A Saudi tanker damaged off the coast of the United Arab Emirates in mid-May appears to have leaked a trail of oil, satellite images released on Friday show.
Radar satellites operated by the Finnish company Iceye photographed the vessel Amjad on May 14, two days after it and three other ships, including another Saudi tanker, were mysteriously sabotaged in the Sea of Oman.
Neither Saudi Arabia nor the UAE, both close allies of the United States, have yet given details on the exact nature of those attacks, which come amid heightened tensions between Washington and Riyadh's arch rival Tehran.
"There is a trail of oil that is on the surface of the sea," Iceye's vice president Mikko Keranen told AFP.
"The trail is linked to the vessel Amjad and we have had a third party verify that for us," Keranen said, adding that images taken by the European Space Agency satellite Sentinel-2 also seem to confirm the presence of oil around the ship.
Saudi Arabia's Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said ...

Oil slick spotted after Saudi tanker sabotaged

PTI Automatic

At least seven people were wounded Friday by a suspected package bomb blast on a pedestrian street in the heart of Lyon, southeast France, the local prosecutors' office said.
The area where the explosion occurred, on the narrow strip of land between the Saone and Rhone rivers in the historic city centre, has been evacuated, according to AFP journalists at the scene.
None of the injuries appear to be life-threatening, a spokesman for the prosecutors' office said.

Seven hurt in suspected package bomb blast in France's Lyon

Germany will keep working towards an "orderly" Brexit, Chancellor Angela Merkel said Friday, hours after Prime Minister Theresa May announced her resignation.
Merkel said that she "of course respects the decision" of May, adding that they had always worked well together.
Merkel called Britain's looming departure from the European Union a "deep rupture" and said Berlin would "continue to make every effort to ensure that there is a good partnership with Great Britain, an orderly withdrawal and further good cooperation".
An "orderly" Brexit would mean Britain departs under the divorce agreement with EU leaders inked in November, instead of under a no-deal scenario that risks economic chaos on both sides of the Channel.
Merkel's spokeswoman Martina Fietz earlier said that the chancellor would keep working with May in the same spirit as before as long as she is in office.
Fietz declined to comment on how May's decision could affect Brexit, as "the development depends essentially on ...

Merkel vows to work for 'orderly Brexit' after May leaves

Sales of US-manufactured goods were unexpectedly weak in April, hitting the lowest level in nine months, as American companies sold fewer cars, planes and factory equipment, according to data released Friday.
And sales in March were not as robust as originally reported, due to a sharp downward revision to aircraft sales.
That takes the some of the shine off the unexpected jump in economic growth in the first three months of the year, which President Donald Trump has hailed as proof his economic policies are working.
But Trump's trade war with China and other trading partners is overshadowing the outlook.
The disappointing Commerce Department data on durable goods sales for April marked a subdued start to the second quarter of 2019, which is expected to show a slowdown in economic activity.
Although a sales dip in April was expected due to the crisis at aviation giant Boeing -- which was forced suspended deliveries of a top-selling jet after deadly crashes -- orders for jets fell even .

Weak aircraft, auto sales push key US data to 9-month low

Facebook has been in contact with US and British financial regulators with a view to launching its own cryptocurrency next year, the BBC reported on Friday.
"GlobalCoin" would work with a new digital payments system in about a dozen countries, starting in the first quarter of 2020, the broadcaster said on its website.
Previous reports have said Facebook is taking a serious look at blockchain technology under its "Project Libra", in part to tackle doubts about privacy among its many users following a series of scandals.
But the targeted date appears new. The BBC said Facebook had already spoken to Bank of England governor Mark Carney and to officials at the US Treasury, and was expected to flesh out its plans this northern hemisphere summer.
Facebook's currency would be "stablecoin", a digital unit pegged to the dollar in contrast to more anarchic means of virtual payment such as bitcoin, according to earlier reporting by Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal among others.
With more ...

Facebook plans cryptocurrency launch next year: BBC

Football is a game, Pope Francis on Friday reminded a gathering of 6,000 Italian youngsters at the Vatican, asking them not be become fanatics who "stain" the game.
"Football is a game: shall we say it together?" the Argentine pontiff told the crowd, who chanted back at him.
"Don't forget, football is a game," said the pope, an ardent supporter of Buenos Aires club San Lorenzo, calling on parents to "give this mentality to their children".
"Many people describe football as the most beautiful game in the world. I think the same, but that's a personal opinion," the pope said to thunderous applause in the vast Paul VI audience hall.
Unfortunately, "we see things, on the pitch or behind the touch line, which stain football's beauty," the pope said, citing sometimes negative examples of parents who become "ultra supporters, managers or coaches".
"Don't forget where you came from," he said to a handful of stars who also attended the event. It's up to such stars to help youths become ...

