The man accused of shooting dead 51 Muslim worshippers in the Christchurch mosque attacks was formally charged with terrorism for the first time on Tuesday, New Zealand police said.
In addition to the terror charge, Brenton Tarrant also faces 51 charges of murder and 40 of attempted murder over the March 15 attacks.
"The charge will allege that a terrorist act was carried out in Christchurch," police said in a statement.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has characterised the mosque killings a well-planned "terrorist attack" since the day Tarrant, a self-described white supremacist, allegedly carried them out.
But until now the charges against him were less expansive, as New Zealand's Terrorism Suppression Act was only introduced in 2002 and is untested in the courts.
Police said the decision to lay the terror charge was made after consultations with prosecutors and government legal experts.
Tarrant, a 28-year-old Australian, is currently in a high security prison undergoing ..

Christchurch attacker charged with terrorism: police

PTI Automatic

Thousands of soldiers fanned out across Jakarta on Tuesday as unexpectedly early results in Indonesia's election showed Joko Widodo was re-elected leader of the world's third-biggest democracy.
The election commission had been due to announce the final tally of the divisive poll on Wednesday, but the results were revealed early Tuesday with little advance notice amid fears of unrest.
Presidential challenger Prabowo Subianto had warned of possible mass uprisings in response to his claims of widespread cheating.
Tensions have also spiked high since police said last week that they arrested dozens of Islamic State-linked terror suspects -- including some who planned to cause chaos by detonating bombs at any post-election protests.
On Friday, the US embassy in Jakarta issued a heightened security alert for Indonesia, the world's biggest Muslim majority nation.
There was a heavy security presence in Jakarta on Tuesday, including in front of the elections commission office, which was ...

Indonesia's Joko Widodo re-elected president as rival cries foul

Samsung Electronics surged more than four percent Tuesday on the back of its chief rival Huawei's mounting problems, including a decision by Google to sever ties with the Chinese mobile phone maker.
US internet giant Google, whose Android mobile operating system powers most of the world's smartphones, said this week it is cutting ties with Huawei to comply with an executive order issued by President Donald Trump.
The move could have dramatic implications for Huawei smartphone users, as the firm will no longer have access to Google's proprietary services -- which include the Gmail and Google Maps apps.
Investors bet Huawei's loss could benefit Samsung, the world's biggest smartphone maker which has been facing increasing competition from its Chinese rival, sending its shares soaring 4.3 percent in afternoon trade in Seoul.
Analysts say the US ban will damage Huawei's ability to sell phones outside China, offering Samsung a chance to consolidate its position at the top of the global ...

Samsung shares surge as Huawei struggles

Chinese investment in Australia has fallen to its lowest level in five years, new research shows, sparking calls for the newly re-elected conservative government to improve its rocky relationship with Beijing.
After hitting a peak of Aus$15.8 billion (US$10.4 billion) in 2016, Chinese firms invested Aus$4.8 billion in the country last year, the Australian National University said Monday.
Researchers said the amount of cash piled into Australia had been "broadly in line" with China's global activities, except for last year when it fell 50 per cent from Aus$9.6 billion in 2017.
The data will fuel concerns that strained political ties between Beijing and Canberra are hurting the economic relationship.
"Chinese investment flows offshore have fallen generally in the past year but they have fallen more in Australia," report co-author Peter Drysdale told The Australian newspaper.
"It shows there is a problem as the investment relationship is more affected by the political situation.
"It is a 

Fears as Chinese investment in Australia falls

A coal mine where dozens died in one of New Zealand's worst-ever industrial accidents was re-opened after nine years Tuesday as experts began the long process of recovering the men's remains.
Twenty-nine people were killed at the Pike River mine in November 2010 after a blast triggered by a build-up of flammable methane gas.
The South Island mine has been sealed since amid fears of further explosions, angering family members who wanted the entombed remains recovered.
While some experts said the mine was too dangerous to enter, relatives of the victims argued it was the only way to find the cause of the blast that killed 24 New Zealanders, two Australians, two Britons and a South African.
The controversy was so intense that when Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was elected in 2017 she specifically appointed minister Andrew Little to oversee the mine's reopening.
Little announced Wednesday that the seal to the Pike River mine access tunnel, or drift, had been opened as families of the dead 

