More than a dozen car manufacturers, including Ford, General Motors, Toyota, Honda and Volkswagen have officially asked US President Donald Trump not to relax emission limits, to avoid a fragmentation of the car market, US media reported.
Trump's administration last year proposed to roll back fuel efficiency standards introduced under former president Barack Obama, sparking warnings of a legal fight with California and other states that favor more aggressive environmental policies.
In a letter sent to the White House and revealed by the New York Times on Thursday, the firms called for a compromise between the Trump administration -- looking to support the car industry by relaxing emission limits -- and the country's most populous state.
A move to water down controls could see California and more than a dozen other states take the matter to court. Manufacturers fear a divided and complicated US car market would result, in which companies would have trouble making decisions on pricing ..

Car firms call on Trump to keep emission limits

PTI Automatic

Australia's democratic credentials have been called into question following police raids on major media organisations this week, sparking urgent calls for greater protection of journalists and their sources.
Police searched the home of a prominent Canberra journalist on Tuesday, hunting for information linked to a story she wrote last year on secret government plans to spy on Australian citizens.
The following day they raided the headquarters of the country's venerable national broadcaster, the ABC.
Agents spent eight hours trawling through emails, article drafts and journalist notes relating to an investigative report that showed Australian special forces had killed unarmed civilians in Afghanistan.
They walked away with scores of documents on two USB sticks, sparking a political uproar and accusations that eroding government accountability had reached a tipping point.
"It's revealing that Australia is one of the most -- if not the most -- secretive administrations of the democratic .

Police raids on Aussie media fuel calls for journalist protections

The Kremlin said Friday Russia will not change its behaviour to improve ties with London after a spokeswoman for British Prime Minister Theresa May urged Russia to do so.
"No, we won't change (behaviour) because the only thing Russia wants is beneficial relations that are based on each others' interests," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, Interfax news agency reported.

Kremlin says 'won't change' behaviour to improve ties with Britain

A Tunisian man and his German wife will stand trial from Friday, charged with planning a foiled biological bomb attack in Germany with the deadly poison ricin.
Sief Allah H., 30, and his wife Yasmin, 43, were arrested a year ago by an anti-terrorist squad that found 84 milligrams of the toxin in their Cologne apartment.
The arrests likely prevented what would have been Germany's first biological attack, said Holger Muench, head of the BKA Federal Criminal Police Office, at the time.
Federal prosecutors said the couple had "for a long time identified with the aims and values of the foreign terrorist organisation Islamic State".
They decided in 2017 to detonate an explosive in a large crowd, "to kill and wound the largest possible number of people," said prosecutors ahead of the trial in Duesseldorf.
The pair had allegedly researched various forms of explosives before deciding on the deadly poison.
They ordered 3,300 castor beans over the internet and successfully made a small amount of 

Tunisian-German couple in court over 'ricin attack plot'

Three elephants were poisoned to death near a palm oil plantation in Malaysia, officials said Friday, in the latest case of the endangered creatures being killed near human settlements.
Local police in southern Johor state found the animal carcasses and alerted wildlife officers on Tuesday, Wildlife and National Parks Department director-general Abdul Kadir Abu Hashim told AFP.
The dead animals are believed to be part of a herd of 30 elephants from the nearby forest reserve.
"We conducted a post-mortem on the three female elephants aged between 18 and 22, and it revealed they were poisoned," Abdul Kadir said.
"I am shocked and saddened by this incident. If this trend continues, all our wild elephants will be wiped out." Electric fences used to keep elephants away from village crops were not functioning and allowed the creatures to trespass on plantations, Abdul Kadir said.
Liver and kidney samples from the elephants were being examined to determine the type of poison used, said ...

Three elephants found poisoned in Malaysia

Pakistan pace bowler Wahab Riaz says he would have been watching the World Cup at home without the help of inspirational advice from Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis.
Riaz was not on the selectors' radar for the World Cup following a costly spell of 8.4 overs which yielded 89 runs against arch-rivals India in Pakistan's Champions Trophy match two years ago.
He was only a last-minute inclusion in the World Cup squad after another left-arm paceman, Junaid Khan, was short of fitness and form in the one-day series defeat against England just prior to the tournament.
But the 33-year-old has made the most of his unexpected chance thanks to pep talks from his idols Wasim and Waqar, the former Pakistan stars regarded as two of the sport's finest fast bowlers.
"It's a complete change of fate and I am enjoying that," Riaz told reporters on Thursday.
"I would have been watching the World Cup in my drawing room and praying for Pakistan team.
"But I am here taking wickets and getting inspiration from .

