Thousands of anti-abortion marchers took to the streets on Saturday in three cities around Croatia, a largely Catholic country where activists say reproductive rights are increasingly under threat.
In Zagreb, police briefly detained around a dozen women's rights protesters who tried to block the annual "March for Life", which drew some 5,000 people to the centre of the capital.
The crowd was full of children with balloons while demonstrators marched with a banner that read: "Let's protect the most endangered minority in Croatia -- unborn children."
Thousands of other anti-abortion activists also marched in the coastal towns of Split and Zadar.
"A child should be protected from conception till birth," said 34-year-old Ivan Plese, a theologist walking with his wife and 10-month baby boy.
Ivana Lozo, a 19-year-old at the rally, told AFP that "abortion should be completely banned."
Abortion is legal until the 10th week of pregnancy in Croatia under a 1978 law from when the country was ...

Thousands of Croatians rally against abortion

PTI Automatic

Voters were called out for a third day in EU parliamentary elections on Saturday as the far right hoped to win a major breakthrough and deny a pro-Europe victory for French President Emmanuel Macron.
Polls were open in Malta, Slovakia and Latvia, with most of the bloc's 28 member states -- including big players Germany, France and Italy -- to vote on Sunday.  More than 400 million people are eligible to elect 751 members of the European Parliament, with the first official results announced late Sunday once voting in all EU countries is over.
Polling has shown for months that eurosceptics and the anti-immigration far right could make big gains in the vote, which will also help determine who replaces Jean-Claude Juncker as head of the European Commission as well as other top jobs.  France's staunchly pro-European Macron has a big stake in the outcome, hoping to see his centrist Republique en Marche make a strong showing and shake-up EU politics in a direct challenge to the ...

EU votes as far right challenges Macron

Former England spinner Monty Panesar says he wants to return to cricket having been cured of the "paranoia/schizophrenia" which bedevilled him over the past few years.
The 37-year-old -- who became a bit of a cult hero at his peak taking 167 wickets in 50 Tests -- told the Daily Mail he had been helped enormously by former England captain Mike Brearley, who is a respected psychoanalyst.
His career has declined since being unceremoniously let go by Sussex in 2013 -- the same year he made the last of his Test appearances -- which came after he urinated on a nightclub bouncer.
Panesar's depression started to spiral and contributed towards an unhappy stint at Essex and had a brief spell at Northamptonshire, where he started his career and first came to national attention.
However, since being released by them in 2016 he has yet to find another county willing to gamble on him.
"My parents became worried. They wanted me to see someone," he said.
"I had always thought strong people couldn't .

Panesar eyes return to cricket after conquering mental woes

French police were on Saturday pulling out all the stops to locate a suspect following a blast in the heart of Lyon that wounded 13 people.
"All means have been activated to identify and detain the person who committed this act," Paris prosecutor Remy Heitz told media in Lyon, the third-biggest French city.
The blast occurred just two days ahead of hotly contested European Parliament elections and with France on watch for any repeat of recent deadly terrorist attacks which have rocked the country.
Heitz has taken charge of the investigation into "attempted murder in relation with a terrorist enterprise and association with terrorist criminals."
French Justice Minister Nicole Belloubet said late Friday however that it was too soon to say whether the blast could be termed a "terrorist act".
President Emmanuel Macron initially called the Friday evening explosion an "attack" but later took a more cautious tone with a tweet that condemned "the violence that has struck" the city's ...

French police hunt suspect after Lyon bomb attack

The race to become Britain's next premier opened Saturday with an array of hopefuls promising to succeed where Theresa May failed and finally pull the divided country out of the EU.
But European leaders insisted they had made their final offer during months or acrimonious negotiations that resulted in an unpopular compromise for which May ended up paying with her job.
The British prime minister's voice broke on the steps of her Downing Street office when she told Britons on Friday that she was quitting on June 7.
May is bowing out with her legacy in tatters and the country in agony over what to do about voters' decision in 2016 to abandon the European integration project after nearly 50 years.
The markets view the risk of Britain crashing out of the bloc when the twice-delayed departure date arrives on October 31 as uncomfortably high.
The pound has been steadily losing value since May 6 and British business lobbies are raising the alarm.
Their main concern is that current ...