Pope reminds 6,000 youngsters that football 'is a game'

Stars of the movies and the music world raised more than USD 15 million for AIDS research at Cannes film festival's most glamorous party, organisers said on Friday.
After 10 days of uncharactistically bad weather, the sun finally put in an appearance at the glittering event late Thursday, with the stars quaffing champagne on a balmy evening in the gardens of the exclusive Eden Roc hotel at Cap d'Antibes, near Cannes.
The social highlight of the festival, the charity dinner laid on by the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amFAR) brought in a host of big hitters among them Antonio Banderas, Eva Longoria, Andie MacDowell, Adrien Brody, Tom Jones,  Tommy Hilfiger, Pamela Anderson and Donald Trump's youngest daughter Tiffany.
The 26th edition of the annual Cinema Against AIDS kicked off at sunset in a marquee where an operatic number was followed by a set by British glam rock band The Struts, with later performances by Jones and Mariah Carey.
As the evening got under way, the auction .

At Cannes, stars raise over USD 15 mn for AIDS research

US Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman will boycott Russia's annual showcase economic forum in Saint Petersburg next month over the prosecution of a top American investor, the embassy said Friday.
Neither ambassador Huntsman nor other embassy staff will attend the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum in Russia's second city, spokeswoman Andrea Kalan told AFP.
Michael Calvey, the American co-founder of Baring Vostok equity firm, was arrested in February along with five others on fraud charges and held in pre-trial detention in Moscow. In April a court ruled to move him to house arrest.
"Mr Calvey's continued house arrest and criminal prosecution undermines efforts to create the stability needed to attract new investment and encourage more robust business interaction," Kalan said in written comments.
The Saint Petersburg Economic Forum - Russia's answer to Davos -- will take place on June 6-8.
Calvey faces charges that his equity firm defrauded Vostochny Bank of 2.5 billion ...

US ambassador snubs top Russia forum over investor's arrest

Spain's parliament suspended Friday the mandates of four Catalan lawmakers who were elected while in custody and on trial over their role in the failed 2017 separatist bid.
The expected move could reduce the threshold of an absolute majority that acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez needs in the congress, or lower house,  to be sworn in for a second term.
His Socialists came top in a general election last month but failed to secure a majority in the assembly.
However, if the four lawmakers cede their seats to replacements, Sanchez would once again need the help of Catalan separatist parties to be sworn in during an investiture vote expected in the first week of July.
The mandates of Oriol Junqueras, Jordi Turull, Josep Rull and Jordi Sanchez were automatically suspended because they are being held in custody while on trial in the Supreme Court, parliament speaker Meritxell Batet told a news conference.
She said she had asked for a report to clarify what the threshold for an absolute ...

Spanish parliament suspends four jailed Catalan MPs

Myanmar must "show results" to convince Rohingya refugees to return, the UN's High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said Friday at the end of his first visit to Myanmar since the crackdown against Rohingya Muslims in 2017.
A brutal military campaign in western Rakhine state forced some 740,000 Rohingya over the border into Bangladesh.
Around one million Rohingya now languish in sprawling refugee camps from various waves of persecution.
A UN fact-finding mission called for Myanmar's top generals to be prosecuted for "genocide" and the International Criminal Court (ICC) has started preliminary investigations.
During his visit Grandi spoke with both Rohingya and ethnic Rakhine Buddhist communities in Maungdaw and Buthidaung in northern Rakhine, the epicentre of the violence.
He also held discussions with officials in capital Naypyidaw, including civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, describing all talks as "constructive".
"My message is: 'please accelerate', because it has been very .

