New British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will make his first official visit to Scotland on Monday in an attempt to bolster the union in the face of warnings over a no-deal Brexit.
Johnson will visit a military base to announce new funding for local communities, saying that Britain is a "global brand and together we are safer, stronger and more prosperous", according to a statement released by his Downing Street Office.
It will be the first stop on a tour of the countries that make up the United Kingdom, as he attempts to win support for his Brexit plans and head off talk of a break-up of the union.
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said last week that Scotland, which voted to remain in the EU in the 2016 referendum, needed an "alternative option" to Johnson's Brexit strategy.
He has promised that Britain will leave the EU on October 31, with or without a deal.
Sturgeon, who leads the separatist Scottish National Party (SNP), told Johnson that the devolved Scottish Parliament ...

PM Johnson makes first Scotland trip in bid to boost union

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Prince Harry's wife Meghan will guest edit the September issue of iconic fashion magazine British Vogue, which will see her in "candid conversation" with former US first lady Michelle Obama.
The edition, entitled "Forces for Change", will feature 15 women "united by their fearlessness in breaking barriers", including world-renowned primatologist Jane Goodall, according to a statement released by the royal family.
"These last seven months have been a rewarding process..., to take the year's most read fashion issue and steer its focus to the values, causes and people making impact in the world today," said Meghan, also known by her official title the Duchess of Sussex.
"Through this lens I hope you'll feel the strength of the collective in the diverse selection of women chosen for the cover," she added.
Other women to feature include New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and actor/campaigners Jane Fonda and Salma Hayek Pinault, along with youth climate campaigner Greta Thunberg.
The 

Meghan guest edits British Vogue

Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders accused American pharmaceutical companies Sunday of letting diabetic patients die out of "greed," after he accompanied a group of Americans to Canada to buy insulin.
Sanders joined the group, which took a bus from the US city of Detroit to Windsor, Ontario to restock on insulin, which costs 10 times more in the United States than in its northern neighbor.
"How come the same exact medicine, in this case insulin, is sold here in Canada for one-tenth of the price it is sold in the United States?" Sanders demanded after visiting a Windsor pharmacy.
"It is collusion, it is corruption and it is greed." Insulin is a hormone normally produced by the pancreas that regulates blood sugar levels in the body. Diabetics cannot produce sufficient levels of it themselves and are thus dependent on commercially manufactured supplements.
In the United States, one vial costs an average of $340 (300 euros).
Sanders, who made affordable health care a main tenet of both 

Bernie Sanders denounces 'greed' of American drug companies

US intelligence chief Dan Coats will leave office on August 15, President Donald Trump announced on Sunday, the latest high-profile departure from his turnover-plagued administration.
Trump tweeted that he plans to nominate Congressman John Ratcliffe of Texas as the new Director of National Intelligence, and thanked Coats "for his great service to our Country.

Trump says US intel chief Coats to leave office August 15

Nigeria's presidency on Sunday said the government was banning a Shiite group after a spate of deadly clashes at protests in the capital.
Tensions have risen between the authorities and the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) as demonstrations in Abuja to free pro-Iranian leader Ibrahim Zakzaky have descended into violence.
At least six protesters, a trainee journalist and a senior police officer were killed on Monday during the latest clashes.
Punch newspaper reported on Saturday the government had secured a court order allowing it to prohibit the group's activities as "terrorism and illegality".
"Proscription of Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) has nothing to do with banning the larger numbers of peaceful and law abiding Shiites in the country from practicing their religion, instead it was to discourage wanton violence, murder and wilful destruction of public and private property," the presidency said in a statement.
"The banned organisation was taken over by extremists who didn't ...

Nigerian govt bans Shiite group after deadly clashes

More than 380 Chinese nationals were detained during a raid on a gambling ring in Vietnam, state media reported Sunday, in what police claim is the biggest-ever betting operation run by foreigners.
Most forms of gambling are illegal for locals in Vietnam, but the country has in recent years been used as a venue for online betting rings run by gangs from China and Taiwan.
Some 500 police officers in the northern port city of Hai Phong broke up the Chinese-run network in a raid late Saturday on a gated community called Our City where rooms were used to transact online bets worth more than USD 400 million, state-run Vietnam Television said.
"This case is considered the biggest ever in terms of scale and the number of foreigners breaking laws on Vietnam's soil," VTV reported.
The 380 Chinese nationals fielded online wagers from Chinese punters on sports betting and ran an illegal lottery, it added.
According to the report, police also confiscated nearly 2,000 smartphones, 530 computers, ..