Pakistan legends inspired Riaz's journey to World Cup fame

Carlos Brathwaite said the West Indies were on the wrong end of too much poor umpiring following a 15-run World Cup defeat by champions Australia as Michael Holding slammed an "atrocious" display by the match officials.
West Indies opener Chris Gayle and captain Jason Holder were both twice given out on the field at Trent Bridge on Thursday but, on both sets of occasions, saw their decision to review vindicated by the third umpire.
The mood of the Caribbean side was not helped when standing umpire Chris Gaffaney missed a Mitchell Starc no-ball the delivery before the left-arm quick dismissed Gayle for 21.
Had the New Zealand official called a no-ball, the next delivery would have been a free hit from which the veteran opener could not have been dismissed.
Brathwaite accepted Gaffaney and Sri Lanka's Ruchira Palliyaguruge were doing their best, but he made no attempt to hide his annoyance after the West Indies fell short chasing a target of 289 in Nottingham.
"I don't know if I'll be ..

West Indies' Brathwaite questions umpiring as Holding hits out

England will face the side who kick-started their transformation into a major threat in one-day internationals when the tournament hosts continue their World Cup campaign against Bangladesh in Cardiff on Saturday.
The Tigers condemned Eoin Morgan's men to a first-round exit at the 2015 edition with a 15-run victory in Adelaide.
At that point there was no longer any way of hiding England's white-ball woes and, with a home World Cup up next, then England and Wales Cricket Board director Andrew Strauss was determined the national side's limited overs form had to improve.
To that end, Peter Moores was sacked as coach, with Strauss bringing in experienced Australian Trevor Bayliss as his replacement.
Since that debacle 'Down Under', England have risen to to the top of the one-day international rankings.
But having started their quest to win a first men's World Cup with a 104-run thrashing of South Africa at the Oval, they head into this weekend's clash on the back of a surprise 14-run ...

England complete World Cup circle against Bangladesh

Lewis Hamilton said on Thursday Formula One should be a much greater physical challenge for the drivers and they should be as tired as long-distance runners at the end of a Grand Prix.
"I could do two or three races in a row and Formula One really shouldn't be like that. It's a man's sport and a lot of youngsters come in. It's quite easy for them to get straight into it," he said in a press conference ahead of this weekend's Canadian GP.
"You should be physically exhausted after a race -- to the point that it should be exhausting like a marathon," he added.
"If I had a choice, I would go back to V12s -- naturally aspirated engines.
"I would have a manual gearbox. I'd make it harder for the drivers, take away all these big run-off areas you have everywhere.
Asked to reflect on themes mentioned during his appearance on David Letterman's Netflix chat show, Hamilton spoke of his father Anthony, who guided his early career until 2010 when he sacked him as his manager.
"This is nothing ...

Hamilton wants F1 to be more of 'a man's sport'

N'Golo Kante will miss France's Euro 2020 qualifiers against Turkey and Andorra due to injury, the French Football Federation (FFF) announced on Thursday.
Midfielder Kante has been suffering with a knee problem since before last week's Europa League final but played the full 90 minutes in Chelsea's victory.
The World Cup winners travel to the Turkish city of Konya for Saturday's match before facing the European minnows on Tuesday.
Les Bleus sit top of Group H on goal difference ahead of Senol Gunes' rejuvenated side after cruising to wins over Moldova and Iceland in their opening two fixtures.

World Cup winner Kante out of French Euro 2020 qualifiers

Brazil's Neymar went to a Rio de Janeiro police station Thursday to give a statement in a probe into whether he broke the law by posting intimate pictures of a woman who accused him of rape.
The football megastar -- full name Neymar da Silva Santos Junior -- went to the station in an attempt to defend himself, sitting in a wheelchair after spraining his ankle the night before in a pre-Copa America friendly that has ruled him out of the tournament.
As he made his way out through a media scrum after giving his statement to police, the star striker expressed gratitude to his fans for their support.
"I felt very loved," he said.
The injury to the world's most expensive player is a huge blow to host nation Brazil's preparations for the South American continental championship, which begins on June 14.
Neymar hobbled off the field in the 20th minute of Brazil's 2-0 win over Qatar in Brasilia on Wednesday. A large ice pack had been strapped to his lower right leg.
Neymar's club, Paris ...

