Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was "poisoned" by an unidentified toxic substance but doctors have sent him back to jail despite his condition, his lawyer and personal physician said Monday.
President Vladimir Putin's top opponent was rushed to hospital on Sunday a day after almost 1,400 people were arrested at an unauthorised protest, in the largest police crackdown on dissent in recent years.
Navalny was hospitalised following what was described as an acute allergic reaction, but his supporters later said they believed he had been exposed to poison.
"It is indeed poisoning by some unknown chemical substance," his lawyer Olga Mikhailova told reporters Monday outside Moscow's hospital No 64, which treated Navalny.
Navalny on Sunday had swollen eyelids, discharge in the eye and a rash on his upper body, his personal physician Anastasia Vasilyeva said.
She told reporters on Monday that both she and the 43-year-old politician believe the reaction could have been a response to ...

Putin opponent Navalny 'poisoned': lawyer

PTI Automatic

Pfizer announced Monday it will merge its off-patent drug business with generic drugmaker Mylan to create a global leader in low-cost treatment, a business that faces significant political pressure in the US.
The new entity, which will be renamed upon the deal's closure, will have a portfolio that includes impotence drug Viagra, cholesterol pills Lipitor, painkiller Lyrica and the life-saving EpiPen allergy treatment.
The merger comes amid rising competition in generic drugs from companies in India and elsewhere, a segment of pharma that is known for having low barriers to entry and commodity-like products.
Joining forces with Pfizer's off-patent division, called Upjohn, will give Mylan access to more international markets. The deal also is expected to result in USD 1 billion in annual cost savings starting in 2023, the companies said.
"The combined organization will have a presence across nearly every continent and major market, establishing a new leadership position in Asia, and ...

Pfizer to combine off-patent drug business with Mylan

Scientists have unearthed a huge two-metre (6.5-foot) dinosaur bone in a winegrowing village in southwestern France dubbed a "national treasure" for its prehistoric gems.
The 140-million-year-old thigh bone, which weighs 400 kilogrammes (880 pounds), is the latest discovery at the vast Angeac-Charente palaeontological site near Bordeaux, where experts and volunteers have dug up thousands of bones over the past decade.
But thanks to its remarkably good condition, the femur -- which scientists say probably belonged to a gigantic sauropod -- could help piece together an incomplete set of bones which the latest find resembles.
"We were wondering how big it was. We kept saying, 'Oh, there's more!'" said Maxime Lasseron, the doctoral student who made the gigantic discovery.  The largest land animals ever to roam the Earth, sauropods were massive plant-eating dinosaurs with a long neck and tail, towering up to 18 metres (59 feet) tall.
"It cost me a bit of money, because I had promised to ...

Colossal dinosaur bone find in France thrills scientists

England director of cricket Ashley Giles says the World Test Championship could lead to a change in England's priorities following their World Cup triumph.
This week's Ashes opener at Edgbaston will be the first Test to count towards a new points table in the format, with 72 matches between the top nine nations taking place over a two-year period before a grand final in 2021.
It is the International Cricket Council's latest attempt to bolster the five-day game, which is still seen as the pinnacle of the sport but suffers from dwindling attendances in many parts of the world.
England are ranked fourth in Test cricket but top the one-day international rankings.
"We've had a focus on the white ball for the last four years and perhaps the time has come to redress that balance," Giles told Sky Sports News.
"It was important that the pendulum didn't swing back to 50-50, it had to swing right back to white-ball cricket, which we'd never done in this country.
"Perhaps that (affected the Test .

England chief Giles says Test Championship could lead to change in focus

Ben Stokes has revealed the pride he felt after being reinstated as England's Test vice-captain ahead of the Ashes series starting this week.
Stokes was stripped of the role in 2017 following a late-night brawl in Bristol but was restored as Joe Root's deputy ahead of the five-Test series against Australia, which begins in Birmingham on Thursday.
Jos Buttler had been acting as Root's right-hand man but was happy to pass the baton back after England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) director of men's cricket Ashley Giles and chief executive Tom Harrison recommended Stokes's restoration.
Speaking on a weekend visit to his old club in Cumbria, the 28-year-old said: "I love having that responsibility and it is something that I thoroughly enjoy doing. I take pride in being vice-captain. Being part of that think-tank is pretty cool.
"I am very good friends with Joe as well, off the field, and as much as I can do to help him through his career, not just as a captain but as a player as well, I am 

Ben Stokes proud to be England Test vice-captain again

Germany on Monday extradited to Belgium a Bosnian man wanted in connection with the 2015 jihadist attacks in Paris, prosecutors said.
The unnamed 39-year-old suspected of having procured weapons for the attackers "was extradited this morning," Naumburg prosecution service spokesman Klaus Tewes told AFP.
The synchronised shooting and suicide attacks by Islamic State gunmen in Paris on the Bataclan concert hall, national stadium and several cafes killed a total of 130 people.
German authorities had last month announced the man's arrest on the night of June 19-20 on a European arrest warrant issued by the Belgian authorities.
He was accused "of abetting a terrorist organisation linked to the terror attacks, including on the Bataclan concert hall, on November 13, 2015 in Paris".
The German authorities said then that he had been targeted in a separate investigation against two Bosnian citizens on suspicion of violating military weapons control laws.
The Islamic State group, which then ...