'Results' needed from Myanmar over Rohingya return: UNHCR head

President Emmanuel Macron wants to see a "rapid clarification" over Britain's departure from the European Union after Prime Minister Theresa May announced she would step down next month, the French presidency said Friday.
Macron hailed May for "courageous work" in seeking to implement Brexit in the interests of her country while showing respect for Britain's European partners, the Elysee said in a statement.
But it added: "The principles of the EU will continue to apply, with the priority on the smooth functioning of the EU, and this requires a rapid clarification." Macron has taken a hard line on Brexit over the last months which has sometimes put him at odds with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has pushed for a more flexible stance.
Paris fears that repeated delays to Brexit - which is now scheduled to take place by October 31 - are interfering with the smooth running of the EU and Macron's own plans for reforming the bloc.
The statement said that while France was ready to work 

Macron urges 'rapid clarification' on Brexit as May steps down

Norway said Friday it would contribute more than 100 million euros (USD 115 million) over three years to combat sexual and gender-based violence in humanitarian crises, a worldwide scourge affecting millions.
"Sexual and gender-based violence destroys people, it destroys local communities and it is extremely difficult to mend the damage," Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soreide said.
"That's why we have to do more to prevent it," she said at the opening of an international conference in Oslo to raise awareness and funds.
The wealthy Scandinavian country pledged one billion kroner (UD 115 million) between 2019 and 2021, including 350 million kroner this year.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) also pledged USD 10 million.
The conference was co-hosted by Norway, Iraq, Somalia, the UAE, the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross, and attended by Congolese doctor and 2018 Nobel Peace Prize winner Denis Mukwege.
Several participants insisted on the importance of prevention .

Oslo pledges 100 mln euros to combat sexual violence

A top Sudanese general vowed to back regional ally Saudi Arabia against "all threats and attacks" from its rival Iran during talks with the kingdom's powerful crown prince, Sudan's ruling military council said Friday.
General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the deputy chief of Sudan's new Transitional Military Council, met with Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah, the official Saudi Press Agency reported earlier in the day.
"Sudan is standing with the kingdom against all threats and attacks from Iran and Huthi militias," Dagalo, widely known as Himeidti, told the crown prince during their meeting, the council said in a statement.
Himeidti also said the military council would continue deploying Sudanese troops to Yemen as part of a Saudi-led coalition fighting Iran-aligned Huthi rebels.
It was Dagalo's first international trip since Sudan's army generals took power after they backed protesters in ousting longtime-leader Omar al-Bashir last month.
The statement, the council's first major foreign ...

Sudan general vows to back Saudi Arabia against Iran 'threats'

Israel remained on high alert on Friday after wildfires fed by tinder dry conditions destroyed around 40 homes.
There were no reports of casualties from Thursday's fires as the emergency services evacuated homes in the path of the blaze in the centre of the country.
Addressing a crisis meeting on Friday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked foreign governments which had helped tackle the blaze.
Croatia, Cyprus, Greece and Italy sent firefighting planes, while Egypt, one of only two Arab governments that have signed a peace treaty with Israel, sent two helicopters.
Several roads across the danger zone in central Israel remained closed for fear that the fires would reignite amid the unseasonable heat.
Temperatures have topped 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) across much of the country for several days.
In 2016, wildfires damaged or destroyed around 700 homes in Israel and the occupied West Bank, and sent more than 13,000 hectares (32,000 acres) of woodland up in smoke.

Israel on high alert after wildfires destroy 40 homes

Sweden will host an international conference against anti-Semitism in memory of the Holocaust in October 2020, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven announced Friday.
The gathering heads of state and government will be held in Malmo, southern Sweden, on October 27 and 28 -- 20 years after the Declaration of the Stockholm International Forum on the Holocaust and 75 years after the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp.
"You find anti-Semitism in Sweden, in Europe and all over the world. Anti-Semitism isn't only a Jewish problem, it is a poison for all of society," Stefan Lofven told AFP in an interview.
He had previously expressed his willingness to host a major conference on anti-Semitism.
But the official announcement, at the end of the campaign for the European elections, also served as a reminder that they are "all the more important as the election is a referendum on populist forces".
"It's a choice of values, for equal rights, it's about standing up for your beliefs," he .

Sweden to host anti-Semitism conference

Germany coach Joachim Loew said Friday that a move to Bayern Munich would be good for Manchester City winger Leroy Sane, as well as for the German national team.
Speaking at an event organised by Bild newspaper in Berlin, Loew said that Bayern was "always a good place to go".
"In my opinion, Leroy feels very comfortable at Manchester City. I don't know what he is planning," said Loew, but added that he would welcome it if Sane returned to the Bundesliga.
"If the transfer did happen, it would be good for him and good for us." Kicker magazine reported earlier this week that Bayern had already made contract with Sane's father and agent Souleyman Sane.
Bayern president Uli Hoeness confirmed the club's interest to Munich-based newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung on Thursday.
"We are looking into the player (Sane)," he told the newspaper.  The German winger was linked to Bayern before joining City from Schalke for 50 million euros ($55 million) in 2016.
Though Pep Guardiola has openly said that .

