Tunisia is not at risk of a power vacuum despite the sudden hospitalisation of President Beji Caid Essebsi, one of his advisors said Friday, describing veteran leader's condition as stable.
Essebsi, 92, was taken to hospital for a "serious illness" on Thursday, the same day that twin suicide attacks claimed by the Islamic State group killed a police officer in Tunis and wounded several other people.
"We have a president. There is no constitutional vacancy," one of his key advisors, Noureddine Ben Ticha, told the Express FM radio station.
He said the president's condition was "unchanged".
The Tunisian constitution, adopted three years after the 2011 Arab Spring uprising that toppled longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali,  provides two measures in the case of a power vacuum.
The prime minister can take over the president's responsibilities for a period of no more than 60 days, or if the vacancy is longer the speaker of parliament is tasked with the role for up to 90 days.
In both ...

No 'power vacuum' in Tunisia despite president's illness: advisor

PTI Automatic

The Chinese military will be handed prime Hong Kong waterfront land on Saturday, even as the city is rocked by anti-Beijing protests and just days before the anniversary of its return to China.
Huge rallies have shaken the semi-autonomous territory this month, with demonstrators calling for the withdrawal of a bill that would allow extraditions to the Chinese mainland.
More pro-democracy protests are expected in the coming days, as residents mark the anniversary of Hong Kong's 1997 handover to Beijing's rule.
On Saturday, China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) will automatically be granted control of the Victoria Harbour pier under a 1994 British and Chinese agreement.  The move will mean PLA ships could berth in the harbour, whose backdrop is the city's famous skyline.
The PLA already has a garrison in Hong Kong, but its troops generally keep a low profile and are rarely seen in uniform in public.
A debate over the controversial transfer deal was blocked by a pro-Beijing lawmaker on .

Chinese military to get dock in Hong Kong, despite tensions

Much of Donald Trump's time in office has been overshadowed by allegations Moscow helped get him elected, but when it came to confronting Vladimir Putin on the issue, the US president did it in a joke.
"Don't meddle in the election, president, don't meddle," Trump said with a smile, wagging his finger playfully at the Russian leader as the pair held talks in Osaka on Friday, on the sidelines of the G20.
Putin said nothing, but grinned in response to the comment, which came only after a reporter shouted a question, asking whether Trump would warn his Russian counterpart about influencing the presidential vote next year.
The meeting was the first time the two leaders have held face-to-face talks since a controversial meeting last year in Helsinki.  Trump has been dogged throughout his presidency by allegations of suspicious ties to Russia.
A major probe led by special prosecutor Robert Mueller found there was an organised Russian campaign to influence the 2016 election won by Trump.
It .

With a smile, Trump tells Putin 'don't meddle in the election'

Israeli police on Friday said a Palestinian they had shot the previous day when he attacked officers with fireworks in east Jerusalem had died of his injuries.
The Palestinian health ministry had earlier identified the man as Mohammed Obeid, 20, saying he died of his wounds on Thursday after Israeli forces shot him in the restive Issawiya neighbourhood.
On Thursday police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said that during unspecified "police operations" in Issawiya a suspect fired fireworks at officers.
"He was shot, injured critically as a result of firing fireworks directly at officers putting them in a life-threating situation," he said.
On Friday, Rosenfeld confirmed to AFP that the suspect had died.
The official Palestinian news agency WAFA said that Palestinians had clashed with the police who had entered Issawiya.
Four other Palestinians were injured, it said, adding that Obeid had served time in Israeli prison in the past.
Israel occupied east Jerusalem and the West Bank in the 1967 ..

Israel police confirm death of Palestinian firework assailant

US President Donald Trump might have infamously fallen "in love" with North Korea's leader, but he seemed to have room in his heart for another during a meeting Friday with Brazilian leader Jair Bolsonaro.
Right-wing leader Bolsonaro has often been compared to the US leader and even nicknamed the "Trump of the tropics".
And the two leaders had nothing but praise for each other during face-to-face talks, held on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Japan's Osaka -- a reunion of sorts after their first meeting in March at the White House.
"He is a special man, doing very well, very much loved by the people of Brazil," Trump said, smiling broadly.
For his part, Bolsonaro told the US president: "I have been a great admirer of you for quite some time, even before your election." "I support Trump, I support the United States, I support your re-election," he added.
The Brazilian ex-army captain may be a relatively rare ally for Trump at a G20 meeting expected to be one of the most fractious in 