UK leadership hopefuls vow to succeed where May failed on Brexit

The US ambassador to China has called on Beijing to open a "substantive dialogue" with the Dalai Lama in remarks made this week during a rare visit to Tibet, his embassy said Saturday.
Terry Branstad visited northwest China's Qinghai province -- home to many Tibetans -- as well as the Tibet Autonomous Region, where access is restricted for diplomats and journalists.
"He encouraged the Chinese government to engage in substantive dialogue with the Dalai Lama or his representatives, without preconditions, to seek a settlement that resolves differences," an embassy spokesman told AFP via email.
China is accused by human rights groups of repressing Tibet's religion and culture, and cracking down on separatism.
Beijing says it protects religious freedom and has invested heavily to modernise the region and raise living standards.
Since fleeing to India in 1959 following a failed uprising in the Tibetan capital Lhasa, the Dalai Lama has been trying to reach a compromise with the Chinese ...

US envoy calls for Beijing 'dialogue' with Dalai Lama

Germany's government commissioner on anti-Semitism has warned Jews about the potential dangers of wearing the traditional kippah cap in the face of rising anti-Jewish attacks.
"I cannot advise Jews to wear the Kippah everywhere all the time in Germany," Felix Klein said in an interview published Saturday by the Funke regional press group.
In issuing the warning, he said he had "alas, changed my mind (on the subject) compared to previously."
Klein, whose post was created last year, cited "the lifting of inhibitions and the uncouthness which is on the rise in society" as factors behind a rising incidence of anti-Semitism.
"The internet and social media have largely contributed to this -- but so have constant attacks against our culture of remembrance."
And he suggested police, teachers and lawyers should be better trained to recognise what constitutes "clearly defined" unacceptable behaviour and "what is authorised and what is not".
His comments came just weeks after Berlin's top legal .

Jews warned against wearing kippah in Germany

Botswana's former president Ian Khama on Saturday quit the governing BDP which has ruled  since independence more than half a century ago, citing deep differences between him and his successor.
It is the first time in Botswana that an ex-president has abandoned the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP).
Khama told thousands of supporters in his rural home town of Serowe that he made a "mistake" in choosing Mokgweetsi Masisi as the president.
"I came here today to tell you I am parting ways with the BDP. I am throwing away my BDP membership card," said Khama as he trashed his card.
"I don't recognise the BDP anymore".
Thousands of people who thronged the meeting at the town's showgrounds also threw away their BDP membership cards.
The 57-year-old BDP has ruled Botswana uninterrupted since independence in 1966, Kjhama said he did not have a party yet but will support the opposition Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) fight the BDP.
Khama and his successor have fallen out publicly, ...

Botswana ex-leader Khama quits ruling party

Nine civilians were killed in overnight air strikes east of Yemen's third city of Taez, a medic and rebel forces said Saturday.
Two children were among the nine killed in air strikes by a Saudi-led military coalition fighting on the side of the government, a doctor at Al-Thawra hospital told AFP.
The doctor, who requested anonymity, said a number of other people were wounded.
The Huthi rebels said the coalition targeted a petrol station in Taez province, according to the rebel-run Saba news agency.
The city of Taez is under siege by the Iran-aligned Huthi rebels but controlled by pro-government forces, who are supported by the military coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Yemen's four-year conflict has triggered what the UN terms the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with over 24 million people, more than two-thirds of the population, in need of aid.
Tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, have been killed.

9 civilians killed in Yemen's Taez province: Medic, rebels

President Donald Trump Saturday vowed to make the US trade relationship with Japan a "little bit more fair", as he kicked off a four-day visit to Tokyo aimed at cementing ties between the two close allies.
Trump's four-day trip is expected to feature plenty of warm words and images as he plays golf and watches sumo with his "friend" Shinzo Abe, Japan's prime minister.
But the world's top and third-biggest economies are also thrashing out a trade deal and Trump wasted no time in lashing out at what he sees as an imbalance between the pair.
"Japan has had a substantial edge for many, many years. But that's OK, maybe that's why you like us so much," Trump told leaders from some of Japan's leading companies, including Toyota, Honda and Nissan.
After a bilateral trade deal has been signed, it will be "a little bit more fair," vowed the president.
"With this deal we hope to address the trade imbalance, remove the barriers to United States exports and ensure fairness and reciprocity in our ..

