The World Food Programme (WFP) announced Thursday the "partial suspension" of aid to Yemen's capital Sanaa, controlled by Huthi rebels, citing problems with "diversion of food" from the neediest.
The suspension would initially target Sanaa city only, affecting 850,000 people, the UN agency said in a statement. But nutrition programmes will remain in place for malnourished children, pregnant women and nursing mothers.
Ultimately, the suspension will affect all areas in Yemen "under the control of the Sanaa-based authorities".
The WFP said its decision was taken after negotiations stalled on an agreement "to introduce controls to prevent the diversion of food away from some of the most vulnerable people in Yemen," adding "some individuals seek to profit by preying on the vulnerable."
"WFP has been seeking the support of the Sanaa-based authorities to introduce a biometric registration system that would prevent diversion and protect the Yemeni families we serve, ensuring food reaches ...

World Food Programme announces partial suspension of Yemen aid

PTI Automatic

EU leaders will hold a crisis summit on June 30 to decide on names for the bloc's top jobs after lengthy talks in Brussels failed to produce an accord, EU Council president Donald Tusk said.
"The European Council has had a full discussion of nominations," he said.
"There was no majority on any candidate," he added of the multiple positions being discussed.
"The European Council agreed that there has to be a package reflecting the diversity of the EU. We will meet again on June 30."
The 28 heads of government had met for dinner after Brussels' main political factions refused to fall into line behind a single choice to head the European Commission.

EU leaders to hold June 30 crisis summit on bloc's top jobs

US National Security Advisor John Bolton will travel to Israel at the weekend for "regional security talks" with top Russian and Israeli officials, the White House said Thursday amid spiking tensions with Iran.
Bolton will meet Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, followed by talks with his Israeli and Russian counterparts, Meir Ben-Shabbat and Nikolai Patrushev, NSC spokesman Garrett Marquis said.
Bolton also will meet with the director general of the Israel Atomic Energy Commission Zeev Snir.
The NSC announcement came just hours after Iran shot down a US drone in what Washington called an unprovoked attack.
Tehran said the drone, a high-flying Global Hawk, was brought down with a surface-to-air missile after it entered its airspace. The US military said the drone was in international airspace.
"Iran made a very big mistake!" US President Donald Trump tweeted.  It was the latest of a series of incidents in and around the strategic Strait of Hormuz that have sent ...

Trump advisor Bolton to hold 'regional security' talks in Israel

World oil prices spiked more than six percent Thursday on President Donald Trump warning Iran made "a very big mistake" after it boasted of downing a US spy drone.
The developments accelerated day-on-day gains in US oil benchmark WTI in late New York morning trading.
Europe's Brent Crude rose by nearly five percent at one point, before both contracts pulled back somewhat.
Iran shot down the drone near the Strait of Hormuz, a major choke point for world crude shipments, spurring market fears of a confrontation that could badly constrain supplies.
Further solid support for oil prices, as for global stock markets, also came from the US Federal Reserve signalling it could soon cut interest rates, while the dollar and US Treasury yields fell.
The Bank of England, leaving key interest rates unchanged, warned against the rising danger of a no-deal Brexit, which analysts took as a sign that it, too, seems ready to take a more accommodating stance.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Thursday ...

Oil jumps 6% on Trump threat after Iran downs spy drone

At least three people were killed and several others injured when two trains collided in Pakistan's southern Sindh province on Thursday, officials said.
A driver, assistant driver and a guard were killed when a passenger train travelling to Lahore from the southern port city of Karachi hit a goods train that had stopped at a crossing, railway spokesman Riaz Abbasi told AFP.
Ishaq Baloch, a railway official confirmed the death toll and told AFP that an investigation has been launched to determine the causes of the collision.
Baloch said the crash occurred on the main railway track and that train services from Karachi were suspended while the wreckage was being removed.
All passengers on the train were safe, Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed, the country's minister for railways told private TV channel ARY.
Video footage on local media showed the damaged engine and bogies of the trains and rescue workers and hundreds of people gathering to rescue the injured.
Train accidents are common in Pakistan, ..