Brazil's Neymar in trouble over intimate pics of woman accusing him of rape

France travel to Turkey on Saturday to take on a side rejuvenated under the guiding hand of returning coach Senol Gunes, as the qualifiers for Euro 2020 resume without some of the heavy hitters contesting the Nations League finals.
Former Turkey goalkeeper Gunes took the reins of the national team for a second time to pick up a side mired in a slump that saw them fail to qualify for last year's World Cup in Russia and relegated to the third-tier of the UEFA Nations League.
Since the return of the 67-year-old, who took the Turks to third place in the 2002 World Cup during his first spell in charge, his team have won four from a possible four, including their opening two Euro qualifiers against Albania and Moldova.
Those two wins put them level on points with world champions France, who top Group H on goal difference after hitting four past both Moldova and Iceland in their first pair of fixtures.
"It is going to be a match in an atmosphere where you have to be careful because playing ..

France face rejuvenated Turkey in first Euro 2020 test

Australian police have seized a record USD 840 million worth of the drug "ice" hidden in stereo speakers shipped from Thailand, officials said Friday.
Australian Border Force agents found 1.6 tonnes of methylamphetamine and 37 kilograms (81.5 pounds) of heroin in vacuum-sealed packages lodged inside the speakers after the shipment arrived in Melbourne, they said.
"This is the largest meth bust we've ever seen in this country," border force commander Craig Palmer said.
The haul size demonstrates "the brazen nature of those involved in this criminal activity," he added.
No arrests were made in connection with the smuggling operation and police appealed to the public for leads on who was involved.
Palmer said the seized ice had a street value of Aus dollar 1.2 billion and was the equivalent of 10 per cent of all the drugs seized by the border force in the previous year.

Australian police in record USD 840m haul of drug 'ice'

Noah Lyles conceded he was shocked after being beaten for the first time in nearly three years by fellow American Michael Norman at the men's 200m in Rome's Diamond League meeting on Thursday.
Norman, 21, got off to a blistering start and held on despite a late surge by Lyles, also 21, in Rome's Olympic Stadium to achieve a world leading time for the season of 19.70sec.
Lyles, winner of the past two Diamond League trophies over the distance, posted 19.72sec, with Ecuador's Alex Quinonez a distant third in 20.17sec.
World champion Ramil Guliyev of Turkey trailed in fourth in 20.35sec ahead of his title defence at the world championships in Doha in September.
"This race didn't really go as I expected," said Lyles, who had not been beaten since the US trials in July 2016 which saw him fail to qualify for the Rio Olympics.
Since then he has claimed nine straight victories and dominated the Diamond League in 2017 and 2018, but missed the world championships two years ago due to an ...

Norman stuns Lyles to win 200m in Rome

The French Open was plunged into a sexism row on Thursday after the decision to move the women's semi-finals away from the tournament's showpiece court was blasted as "unfair, inappropriate" and "shameful".
After torrential rain washed out all of Wednesday's play, the last two women's quarter-finals were played Thursday with the semi-finals pushed back a day until Friday.
However, the semi-final between Ashleigh Barty and Amanda Anisimova will be played on Court Suzanne Lenglen while Johanna Konta's match with Marketa Vondrousova has been shifted to the smaller 5,000-seater Court Simonne-Mathieu.
The men's semis between Roger Federer against Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic taking on Dominic Thiem will be played on the main, 15,000-seat Court Philippe Chatrier as planned.
"We are extremely disappointed by the scheduling of both women's semi-finals on outside courts," said WTA chief executive Steve Simon.
"The four women who have played so well and made it this far have earned their ...

'Shameful': Roland Garros sexism row over 'unfair' women's semi-finals shift

England manager Gareth Southgate promised his side would learn from an error-strewn performance as the Netherlands progressed to the final of the Nations League by coming from behind to beat the Three Lions 3-1 on Thursday.
Defeat means England's long wait for a trophy since 1966 goes on and the Dutch thoroughly deserved their place in Sunday's final against Portugal.
Marcus Rashford's penalty gave England a first-half lead against the run of play, but Matthijs de Ligt made amends for his error in leading to the spot-kick to level 17 minutes from time.
England contributed to their own downfall in extra-time with a comedy of errors for both goals. John Stones and Ross Barkley were at fault as Kyle Walker's own goal and Quincy Promes's simple finish sent Holland into the final.
Southgate's men were attempting to build on the success of reaching a first World Cup semi-final for 28 years, but their display showed much work is still to be done if they are to end their trophy drought on ...