'Good for us' - Germany coach Loew on Sane to Bayern rumours

Lewis Hamilton has hailed his mourning Mercedes team and says the performances of the car itself are 'fantastic' ahead of qualifying on Saturday for Sunday's 77th Monaco Grand Prix.
The defending five-time world champion and his Silver Arrows team-mate Valtteri Bottas were seven-tenths of a second clear of third-placed Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari after Thursday's opening sessions.
"I'm surprised," he said. "I don't know where all the time has come from -- I don't know if Max (Verstappen) maybe didn't get in a time or what, but the performance we have here is fantastic.
"We're constantly improving this car and understanding it and understanding the tyre. I guess that's why you're seeing the performance advantage we have."
A similar performance in Saturday's qualifying session would give the team a near-perfect opportunity to extend their triumphant season-opening run to six one-two finishes.
On an overcast morning on the traditional rest day at the classic 'blue riband' event, ...

Hamilton hails Mercedes car as 'fantastic'

Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker rates next week's Champions League final against Tottenham as the biggest game of his life.
Alisson will be making his first appearance in the final of Europe's elite club competition when the Reds face their Premier League rivals in Madrid on June 1.
The Brazil international reached the Champions League semi-finals last season, only for Liverpool to beat his Roma team prior to his move to Anfield.
Alisson has enjoyed a memorable first season with Liverpool, but their frustrating Premier League title failure -- they finished one point behind champions Manchester City -- means they will end the season with no silverware unless they beat Tottenham.
Success in Spain would bring Liverpool their sixth European Cup and first since 2005.  It is challenge Alisson believes ranks as the most significant of his career.
"Once we finished the Premier League, there were 20 days to prepare the final," Alisson told Liverpool's website.
"I can't wait. I'm looking ...

Liverpool's Alisson ready for biggest test of his life

Firebrand Nick Kyrgios pulled out of Roland Garros on Friday, just days after saying the French Open "sucks".
Organisers confirmed the Australian's withdrawal from the second Grand Slam tournament of the season and he will be replaced by a lucky loser from qualifying.
The 24-year-old was due to have faced Britain's Cameron Norrie in the first round.
Last week, Kyrgios was disqualified from the Italian Open in Rome and headed straight to London to practice with Andy Murray at Wimbledon.
"I think this is the best tournament in the world, look at this perfect green surface," Kyrgios wrote on Instagram alongside a picture of him sitting on the grass courts.
"Get rid of the clay, man. Who likes the clay, it is so bad.
"The French Open sucks compared to this place. Sucks. Absolute sucks." Kyrgios also withdrew from the French Open last year and has never reached the second week in Paris.

Kyrgios out of Roland Garros, tournament that 'sucks'

Rafael Nadal said on Friday that he "doesn't care" if he is the red-hot favourite to lift a record-extending 12th French Open title at Roland Garros, insisting that there are a host of players in contention for the trophy.
The world number two holds an incredible French Open win-loss record of 86-2, and hit top form by winning his ninth Italian Open last week with a final victory over old rival Novak Djokovic.
Nadal could move to within two titles of Roger Federer's all-time men's record of 20 Grand Slam trophies if he lifts the Coupe des Mousquetaires on June 9.
"I don't care if I'm the favourite," he said. "I care about feeling well and playing well.
"I appreciate that you (the media) see me like that, but (Dominic) Thiem, Novak (Djokovic), Federer, Tsitsipas who has been playing well, (Juan Martin) del Potro, (Kei) Nishikori -- all those that are the best in the world will be favourites.
"The only thing that worries me is being well and being competitive.
"The only favourite that ..

Nadal 'doesn't care' if he's French Open favourite

Chinese financial regulators on Friday took over a bank based in the northern Inner Mongolian region because of its "serious credit risk".
The rare takeover of a domestic lender -- announced by the People's Bank of China and the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission in a joint statement -- is a worrying sign for China's economy which last year slowed to its slowest annual pace in nearly three decades.
Baoshang bank had been backed by Tomorrow Group, a financial holding company run by billionaire Xiao Jianhua, according to financial news magazine Caixin, which reported last year that Tomorrow was trying to sell part of its holdings.
Xiao was whisked out of Hong Kong into mainland China in 2017, amid a crackdown on financial risk, and has not been heard of since.
The regulator's control of the bank began Friday and will last one year, placing its operations in the custody of state-owned China Construction Bank, the statement said.
The regulators said they would guarantee the 

AFP

AFP

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