The Libramont agricultural show is the highlight of the year for Belgium's proud beef industry, but this year even the sunny skies of western Europe's record heatwave couldn't chase one looming shadow away.
The breeders parading their famous Belgian Blue beef cattle will soon face competition from the vast ranches of the South American pampas.
Resistance is building among some European farmers against a draft trade deal reached by EU officials with the Mercosur group -- Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.
After 20 years of negotiations, officials in Brussels -- 140 kilometres (80 miles) northwest of the pastures of Ardennes -- are very pleased with the accord that could save European exporters four billion euros (USD 4.5 billion) in duties per year.
But, as member states decide whether to ratify and implement the deal, EU farmers and environmentalists are less excited.
Beef breeders in particular say that EU quality standards are higher than those in Latin America, and fear a ...

Breeders fear EU-Mercosur pact will make mincemeat of Belgium beef

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Thousands of pro-democracy protesters defied a police ban and began marching through Hong Kong on Sunday, a day after riot police fired rubber bullets and tear gas in the latest violent confrontation to plunge the financial hub deeper into crisis.
Huge crowds gathered in the heart of the city's commercial district on Sunday afternoon, after police gave permission for a static protest in a park but banned a proposed march through the city.
Yet protesters soon spilled into the streets outside the park and began marching in spite of the ban, ratcheting up the likelihood of renewed clashes.
"I feel so conflicted, seeing young people sacrifice their future for Hong Kong," a 22-year-old student protester called Marcus told AFP, breaking into tears.
The latest march comes a day after a town near the border with mainland China descended into chaos, as police battled protesters holding another banned rally against suspected pro-government triad gangs who beat up democracy demonstrators there ..

Hong Kong protesters defy police again and begin banned march

Iran on Sunday slammed as "provocative" a British proposal for a European-led naval mission to escort tankers in the Gulf, amid soaring tensions over the seizure of ships.
"We heard that they intend to send a European fleet to the Persian Gulf which naturally carries a hostile message, is provocative and will increase tensions," government spokesman Ali Rabiei said, quoted by ISNA news agency.
Britain said on Monday it was planning a European-led force for shipping in the Gulf in response to Iran's seizure of a UK-flagged oil tanker on July 19.
The seizure of the Stena Impero came two weeks after British authorities detained an Iranian tanker -- the Grace 1 -- off its overseas territory Gibraltar on allegations it was breaching EU sanctions on Syria.
In his comments on Sunday, the Iranian government spokesman said Iran believed the security of the oil-rich Gulf had to be maintained by countries in the region.
"We are the biggest agent of maritime security in the Persian Gulf," said ...

Iran says European naval mission in Gulf would be 'provocative'

Russian police arrested almost 1,400 people as they gathered in Moscow at the weekend to demand open elections, a monitor said, the biggest crackdown on a rally in the country in years.
Some 3,500 people took part in the unauthorised protest on Saturday, according to official figures, after authorities blocked prominent opposition candidates from taking part in city elections.
The meeting came a week after 22,000 took to the streets calling on authorities to reverse their decision ahead of the vote.
Police used batons on protesters as they tried to gather outside city hall on Saturday, and AFP reporters at the scene saw demonstrators with injuries.
The EU in a statement denounced the "disproportionate use of force against peaceful protesters," which it said undermined "the fundamental freedoms of expression, association and assembly".
Amnesty International also condemned what it said was the use of excessive force by the police.
After the rally last week investigators raided the homes 

1,400 arrested at Moscow election protest: Monitor

At least 13 jade mine workers and security guards in northern Myanmar were killed in a landslide Sunday, authorities said, as rescuers frantically searched for more victims.
Dozens die each year in landslides caused by jade mining, a dangerous and poorly regulated industry in Kachin state between the country's borders with China and India.
Myanmar's fire services department said in a Facebook post the accident happened in the early morning in Hpakant township.
"We have sent two injured men and the dead bodies of 13 men" to a local hospital, the department said.
A police officer on the scene told AFP that the upper part of a mine collapsed and fell around 200 metres (700 feet) onto those sleeping below.
Though new regulations suspend mining during the wet season peak from July through September, some workers stay on site.
Heavy rains pounded the area over the last week, according to the officer, who said the search for those missing is ongoing.
The deadly landslide is the latest to hit 

At least 13 killed in Myanmar jade mine landslide

Fifty-five pieces of rhino horn were found encased in plaster at an airport in the Vietnamese capital, authorities said Sunday, as the country tries to crack down on sophisticated wildlife smuggling routes.
The communist state is both a consumption hub and popular transit point for the multibillion dollar trade in animal parts.
The 125 kilogram (275 pound) haul of rhino horn discovered at Hanoi's Noi Bai airport on Thursday was found after the carefully disguised shipment aroused suspicion.
Images of the bust show large rhino horns and smaller pieces sitting on a table and police using rods to break the casts apart.
"It took half a day to break them open," a security source told AFP.  It was not immediately clear which African country the shipment originated from.
The parts were found the same day police arrested a key wildlife trafficking suspect and two other men after seven frozen tiger carcasses were discovered in their vehicle in a parking lot.
The busts follow a record seizure ..

