea called a new round of short-range missiles a "warning" against joint US-South Korea military exercises, Pompeo told reporters that it didn't impact Washington's approach to the region.
The latest launches were the fourth pair of projectiles fired in less than two weeks by the North. They came after the South Korean and US militaries began mainly computer-simulated joint exercises on Monday to test Seoul's ability to take operational control in wartime.
Asked if the missile launches dampened  the environment for negotiations on denuclearization, Pompeo replied "No." "President Trump's administration strategy with respect to North Korea hasn't changed," he said.
"Our effort is to achieve the full, final denuclearization of North Korea. We are hopeful that in the coming weeks we ...

Pompeo: NKorea missiles don't impact negotiations

The cost of President Donald Trump's latest tariffs on Chinese goods will either be passed on to consumers, or taken from profits, several US companies said Wednesday.
"The American people are being misled by this administration that China is paying for these tariffs. This is a tax on them, or on the businesses that are bringing products to America," said Win Cramer, chief executive of Jlab Audio, a California company that makes headphones.
Cramer, who has suspended plans to hire more staff in light of the tariff threat, joined a conference call organized by "Tariffs Hurt the Heartland," a campaign of trade organizations to a policy of a president who has referred to himself as "tariff man."
The group released data showing US consumers paid USD 6 billion in tariffs in June, up 74 per cent from the year-ago period.
The conference call was organized in response to Trump's announcement last week of plans to enact a 10 per cent tariff on USD 300 billion in Chinese goods on September 1, a .

US 'heartland' companies balk at latest Trump tariffs

A Kyrgyz officer was killed Wednesday when special forces stormed the compound of former president Almazbek Atambayev, as mounting tensions with his successor Sooronbai Jeenbekov threaten to spark a political crisis in the fragile Central Asian state.
The officer died from a gunshot wound after Atambayev's supporters tried to prevent him being detained, the Kyrgyz health ministry said.
"A special forces officer was delivered (to hospital) in an extremely serious condition with a gunshot wound. Despite resuscitation attempts, he died," it said in a statement.
Atambayev, who ruled Kyrgyzstan from 2011 to 2017 before handing over to Jeenbekov, has increased security at his estate of Koi-Tash outside Bishkek in recent weeks, as tensions between him and Jeenbekov rise.
Clashes broke out there in the evening after Kyrgyzstan's national security committee (GKNB) said its special forces were undertaking a "special operation to detain former president Almazbek Atambayev."
The GKNB claimed that 

Kyrgyz officer dies after security forces storm ex-president's home

President Donald Trump consoled victims of a mass shooting in Ohio on Wednesday but protesters and opponents denounced what they say is his extremist rhetoric on race and immigration.
The president's trip to Dayton, where nine people were gunned down over the weekend, was to be followed immediately after by a stop in the border city of El Paso, Texas, where 22 were murdered.
In Dayton, Trump and his wife Melania spent most of their time meeting patients and staff at Miami Valley Hospital, White House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said.
Trump told shooting survivors, "you had God watching. I want you to know we're with you all the way," according to Grisham.
But Trump's job of consoler in chief is complicated by charges that his own messaging -- in particular his vilification of illegal immigrants -- has emboldened political extremists.
Protesters gathered, holding signs that called for restrictions on gun buying and in one case simply demanding that politicians "Do something!" A Trump 

Trump consoles shooting victims, faces new criticism

US President Donald Trump contended on Wednesday there was no political support to implement tough controls on highly lethal assault weapons that were used in three mass shootings in the past two weeks.
Trump told reporters that he and leaders in Congress support legislation to prevent mentally ill people from possessing firearms via background checks.
"I think background checks are important. I don't want to put guns into the hands of mentally unstable people or people with rage or hate, sick people. I'm all in favour of it," he said.
But Trump replied negatively when asked if the US could ban assault rifles, like the semi-automatic weapons attackers used to kill 22 people on Saturday in El Paso, Texas and nine in Dayton, Ohio on Sunday.
"I can tell you there is no political appetite for that at this moment," he said.
"You could speak and do your own polling and there is no political appetite from the standpoint of legislature." "I can only do what I can do," he added.
"I think ...

Trump: no political support for assault rifle controls

New York Times shares took a pounding on Wednesday after the prestigious US daily reported results below expectations and predicted weaker digital ad revenues in the second half of the year.
The gloomy outlook overshadowed news that the Times added some 197,000 new digital subscribers, signs it is on track toward a goal of 10 million by 2025.
Shares were down some 13 per cent in late morning trade after the second-quarter earnings report showed revenue up 5.7 per cent to USD 436 million and net profit growth of 6.7 per cent by USD 25 million.
The Times' figures were below most Wall Street forecasts, and the diminished outlook for advertising also weighed on the stock.
The update said total ad revenues are expected to decline "in the high-single digits" in the current quarter compared with last year, with a similar fall in digital.
"We expect a more challenging second half of 2019 in digital advertising revenue as a result of comparisons against strong performance in the same period in 

