Dozens of international experts gathered in northeastern Syria on Saturday to discuss how to manage thousands of suspected Islamic State group members crammed into Kurdish-run prisons and camps.
French lawyers and US-based analysts were among those attending the three-day conference on the challenges still facing the region after IS's territorial defeat, organisers said.
Officials of the autonomous Kurdish administration in northeastern Syria, which is hosting the conference in the town of Amuda, were also due to take part.
In March, Kurdish-led fighters overran the last pocket of the jihadists' cross-border "caliphate" with support from a US-led coalition.
Now, the Kurds are struggling to cope with the thousands of alleged IS members they detained during the battle.
They include around 1,000 suspected foreign fighters held in jail, and some 13,000 family members in overcrowded camps.
With no local court equipped to deal with the large number of jihadist suspects, the Kurds have ...

Syria Kurds host conference on IS detainees

PTI Automatic

A fresh standoff brewed Saturday between charity rescue vessels and Italy's far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini after two boats carrying shipwrecked migrants arrived off the coast of Lampedusa seeking a safe port.
Mediterranea's Italian-flagged Alex with 41 migrants on board was on Saturday joined by German charity Sea-Eye's vessel Alan Kurdi, carrying 65 shipwrecked migrants rescued off Libya.
Italian populist Salvini last month issued a decree that would bring fines of up to 50,000 euros (USD57,000) for the captain, owner and operator of a vessel "entering Italian territorial waters without authorisation".
"We are waiting in international waters off the island of Lampedusa," Sea-Eye tweeted from the Alan Kurdi.
"The Guardia di Finanza came by in person to deliver Salvini's decree: The port is closed," it said, referring to customs officers.
German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer tweeted that Germany was ready to take in some of those rescued "as part of a European-solidarity 

Italy's Salvini faces two-boat migrant rescue standoff

Seven people including a policeman were killed in northern Mozambique this week in a jihadist attack claimed by the Islamic State group, local sources said Saturday.
The attack on Wednesday evening occurred in Lidjungo village in the Nangade district, a local source based in Mozambique's northern Cabo Delgado province told AFP.  One policeman and six civilians were killed in the attack, including two children.
Islamist fighters have targeted remote communities in the gas-rich, Muslim-majority Cabo Delgado province since October 2017, killing more than 250 people and forcing thousands from their homes despite a heavy police and military presence in the area that borders Tanzania.
According to SITE Intelligence, which monitors jihadist activity, Islamic State issued a statement late on Friday claiming involvement in the Wednesday attack.
This is its second IS claim for an attack in Mozambique, targeting the volatile northern region. The first was on June 3.
"The soldiers of the ...

Seven killed in Mozambique jihadist attack claimed by IS: sources

Southern California was hit by its largest earthquake in two decades Friday, a 7.1-magnitude tremor that rattled residents who were already reeling from another strong quake a day earlier.
Emergency workers and security forces were being dispatched early Saturday to the epicenter of the shallow earthquake in a remote and sparsely populated area around 150 miles (240 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles, where it was also felt.
No deaths or serious injuries had been reported late Friday evening, but there were reports of building collapses and power outages in the town of Trona, California Office of Emergency Services director Mark Ghilarducci said.
There were "significant reports" of fires caused by gas leaks, as well as breaks to power, water and communications lines in the region, he told a press conference.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said he had requested emergency federal assistance from the White House, and state resources have been activated at their "highest ...

S. California hit by 7.1-magnitude quake, strongest in two decades

At least 14 people were killed and dozens more wounded when a busy market in northern Afghanistan was hit by mortar fire, officials said Saturday.
Several Taliban shells hit the market Friday morning in the Khwaja Sabz Posh district of Faryab province, according to Hanif Rezaee, an Afghan army spokesman.
"Fourteen civilians were killed and 40 -- including women and children -- were wounded," Rezaee told AFP.
He said the Taliban had been trying to hit an army checkpoint near the market. The insurgent group did not immediately comment.
Naem Musamim, Faryab's public health director, said 14 bodies and 39 wounded people including four children had been taken to local hospitals.
Some victims with critical injuries were airlifted to hospitals in Mazar-i-Sharif in Balkh province.
The deadly incident comes as the war between the Taliban and Afghan security forces rages on, even as Taliban officials are meeting with US negotiators in Doha in a bid to bring about an end to the conflict.
On ...