Vietnam seizes 125 kilos of rhino horn hidden in plaster

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for an attack that killed six soldiers in Syria's southern province of Daraa, the cradle of the 2011 uprising against the government.
The jihadist group said it was responsible for a "suicide operation" Saturday during which one of its fighters sprayed soldiers with machine-gun fire before detonating an "explosive vest".
The claim, posted late Saturday on the Telegram messaging app, was the second by the group this week for an attack in Syria, from which it was largely expelled last year.
IS on Monday said it was responsible for a deadly car bombing in Damascus, where a civilian was killed when a vehicle exploded in the southern suburb of Qadam.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said six soldiers were killed and several other people wounded in Saturday's attack in Daraa, where peaceful anti-government protests erupted in March 2011.
It said a bomber riding a motorcycle blew himself up at a military .

IS claims deadly attack on Syrian government troops

North Korea has released a Russian fishing boat with a crew of 15 Russians and two South Koreans after it was detained for violating entry regulations, the Russian embassy in Pyongyang said Sunday.
The release comes nearly two weeks after North Korean border guards took control of the ship belonging to the Russian North-Eastern Fishing Company on July 17.
The vessel, named Xiang Hai Lin 8, left the North Korean port of Wonsan late Saturday, the embassy said in a Facebook post.
"At 19:30, the vessel left the Wonsan port's pier and headed to Sokcho (South Korea), where two South Korean crewmembers will come ashore," it said.
The embassy added it will continue to investigate the "circumstances" of the ship's detention.
South Korea's unification ministry, which handles inter-Korean relations, welcomed the boat's "safe return", calling the release "positive from a humanitarian perspective".
The boat arrived in Sokcho on Sunday afternoon, the ministry said in a statement.
The boat was ...

North Korea releases Russian fishing boat: Moscow

The remaining signatories to the Iran nuclear deal will meet in Vienna on Sunday to try again to find a way of saving the accord after the US pulled out, amid mounting tensions between Tehran and Washington.
Envoys from Britain, France, Germany, China, Russia and Iran will take part in the meeting which comes a month after a similar gathering failed to achieve a breakthrough.
Tensions between Tehran and Washington have escalated since last year when US President Donald Trump pulled out of the accord that was aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear programme, and imposed punishing sanctions.
In retaliation, Iran said in May it would disregard certain limits the deal set on its nuclear programme and threatened to take further measures if remaining parties to the deal, especially European nations, did not help it circumvent the US sanctions.
Pressure has continued to mount in the region with a string of incidents involving tankers and drones.
The US has said it brought down one and possibly two .

Iran to meet nuclear deal members

Taiwan's upcoming elections will be a "heart-pounding, soul-stirring battle" for the island's future, Beijing-friendly candidate Han Kuo-yu said Sunday in his first speech since becoming the opposition party's presidential candidate.
Han described January's vote as a choice between "peace or crisis" with China in a speech to a packed stadium at the Kuomintang (KMT) party's national congress.
Taiwan has been a de facto sovereign nation since the end of a civil war in 1949 but China still views the island as its territory and has vowed to seize it, by force if necessary.
Han is looking to unseat President Tsai Ing-wen of the Beijing-sceptic Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in a contest that will be dominated by relations with China.
"This won't be a polite gentleman's race, it will be a heart-pounding, soul-stirring battle for the survival of the Republic of China (ROC) and
Taiwan's next generations," he told the crowd, using Taiwan's formal name.
"The people will make a sacred choice 

Beijing-friendly candidate says elections a 'battle' for Taiwan

Iran has strongly condemned the execution in Bahrain of two Shiite men convicted of terrorism, saying the Gulf state's crackdown on dissent was bound to fail.
The two were executed by firing squad on Saturday, said officials in the kingdom which has been gripped by bouts of unrest since 2011 when it crushed Shiite-led protests demanding political reform.
The foreign ministry in Iran issued a statement late on Saturday in which spokesman Abbas Mousavi "strongly condemned Bahrain's execution of political dissidents".
Mousavi pointed to "reports of forced confessions under torture and unfair trials for those executed and the international calls for Bahrain to stop the executions".
Bahrain was wrong to suppress protesters "instead of... trying to solve the self-made crisis through making peace with the people," he said in the statement released on the ministry's Telegram channel.
Mousavi accused Bahrain of "undertaking the policy of removing dissidents" by itself this time instead of ...