Nearly 400 detained in record Vietnam gambling bust

Sudanese police fired tear gas Sunday at scores of protesters demanding an independent probe into a deadly June raid on a Khartoum sit-in, despite an investigation identifying eight officers it said were involved.
The joint probe by prosecutors and Sudan's ruling military council showed that security forces, including a general from the feared paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, took part in the June 3 raid on the protest camp -- despite having no orders from their superiors to do so.
The eight accused officers face charges of crimes against humanity, chief investigator Fatah al-Rahman Saeed told reporters on Saturday.  But protest leaders rejected the findings of the investigation, saying it exonerated the military council and gave a far lower death toll than their own figures.
Doctors linked to the protest movement say the June 3 raid left 127 people dead and scores wounded.
Saeed said investigators found that just 17 people were killed on June 3, while a total of 87 died between ...

Sudan police tear gas rally urging impartial probe into deadly raid

An attack this weekend by Boko Haram fighters on a funeral in northeast Nigeria has left 65 people dead, almost triple the initial toll, a local official said Sunday.
Dozens more bodies were discovered following the assault Saturday by gunmen on a village close to the regional capital Maiduguri.
"It is 65 people dead and 10 injured," local government chairman Muhammed Bulama said.
Bulama said more than 20 people died in the initial attack on a funeral gathering. Dozens more were killed as they tried to chase after the jihadists.  The leader of a local anti-Boko Haram militia confirmed the death toll, while giving a slightly different account of the attack.
Bunu Bukar Mustapha told AFP 23 people were killed as they returned from the funeral and "the remaining 42 were killed when they pursued the terrorists".
Bulama said he thought the latest attack was in retaliation for the killing two weeks ago of 11 Boko Haram fighters by local residents when the fighters approached their village. ..

Death toll in Nigeria Boko Haram attack up to 65: official

Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra suggested Sunday cutting short his term in office for early elections to end what he called an institutional crisis.
He said in a speech to Congress this would also involve cutting short the term of the legislature. As it stands, general elections are scheduled for July of next year.
Vizcarra's proposal comes with Peru's executive and legislative branches locked in a power struggle.
The president said his idea would need to be passed by the opposition-controlled legislature, and then approved in a referendum.
"The voice of the people must be heard," Vizcarra told lawmakers, as some cheered him and others yelled insults.
"Peru is screaming for a new beginning," Vizcarra said.

Peru's president seeks early elections to end 'institutional crisis'

US President Donald Trump pushed back on Sunday against charges that he was racist and promoting a "hate agenda" to win reelection following his attacks on a prominent black lawmaker and his constituency.
In a series of tweets, Trump had on Saturday taken aim at Democratic Representative Elijah Cummings, a high-profile critic of his administration whose district covers much of the majority black city of Baltimore, Maryland.  After calling Cummings's district a "rat and rodent infested mess" where no one would choose to live, Trump insisted on Sunday that he was just telling things as they are.
"There is nothing wrong with bringing out the very obvious fact that Congressman Elijah Cummings has done a very poor job for his district and the City of Baltimore," Trump said, without providing evidence to support his claim.
Saturday's diatribe ignited a storm of criticism and came less than two weeks after the House of Representatives condemned Trump for "racist" comments targeting four ...

Trump rejects charges of racism after accusations of 'hate agenda'

An attack by Boko Haram fighters on a funeral in northeast Nigeria left 65 people dead, almost triple the initial toll, a local official said Sunday.
Dozens more bodies were discovered following the assault Saturday by gunmen on a village close to the regional capital Maiduguri.
"It is 65 people dead and 10 injured," local government chairman Muhammed Bulama said.

Death toll in Nigeria Boko Haram attack rises to 65: official

Max Verstappen took full advantage of his rivals' calamities on Sunday to win an epic, rain-lashed and wildly-spectacular German Grand Prix for Red Bull ahead of Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari.
The 21-year-old Dutchman secured his second win of the season and seventh of his career, finishing ahead of four-time world champion Vettel, who had started 20th and last on the grid.
New dad Daniil Kvyat of Toro Rosso was third as he secured only his third Formula One podium.
The race was a disaster for champions Mercedes who were celebrating their 200th Formula One start of the modern era and 125 years of motorsport, both defending five-time champion Lewis Hamilton and his team-mate Valtteri Bottas crashed and failed to score any points.
Hamilton eventually finished 11th after making six pit-stops as he missed out on a points finish for the first time in 23 races while Verstappen continued his rich streak of consistency.
Lance Stroll of Racing Point came home fourth to deliver his team's best ...

Verstappen wins chaotic German Grand Prix

Gareth Bale's move to Chinese side Jiangsu Suning has been cancelled by Real Madrid, a source close to the Wales forward told AFP on Sunday.
Bale, 30, who has been in the Spanish capital since 2013, was expected to join the Chinese Super League outfit on a three-year-deal worth ?1 million ($1.1 million) a week.
The 77-time international had been told by Real coach Zinedine Zidane he does not form part of his future plans at the Bernabeu.
The former Tottenham Hotspur winger came off the bench to play half an hour in Real's record 7-3 defeat to rivals Atletico Madrid on Saturday.
The source dismissed reports by Spanish daily Marca which said the player's family had blocked a potential move to Asia.
Marca said those close to Bale had asked his representatives to look for clubs in Europe "before definitively saying yes to Jiangsu Suning's offer".
The Chinese transfer window closes on Wednesday.

