Iran, Iran oil waiver

The meeting is set to make recommendations ahead of a key OPEC summit in late June, to be attended by Iran

OPEC members meet to assess oil market after US sanctions on Iran

Press Trust of India

Boeing acknowledged Saturday it had to correct flaws in its 737 MAX flight simulator software used to train pilots, after two deadly crashes involving the aircraft that killed 346 people.
"Boeing has made corrections to the 737 MAX simulator software and has provided additional information to device operators to ensure that the simulator experience is representative across different flight conditions," it said in a statement.
The company did not indicate when it first became aware of the problem, and whether it informed regulators.
Its statement marked the first time Boeing acknowledged there was a design flaw in software linked to the 737 MAX, whose MCAS anti-stall software has been blamed in large part for the Ethiopian Airlines tragedy.
According to Boeing, the flight simulator software was incapable of reproducing certain flight conditions similar to those at the time of the Ethiopian Airlines crash in March or the Lion Air crash in October.
The company said the latest "changes ...

Boeing acknowledges flaw in 737 MAX simulator software

PTI Automatic

Australia's conservative government held on to power at national elections thanks to a highly effective negative campaign warning voters against the centre-left Labour Party's large policy reform agenda, analysts said Sunday.
Labour led every opinion poll in the two years prior to Saturday's election but fell well short of a parliamentary majority after the vote, in a surprise result for the ruling Liberal-National coalition.
Analysts said opposition leader Bill Shorten's unpopularity with voters and his struggle to explain the party's complex tax policies were used by Prime Minister Scott Morrison to devastating effect.
Labour's failure also reflected a broader trend across Western societies of voter cynicism towards bold policy platforms, said Australian National University senior fellow Mark Kenny.
"I think we're in an age where it is very difficult to communicate big ideas and to sell imagery," Kenny told AFP, adding that right-wing populists around the world had been successful ..

Fear of change: Negative politics wins Australia election

A Nigerian peacekeeper was killed Saturday in an attack on the United Nations' stabilization mission in Mali, the UN said.
The victim "succumbed to his wounds following the armed attack by unidentified assailants" in Timbuktu, a statement said. A Nigerian peacekeeper was also injured.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was "deeply saddened" by the assault, which he said could amount to a war crime.
In a separate incident Saturday, three Chadian peacekeepers were wounded when their mine-protected vehicle hit an improvised explosive device in Tessalit, in Mali's Kidal region.
The UN's MINUSMA mission was established in Mali after radical Islamist militias seized the north of the country in 2012. They were pushed back by French troops in 2013.
A peace agreement signed in 2015 by the Bamako government and armed groups was aimed at restoring stability. But the accord has failed to stop the violence.
Since their deployment in 2013, more than 190 peacekeepers have died in Mali, including .

UN peacekeeper killed in Mali

Undefeated Deontay Wilder brutally knocked out Dominic Breazeale in the first round of their grudge match Saturday night to retain his World Boxing Council heavyweight world title.
Wilder, who has one of the most destructive right hands in heavyweight history, floored the challenger with a one-punch knockout with 43 seconds left in the opening round.
Wilder swarmed Breazeale from the opening bell, hurting him with a straight right hand then finishing him off later in the round with the devastating right to the chin that was set up by a left jab.
Breazeale lay on his back, then got up at the count of 10 as the referee waved it off.  Wilder, 33, improved to 41-0-1 with 40 KOs in making the ninth defence of his title against heavy underdog Breazeale at the Barclays Center arena in Brooklyn, New York.
Breazeale, who had lost just one previous fight to Anthony Joshua, dropped to 20-2 with 18 KOs.
There was bad blood between the two heading into the fight with the buildup marked by a series 

Wilder retains WBC heavyweight title with brutal first round KO

Novak Djokovic said he was relishing locking horns with his "greatest rival" Rafael Nadal as the pair set up the 54th clash of their careers Saturday in the Italian Open final.
Djokovic battled past Argentina's Diego Schwartzman 6-3, 6-7 (2/7), 6-3 and meets defending champion Nadal on Sunday after the Spaniard earlier swept past Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 6-4 to reach his 50th Masters final.
"It's the ultimate challenge," said the Serbian world number one of playing second-ranked Nadal.
"I've had so many matches against him. Up to date, we had the longest rivalry of tennis of all time. Every time we get to play each other, it's a thrill." Djokovic -- winner at the Madrid Open last weekend -- has had to battle through his last two matches in Rome.
The 31-year-old won through in 2hr 31min against 24th-ranked Schwartzman, having saved two match points over three hours on Friday night against Juan Martin Del Potro.
But Nadal, a 17-time Grand Slam winner, has not dropped a set all ..