At least 14 killed as mortars hit Afghan market: officials

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has sacked the governor of Turkey's central bank and replaced him with his deputy, a presidential decree said Saturday, after months of tension with the government over high interest rates.
Murat Cetinkaya, who was appointed to the role in April 2016, has been replaced by Murat Uysal, according to the decree published in the official gazette, which gave no official reason for the change.
There had been recent speculation that Cetinkaya could be replaced amid disagreements with the government on cutting interest rates.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly railed against high interest rates and called for them to be lowered in a bid to stimulate growth.
Erdogan once called high rates the "mother and father of all evil".
Turkey's main interest rate is 24 percent after the bank under Cetinkaya made an aggressive rate hike of 625 basis points last September following a currency crisis in August.
Last month, Erdogan said high interest rates harmed ...

Erdogan sacks Turkey central bank governor amid rate tensions

Turkey has sacked the governor of its central bank and replaced him with his deputy, a presidential decree published in the official gazette said on Saturday.
Murat Cetinkaya, who was appointed to the role in April 2016, had been replaced by Murat Uysal, the decree said, but gave no official reason for the change.
There had been recent speculation that Cetinkaya could be replaced amid disagreements with the government on cutting interest rates.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly railed against high interest rates and called for them to be lowered in a bid to stimulate growth.  Erdogan once called high rates the "mother and father of all evil".
Turkey's main interest rate is 24 percent after the bank under Cetinkaya made an aggressive rate hike of 625 basis points last September following a currency crisis in August.
Uysal said he would continue to use monetary policy tools "independently" while remaining focused on ensuring price stability as his "main aim", according to a .

Turkey sacks central bank governor: presidential decree

Mexican authorities on Friday rescued 24 Central American migrants, including nine children, who had been held hostage for nearly three weeks in the crime-ridden state of Guanajuato, officials said.
The migrants were held for 20 days in the town of Celaya, about 210 kilometres (130 miles) from Mexico City, said Secretary of State Security Juan Jose Gonzalez.
They told officials that their relatives had been making payments to their captors during that time, Gonzalez said.
The victims were receiving medical attention after their ordeal, he added.  Separately, the security ministry announced the arrest of 59 migrants, including 55 Hondurans, around the northeastern town of Saltillo, near the US border.
Thousands of Central Americans attempt to cross Mexico in so-called "caravans" every year in the hope of reaching the United States to seek refuge from violence and poverty at home.
After US President Donald Trump threatened Mexico with tariffs, Mexican leader Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador .

Mexican authorities rescue 24 kidnapped migrants

A South Korean actress faces up to five years in a Thai jail for catching endangered giant clams in a reality TV stunt, an official said Saturday, despite the show's extensive apology.
Lee Yeol-eum was filmed diving for giant clams at a Thai marine park for a June 30 episode of "Law of the Jungle" -- a popular South Korean reality show.
After prising two giant clams from the coral-laid seabed, Lee pumped them in the air yelling "I caught it!" The creatures are listed as an endangered species and protected under Thai law.
A picture of 23-year-old Lee picking up the mollusks started circulating online, bringing the star of Korean TV drama "My First Love" to the attention of authorities.
Narong Kongaid, the head of Hat Chao Mai National Park -- where the show was filmed in April -- told AFP he filed two charges Wednesday against the actress for violating the National Parks law and the Wildlife Protection law.
"She is subjected to five years imprisonment," Narong told AFP.
The production .

South Korean actress faces Thai jail for reality TV stunt

Syrian regime bombardment has killed 14 civilians including seven children in northwestern Syria, a war monitor said Saturday, in the latest deadly raids on the embattled opposition bastion.
Warplanes and helicopters late Friday carried out air strikes on Mahambel village in Idlib province, killing 13 civilians including the seven children, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
A woman was also killed early Saturday in regime rocket fire on the outskirts of the town of Khan Sheikhun in the south of the province, the Britain-based war monitor said.
Idlib, a region of some three million people, many of whom fled former rebel-held areas retaken by the government, is the last major bastion of opposition to the Russia-backed Damascus government after eight years of civil war.
The region on Turkey's doorstep is administered by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, but other jihadist and rebel groups are also present.
Idlib is supposed to be protected from a major ..

Regime bombings kill 14 civilians in northwest Syria: monitor

The New York Knicks and New Orleans Pelicans summer league exhibition game in Las Vegas was postponed Friday night after an earthquake rattled a large section of California and western Nevada.
The 7.1 magnitude earthquake, which was centred about 230 kilometres (145 miles) southwest of the city, hit the Thomas & Mack Center with just under eight minutes left in the contest, leaving the giant scoreboard and several overhead speakers swaying above the court.
Officials initially decided to delay the game and the players were sent to their dressing rooms.
Some fans left the arena after the quake -- which lasted 10 seconds -- and others waited around to see if it was safe to resume the game.
New Orleans was leading 80-74 when play was postponed.
Pelicans rookie and first overall draft pick Zion Williamson had to exit the game in the first half with an knee injury after colliding with a another player.
A basketball game in the nearby Cox Pavilion continued because that gym lacks an ...