Trump urges fairer trade with Japan at start of state visit

A former US Marine arrested on spying charges in Moscow says he is subjected to abuse and harassment in jail, but a diplomat warned Saturday a potential prisoner swap will not happen before a conviction.
Paul Whelan has been held under arrest in Russia since late December and is accused of being caught red-handed "carrying out an act of espionage".
A Moscow court on Friday extended his pre-trial arrest for another three months, with Whelan addressing the media from his cage in an emotive speech accusing Russian authorities of treating him like a "prisoner of war".
"I've been threatened, my personal safety has been threatened, there are abuses and harassment that I am constantly subjected to," Whelan said according to a BBC video.
He said he'd been deprived of showers, medical treatment, correspondence and books.
"Everything is being kept from me. This is typical prisoner of war, chapter one isolation technique," Whelan said. "They are trying to run me down so that I talk to them."
The 

Ex-US Marine decries 'threats, abuse' in Russian jail

Hosts China closed in on an 11th Sudirman Cup title as they ruthlessly dismantled Thailand to reach Sunday's final of the mixed-team badminton world championship.
China's comfortable 3-0 victory sets them up for a tournament decider against top seeds Japan or Indonesia, who play their semi-final later on Saturday.
China went 2-0 ahead in just 94 minutes thanks to their world number one mixed doubles pair Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong, and second-ranked Shi Yuqi in the men's singles.
The tie was over when the men's doubles world champions Li Junhui and Liu Yuchen triumphed.
Shi did not have it all his own way against 18th-ranked Kantaphon Wangcharoen, who squandered three opportunities to clinch the second game and force a decider.
It was a turning point and Shi held his nerve before closing out victory 21-15, 26-24 to thrill the home crowd and snuff out the brief Thai resistance.
"It was a very tough second game," said Shi, beaten in last year's world championship final by Kento ...

China reach Sudirman Cup final with clinical display

US President Donald Trump arrived in Japan Saturday for a four-day trip likely to be dominated by warm words and friendly images, but relatively light on substantive progress over trade.
Air Force One touched down in Japan just before 5pm local time on a sunny Tokyo afternoon.
Japanese and US officials hail as "unprecedented" the relationship between Trump and his "golf buddy", Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and the pair will again find time for a round to cement their diplomatic bromance.
The official centrepiece is Trump's meeting on Monday with Japan's new Emperor Naruhito, who only ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne at the beginning of the month following his father's historic abdication for health reasons.
"With all the countries of the world, I'm the guest of honour at the biggest event that they've had in over 200 years," said Trump before his departure.
But the visual highlight is more likely to be Trump's visit on Sunday to the final day of the summer "basho" or sumo tournament ...

Trump arrives for sumo summit with Abe

A fire erupted on a cargo ship docked at a port in Thailand, triggering a blast and leaving at least 25 workers suffering from smoke inhalation and other injuries, officials said Saturday.
The district around Laem Chabang deep-sea port in Chonburi province, located two hours south of capital Bangkok, has been declared a "danger zone", said port director Yuthana Mokkhao.
The fire broke out on Saturday at 6.35 am (23:35 GMT Friday) on the cargo ship named KMTC Hong Kong, which was moored to the port terminal.
Photos circulated on Thai media showed thick smoke billowing from the freight ship as the fire blazed.
Yuthana said people on the port were "affected by smoke inhalation and hit by small shrapnel from the containers".
At least 25 port workers suffered from minor injuries or irritation from the fire, said Sivaporn Buapong, chief of Chonburi province's Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department.
"The situation is under control now ... Forensic police will investigate the cause of .

Fire and blast at Thai port injures 25

US President Donald Trump touched down Saturday in Tokyo at the start of a four-day trip to cement ties with Japan and discuss trade and mounting threats from North Korea.
Trump's trip will also feature a meeting with Japan's new emperor Naruhito, a trip to the sumo and the obligatory round of golf with fellow fan Shinzo Abe, Japanese prime minister.

Trump arrives in Tokyo at start of state visit

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Saturday a US decision to deploy 1,500 additional troops to the Middle East is a "threat to international peace," state media reported.
"Increased US presence in our region is very dangerous and a threat to international peace and security and must be confronted," Zarif told the official IRNA news agency before heading home from a visit to Pakistan.
Washington says the reinforcements, which come after the deployment earlier this month of an aircraft carrier task force, B-52 bombers, an amphibious assault ship and a missile defence system, are in response to "campaign" of recent attacks approved by Iran's top leadership.
"Americans make such claims to justify their hostile policies and to create tension in the Persian Gulf," Zarif said.
The United States this month ended the last exemptions it had granted from sweeping unilateral sanctions it reimposed after abandoning a landmark 2015 nuclear between major powers and Iran in May last ..