NY Times takes hit following weak advertising outlook

Sri Lanka on Wednesday charged two army spies for a decade-old serious assault of a newspaper editor in the wake of the shock assassination of high-profile anti-establishment journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge.
Rivira editor Upali Tennakoon and his wife were lucky to survive the attack in January 2009 outside the capital Colombo as they drove to work.
It was the latest in a string of violent attacks against journalists in Sri Lanka, and came two weeks after Wickrematunge was ambushed and stabbed to death as he drove to his office.
Prosecutors told a magistrate that the two suspects, military intelligence officers Prema Ananda Udulagama and Rajapaksage Lalith Rajapakse, used sharp and blunt instruments to assault the Thennakoons.
"The officers were attached to the Tripoli Military Intelligence platoon of the Sri Lanka army," Attorney-General's department spokeswoman Nishara Jayaratne said.
Investigators have said that Wickrematunge was assassinated by members of the same military ...

Sri Lanka army spies charged over journalist attack

South Africa's embattled power company Eskom on Tuesday reported a record net loss of 20.7 billion rand ($1.46 billion) for the year to March, nearly 10 times more than in the previous 12 months.
The state power utility's loss widened from 2.3 billion rand the year before primarily because of lower sales, increased finance costs and higher costs for primary energy, in particular coal.
Eskom, which generates around 95 per cent of the country's electricity, has accumulated $30 billion of debt despite being the recipient of multiple bailouts from the government.
A week ago the government announced a 59 billion rand bailout for the power supplier, a mere five months after an even bigger cash injection was announced over the next three years.  "Today Eskom releases results that, while expected, are unfavourable," chairman and acting CEO Jabu Mabuza said at the company's offices in Johannesburg.
"The organisation disappointingly incurred a net loss after tax of 20.7 billion rand for the ...

S Africa utility Eskom suffers electrifying losses

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday called on the Federal Reserve to cut the benchmark interest rate significantly, moments before the central bank was due to open its two-day policy meeting.
"I would like to see a large cut," Trump told reporters at the White House, his latest move in a constant campaign to pressure monetary policymakers.
"I'm very disappointed in the Fed," he said.
Markets overwhelmingly expect the central bank on Wednesday will cut in the key lending rate by 25 basis points -- the first cut in more than a decade -- amid a slowing global economy impacted by trade uncertainty and sluggish business investment.
That would undo the Fed's most recent increase in December, which was the last of four in 2018 and the US economy picked up steam.
But Trump seems to be calling for a deeper cut of 50 basis points or perhaps more. But a cut of that size is typically used only when the economy is experiencing a steep slowdown.
The current economic expansion is now entering its ..

Trump says he wants 'a large cut' from US Fed

Iran received a coastguard delegation from the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday aimed at reviving maritime security talks cut off in 2013, state media reported.
"The sixth joint coastguard meeting between Iran and a visiting seven-member delegation from the UAE will be held in Tehran in order to discuss border cooperation between the two countries," state news agency IRNA said, citing a statement from Iran's foreign ministry.

UAE coastguard in first Iran visit since 2013: Iranian media

The estranged wife of the ruler of Dubai has applied for a forced marriage protection order, a London court heard Tuesday during a case about their children's welfare, Britain's PA news agency reported.
Jordanian royal Princess Haya, 45, a wife of 70-year-old United Arab Emirates Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, has applied for the order, a non-molestation order and for wardship of their children, the High Court heard.

Dubai ruler's estranged wife applies for forced marriage protection in UK

Dubai's financial regulator said Tuesday it had imposed a record fine of nearly $315 million on two affiliates of the collapsed Abraaj equity group for unauthorised activities and misusing investors' funds.
The Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) said in a statement that it fined Abraaj Investment Management $299.3 million and Abraaj Capital Limited $15.3 million.
The two companies are affiliates of the Abraaj Group that once was the leading private equity firm in the Middle East with nearly $14 billion of assets under management.
The group entered into liquidation over a year ago following allegations of misuse of funds that forced investors to recover their money.
Some key investors in an Abraaj $1 billion healthcare fund were The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and a World Bank affiliate.
The DFSA said that after a complex investigation spanning over 18 months, it found Abraaj Investment Management "carried out unauthorised financial services... (and) actively misled and ...

Dubai hits private-equity firm Abraaj with record fine

Two people died and a police officer was wounded in a shooting early Tuesday at a Walmart in Mississippi, US media reported.
DeSoto County Sheriff Bill Rasco told the Commercial Appeal newspaper that the suspect had been shot and wounded in the shooting in the city of Southhaven.
The two people shot dead were believed to be Walmart employees, the sheriff said, and the suspect was an employee until Monday.
He said the suspect and wounded police officer had been taken to local hospitals.
Southhaven is a suburb of Memphis, Tennessee, which lies just to the north over the state line.

AFP

AFP

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