The Kremlin on Tuesday said Moscow had been the victim of US cyberattacks "for years" following a New York Times report that Washington is stepping up digital incursions into Russia's power grid.
"We -- I'm talking about several of our financial and media organisations, state institutions and critical infrastructure -- have been under attack for several years," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
The cyberattacks "come from various Western countries, including the US," he added.
Peskov said that President Vladimir Putin had "several times suggested to Washington and his American counterpart to work together in the field of cybersecurity. These suggestions have been rejected by our American colleagues."
The Times at the weekend reported current and former government officials describing the classified deployment of American computer code inside Russia's power grid and other targets.
The action is intended partly as a warning but also to leave the US poised to conduct cyberstrikes in .

Russia says victim of US cyberattacks 'for years'

PTI Automatic

Saudi Arabian Airlines, the kingdom's national airline, said Tuesday it had ordered 65 A320neo-type aircraft from Airbus, worth more than $7.4 billion at list prices, giving an early boost to the European manufacturer at the Paris Air Show.
The French aerospace bonanza is traditionally a key theatre for rivals Airbus and Boeing to clock up orders, but this year Boeing enters the race handicapped by the fallout from crashes of two of its 737 MAX aircraft that together killed 346 people.
The Saudi airline plans to boost its A320neo fleet to up to 100 aircraft from 35 now.
The deal includes 15 aircraft of the new A321 XLR type, capable of flying distances up to 8,700 kilometres (5,400 miles).
Of the total 65 orders, 35 are still options.
"Passenger demand in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is experiencing strong growth on domestic, regional and international routes. The additional aircraft will be deployed to support the national carrier's plan to boost capacity," Airbus said in a statement. 

Saudi, Philippines airlines place big Airbus orders at Paris show

Thousands joined in prayer in Istanbul on Tuesday for former Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi who died the previous day after collapsing during a trial hearing in a Cairo court.
The prayers, called by Turkey's religious authority Diyanet, took place in the city's Fatih mosque. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a close ally of Morsi, is due to attend afternoon prayers there.
Ankara's relations with Cairo deteriorated after the Egyptian military, then led by Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, ousted Morsi in 2013. Sisi then became president.
Erdogan on Monday called Morsi a "martyr" and blamed Egypt's "tyrants" for his death.  Morsi, Egypt's first democratically elected president in 2012 after the Arab Spring uprisings, was overthrown after a turbulent year in power.
He was buried on Tuesday, as rights groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch called for an independent probe into the causes of his death.

Thousands in Istanbul pray for ex-Egyptian president Morsi

Ireland has announced it will ban the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030 as part of its new climate change plan.
The government hopes to have 950,000 electric vehicles on Irish roads by then, supported by a network of charging stations.
The measure is one of 180 proposals covering business, construction, transport, agriculture and waste management intended to put Ireland on a path to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
"Our approach will be to nudge people and businesses to change behaviour and adapt new technologies through incentives, disincentives, regulations and information," said Prime Minister Leo Varadkar.
"Our objective... is to transition to a low-carbon and climate-resilient society. Our call to action in the fight to save our planet," he added.
Dublin hopes to increase its level of electricity generated from renewable energy from 30 percent of the total mix to 70 percent by 2030.
The "Climate Action Plan" also includes the elimination of non-recyclable ..

Ireland to ban sales of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030

Iran said Tuesday it has dismantled a new espionage network linked to the US Central Intelligence Agency and arrested a number of spies.
"Following clues in the American intelligence services, we recently found the new recruits Americans had hired and dismantled a new network," state news agency IRNA said, quoting an intelligence ministry official.

Iran says CIA spy network dismantled

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam apologised Tuesday for the political unrest that has shaken Hong Kong, but the pro-Beijing chief executive refused to cave in to demands for her resignation.
The semi-autonomous territory has been plunged into its biggest crisis in decades, with millions of people taking to the streets to demand the withdrawal of proposed legislation that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China.
Lam suspended the bill on Saturday after two massive rallies that saw isolated bouts of violence between the police and some protesters.
But that failed to quell public anger, and an even bigger rally Sunday drew over two million people, organisers said -- more than a quarter of the population.
"I personally have to shoulder much of the responsibility. This has led to controversies, disputes and anxieties in society," Lam told a press conference.
"For this I offer my most sincere apology to all people of Hong Kong." Protesters have demanded that the bill be fully ...