Germany extradites Bosnian linked to Paris attacks to Belgium

Donald Trump called civil rights activist Al Sharpton a "con man" who is "always looking for a score" Monday, fresh off a weekend in which the US president dominated headlines with attacks against a prominent black lawmaker.
On Saturday and Sunday, Trump took aim at Democratic Representative Elijah Cummings, a high-profile critic of his administration whose district covers much of the majority black city of Baltimore.
When Sharpton tweeted late Sunday that he had "arrived in DC from Atlanta, headed to Baltimore" it was apparently too much for Trump to resist.
The US president retweeted Sharpton's message early Monday, writing "Al is a con man, a troublemaker, always looking for a score. Just doing his thing" before adding that Sharpton, who is black, "Hates Whites & Cops!" "So tired of listening to the same old Bull...Next, Reverend Al will show up to complain & protest. Nothing will get done for the people in need. Sad!" Trump wrote.
rump's diatribes ignited a storm of ...

Trump calls rights activist Sharpton a "con man"

Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool's Community Shield clash with Manchester City on Sunday will have no bearing on their battle for the Premier League title.
The two sides will renew the rivalry that saw them take the title race to a tense final day last season.
City eventually claimed their second successive Premier League crown by a single point as Liverpool's bid for a first title since 1990 reached a painful conclusion.
Klopp's men made amends for that angst just weeks later as they beat Tottenham in the Champions League final and the Reds are expected to fight it out with City for the major honours again in the coming campaign.
A win against Pep Guardiola's team at Wembley would be a welcome psychological boost for Liverpool.
But, having seen his pre-season plans disrupted by the absence of key players such as Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and keeper Alisson due to the Copa America and African Cup of Nations, Klopp isn't putting too much stock in the result of the ...

Klopp says City showdown won't influence Liverpool's title bid

Lewis Hamilton was cancelling all engagements and planning to fly home and rest late Sunday night when he was handed a gift-wrapped ninth place and two precious points after a tumultuous German Grand Prix.
The 30-second penalties given to Alfa Romeo's Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi, more than five hours after the race, for data irregularities in their cars' starting systems cost them seventh and eighth places respectively.
They were relegated out of the top 10 as Mercedes' defending five-time champion rose from 11th to ninth and Robert Kubica was lifted to 10th, thereby scoring the struggling Williams team's first point this year.
The Alfa Romeo team said they would appeal the stewards' decision, meaning that the final result will remain provisional pending the outcome of that action.
"We suffered a dysfunction of the clutch that was beyond our control and we will further investigate the issue," said team chief Frederic Vasseur.
"We respect the FIA's process and the stewards' ..

Hamilton heads home from Hockenheim with gift-wrapped two points

Australia great Glenn McGrath believes the form of England spearhead James Anderson could determine the course of the Ashes.
Australia hold the urn but head into Thursday's opening Test at Edgbaston looking for their first series win in England since 2001.
Anderson, 37 on Tuesday, has been battling to overcome a calf injury but McGrath believes he could have a huge impact on the five-Test series if he stays fit.
"On home soil with the Dukes ball, he's the best in the world bowling in those conditions," McGrath told the Sun in an interview.
"He is a big player and if he has a big series for England, Australia will find it tough. If Australia bat well and can get on top of him, that'll make a massive impact on their chances."
The 49-year-old McGrath, working with online trading broker ThinkMarkets to encourage more young people to get into sport, added: "But Jimmy is on his way to 600 Test wickets, which is absolutely incredible."
Anderson is now just 25 wickets shy of becoming the ...