Pakistan train collision kills at least three: officials

A French court on Thursday jailed for 20 years a woman who killed five of her children right after they were born, a crime that was only solved over a decade after the corpses were discovered.
The jury in Colmar in eastern France followed the recommendations of prosecutors in giving 55-year-old Sylvie Horning a 20-year prison term.  Horning was found guilty of murdering the five children between 1990 and 2005.
The mother of three adult children hid her pregnancies from her partner, giving birth in secret and then strangling the newborns at her house in the eastern town of Wittelsheim.
Nothing untoward was suspected until the discovery in 2003 of the bodies of four babies in rubbish bags in the nearby Galfingue forest.
But the initial investigation was closed in 2009 after it failed to yield any clues over who was behind the infants' deaths.
The probe was reopened in 2016 to take advantage of advances in DNA testing, and a year later investigators made a link between Horning and the ...

French mother gets 20 years jail for murdering 5 of her children

Skipper Dimuth Karunaratne says Sri Lanka will have to think "out of the box" as they try to tame England's marauding batsmen in their must-win World Cup match against the hosts.
The 1996 champions must win all four of their remaining games to have a realistic chance of making the semi-finals after winning just one of their five matches so far in the round-robin stage, with two washouts.
The problem for Sri Lanka is that they still have to face favourites England and Virat Kohli's India.
Eoin Morgan's England are next in line on Friday, fresh from their dismantling of Afghanistan, who were on the receiving end of 25 sixes in England's total of 397-6 on Tuesday.
Morgan hit a record 17 sixes in his 148 in Manchester, but Karunaratne said Sri Lanka had a plan for each batsman to put the brakes on England at Headingley.
"If we don't have good pace, we have to think out of the box so I think that is what we need," Karunaratne said on Thursday, without expanding on the details of his ...

Sri Lanka plot how to douse England World Cup fireworks

Iran said Thursday it would go to the UN to prove that a US spy drone it shot down had entered Iranian airspace, contrary to Washington's claims.
"We'll take this new aggression to #UN & show that the US is lying about international waters," Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted, after a US general said the drone was taken down some 34 kilometres (21 miles) from the Iranian coast.
"We don't seek war, but will zealously defend our skies, land & waters," Zarif said.

Iran says will take drone incident to UN to show US 'lying'

The European Union on Thursday rolled over for another year tough sanctions imposed over Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.
The measures prohibit certain exports and imports from Crimea, and ban EU-based companies from investment and tourism services in the strategic Black Sea peninsula.
"The Council (of EU member states) prolonged the restrictive measures introduced in response to the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol by Russia until 23 June 2020," the bloc said in a statement, as leaders met for a summit in Brussels.
"The EU remains steadfast in its commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The EU does not recognise and continues to condemn this violation of international law." The EU has imposed a raft of sanctions related to Russia's role in the Ukraine conflict, which has rumbled on since 2014 and claimed some 13,000 lives.
In addition to the Crimea and Sevastopol measures, the EU has severe economic sanctions in place against Russia ..

EU extends Crimea sanctions by 12 months

Former South African president Jacob Zuma was on Thursday called to give evidence next month at a judicial inquiry into alleged corruption during his nine years in office.
The commission headed by Judge Ray Zondo is investigating a web of deals involving government officials, the wealthy Gupta family and state-owned companies during Zuma's presidency.
Zuma has been scheduled to appear at the inquiry between July 15 to 19 "to enable him to give his side of the story", the commission said, after he was implicated by other witnesses in alleged corruption.
It added in a statement that Zuma had not confirmed whether he would appear on the scheduled dates, despite six weeks of discussions with his lawyers.
It said it had refused his request to be given questions in advance.
Zuma, who was forced to resign last year under a cloud of corruption scandals, allegedly accepted monthly bribes from a security firm, according to one witness at the Zondo commission.
Zuma, 77, has also been charged ...

Former S.African president called to graft inquiry

Oil prices jumped Thursday on rising US-Iran tensions, with gains accelerating on a cryptic tweet by US President Donald Trump after Iranian forces shot down a US spy drone.
"Iran made a very big mistake!" Trump tweeted in his first public reaction to the strike.
Near 1505 GMT, US benchmark West Texas Intermediate climbed 6.3 per cent to USD 57.13 a barrel, while Brent futures in London gained 4.7 per cent to USD 64.69 a barrel.