HK leader apologises for extradition crisis, vows to stay on

-President Hassan Rouhani said Tuesday the world "praises" Iran over its standoff with Washington, and that the US had broken promises by abandoning a landmark nuclear deal that Tehran had continued to honour.
"Today we are in a faceoff with America in which there is no one in the world that does not praise Iran," Rouhani said in a speech broadcast live on state television.
"Iran has been loyal to its signature, Iran has been loyal to international agreements, and the one standing against us today is the one that has trampled all pacts, agreements and international accords," he added.
Iran is locked in a tense standoff with the US after Washington withdrew last year from the 2015 nuclear deal and reimposed sweeping sanctions, even as its allies said Tehran had abided by the agreement's terms.
Tensions have escalated ever since, with Washington bolstering its military presence in the region, blacklisting Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organisation and blaming Tehran ..

Rouhani says world 'praises' Iran over US standoff

The banned ex-UEFA chief Michel Platini was arrested Tuesday in connection with a criminal investigation into the award of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar.
The French football legend elected to lead European football's governing body in 2007 was taken into custody by French anti-corruption police investigating the awarding of the 2022 World Cup to the gas-rich Gulf state.
Qatar was named to host the World Cup in a decision that triggered controversy over its suitability amid allegations of corruption that ultimately sparked FIFA's worst ever scandal five years later.
France's Financial Crimes Prosecutors Office (PNF) opened a preliminary investigation in 2016 into allegations of corruption, conspiracy and influence peddling surrounding FIFA's award of the World Cup to Qatar and also the 2018 tournament to Russia.
According to Blatter, Qatar won hosting rights as a result of a deal with the French, derailing FIFA's own "diplomatic arrangement" whereby hosting rights would go to Russia in ..

Ex-UEFA chief Platini arrested in 2022 World Cup probe

Clashes between pro-government forces and jihadist-led groups that control Syria's northwest killed at least 45 combatants on Tuesday, a war monitor said.
The fighting flared on the edge of Hama province when the jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham launched a dawn attack on regime positions, leaving 14 pro-government forces dead, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Syria clashes kill 45 fighters: monitor

The East African state of Burundi has suspended the country's last independent civil rights group, accusing it of "disturbing peace and public order."
A ministerial order, seen by AFP on Tuesday, applies to an NGO called Parcem, which campaigns for good governance.
Its activities "are suspended" indefinitely, according to the document, signed by Interior Minister Pascal Barandagiye.
Burundi has been in crisis since 2015, when President Pierre Nkurunziza ran for a third term and was re-elected in elections boycotted by most of the opposition.
At least 1,200 people were killed and more than 400,000 displaced in violence that the UN says was mostly carried out by state security forces.
Independent NGOs were suspended for contesting Nkurunziza's plans for a third term.
Parcem was also initially suspended in 2015 but was allowed to resume its activities when its legal representative accepted conditions imposed by the authorities.
Barandagiye said that despite several warnings, the ...

Burundi suspends last independent civil rights group

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam apologised Tuesday for the political unrest sparked by a proposed Beijing-backed law that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China.
Unprecedented mass rallies against the bill have rocked the city's government -- plunging the city into its biggest political crisis in decades -- with protesters calling for Lam to step down.
"I personally have to shoulder much of the responsibility. This has led to controversies, disputes and anxieties in society," Lam told a press conference.
"For this I offer my most sincere apology to all people of Hong Kong." Lam suspended the bill after the city saw massive rallies on June 9 and 12 -- with bouts of violence between the police and some protesters.
But that failed to quell public anger, and was followed by an even bigger protest Sunday that organisers said drew over two million people -- more than a quarter of the population -- to the streets.
Lam gave no indication she was prepared to step down, saying instead ...