Iran FM: US troop boost 'threat to international peace'

At least 29 prisoners were killed and 19 police wounded in clashes at a jail in western Venezuela Friday, authorities said.
The incident at the police station jail in the town of Acarigua, in Portuguesa state, occurred when police special forces (FAES) tried to stop a "massive prison break" which resulted in the deaths of 29 inmates, according to Portuguesa public security secretary Oscar Valero.
The prisoners received the officers with "a hail of gunfire" while detonating three grenades, which injured 19 police, Valero told reporters.
The Una Ventana a la Libertad NGO, which defends prisoner rights, gave a preliminary toll of 25 dead.
NGO director Carlos Nieto said the clashes broke out when the FAES attempted to rescue visitors who had been taken hostage Thursday by the "pran" -- the leader of the inmates -- at the jail.
"This morning (authorities) sent the FAES and there was a clash. The detainees had weapons, they shot at the police. Apparently they also detonated two grenades," ..

At least 29 inmates killed in clashes at Venezuela jail

When the bull collapses and dies in front of the matador, silence descends on Madrid's bullfighting ring, a "ritual" that its French manager Simon Casas vigorously defends in an increasingly conflictive climate.
Around 500,000 enthusiasts are expected to descend on Madrid's Las Ventas arena during the month-long Feria de San Isidro, the Spanish capital's biggest bullfighting festival.
But now more than ever, activists and politicians are getting involved as regional and municipal elections loom on Sunday.
Madrid's outgoing left-wing mayor has promised "corridas" (bullfights) "without blood or death".
But the conservatives and far-right defend a "tradition" associated with Spanish identity. To make their point, they enlisted three "toreros" (bullfighters) as candidates for April's general election.
"I don't know anyone who loves the fighting bull more than the torero," says Casas, a 71-year-old former matador, as he strolls through Las Ventas, built in 1929.
It "is never an enemy for ..

Madrid's bullfighting 'ritual' acclaimed and contested

If it weren't for the Center for Malaria Studies in Caracas, Francelis Pacheco would have been unable to get treatment for a disease she has contracted around 20 times.
Pacheco, 25, sells clothes and cigars in the claustrophobic tunnels of gold mines in southern Venezuela's Bolivar state, where a type of malaria-carrying mosquito is particularly active.
"If it weren't for (treatment) here, honestly I don't know what I would have done," Pacheco told AFP as she waited in the clinic for a new diagnosis, having spent several months in Bolivar state and neighboring Guyana, some 600 kilometers (370 miles) from her Caracas home.
The clinic, though, is not immune to Venezuela's economic crisis and is struggling to treat patients.
This is a country that lacks 85 percent of the medicines it needs, according to the pharmaceuticals industry.
With a tiny budget, the malaria clinic, which was opened in 1973, relies on donations.
Between 20 and 30 people a day from all over the country come get ...

Malaria back with a vengeance in crisis-hit Venezuela

Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis on Friday announced it had received US regulatory approval for a gene therapy that treats a rare childhood disorder and has a price tag of USD 2.1 million, making it the most expensive drug in history.
The company said Zolgensma was a one-time treatment for spinal muscular atrophy, a disease that affects about 1 in 10,000 births and which results in death or the need for permanent ventilation by the age of two in 90 per cent of cases.
But the announcement comes as the administration of US President Donald Trump has vowed to tackle soaring drug costs.
Novartis defended the pricing by saying that gene therapy was a transformative new type of treatment and was 50 per cent cheaper than current treatments.
"Zolgensma is a historic advance for the treatment of SMA and a landmark one-time gene therapy," Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan said in a statement, which added that the company was working with government and insurers to accelerate coverage.
The total .

Novartis gets US approval for USD 2.1 million gene therapy

US President Donald Trump's administration on Friday announced plans to roll back anti-discrimination protections for transgender people in the healthcare system, provoking an outcry from rights groups.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) proposed removing a provision of the Affordable Care Act introduced by former president Barack Obama in 2016 that defined discrimination "on the basis of sex" to include gender identity.
Gender identity was defined as whether an individual considered themselves "male, female, neither, or a combination of male and female." But the measure was blocked after several states and healthcare entities sued.
The proposed new rule would define gender identity in healthcare law "to conform with the plain understanding recognized by the court," the HHS said.
"When Congress prohibited sex discrimination, it did so according to the plain meaning of the term, and we are making our regulations conform," said Roger Severino of the HHS Civil Rights ...

AFP

AFP

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