Oil prices jump 6% as Trump says Iran made 'very big mistake'

Eighteen members of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara were killed in a joint operation by US, French and Niger troops near Niger's border with Mali, the defence ministry said Tuesday.
The June 8-18 operation took place "in the northern border region of Tongo Tongo targeting a gang of ISGS terrorists implicated in an ambush on May 14," in which 28 Nigerien soldiers were killed, it said.
"The toll on the enemy side is: 18 terrorists neutralised, five terrorists, of whom three are Nigerien, taken prisoner." There were "no human or material losses" during the operation, which was codenamed ACONIT, it said.
"Important materiel was recovered including equipment belonging to the Niger armed forces which were taken by the attackers after the ambush," the statement said.
In October 2017, the ISGS claimed responsibility for a raid which killed four US soldiers and five Nigerien troops in the same region, a mere 20 kilometres from the Malian border.
On June 8, a US army vehicle hit a ...

18 IS fighters killed in joint operation with US: Niger

Juan Martin del Potro faces a further lengthy injury layoff and will miss Wimbledon next month after fracturing the patella in his right knee for the second time in nine months.
The Argentine slipped on court towards the end of his first round win at Queen's Club in London over Denis Shapovalov on Wednesday and could also miss the US Open later this year.
"The medical studies done last night in a clinic in London show that Juan Martin del Potro has suffered again a fracture in the right patella," Del Potro's head of communications Jorge Viale tweeted on Thursday.
"After consultation with his doctor, Angel Cotorro, it has been determined that it will require surgery.
"This will take place in the next couple of days with a date and location to be determined."
Del Potro suffered the same injury after falling heavily in a match against Croat Borna Coric at the Shanghai Masters in October.
The world number 12 returned to action in February, but has been limited to just five tournament ...

Del Potro out of Wimbledon after another kneecap fracture

Moeen Ali says he will always cherish being part of England's one-day revolution ahead of what could be his 100th one-day international appearance against Sri Lanka on Friday.
Moeen, 32, has played a key role in England's rise to the top of the ODI rankings after they crashed out of the 2015 World Cup in the first round.
The Eoin Morgan-led team have played an aggressive brand of cricket since then and have lived up to their pre-tournament favourites tag, with four wins from five matches so far at the World Cup.
"It obviously means a lot," said Moeen, a left-handed batsman who bowls off-spin.
"To play 100 ODI games for England is obviously a dream. It's just being part of the team, being part of the change.
"Looking back, if I was to retire I'd always be able to say I was part of that change, the whole mindset changing and the great cricket we've played."
Coming in at number seven in England's last game against Afghanistan, Moeen smashed 31 off just nine balls to give the side fresh ..

Moeen Ali proud to be part of England's ODI revolution

Turkey on Thursday sent a new ship to search for oil and gas off Cyprus, in a move expected to escalate tensions after the EU called on Ankara to stop its "illegal drilling activities".
The region near the divided island is believed to have rich natural gas deposits, triggering a race between Turkey and Cyprus's internationally recognised government, which also plans to ramp up its exploratory activities in the eastern Mediterranean.
Turkish officials said the new vessel is the 229-metre-long (750-feet) Yavuz, which has previously drilled in the waters off several countries including Kenya, Tanzania and Malaysia.
Reporters were taken onboard the vessel docked in the port of Dilovasi near Gebze, southeast of Istanbul, before it sailed.
It carried the colours of the Turkish flag -- a white crescent and a star on a red background.
The European Union on Tuesday lashed out at Turkey over its plans to drill in the area, warning it was preparing "appropriate measures" in response.
But Turkey 

Turkey sends new ship to search for gas off Cyprus as tensions mount

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday the international community had failed to provide any evidence that Moscow was behind the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in which 298 people died.
"What we've seen as evidence of Russia's guilt absolutely does not suit us. We believe that there is no proof there," Putin told reporters.
On Wednesday, international investigators charged three Russians and a Ukrainian over the downing of the plane in eastern Ukraine in 2014.