Iran strongly condemns Bahrain executions

A controversial US plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace could spell the demise of Jordan and turn it into a "Palestinian state", Jordanians and analysts warn.
The initiative launched by US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner at a June conference in Bahrain dangles the prospect of USD 50 billion of investment into a stagnant Palestinian economy.
But it fails to address key issues such as an independent Palestinian state, Israeli occupation and the Palestinians' right to return to homes from which they fled or were expelled after Israel's creation in 1948.
The Palestinian Authority boycotted the Bahrain forum, accusing the unabashedly pro-Israel Trump of using the prospect of cash to try to impose political solutions, and of ignoring the fundamental issue of occupation.
Trump has taken the landmark step of recognising disputed Jerusalem as Israel's capital and Kushner has suggested the peace plan would not mention a Palestinian state.
Kushner is returning to the Middle East .

US peace plan rings alarm bells in Jordan: analysts

Rory McIlroy birdied the last three holes, closing with a dramatic 27-foot putt, to seize a one-stroke lead over top-ranked Brooks Koepka after Saturday's third round of the WGC St Jude Invitational.
The four-time major winner from Northern Ireland fired an eight-under par 62 to stand on 12-under 198 after 54 holes at par-70 TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee.
"To birdie the last three holes and take the lead puts me in a really great position going into tomorrow," McIlroy said on Saturday.
"I've holed a lot of putts this week, which is nice."
Third-ranked McIlroy's second-lowest round of the season, eclipsed only by a 61 in the final round of his Canadian Open triumph last month, comes a week after a disappointing missed cut at the British Open at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.
It also booked the 30-year-old a first-ever Sunday pairing with four-time major winner Koepka in the last group for the final round of the elite World Golf Championship event.
"Rory is playing with some .

McIlroy leads after sizzling 62 at WGC St Jude event

Abortion could soon be decriminalised across Australia, with the last holdout state set to consider a new law this week that would remove terminations from the criminal code.
Under legislation dating back to 1900, women in New South Wales who have abortions and their doctors can be sentenced to up to 10 years' imprisonment. The procedure is only considered legal if the doctor believes the woman's physical or mental health is in danger.
A new bill that would overturn the "archaic" law will come before the state's parliament this week and has support from across the political spectrum, including the health minister, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Alex Greenwich, the independent MP for Sydney who will introduce the bill, said Sunday on Twitter it was an "overdue reform" that follows "decades of advocacy and hard work" by campaigners.
Prosecutions are rare in New South Wales but a woman was convicted in 2017 for attempting an abortion after taking pills she bought online.
The new ...

Last Australian state poised to decriminalise abortion

Beaten but unbowed, Allyson Felix said Saturday she is determined to bring the curtain down on her glittering track and field career on her own terms.
The 33-year-old American superstar failed to clinch a 400m berth for the World Championships after only finishing sixth at Drake Stadium, but could still travel to Doha as a member of the USA relay squad.
It means that for the first time, Felix will not enter an individual event at a major championship, an astonishing 16-year streak that encompasses four Olympic Games and eight world championships.
Yet Felix, who was racing this week for the first time in more than a year after taking time out of the sport for the birth of her daughter, is determined to book a spot in Tokyo at what would be her fifth Olympics.
"I want to be back in the Olympics," Felix told reporters.
"I want that more than anything. I want to go out on my terms. A little sacrifice here and there and it will be worth it."
Felix's time on Saturday of 51.94 sec was well ..

Felix determined to chase Olympic swansong

Third-seeded Australian Alex de Minaur withstood 28 aces in a three-set victory over Reilly Opelka Saturday to book a title clash with Taylor Fritz in the ATP tennis tournament in Atlanta, Georgia.
De Minaur's 7-6 (7/4) 6-7 (5/7) 6-3 victory made the 20-year-old the youngest player ever to reach the Atlanta final.
He'll be facing another of the ATP Tour's young guns in Fritz, the 21-year-old second seed who beat Britain's Cameron Norrie 6-1 3-6 6-3.
De Minaur will be chasing a second career title to go with the trophy he captured in Sydney in January -- before his season was slowed by a groin injury that sidelined him for almost two months.
"I'm back where I want to be," de Minaur said.
"I felt like I've been playing some great tennis, but not getting the wins that I wanted. I knew that sooner or later, I'd have a good result again."
De Minaur said it was just a matter of staying patient and maintaining his poise as his good friend Opelka rained down the aces.
"I've got to know he's ..