California earthquake shakes NBA summer league games

Pakistan batsman Shoaib Malik confirmed his retirement from one-day cricket without making a farewell appearance in his side's victory over Bangladesh.
Malik had admitted last year that he intended to quit one-day cricket after the World Cup and he followed through with that plan after Pakistan's 94-run win at Lord's.
The 37-year-old will continue to play the Twenty20 format, but he admitted it was an emotional moment to call time on his ODI career.
"I am retiring from one-day cricket," said Malik, who was dropped after a disappointing World Cup featuring two ducks in three maches.
"I'm sad as I'm leaving the format I loved the most but this will allow me to spend more time with my family and concentrate on the Twenty20 World Cup next year," added Malik, who is married to Indian tennis star Sania Mirza.
Malik's decision came after a Pakistan win which was not enough to take the 1992 champions into the semi-finals.
Pakistan were ousted by New Zealand on net run-rate despite finishing ..

Pakistan's Malik confirms ODI retirement after World Cup exit

Teenager Coco Gauff has fired up Wimbledon but on Friday she made 66-year-old former soldier Brian Connor and his fellow Chelsea Pensioners especially happy.
Connor, who reached the rank of Sergeant-Major after 23 years service largely in the Intelligence Corps, and his fellow scarlet-coated former servicemen made sure they got their share of photographs with 15-year-old Gauff following her courageous three-set win in her third round match.
The Chelsea Pensioners, who total around 300, both men and women and reside at the Royal Hospital Chelsea in a fashionable area of London, are a traditional presence at Wimbledon as well as home matches for Chelsea football club.
Connor, whose military service took him to Northern Ireland and Hong Kong as well as other foreign destinations, told AFP he is more a general sports fan numbering tennis, football, rugby and cricket amongst his favourites.
However, his highlight for the day was to watch Gauff on Centre Court.
"There is obviously a lot of .

Scarlet fever: Teenage Gauff warms Wimbledon hearts of Chelsea Pensioners

The United States head into the women's World Cup final against the Netherlands on Sunday seemingly in such rude health that the biggest controversy surrounding the holders in recent days has been Alex Morgan's tea-sipping goal celebration against England.
Morgan, one of the faces of the USA side that has made history by reaching a third consecutive final, has been at the centre of a veritable storm in a tea cup since using the celebration to mark her winner in Tuesday's semi-final.
Whether it was an attempt to wind-up the English for their love of the drink, or something more innocent, the 30-year-old has been struck by the level of media attention.
"You see men celebrating all around the world in big tournaments, grabbing their sacks or whatever it is, when I look at sipping a cup of tea, I'm a little taken aback and kind of you have to laugh about it to see all the criticism," Morgan said on Friday.
The striker scored five goals in the record 13-0 win over Thailand with which the ..

Morgan, USA hoping for more celebrations against Dutch pretenders in World Cup final

Novak Djokovic blasted the decision to strip Bernard Tomic of his entire USD 56,000 Wimbledon prize money as "unfair."
The controversial Australian was punished by the All England Club for tanking in his first round match which was over in just 58 minutes.
The 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 defeat to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was the shortest men's match at the tournament.
"I don't think it's fair to take all his prize money away," said Djokovic on Friday.
"I have to see obviously his behaviour, movement on the court, how much effort he put in. He deserved his right to be in this tournament. He's a top 100 player.
"He's worked all year to be here. He deserves most of that prize money."
World number one and defending Wimbledon champion Djokovic, who is also the president of the ATP Player Council, believes other factors could have come into play which would have been mitigating.
"It's not nice for the crowd, the other players that maybe would want to be in the position to fight to get to the second ...

Djokovic says Tomic's USD 56,000 Wimbledon penalty 'unfair'

Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur admitted his side's failed World Cup campaign left him with mixed feeling as they crashed out despite beating Bangladesh by 94 runs.
To reach the semi-finals, Pakistan needed to rewrite the record books with the biggest margin of victory in a one-day international.
But they came up short as their 315-9 meant Bangladesh had to be bowled out for just eight at Lord's.
That impossible task was quickly put to bed as Bangladesh reached eight runs in the second over, allowing New Zealand to join Australia, India and England into the semi-finals.
Pakistan secured 11 points in nine games, as many as New Zealand scored, but were ousted on an inferior net run-rate.
Arthur, whose contract with Pakistan ends after the tournament, said it was a disappointing conclusion to a campaign that had plenty of highs and lows.
"It hasn't ended as we would have liked to have ended it. It's been a campaign of ifs and buts," Arthur told reporters.
"If we have a look through our ...