Anderson could hold key to Ashes, says McGrath

Romelu Lukaku will miss Manchester United's pre-season friendly against Kristiansund on Tuesday amid renewed speculation of a potential move to Inter Milan.
United are reported to have rejected a ?54 million ($66 million, 59 million euros) bid for Belgium striker Lukaku from Serie A club Inter.
Lukaku was sidelined by injury for all four of United's pre-season games during their tour of Australia, Singapore and China.
After suffering an ankle injury, Lukaku trained on his own on the eve of the final match of United's tour -- last week's 2-1 win against Tottenham in Shanghai.
On Sunday, a picture appeared on the 26-year-old's social media accounts of him and his agent Federico Pastorello, accompanied by the message "soon to be continued."
Lukaku is said to be keen to join Inter after a difficult spell at United since his ?75 million move from Everton in 2017.
With Inter believed to have been given a imminent deadline by United to conclude the deal, the former Everton striker was absent 

Lukaku misses United's friendly trip amid transfer talk

Bangladesh is in the grip of the country's worst-ever dengue fever outbreak, officials said Monday, with hospitals overflowing and social media flooded with pleas for blood donors.
Eight people have died and there have been 13,637 cases of the disease so far this year, with nearly 1,100 people -- most of them children -- diagnosed in the last 24 hours, according to official figures.
"This number is the highest since we started keeping record on dengue patients nearly two decades ago," senior health ministry official Ayesha Akter told AFP.
Local media reported that the number of victims could be much higher and the Amader Shomoy newspaper said at least 30 people had died of dengue this year.
The capital Dhaka is the worst-hit, with the city launching a fumigation drive to kill the Aedes mosquito, which is capable of spreading devastating diseases like dengue, Zika and chikungunya.
Dengue, which causes flu-like symptoms, can be deadly if it develops into a hemorrhagic fever. There is no 

Bangladesh struggles to contain record dengue outbreak

Australia's Alex de Minaur makes his return to the ATP top 30 on the strength of his win in Atlanta in the latest rankings published on Monday.
The 20-year-old dominated Taylor Fritz 6-3,7-6 (7/2) to become only the third player to win an ATP title without facing a break point since the tour began keeping stats in 1991.
De Minaur climbs nine places to 25th, with Sunday's beaten Hamburg finalist Andrey Rublev jumping 29 places to 49th.
Albert Ramos was rewarded for his Gstaad win on Sunday with a 17-rung move up to 68th.
The sole change in the top 10 headed by Novak Djokovic was Italian Fabio Fognini up one place to ninth.
1. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 12415 pts
2. Rafael Nadal (ESP) 7945
3. Roger Federer (SUI) 7460
4. Dominic Thiem (AUT) 4595
5. Alexander Zverev (GER) 4415
6. Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) 4045
7. Kei Nishikori (JPN) 4040
8. Karen Khachanov (RUS) 2890
9. Fabio Fognini (ITA) 2625 (+1)
10. Daniil Medvedev (RUS) 2625 (-1)
11. Kevin Anderson (RSA) 2500
12. Juan Mart?n Del Potro (ARG) 

Atlanta winner Alex de Minaur climbs into ATP top 30

China Monday said the US threat to pull recognition of China's "developing nation" status at the World Trade Organisation showed its "arrogance and selfishness", ahead of crucial trade talks this week.
The reaction followed a memo issued on Friday by President Donald Trump to US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, stressing that some countries were enjoying lenient treatment by "improperly" identifying themselves as developing economies.
The memo is widely seen as a swipe at China.
The Trump administration's demand "further exposed its wayward arrogance and selfishness", Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a regular briefing Monday.
One or a few countries "should not have the final say" on which nations should be categorised as developing countries, Hua said.
She insisted that China needs to maintain its status as a developing economy to "achieve real trade fairness".
Trump's memo said the WTO, which operates a global system of trade rules and settles ...

China's slams US 'arrogance' on WTO status

A French environmental group said Monday that it had filed a lawsuit accusing officials of failing to move quickly to contain the risks of lead contamination after the fire that ravaged the Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris last April.
Hundreds of tons of lead in the church's roof and steeple melted during the blaze, releasing toxic particles that settled on streets and buildings in surrounding neighbourhoods.
Authorities have insisted that any contamination poses no danger, following a media report last week alleging that they had covered up lead pollution levels in local schools.
But last Thursday, city officials indefinitely shut two schools near the gothic landmark after tests revealed high levels of lead pollution on a shared playground.
Cleanup work at Notre-Dame was also halted after the top government official in the Paris region acknowledged that anti-contamination measures were insufficient.
"The relevent authorities, including the diocese... neglected to assist residents, ...

French NGO files lawsuit over lead risks from Notre-Dame blaze

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met in Cairo Monday powerful Sudanese military General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, whose forces have been accused of carrying out a brutal crackdown on protesters.
In his first official visit to the Egyptian capital, the deputy chief of Sudan's military council widely known as Hemeti, "presented the latest developments on the current situation in Sudan", the Egyptian presidency said.
Sisi, the former general turned president, reiterated Egypt's "strategic support" in maintaining "the stability and security" of its neighbour Sudan, the presidency added.
Cairo has been a steadfast ally of Khartoum's military leaders after long-time autocrat Omar al-Bashir was toppled on April 11 after months of protests.
Hemeti, commander of the Rapid Support Forces - the feared paramilitary group accused of war crimes in Darfur under Bashir - has also shored up support from Gulf allies, meeting with Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in May.
Triggered in ...