Hong Kong leader offers 'most sincere apology' over law turmoil

Hundreds of thousands of people have fled inter-ethnic violence in northeastern areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo in the past two weeks, the United Nations said Tuesday.
"This latest flare-up has sent more than 300,000 people into displacement," Babar Baloch, a spokesman for the UN refugee agency, told reporters in Geneva.
The situation in DRC's volatile Ituri Province had deteriorated significantly since the middle of last week, with "multiple attacks" involving the Hema and Lendu groups, he said.
The cause of the flareup was not immediately clear, but it occurred in a region where tens of thousands died in clashes between the Hema and Lendu ethnic groups between 1999 and 2003.
Baloch pointed out that attacks between the two communities had also displaced some 350,000 in late 2017 and early 2018, "but the situation had calmed".
He said that "large-scale displacement" had been reported in three of Ituri's five administrative territories, with people fleeing attacks and counter 

300,000 flee violence in northeast DR Congo: UN

The death toll from an Indonesian ferry sinking has risen to 18, authorities said Tuesday, the latest maritime accident to hit the archipelago nation.
The overloaded passenger boat was carrying more than 60 people when it overturned Monday in rough seas near Madura island, off Java's north coast.
Indonesia's search and rescue agency said 18 people had died, including several children, with 39 survivors.
A fleet of rescue vessels, a plane and local fishing boats are searching the waters for at least four others still missing, authorities said.
But local reports have suggested that there could be more victims who were not listed on the official manifest.
"It's suspected that the boat was overloaded," East Java Police spokesman Frans Barung Mangera said.
"The boat was hit by a large wave, overturned and sank."
The 10-metre (32 foot) long traditional vessel was found by fishermen shortly after it was swamped, he added.
Marine accidents are common in Indonesia, an archipelago nation of ...

Death toll in Indonesia ferry sinking rises to 18

Jason Roy is targeting England's match against arch-rivals Australia for a World Cup return after being sidelined with a torn hamstring.
The in-form opening batsman has been ruled out of England's match against Afghanistan at Old Trafford on Tuesday and their pool encounter with Sri Lanka at Headingley on Friday.
Roy tore his left hamstring in the field during England's eight-wicket win over the West Indies last week and did not bat, with Joe Root, who made a century, promoted to open alongside Jonny Bairstow instead.
But having suffered a similar injury during England's tour of the Caribbean earlier this year and with the World Cup featuring a long pool phase that sees all 10 teams play each other ahead of the semi-finals, the 28-year-ol Roy is confident of returning to action.
"I did it in the West Indies and it was a lot worse," Roy told Sky Sports. "It could be way worse -- the scan told me it's minimum 10 days. We've got to assess it as we go along."
"It's a huge understatement ..

England's Roy targets Australia match for World Cup return

A hotly-contested German road toll that targets foreigners is in violation of EU law, the bloc's highest court ruled on Tuesday.
The Luxembourg-based European Court of Justice ruled in favour of Austria, which opposed a "vignette" or payment sticker costing up to 130 euros a year for private vehicles on German motorways.
Under the scheme Germans would essentially be refunded the levy with a reduction in their annual motor vehicle tax.
The measures have been the subject of a furious row for years with plans to launch the toll in October 2020 for all cars.
"The charge is discriminatory since the economic burden of the charge falls, de facto, solely on the owners and drivers of vehicles registered in other member states," the ECJ said in a statement.
Berlin's plans, a pet project of Chancellor Angela Merkel's political allies in Bavaria, had also angered other neighbours including Belgium and the Netherlands.
Charges to use motorways, based either on the amount of time spent or distance .

EU top court rules German motorway toll illegal

London Heathrow, Europe's busiest airport, on Tuesday issued plans for its controversial third runway, including the rerouting of rivers and roads, as it sought also to allay environmental concerns.
Britain's government last year finally approved the third runway after decades of acrimonious debate.
"Heathrow today unveils its preferred masterplan for expansion," said a statement from the airport, which is owned by a consortium led by Spanish infrastructure giant Ferrovial.
The detailed plan includes "tough new measures" to reduce emissions, limit noise and curb night-time flights.
The M25 motorway that rings London will be rerouted under the new runway, while river corridors will also be diverted.
"We're working with those impacted residents, communities and local authorities to identify appropriate mitigation measures," the plan said.
"New river corridors will be created to channel the existing rivers and wildlife away from construction sites and the new runway." Construction is ...