Mixed feelings for Arthur as Pakistan bow out of World Cup

Prosecutors on Friday said they were seeking $12.7 billion from convicted Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, based on a conservative estimate of revenues from his cartel's drug sales in the United States.
According to a motion filed by US Attorney Richard Donoghue, authorities are "entitled to forfeiture of all property that constitutes or is derived from the defendant's narcotics-related crimes." Based on prices for drugs quoted by various witnesses, Guzman's 25-year reign atop the Sinaloa cartel netted sales of some $11.8 billion in cocaine, $846 million in marijuana and $11 million in heroin, authorities said.
The money was laundered and used to pay the cartel's workers and suppliers, as well as used to purchase communications equipment and "planes, submarines and other vehicles." "The government need not prove that the defendant can pay the forfeiture money judgment; it need only prove by a preponderance of evidence that the amount it seeks is forfeitable," ...

US demands El Chapo forfeit $12.7 billion in drug money

Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza admitted he needs time to decide his future amid speculation he will retire or resign following his team's World Cup exit.
Mashrafe's side lost by 94 runs against Pakistan at Lord's on Friday in a disappointing conclusion to their World Cup campaign.
Attention turned to Mashrafe's future at the post-match press conference, but the 35-year-old wasn't ready to reveal his plans.
"My future plan is obviously going home from here, and then I'll rethink," he told reporters.
Bangladesh had already been eliminated from the race to qualify for the semi-finals, but had hoped to finish the tournament on a high note.
Instead, they succumbed to a limp defeat that left them with three wins from nine matches in the tournament.
Asked how he rated Bangladesh's campaign, Mashrafe conceded they had been exposed at times in their sloppy fielding, while his bowlers found it hard to thrive in English conditions.
"I think the players tried their best. As I said, there ...

Mashrafe coy over future after Bangladesh's World Cup exit

Argentina's football association on Friday asked the company supplying the VAR technology being used at the Copa America to clarify whether Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro's security team interfered with Tuesday's semi-final.
Argentina lost 2-0 to hosts Brazil in front of the watching Bolsonaro at the Mineirao stadium in Belo Horizonte but were infuriated that they were denied two penalty claims that replays suggested should have been given.
And what angered them most was that Ecuadoran referee Roddy Zambrano refused to consult VAR to check the validity of their claims.
"We're very concerned that Brazilian media and news websites are talking about possible problems and interference in the system of communication between the VOR (video operating room) and the field officials," said the AFA federation on its website.
It's the second complaint made by AFA about the semi-final having protested on Wednesday to South American football's governing body CONMEBOL over "serious and gross ...

Argentine federation seeks answers on suspected VAR interference

Venezuela's Independence Day on Friday was marked by rival rallies led by opposition leader Juan Guido and President Nicholas Maduro, who waged a war of words even as the UN warned of eroded rule of law in the country.
Guido, who considers himself Venezuela's legitimate acting leader, implored supporters in the streets of Caracas not to give up hope: "Don't leave! We're going to get there! Have no doubt, we'll succeed." The crowd that gathered to hear the center-right leader, who in January declared himself acting president in a direct challenge to Maduro's authority, was markedly smaller than those at the beginning of the year.
The country was observing the July 5 holiday celebrating the country's 1811 Declaration of Independence.
Maduro, meanwhile, led a military parade down the Paseo de los Proceres, a boulevard honoring the country's founders, and received a public display of support from the country's top military brass.
"Count on the armed forces... we are not afraid to face the 

Venezuela Independence Day marked by rival rallies, UN rebuke

Brazil will be looking to maintain their defensive invincibility against Peru in Sunday's Copa America final, midfielder Casemiro says.
The hosts have yet to concede a goal in the tournament, including when they thrashed Peru 5-0 in a group-stage match earlier in the competition.  And keeping their goal intact will be key to lifting a ninth Copa crown, according to the Real Madrid man.
"Ending the competition without conceding a goal is one of our aims," said Casemiro.
"And if we don't concede a goal, it's not just thanks to the guys at the back, those up front help us a lot and that makes the difference."
The woodwork also made a difference in Brazil's 2-0 semi-final victory over arch rivals Argentina, as did referee Roddy Zambrano's refusal to consult VAR twice when Lionel Messi and his team-mates were claiming a penalty.
Sergio Aguero headed against the bar in the first half and Messi rattled the post after the break, while Brazil captain Dani Alves and midfielder Arthur both got ..

AFP

AFP

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