Brazilian Bromance: all smiles as Trump, Bolsonaro meet

A consortium including Lego owner Kirkbi agreed Friday to buy Britain's Merlin Entertainments, owner of Madame Tussauds wax museum and the London Eye Ferris wheel, for 5.0 billion Pounds (USD 6.3 billion, 5.6 billion euros).
Kirkbi, which is the majority owner in Danish children's toy maker Lego, said in a statement that it will purchase the tourist attractions company in a consortium alongside US private equity group Blackstone and Canadian pension fund CPPIB for 5.9 billion Pounds including debt.
Kirkbi already owns almost 30 percent of Merlin following the sale of Legoland Parks to the London-listed group in 2005.
The consortium's bid vehicle Berkeley offered 455 pence per share in cash for Merlin, which also owns popular theme parks Alton Towers and Chessington World of Adventure in Britain, Gardaland in Italy and Heide Park in Germany.
The price marked a significant premium to the stock's closing level on Thursday of 395 pence.
"Merlin is a global leader in location based, family 

Lego parent buys Madame Tussauds owner Merlin for 5bn Pounds

Footage of British prime ministerial hopeful Boris Johnson calling the French "turds" over their Brexit stance was cut from a BBC documentary following a request from the Foreign Office, the Daily Mail reported Friday.
The comments were reportedly made during Johnson's time as foreign minister, and were cut out of the fly-on-the-wall documentary "Inside the Foreign Office".
A Whitehall memo seen by the paper said the department asked for the footage to be cut, saying it would make Anglo-French relations "awkward" and make Brexit negotiations more difficult.
Johnson resigned as Foreign Secretary in protest at Theresa May's Brexit plan, and is now the overwhelming favourite to replace her as Conservative Party leader and prime minister.
"The production team made judgments about what was in the programme and they are satisfied that the programme achieves its ambitions and has the content they wanted," a spokeswoman for the BBC told the Mail.

UK PM hopeful Boris Johnson called French 'turds': report

The world's most famous painting, the "Mona Lisa", is to be moved so her room in the Louvre can be spruced up, the Paris museum said on Friday.
Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece will be carried less than "100 paces" to the adjoining Medici gallery during the night of July 16, the museum's director Jean-Luc Martinez told AFP.
The fragile 500-year-old painting is very rarely handled, and will remain protected by bulletproof glass in its temporary home.
The portrait of a Florentine noble will be returned to her spot in the States Room just before a blockbuster Leonardo exhibition opens at the world's biggest museum in October.
The Louvre holds the largest collection of the Italian artist's work.
Martinez said the move was part of an immense rolling renovation of the museum, which is struggling to cope with more than 10 million visitors a year.
Tens of thousands of people each day pass through the room in which the painting is shown opposite Paolo Veronese's giant canvass, "The Wedding ...

'Mona Lisa' is on the move in great Louvre makeover

Washington is pressuring allies at the G20 to reject strong climate change language in the meeting's final statement, despite furious opposition from EU countries, a French presidential source said Friday.
"Three or four (countries) are under American pressure to water down the message," a French presidency source told reporters in Osaka, where leaders of the Group of 20 are holding a two-day summit.
The source declined to name the countries being targeted by Washington, though Brazil under its new President Jair Bolsonaro and oil-producing Saudi Arabia are both considered climate change sceptics.
Climate change is shaping up to be one of the most contentious issues at the gathering, with Europe fiercely opposed to any watering down of previous G20 statements on the subject.
Washington is opposed to any endorsement of the Paris climate deal, an agreement from which it plans to withdraw.
In recent years, the roadblock has been overcome by 19 of the members endorsing language backing ...

US pressuring G20 allies on climate language: French official

US President Donald Trump on Friday hailed his "very, very good relationship" with Russia's President Vladimir Putin as the two leaders held talks on the sidelines of the G20 meeting.
"It's a great honour to be with President Putin," said Trump, who last held face-to-face talks with the Russian leader in Helsinki in July.
"We have a very, very good relationship," Trump said.

Trump hails 'very, very good relationship' in talks with Putin

Colombia will host the final of the 2020 Copa America they're jointly hosting with Argentina, President Ivan Duque announced.
The South American competition between national teams has never before been hosted by two countries. The final will be played in the Metropolitano stadium in the Caribbean port city of Barranquilla, the local mayor Alejandro Char said, promising a "gala."
It will be the second successive year that the tournament is played as regional governing body CONMEBOL has decided to align the Copa America with the European Championships, to be played every four years and two years apart from the World Cup.
Throughout most of its history the Copa America has been played in odd years.
"The 2020 Copa America final will take place in Colombia, which has been one of the greatest desires of all of us," said Duque at a public appearance on Thursday.
He said CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez had informed him of the "great news."
The governing body had decided in April to ...