Aussie de Minaur downs Opelka, will face Fritz in Atlanta ATP final

Portuguese midfielder Joao Mario scored the final spot-kick as Inter Milan beat Neymar-less Paris Saint-Germain on penalties here.
With their want-away Brazilian superstar left out of the trip to the former Portuguese colony, PSG were seconds from victory on Saturday before Samuele Longo's injury-time equaliser made it 1-1.
Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic saved from Adil Aouchiche and then Arthur Zagre before Mario stepped up to slot the winner for Inter, who edged the penalties 6-5.
The win for Antonio Conte's side comes just days after they lost to Italian rivals Juventus on penalties in a friendly in China.
Neymar, linked with a move back to his former club Barcelona, remained in China's Shenzhen, PSG's previous stop on their Asian tour, while his team-mates flew to gambling enclave Macau.
During a scrappy game in sweltering Macau, Inter were quicker out of the blocks forcing three fine stops from PSG's Alphonse Areola in the first 10 minutes.
New signing Stefano Sensi and Ivan ..

Inter edge Neymar-less PSG on penalties

Swimming Australia insisted on Sunday it followed the rules in dealing with a failed drug test by relay world-record holder Shayna Jack, rejecting claims it wasn't transparent about the "embarrassing" result.
The 20-year-old, part of Australia's 4x100m freestyle team that set a world record at last year's Commonwealth Games, failed an out-of-competition test late last month and has been suspended.
She returned home days before the start of the world championships in South Korea citing "personal reasons" but news of the incident only emerged in a media report on Saturday, with Jack then denying wrongdoing in an Instagram post.
In a statement released after the revelation, Swimming Australia admitted the Australian Sports Anti-doping Authority (ASADA) had told it Jack tested positive on June 26.
But the Australian governing body maintained it was required to keep the details confidential "until such time as either ASADA or the individual athlete release details of an adverse test ...

Swimming Australia denies cover-up of Jack failed drug test

Steve Waugh says the Ashes are too close to call as England and Australia prepare to resume battle, with the visitors seeking their first away win in the series for 18 years.
With the exception of the 2010/11 series in Australia, which England won 3-1, home advantage has been decisive since Waugh's side triumphed 4-1 away in 2001.
But the former Australia captain, 54, said it was "50-50" as to who would emerge triumphant over the course of the five Tests starting at Edgbaston on Thursday.
"I really believe it's a big ask for the fast bowlers on both sides to play five Tests in six weeks and that could have a big impact on the whole series, so for instance Jimmy Anderson gets injured, or Mitchell Starc gets injured for us, it could really affect the line-up.
"Depth in the squad will be important but I honestly think if I was a betting man I wouldn't back either side because I don't know who's going to win. It's going to be that even. I think it's going to be a fantastic series."
Waugh, 

Ashes contest too close to call, says former Australia captain Steve Waugh

Several thousand protesters rallied in Bucharest on Saturday after Romania's police chief was fired over the murder of a 15-year-old girl who had made three emergency calls to report her own kidnapping and given clues to her whereabouts.
Critics allege that officials failed to take the alert seriously and finally reacted too late to help save the teen, identified as Alexandra.
Amid chants of "incompetence" and angry calls for the government to step down, demonstrators placed flowers and candles at a makeshift memorial outside the interior ministry on Saturday evening.
A 65-year-old suspect has been taken into custody, prosecutors said Saturday, after investigators searching his home and garden discovered human remains and jewellery belonging to the girl.
The suspect insisted he was innocent and had never met the teen but failed to explain why she had used his phone, his lawyer said.
Interior Minister Nicolae Moga announced late Friday that he had sacked police chief Ioan Buda "because 

Girl's murder sparks outcry and protests in Romania

A North Korean boat with three crewmen crossed the de facto maritime border with South Korean and has been towed to a port, Yonhap news agency reported on Sunday, citing the South's Joint Chiefs.
The wooden vessel crossed the Northern Limit Line in the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, at about 11:20 pm Saturday, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said, according to Yonhap.
The crew and their boat were taken to a South Korean military port for investigation, it said.
It was not immediately known whether they were defectors or accidentally crossed the border.
In June a fishing boat from North Korea carrying four men managed to cross the intensely monitored sea between the countries and dock undetected. Two of the men were sent back to the North and the other two said they wished to defect.
A South Korean general was sacked over the lapse in border security.
More than 30,000 North Korean civilians have fled their homeland but it is very rare for them to cross the closely guarded ...

AFP

AFP

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