Real Madrid block Bale China move: source

Veteran pacemen James Anderson and Stuart Broad hold the key to England's bid to reclaim the Ashes this summer, according to their former teammate Steve Harmison.
Test cricket's oldest battle resumes at Edgbaston on Thursday, with Joe Root's side aiming to maintain the feel-good factor in English cricket after World Cup glory.
But Harmison, who won the 2005 Ashes on home soil and played alongside Broad and Anderson during the 2009 series win over Australia, said England had the trump cards with their two experienced bowlers.
"The two pace attacks are different in dynamics, out-and-out pace against experience," Harmison told Britain's Press Association at an event organised by Ashes sponsors Specsavers.
"Australia have bowlers who can blast you away -- Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, James Pattinson and Josh Hazlewood.
"But if they don't get it quite right they can go at six an over. Broad and Anderson will very rarely go at six an over.
"They'll be down on pace compared to the ...

Anderson and Broad key to Ashes glory, says Harmison

Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili retained his title at the Hamburg Open on Sunday when he beat unseeded Russian Andrey Rublev, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3.
Basilashvili, who was seeded fourth at the clay-court event, is ranked 16th in the world but will lose points because last year he took the title after coming through qualifying.
The 27-year-old's only other ATP Tour title came in the hard-court China Open in Beijing last October.
The Georgian dropped serve early in the first set but broke back with his sixth break point of the sixth game. He wasted a set point in 10th game before clinching on the fourth break point of a marathon 12th game.
The 21-year old Rublev hit back with the only break of the second set to level the match.
Basilashvili broke in the second game of the final set. Rublev hit back at once but Basilashvili immediately broke again. The young Russian took the next game to deuce but the Georgian held and was in control the rest of the way.
Basilashvili upset Hamburg native and second 

Basilashvili outlasts Rublev to retain Hamburg title

Geraint Thomas has "defied the odds" by occupying second place in the Tour de France behind Colombia teammate Egan Bernal, said Team Ineos boss Dave Brailsford.
Bernal, 22, will clinch victory on Sunday as long as he avoids any late disaster on the twilight parade into Paris to become the youngest winner in more than a century.
Thomas was hoping to defend the title he won last year but the 33-year-old Welshman has had to settle for second place.
"He's had a fantastic tour," Brailsford told BBC Radio on Sunday. "The first time someone wins the Tour de France they hardly ever come back and perform well the year afterwards.
"Geraint's defied all the odds there and could have won the race. He's fair, he's balanced, he wanted to win, but then as soon as the opportunity came for the team to win he was 100 percent behind it and he's just a pleasure to work with. He's a class act."
Brailsford said the 2019 Tour had been the "most exciting, open, topsy-turvy kind of race that we've ever been ..

Thomas 'defied the odds' at Tour de France, says Brailsford

Experts say they have found no recent bones in their examination of a ossuary as part of a search for a teenager who disappeared 36 years ago, Vatican officials said Sunday.
But an expert representing the family of the missing girl has called for more tests on some of the bones.
A Vatican spokesman said a team of specialists, who completed their work Sunday, had found no bones old enough to match those of Emanuela Orlandi, the missing teenager.
Forensics specialist Giovanni Arcudi, who led the team, said they had found "no bone structure dating back to a period later than the end of the 19th century," said the statement.
But an expert appointed to represent the Orlandi family's interest has called for more detailed tests on around 70 bones that Professor Arcudi did not think worth examining because he judged them to be very old.
The Vatican police have filed and taken possession of the remains, pending a court ruling on the question.
The experts removed thousands of bone fragments ...

Vatican says no recent bones found in search of ossuary

The estranged brother of the Singaporean prime minister has backed a new opposition party, the latest incident in a bitter feud in the city-state's first family.
The Progress Singapore Party (PSP) was formed by Tan Cheng Bock, a former stalwart of the ruling party, to contest elections due by 2021.
Tan has been seen in recent months with the premier's sibling, Lee Hsien Yang, local media reported, sparking talk of an alliance.  On Sunday Lee posted on Facebook: "I wholeheartedly support the principles and values of the Progress Singapore Party".
"Today's PAP is no longer the PAP of my father. It has lost its way", he said.
He did not elaborate further or say whether he would join the new party.
Business executive Lee and his sister have been embroiled in a feud with their elder brother, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, over the fate of a century-old family bungalow.
The rare public falling out within the city-state's elite erupted following the 2015 death of their father, Singapore's ..

AFP

AFP

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