Colombia not Argentina to host 2020 Copa America final

Gabriel Jesus scored the winning spot-kick in a tense penalty shoot-out as Brazil exorcized their demons to beat Paraguay and reach the Copa America semi-finals.
Twice before in 2011 and 2015 Paraguay had beaten Brazil at this same stage on penalties at the South American extravaganza.
Willian came closest to scoring in normal time for Brazil when he hit the post as Paraguay held out for a 0-0 draw for more than 40 minutes following the dismissal of Fabian Balbuena for a professional foul on Roberto Firmino on Thursday.
Brazilian media had been almost in a state of paranoia before the match recalling the painful memories from Argentina in 2011 and Chile four years later when Paraguay produced stubborn defensive displays before snatching victory in the spot-kick lottery.
But it wasn't to be this time as Brazil goalkeeper Alisson saved Gustavo Gomez's opening spot-kick at the Gremio Arena in Porto Alegre.
Although Firmino dragged his effort wide, Derlis Gonzalez also fired past the post 

Brazil exorcize Paraguay penalty demons to reach Copa semis

China warned on Friday that protectionism and "bullying" were threatening the world order as President Xi Jinping met other leaders at the G20 summit ahead of high-stakes talks with Donald Trump.
Xi met three of his African counterparts Friday morning on the sidelines of the G20 summit of major world economies, which opened in Osaka amid the US-China trade war, geopolitical tensions, and divisions over climate change.
"All leaders in the meeting stressed that unilateralism, protectionism, and bullying practices are on the rise, posing severe threats to economic globalisation and international order, and severe challenges to the external environment of developing countries," Chinese foreign ministry official Dai Bing told reporters.
Dai said the meeting involved Xi, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and Senegal President Macky Sall.
Although attributed to the four leaders, China's characterisation of the meeting used wording that Beijing .

China warns of 'severe threats' to global order at G20

President Donald Tusk said Friday the EU was "closer" to finding a compromise over the bloc's top jobs but an immediate breakthrough should not be expected ahead of a crunch Brussels summit.
EU leaders will meet on Sunday to thrash out a deal over the team that will guide the bloc for the next five years after a summit on Friday collapsed without an agreement.
Tusk said he would continue talks with top EU leaders including from France and Germany on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in Osaka and was still negotiating behind the scenes with "12 or 13 phone calls" to other EU players.
"What I feel is that we are closer to the solution but still too far to say something more concrete today," said Tusk.
"Don't expect white smoke here in Osaka," he added, in reference to the selection of the pope and quipping: "For one thing, smoking is forbidden everywhere here."
"I don't know how you will survive, Jean-Claude," he added, referring to president of the European Commission Jean-Claude ...

Tusk on top EU jobs: closer but 'no white smoke'

Chinese President Xi Jinping has agreed "in principle" to pay a state visit to Japan next spring at the invitation of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, in a further thaw in bilateral ties.
Relations between Asia's two biggest economies have warmed in recent years after suffering in 2012 when Tokyo "nationalised" disputed islands claimed by Beijing.  Abe visited Beijing last year -- the first official visit by a Japanese prime minister since 2011.
Abe extended the spring invitation to Xi during a meeting between the two leaders on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, on Thursday.
"I want to enhance Japan-China relations to the next height by welcoming President Xi Jinping to Japan during cherry blossom next year," Abe said.
Xi agreed "in principle" to the invitation, according to China's official Xinhua news agency.
The last Chinese president to make a state visit to Japan was Hu Jintao in 2008. Before that, Jiang Zemin visited in 1998.
Xi and Abe agreed to a "10-point consensus" .

Xi agrees 'in principle' to Japan state visit next year

EU President Donald Tusk on Friday lashed out at his Russian counterpart in unusually undiplomatic language, saying he "strongly disagreed" with Vladimir Putin when he said liberalism was "obsolete."
In an interview with the Financial Times, the Kremlin strongman said the "liberal idea has become obsolete" and was now "in conflict" with what people around the world want.
Tusk joked to reporters that he had been able to read the entire interview due to jet-lag but quickly turned serious as he bashed Putin's comments.
"I have to say that I strongly disagree with the main argument that liberalism is obsolete," Tusk said.
"Whoever claims that liberal democracy is obsolete also claims that freedoms are obsolete, that the rule of law is obsolete and that human rights are obsolete," added the EU president.
These are "essential and vibrant values" for Europeans, said Tusk, hitting out again at Russia.
"What I find really obsolete are authoritarianism, personality cults, the rule of oligarchs, 