Putin says MH17 probe shows 'no proof' of Russia's guilt

Sri Lanka is seeking a loan of nearly USD 1 billion from China for energy and highways as the island recovers from the devastating Easter Sunday bombings, the finance ministry said Thursday.
Talks are underway with China's Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to raise the new loan in addition to the USD 1.2 billion obtained from international agencies this year, the ministry said.
"We have been discussing with the AIIB to obtain nearly an additional USD 1,000 million for further development of the Power and Highway sectors," the ministry quoted Finance minister Mangala Samaraweera.
Sri Lanka's former government borrowed heavily to rollout ports, highways and railroads, but several ambitious infrastructure projects ended up as white elephants and left the country facing a mountain of debt -- mainly to China.
Unable to service its loans, the government of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe leased a Chinese-built port at Hambantota to a Beijing company for USD 1.12 billion in ...

Sri Lanka in talks with China for USD 1 billion loan

Sri Lankan authorities Thursday ordered the first criminal charges against security personnel for "lapses" before the Easter Sunday suicide bombings that killed 258 people.
Nine police officers will face "criminal investigations" for failing to act on warnings ahead of the April 21 bombings on three churches and three hotels carried out by Islamic State-backed jihadists.
In a notice ordering the probe, Attorney General Dappula de Livera said an inquiry commission appointed by President Maithripala Sirisena had found the officers liable for criminal negligence.
All nine were senior officers in the districts where the attacks were carried out.
Authorities have admitted that warnings sent by neighbouring India of an impending attack by a local group, the National Thowheeth Jama'ath (NTJ) were ignored.
Forty-five foreign nationals were among the dead and 500 people were injured in the attacks. The tourist hotspot has been under a state of emergency since.
Sri Lanka's State Intelligence ...

Sri Lanka to charge police for 'lapses' over Easter attacks

A top Sudanese general said Thursday that the mastermind behind a deadly crackdown on protesters has been identified, but refused to name him saying it would impact a probe into the raid.
Crowds of protesters were violently dispersed on June 3 by men in military uniforms, shooting and beating demonstrators who had participated in a weeks-long sit-in outside the army headquarters.
Protesters and witnesses allege that the crackdown was carried out by members of the feared paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, whose commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo is the deputy chief of the country's ruling military council.
But Dagalo, widely known as Himeidti, said on Thursday that an investigation into the crackdown has so far led to the identity of the man who planned the raid.
"We have identified the man responsible" for dispersing the protest camp, Dagalo said without naming the individual, adding "there's no need to impact the investigation".
"Whoever it is, whether from regular forces or a civilian, 

Mastermind of Sudan protest raid identified: general

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Thursday slammed his Malaysian counterpart for creating "confusion" by criticising a decision to charge four people over the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.
Mahathir Mohamad had called the move by Dutch-led investigators to charge three Russians and a Ukrainian with murder for the 2014 disaster "ridiculous" and "politically motivated" against Moscow.
"I can imagine that relatives must be very disappointed about it and also that it sows confusion," Rutte told reporters ahead of an EU summit in Brussels when asked about Mahathir's remarks.
Rutte said the Dutch foreign ministry would contact the Malaysian government about Mahathir's comments, adding that he wanted "to await the results of this first before making further statements".
The Boeing 777 was travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was blown apart by a missile over part of eastern Ukraine held by Russian-backed rebels on July 17, 2014.
All 298 people on board were killed, ..

Dutch PM says Mahathir MH17 comment 'sows confusion'

The prospect of Britain crashing out of the European Union without a deal has risen since last month, the Bank of England warned Thursday, as it kept interest rates unchanged.
"Domestically, the perceived likelihood of a no-deal Brexit has risen" since May, the BoE said in a statement after its Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) kept the central bank's main borrowing cost at 0.75 percent.
"Since the Committee's previous meeting... downside risks to growth have increased. Globally, trade tensions have intensified," said the BoE, whose Governor Mark Carney is set to step down on January 31, having extended his tenure twice owing to Brexit uncertainty.
"As expected, recent UK data have been volatile, in large part due to Brexit-related effects on financial markets and businesses," it added.
The central bank on Thursday downgraded its forecast for second-quarter UK economic growth to zero from 0.2 percent.
The UK's "economic outlook will continue to depend significantly on the nature and ...

AFP

AFP

Page 531 - Afp