New Zealand mine reopened nine years after deadly blast

Beneath the gaze of the TV cameras a woman begins speaking, at first softly but with growing passion as she faces the "Butcher of Kabul" across a crowded auditorium and asks if he wants to apologise for alleged war crimes.
Without missing a beat, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the ruthless former warlord blamed for rocket attacks which reduced much of the Afghan capital to rubble in the 1990s, declined to do so.
The dramatic moment during a recent televised news debate highlights how far media freedom has come in Afghanistan, where - for now - traumatised civilians can stand and at least try to hold powerful men to account, live on camera.
"Years ago, these kind of questions could get you killed, but now people can challenge the most dangerous people in mainstream and social media," Mustafa Rahimi, a university student, said after watching the debate.
But today, even as hundreds of media outlets proliferate across Afghanistan, consumers and journalists alike worry a potential peace deal between 

Afghans fear end of golden age of press freedom

A week after his 10-year stay at Manchester United ended, Antonio Valencia was on Monday called up by coach Hernan Dario Gomez to Ecuador's Copa America squad.
The 33-year-old's inclusion has received criticism in some quarters as Valencia has played less than 10 matches in an injury-ravaged season.
"There are players who haven't played much but they are players that you know will be important when they're in the national team," said Gomez.
"I'm not going to throw out Valencia until he tells me he's quitting."
Valencia, 33, is the Ecuador captain and has won 94 caps, scoring 11 goals. Although he spent the last few years of his Old Trafford career as a right back, Gomez said he sees Valencia as a right winger, the position where he made his name and earned a move to United after a string of sparkling displays at minnows Wigan Athletic.
Ecuador have been drawn in a tough Group C at the Copa America hosted by Brazil, where they will face holders Chile, record 15-time winners Uruguay and 

Valencia called up by Ecuador for Copa America

Manchester City celebrated their domestic treble with an open-top bus parade on Monday, drawing an estimated 100,000 fans to the streets of the city centre.
Pep Guardiola's City side became the first to complete a clean sweep of all three major English trophies with Saturday's 6-0 thrashing of Watford in the FA Cup final at Wembley.
They clinched a second successive Premier League title the previous week and also won the Carabao Cup in February. It was the fourth time in seven years the club had taken over the city centre for an afternoon with a celebratory parade. Adding the Community Shield to the tally, the club had banners branding themselves as "The Fourmidables".
The victorious squad were joined by members of the City women's team, who also won an FA Cup and League Cup double this year. Guardiola insisted he has not thought about next season but admitted captain Vincent Kompany will be missed at the club after the defender confirmed his departure to become player-manager at ...

Treble winners Man City enjoy parade

Almost three weeks before the world's best fight it out for the French Open titles, hundreds of players, including grizzled veterans and teenage hopefuls, have descended on Roland Garros for qualifying.
The men's opening round got underway on Monday, despite the tournament proper not due to start until Sunday, with 128 entrants playing for only 16 spots in the main draw.
On Tuesday, 96 women will start their bids for just 12 places, with the potential rewards life-changing. While former Grand Slam surprise packages Denis Istomin and Dustin Brown were going toe-to-toe in front of a smattering of spectators on Court 7, 23-time major champion Serena Williams was practising on the Philippe Chatrier show-court.
Just two years ago, Istomin stunned Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open second round, but on the Parisian clay he fell to Brown -- the camper-van driving, shock Wimbledon conqueror of Rafael Nadal in 2015.
Serbian Viktor Troicki was ranked 12th in the world only eight years ago ...

Three weeks before final, qualifiers begin long road to French Open glory

Bologna coach Sinisa Mihajlovic hailed his team for pulling off a "miracle" to secure their top flight survival with a 3-3 draw at Lazio on Monday enough to keep the northerners in Serie A next season.
It was a vital point for Bologna who have been transformed since the arrival of Serbian coach Mihajlovic in place of Filippo Inzaghi, brother of Lazio coach Simone, last February.
"Nobody, or at least very few believed in us staying up a few months ago," said Serb Mihajlovic, a former Yugoslavia international player.
"I was one of the few. The more that time went by, the more convinced I was that we were on the right road but it was still something of a small miracle."
The club were 18th with just two wins from 21 games when the former Serbia, AC Milan and Torino coach arrived, but since have won eight matches out of 16 and are now positioned 12th.
"Now, we're aiming to pull off a real masterstroke on Saturday (against Napoli) to finish tenth," he added.
Lazio are already through to ...