EU's Tusk lashes out at Putin on democracy

The wife of an Australian man who has gone missing and is feared detained in North Korea said she had no hint that anything was wrong before his disappearance.
Japanese Yuka Morinaga, 26, told Australia's News Corp that Alek Sigley's disappearance in Pyongyang was "very concerning" and there was not "anything weird" last time they spoke on Monday.
Sigley, who speaks fluent Korean and is one of only a handful of Western students living in Pyongyang, has not been heard from since Tuesday.
His family said Friday they have no news about whether he has been detained.
The 29-year-old's social media sites --- which usually have a stream of apolitical content about everyday life in one of the world's most secretive nations -- have fallen silent since Tuesday.
"He is always trying to demystify North Korea unlike the typical Western media. He tries to understand the people there," Morinaga said.
The pair married at an elaborate ceremony in Pyongyang last year.  Morinaga is a software developer .

Wife voices 'concern' for Australian missing in N Korea

England's women have their sights set on ending their semi-final curse after a stunning strike by Lucy Bronze helped Phil Neville's team to a 3-0 win over Norway in Le Havre and took them into the last four of the World Cup.
David Beckham was among the crowd at the Stade Oceane to see midfield stalwart Jill Scott open the scoring inside three minutes of this quarter-final, becoming just the second English player to score at three separate women's World Cups on Thursday.
Ellen White grabbed her fifth goal of the tournament five minutes prior to half-time and Bronze made sure of the victory with a rising shot high into the net as the hour mark approached.
England were so comfortable towards the end that they could even afford to squander a penalty, Nikita Parris having her late spot-kick saved.
There were striking similarities between Bronze's effort here and her goal that gave England a 2-1 win over the same opponents at the 2015 World Cup.
The Lionesses went out of that tournament in .

'No fear': England confident of overcoming semi-final curse after beating Norway

Fifteen-year-old Cori Gauff of the United States made history when she became the youngest player to qualify for Wimbledon.
Gauff will also be the first 15-year-old to compete in the main draw since Britain's Laura Robson in 2009 after defeating 19th seed Greet Minnen of Belgium 6-1, 6-1 on Thursday.
"I can do anything I put my mind to," said the 301 world-ranked Gauff who was playing in qualifying on a wild card.
Lesley Kerkhove ended wildcard Sabine Lisicki's hopes of a fairytale run into the main draw.
The 2013 runner-up from Germany had scored consecutive wins for the first time since November to reach the third round.
But after a first-set 22-minute rout, Kerkhove hit back to win 0-6, 6-4, 6-4 and make the main draw for the first time.
Belgium's Ruben Bemelmans was also making history as the 31-year-old qualified for Wimbledon for a modern era record sixth time by beating American Donald Young 6-4, 6-4, 6-1.
Australian 19-year-old Alexei Popyrin defeated American Bjorn Fratangelo 

Gauff, 15, youngest player to qualify for Wimbledon

Joe Biden attacked Donald Trump Thursday for putting Americans in a "horrible situation," as the Democratic frontrunner faced off against his main presidential rivals who braced for a fiery debate over their competing visions for the nation.
"Look, Donald Trump put us in a horrible situation," the former vice president, as he swiftly trained his criticism on the Republican in the White House.
"We do have enormous income inequality," added Biden who is looking to take on Trump as his party's candidate in the November 2020 presidential election.
Biden and other candidates quickly turned against Trump on taxes, health care and income inequality, while early debate also addressed whether the party grounded in capitalism should embrace a shift towards more liberal politics and government involvement in the economy.
But Biden quickly faced an attack by a young, lower-tier candidate, Congressman Eric Swalwell, who called on the 76-year-old to "pass the torch" to a new generation of party ...

Biden assails Trump as Democrats clash in second 2020 debate

Six critically endangered North Atlantic right whales have been found dead in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence this month, Canadian officials said Thursday.
As a result, Transport Canada has expanded a shipping speed limit of 10 knots in the Gulf and closed 16,000 square kilometers (6,200 square miles) to commercial fishing.
The animal carcasses were spotted drifting in the channel and tagged with satellite tracking devices, and on Thursday afternoon Fisheries and Oceans Canada said a plane had spotted another carcass adrift off a peninsula not far from the gulf.
Two of the bodies were towed to nearby beaches where necropsies were performed. A 40-year-old female, which was known to marine biologists and had been named Punctuation, was found to have likely died in a collision with a ship.  Official ssaid they weren't able to establish a cause of death for the second whale, a nine-year-old male named Wolverine.
More autopsies are planned or being considered for the remaining whales.
This ...

AFP

AFP

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