Sudan general meets Sisi in Cairo as power talks set to resume

New British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is waiting for EU leaders to agree to renegotiate their Brexit deal before he meets them, his spokeswoman said Monday, as the government stepped up "no deal" planning.
"He obviously wants to meet EU leaders and negotiate but not to be sat down and told that the EU cannot possibly reopen the withdrawal agreement," the spokeswoman said.
Johnson, who took office last week, wants to change the exit terms struck by his predecessor Theresa May but insists he will leave the European Union without any agreement at all if necessary on October 31.  Brussels says it will not reopen the text.
In phone calls last week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron both invited Johnson to visit, but he has yet to announce any foreign travel ahead of the G7 summit in August.
"The withdrawal agreement has been rejected by parliament a number of times now and clearly it's not going to pass in its current form," the spokeswoman said.
"It ..

New British PM waits for EU to move on Brexit

Iran said on Monday the US had rejected an offer from Tehran for more robust nuclear inspections in exchange for lifting sanctions because Washington is "not seeking dialogue".
Under the 2015 nuclear deal agreed to by Tehran, Iran must ratify a document, known as the additional protocol, prescribing more intrusive inspections of its nuclear programme eight years after the deal was adopted.
"If the US is really seeking an agreement... Iran can make the additional protocol into law (in 2019) and (the US) at the same time bring a plan to the Congress and lift all illegal sanctions," said foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi.
"But as we predicted it was rejected by them, because we knew that they are not for talks or an agreement that would yield a proper result," he told a news conference.
According to Mousavi, the proposal was made by Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif during a visit this month in New York to dismiss the idea of "Iran being against talks... (while) America is for 

Iran says US rejected offer as 'not seeking dialogue'

Belgium should have carried out environmental impact studies before prolonging the operational life of two nuclear reactors, Europe's top court ruled Monday.
The European Court of Justice, responding to a case brought by two environmental pressure groups, found the Belgian government in breach of EU law.
Belgium must now conduct environmental assessments and demonstrate that there is a "genuine and serious threat" of power cuts if the plants are closed.
And, as the Doel 1 and Doel 2 reactors are on a site close to the Dutch border, the Netherlands must be involved in a "transboundary assessment procedure".
The Belgian constitutional court will now decide the fate of the power stations, taking into account the legal interpretation of the ECJ.
The Belgian parliament decided in 2003 to phase out the use of nuclear energy and to retire its ageing reactors, amid concern from its neighbours.
Doel 1 and 2 were to have shut in 2015 after reaching 40 years in age, but lawmakers decided to ...

EU court warns Belgium over nuclear stations

The culture inside the Australian Test cricket squad may have changed since Tim Paine took over the captaincy following the ball-tampering scandal last year in South Africa, but it has not blunted their competitiveness says pace bowler Pat Cummins.
The 26-year-old joint vice-captain -- who took himself off to France for a break following the World Cup semi-final loss to eventual champions England this month -- told The Guardian Paine's arrival in the wake of the scandal had forced a rethink about their approach to the game.
Former captain Steve Smith and his then deputy David Warner were both given 12-month suspensions by Cricket Australia, with opening batsman Cameron Bancroft -- who applied sandpaper to the ball while in the field during a Test with South Africa in Cape Town -- banned for nine months.
They are all back in the squad for the five-Test Ashes series which gets underway at Edgbaston on Thursday with the tourists bidding to not only retain the Ashes but also win their ...

Changes under Paine have not affected Aussie desire to win: Cummins

Alexandre Lacazette hopes to be fit for Arsenal's Premier League opener at Newcastle after suffering an ankle injury.
Lacazette was forced to limp out of Arsenal's 2-1 Emirates Cup pre-season friendly defeat against Lyon on Sunday and left the stadium with a protective boot on his foot.
The French striker is being checked by Arsenal's medical team, but he does not think it is a serious problem.
Arsenal boss Unai Emery was also relaxed about the 28-year-old's chances of recovering in time for the trip to Newcastle on August 11.
Asked whether he might be out for one or two weeks, Lacazette told reporters: "No, before (that). Soon." It remains to be seen whether Lacazette travels to France for
Arsenal's friendly against Angers on Wednesday.
Arsenal wrap up their pre-season preparations with a clash against Barcelona on Sunday.
"It's in his ankle," Emery said after the defeat to Lyon. "He will probably be assessed over the next few days - but it's not serious.
"We are thinking it's not ...

AFP

AFP

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