England must learn from painful Dutch defeat - Southgate

Chinese President Xi Jinping appears Friday as guest of honour at Russia's showcase economic forum, as the two neighbours present a united front in the face of shared troubles with the US.
Xi arrived in Moscow on Wednesday for a three-day visit with Vladimir Putin and described the Russian leader as his "best friend" during a cosy meeting at the Kremlin.
To end the trip, Xi and his host will appear at a plenary session of the annual Saint Petersburg Economic Forum, which Moscow hopes will woo foreign investors despite an uncertain business climate.
Xi is set to present China's ideas on sustainable development and multilateral cooperation, Beijing said ahead of his appearance.
The 2019 forum "will illustrate very clearly just how bi-polar the world has become," said Chris Weafer, a senior partner at the Macro Advisory consulting firm.
"In the same week that President Trump will be having tea with the Queen in London, President Putin will be hosting President Xi in Saint ...

Russia, China to show united front at economic forum

A US-made television series on the Chernobyl nuclear disaster was well-received by Russian audiences, even if some critics accused the makers of distorting the facts to show the Soviet-era authorities in a particularly bad light.
Entitled simply "Chernobyl", the hard-hitting five-part HBO and Sky series received the thumbs-up from critics when it was broadcast in the United States and Britain starting from last month for its graphic recreation of the 1986 nuclear disaster in Soviet-era Ukraine.
It was not shown on terrestrial TV in Russia, but was legally available via the Amediateka streaming site, which gained the exclusive Russian rights to popular series such as "Game of Thrones".
Russian audiences praised the series for what they said was its eerie accuracy.
"The degree of realism in Chernobyl is higher than in most Russian films about that era," wrote pro-Kremlin daily Izvestia.
"I think this is a very high-quality product in terms of television series, there's nothing to find ..

Chernobyl TV series reaps praise, criticism in Russia

On a moonlit night off Italy's coast, fishermen are hauling in the usual catch: cuttlefish, red mullet and plastic waste. But this time, they won't throw the rubbish back.
The trash instead is being collected, analysed and, where possible, recycled in an initially month-long experiment to try to provide a blueprint for cleaning up the sea.
"A lot of the fishermen used to throw the rubbish back into the sea, because the law says they can't bring it to land," said Eleonora de Sabata, coordinator for Clean Sea Life, which runs the project.
"They're not authorised to carry waste, in ports there's nowhere to put this kind of waste and it's not clear who should dispose of it."
That dilemma will hopefully not be an issue for the around 40 fishing boats sailing off the Adriatic resort of San Benedetto del Tronto who are taking part in the initiative.
Since it started, the fishermen have collected around a tonne of waste a week for a month, of which 60 percent is plastic.
Each day, volunteers .

Fishermen help overhaul plastic habits off Italy

Initial findings of an investigation led by the United Arab Emirates of May 12 attacks on oil tankers point to the likelihood that a state was behind the bombings, but there is no evidence yet that Iran was involved, the UAE said Thursday.
The UAE along with Saudi Arabia and Norway presented the preliminary findings during a briefing to the UN Security Council, which will also receive the final results of the probe to consider a possible response.
The United States has accused Iran of being behind the attacks on the four oil tankers off the Emirati coast, which came at a time of escalating tensions between Tehran and Washington.
The four vessels -- two Saudi-flagged, a Norwegian-flagged and an Emirati-flagged -- were damaged by explosions that took place within UAE territorial waters, off the port of Fujairah.
After assessing the damage and carrying out chemical analysis, the UAE told the council that the attacks were sophisticated and of the type most likely carried out by state ...

UAE probe of tanker attacks points to 'state actor'

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will recommit the United States on a visit to Bangkok to supporting the development of Southeast Asian nations in the face of a rising China, an official said Thursday.
Pompeo will travel to the Thai capital for the July 29-August 3 ministerial meeting of the ASEAN bloc and will lead talks on the Lower Mekong Initiative, said Mark Clark, a US official in charge of the region.
The initiative was launched 10 years ago by then secretary of state Hillary Clinton as a way to promote coordination and economic growth in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam -- several of which have increasingly close ties with China.
"When ministers and our secretary meet in Bangkok in early August, we will highlight what we have achieved over the past decade and recommit to our joint efforts supporting the people of the Mekong," Clark told a conference on the Mekong River region at the Meridian International Center in Washington.
Clark, an acting deputy assistant ...

AFP

AFP

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