Heathrow publishes 'masterplan' for controversial third runway

The six Conservatives vying to become Britain's prime minister face off in the second round of voting on Tuesday, with the final pair to be decided by the end of the week.
The outcome of the leadership battle could determine under what conditions Britain leaves the European Union. It is currently scheduled to leave on October 31.
All of the party's 313 MPs can take part in the secret ballot in the contest to replace outgoing leader Theresa May, with further rounds scheduled to whittle the list down to a final two, who will face the party's 160,000 grassroots members.
Boris Johnson, the former foreign minister and leading Brexit campaigner, ran away with the first round of voting last week, winning the support of 114 MPs -- more than twice the number of votes won by his nearest challengers.
Johnson has said he is open to leaving the EU on October 31 without a formal deal between London and Brussels but would prefer to secure one by the deadline.  Opponents of "no-deal" say it would ...

British PM hopefuls begin crucial week of votes

Facebook announced Tuesday it is launching its own cryptocurrency called "Libra," in a move aimed at creating a low-cost global payment system available through smart devices.
Libra, described as "a new global currency" and set to roll out next year, is being backed by about 25 partners, including nonprofits and firms in financial services and online commerce.
The new currency is to be supported by real assets and regulated.
It will be available through Facebook's own digital wallet called Calibra and other services, according to Tuesday's announcement.

Facebook unveils global cryptocurrency

Half a million refugee Rohingya children are shut out of local schools in Bangladesh, leaving many in religious madrassas where critics say educational standards are low and students are vulnerable to indoctrination.
Around 740,000 Muslim Rohingya fled into the country during a 2017 crackdown by Myanmar's military, swelling the numbers of the minority in Bangladesh to around a million.
But while their language and culture are similar to people in southeastern Bangladesh, authorities regard the Rohingya as temporary guests and their children are denied access to local schools, raising fears of a "lost generation".
Many Rohingya children had managed to slip through the net until earlier this year when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government cracked down, ordering schools to expel them.
Lucky Akter, 15, lost her spot at Hnila village school, where almost a third of her class were from refugee camps. She now has nothing to do but help her mother with chores.
"I wanted to be a doctor, ...

Shut out from Bangladesh schools, Rohingyas turn to madrassas

Only a tangle of razor wire marks the entrance of a remote Afghan army checkpoint that may soon be shuttered as the government closes vulnerable outposts after years of losses to Taliban fighters and desertions.
The post in Wardak province west of Kabul has been hit before, and its sagging blast walls and teetering sandbags make clear the vulnerability of the 13 troops living there for weeks on end.
Now, after years of brutal attacks and mass desertions from similar checkpoints, the Afghan government is acting on long-standing American requests to close them.
The aim is to shutter outposts where troops are often left like sitting ducks for Taliban attackers and consolidate them onto larger bases -- several of which are under construction.
The plan is for troops to lead offensive missions, taking the fight to the Taliban instead of trying to survive day-to-day in often deplorable living conditions with little outside support.
The "checkpoint is a failed tactic," Dadan Lawang, an Afghan 

Under US pressure, Afghan army starts closing checkpoints

Venezuela Monday received a second shipment of Red Cross humanitarian aid, including 24 tonnes of medical supplies and generators provided by Panama, intended for hospitals to help address the country's acute health crisis.
In a statement, the Venezuelan Red Cross said it had received "medicines, medical supplies and power generators" that will be distributed in hospitals across the country, which is experiencing the worst crisis in its recent history.
Six trucks moved the supplies to a Red Cross warehouse in Caracas, an AFP journalist confirmed.
The shipment seeks to mitigate a severe shortage of drugs and hospital supplies in Venezuela, which has suffered more than four years of recession and hyper-inflation marked by shortages of basic necessities such as food and medicine.
The United Nations says a quarter of its 30 million population is in urgent need of aid.
The oil-rich South American nation has suffered the collapse of its vital crude production and runaway inflation that the .

AFP

AFP

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