Bologna earn 'miracle' Serie A survival in six-goal Lazio thriller

Indonesia's Joko Widodo has been re-elected as president of the world's third-biggest democracy, the elections commission said early Tuesday, beating rival Prabowo Subianto, a retired general who has vowed to challenge any victory for the incumbent leader.
The commission was expected to announce the official results of the April 17 poll on Wednesday in the Southeast Asian nation of 260 million.
But amid fears about unrest and street demonstrations in response to the final count, the final tally was released early with little advance notice.
Widodo and his vice-presidential running mate Ma'ruf Amin won the election by a 55.5 per cent to 44.5 per cent margin over Subianto and Sandiaga Uno, the elections commission said.
"This ruling was announced on May 21... and will be effectively immediately," the commission's chair Arief Budiman said in a live streamed announcement that was broadcast on major media.
Widodo, 57, had been widely predicted to win according to unofficial results.  His ..

Indonesia's Joko Widodo wins second term as president

Joe Burns' Ashes chances have taken a hit with the Australian batsman calling time on his stint with English county side Lancashire and heading home "for personal reasons".
The 29-year-old, who scored a career-best 180 in Australia's last Test, against Sri Lanka in Canberra, signed as the club's overseas player as part of his build-up to the Ashes series against England, which starts on August 1.
He was due to be with them for most of the County Championship season, but made just one appearance.
"Lancashire Cricket can confirm that overseas batsman Joe Burns has returned to Australia due to personal reasons, and will now not be available for the club's 2019 campaign," it said in a statement.
"Lancashire Cricket wishes Joe all the best, and it would be appreciated if his privacy is respected during this time."
The reason for his departure was not clear. Burns has been replaced in the Lancashire squad by fellow Australian Jake Lehmann, son of former national coach Darren Lehmann.

Aussie opener Burns leaves Lancashire 'for personal reasons'

Two-time Olympic champion Caster Semenya will race the 3,000 meters at the Diamond League Prefontaine Classic on June 30, a distance she can contest without reducing her testosterone levels.
The South African has won two Olympic golds at 800 meters, and has insisted she will not take medication to comply with new International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) rules governing testosterone levels in women athletes that went into effect on May 8.
The new rules require women with higher than normal male hormone levels -- so-called "hyperandrogenic" athletes -- to artificially lower the amount of testosterone in their bodies if they are to compete in races over distances of 400m to the mile.
Semenya won the 800m at the Doha Diamond League meeting this month in her first race since losing her appeal of the controversial ruling at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
South Africa have said they will lodge an appeal of the CAS ruling with the Switzerland Federal Tribunal citing lack 

Semenya to race 3,000m at Diamond League's Prefontaine

E-commerce giant Amazon was on its way to running its own online neighbourhood Monday after the internet's address keeper granted the ".amazon" domain to the company.
After waiting in vain for years for the US online retail colossus and an alliance of South American countries to resolve their battle over the right to web addresses ending with ".amazon," the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) this month sided with the Seattle-based company.
In 2012, Amazon applied for ".amazon" and two internationalized versions of the name. Brazil and several other countries put the US company on notice that they were opposed to the idea.
"Due to its inseparable semantic relation to the Amazon forest, that domain should not be, in any way, the monopoly of a company," the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs argued on its website.
"On the contrary, it is imperative that the States concerned be able to participate in the management and use of the name in order to defend and ...

'.Amazon' gives e-commerce giant its own internet domain

Malawi goes to the polls on Tuesday after a closely-fought election campaign, with President Peter Mutharika battling to hold off two serious rivals in a race that focused on corruption allegations and economic development.
Mutharika, who has been in power since 2014, will face opposition from his own deputy Saulos Chilima and former baptist preacher Lazarus Chakwera.
"We have set Malawi on the path of progress," Mutharika, 78, told several thousand cheering supporters of his ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in Blantyre at his final campaign rally at the weekend.
His bid for a second term has focused on the economy and his record of improving road and electricity infrastructure across the southeastern African country.
Under Mutharika, inflation has fallen from 23 percent to below nine per cent, but still only 11 percent of the population has access to electricity.
The election is the first since a new law forced parties to declare large donations and banned the once-common ...

Malawi votes in tight three-way election

A US federal judge has denied President Donald Trump's efforts to quash a subpoena from Democratic lawmakers to release years of financial documents dating from before his time in the White House.
Monday's decision marked the first time that US courts have waded into the conflict pitting the president against the Democrats who, riding on their newfound majority in the House of Representatives, have opened a raft of probes into Trump.
Trump, who says he is the victim of "harassment," has refused to cooperate in the investigations focused on his tax returns, his finances or matters related to Russian efforts to tip the 2016 election in his favour.
US District Judge Amit Mehta refused to block the House Oversight and Reform Committee's subpoena for accounting firm Mazars USA pending litigation.
The lawmakers' April 15 request for records dating back to 2011 followed testimony by Trump's one-time lawyer Michael Cohen that his boss would often change the estimated value of his assets and ..

US judge backs Democrats' request for Trump financial records

Indonesia's Joko Widodo has won a second term as president, beating out rival Prabowo Subianto, a retired general, by a 55.5 per cent to 44.5 per cent margin, the elections commission said.
"This ruling was announced on May 21... and will be effectively immediately," the commission's chair Arief Budiman said in a live streamed announcement that was broadcast on major media.

Indonesia's Joko Widodo wins second term as president: elections commission

US officials have delayed a ban on American technology exports to Chinese tech giant Huawei until mid-August, saying the time was needed to allow for software updates and other contractual obligations.
A Commerce Department filing Monday said the delay does not change the ban imposed by President Donald Trump on national security grounds, an action with major implications for US and Chinese technology firms.
The document said authorities would not enforce the ban for 90 days to give Huawei and its partners time "to maintain and support existing and currently fully operational networks and equipment, including software updates and patches, subject to legally binding contracts and agreements... on or before May 16, 2019.

US delays Huawei ban for 90 days

A Paris appeals court has ordered the resumption of life-support for a longtime vegetative Frenchman from whom doctors had only hours earlier begun withdrawing treatment, in a wrenching case that has divided his family and country.
The court on Monday ordered authorities "to take all measures" to keep alive Vincent Lambert, a 42-year-old quadraplegic with severe brain damage, pending a review by the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Court orders life-support to resume for vegetative Frenchman

A climber who sparked an evacuation of the Eiffel Tower on Monday was grabbed after clinging to the famous Paris landmark for more than six hours, officials said.
The man, who was not immediately identified, "is in the hands of the emergency teams" deployed to the tower, which will reopen to visitors as normal early on Tuesday, the company operating the structure said in a statement.
The man "has been grabbed," a police official said.
Emergency procedures triggered by the man's unauthorised climb forced an evacuation of the iconic monument, the esplanade underneath it and a large section of the adjacent Champ de Mars park mid-afternoon Monday.
The abrupt closure of one of France's biggest tourist draws frustrated visitors who had been planning to go up the 324-metre (1,063-foot) tower.
"We're really disappointed, we're only here for a week and this messes with our whole programme," said Sylvie and Celine Forcier from Quebec.
Justin and Karen Smith, from Los Angeles, had been hoping to 

Eiffel Tower climber grabbed after sparking evacuation

Donald Trump told his former White House lawyer Don McGhan to ignore a subpoena from Congress to testify about the president's alleged obstruction of justice, Trump spokeswoman Sarah Sanders has said.
The Democrat-dominated Judiciary Committee in the House of Representatives has issued a subpoena compelling McGhan to testify.
But the White House said that special counsel Robert Mueller's sprawling probe into Trump's links to Russia and alleged attempts to get in the way of the investigation had cleared the president, meaning there was no need for more digging.
McGhan himself testified before Mueller's staff for some 30 hours.
"The Democrats do not like the conclusion of the Mueller investigation... and want a wasteful and unnecessary do-over," Sanders said in a statement Monday.
"The Department of Justice has provided a legal opinion stating that, based on long-standing, bipartisan, and Constitutional precedent, the former Counsel to the President cannot be forced to give such ...

AFP

AFP

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