'The ultimate challenge': Djokovic to meet Nadal for 54th time with Rome title at stake

Record-smashing PGA Championship leader Brooks Koepka says his secrets to success are simpler than people think while rivals are being inspired like Tiger Woods once motivated them.
Three-time major winner Koepka fired a level-par 70 Saturday to stand on 12-under 198 and seize a 54-hole tournament-record seven-stroke lead entering Sunday's final round at Bethpage Black.
No man has led a major by so much so late and lost.
A victory would restore Koepka to the world number one ranking and make him the fifth PGA wire-to-wire winner after Hal Sutton in 1983, Ray Floyd in 1982, Jack Nicklaus in 1971 and Bobby Nichols in 1964.
Koepka, whose calm under pressure and focus on shotmaking have become trademarks, shakes off any tensions the moment might bring.
"Just another round of golf," Koepka said. "It's just like any other round I've ever played. I'm going to try to play a good, solid round.
"It would be nice to be able to make a 10 on the last hole and be OK." Koepka takes pride in being ...

Koepka challenge inspiring rivals like Tiger once did

Defending champion Brooks Koepka overcame struggles to grab a seven-stroke lead after Saturday's third round of the PGA Championship, the largest 54-hole advantage in tournament history.
Third-ranked Koepka, in prime position for his fourth major title, fired a level-par 70 at Bethpage Black to stand on 12-under 198 entering Sunday's final round.
"I feel confident. I feel good. I feel excited," Koepka said. "It's nice to have a seven-shot cushion. Just hit the center of the greens and try to par this place to death.
"(I'll) just stick to my routine, do what I'm doing. I'm not thinking of seven-shot lead, winning the tournament. I'm thinking of what I need to do on the first shot first tee."
The 29-year-old American owned a record edge over a pack on 205 that included top-ranked Dustin Johnson, fellow Americans Harold Varner and Luke List and Thailand's Jazz Janewattananond.
"It's going to take something special to catch Brooks," Johnson said. "But it's definitely do-able on this ...

Koepka seizes record seven-shot PGA lead after 54 holes

Four Canadians and an American pilot died Saturday when their small plane plunged into the sea off the Honduran island of Roatan where they were vacationing, firefighters said.
The plane crashed near the town of Dixon Cove, a few minutes after taking off from the island's airport, rescuers said.
The dead were identified as Bradley Post, Bailey Sony, Tomy Dubler and pilot Patrick Forseth. The other Canadian pilot, Anthony Dubler, briefly survived the crash but died at the Roatan hospital of his injuries.
The causes of the crash and the registration information for the aircraft were not immediately available.
It occurred as the tourists were headed toward the city of Trujillo, about 77 kilometers (48 miles) from Roatan.

Five killed in Honduras plane crash, no survivors

After hours of chanting and whistling, thousands of demonstrators on Saturday cheered the collapse of Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz's government over a corruption scandal -- and the prospect of fresh elections.
"Kurz must go" cried the crowd that had built up in Vienna's historic first district from late morning.
As the news of fresh elections came through on demonstrators' smartphones later, loud cheers erupted.
Expressing a widespread view that Kurz had too often excused the scandals of his coalition partner, the far-right Freedom Party (FPOe) led by Heinz-Christian Strache, social education worker Andreas Hallas said the vote was "an absolute necessity".
"Anything else would have been an absolute catastrophe, politically," said Hallas, adding he hoped for a new government without the FPOe and Kurz's centre-right People's Party (OeVP).
Hallas is among those who has been turning up for anti-govermnent demonstrations held -- come rain or shine -- every Thursday for more than six .

Demonstrators celebrate Austria government collapse

Republican lawmaker Justin Amash said Saturday that he believed Donald Trump has engaged in "impeachable conduct," becoming the first politician of his party to call for removing the president from his party.
The Michigan representative also accused Attorney General William Barr of "deliberately" misleading the public over the actual content and tenor of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian interference aimed at tipping the election to Trump.
In a series of tweets, Amash -- a member of the ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus -- said "few members of Congress even read Mueller's report," which identified "multiple examples of conduct satisfying all the elements of obstruction of justice."
"Undoubtedly any person who is not the president of the United States would be indicted based on such evidence," he added.
"Contrary to Barr's portrayal, Mueller's report reveals that President Trump engaged in specific actions and a pattern of behavior that meet the threshold for ...

Amash becomes first Republican lawmaker to call for Trump impeachment

Ottawa plans to proceed "full steam ahead" on ratification of a free trade agreement with the US and Mexico, Canada's foreign affairs minister said
Saturday, after the neighbours scrapped reciprocal tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.
Canada had been "very clear" that as long as the tariffs were in place "it would be very hard for us to move forward with ratification," Chrystia Freeland told CBC News.
On Friday, US President Donald Trump announced the lifting of tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada and Mexico. Ottawa and Mexico City also announced the elimination of reciprocal duties.
The steep US tariffs imposed last year -- 25 per cent on steel and 10 per cent on aluminum -- became a major stumbling block to ratifying a new North American trade pact negotiated last year by the three countries.
With the removal of the obstacle, "our government now intends to move forward with the ratification," of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement, Freeland said, describing the process ..

Canada aims to ratify trade deal after lifting of tariffs

Saudi Arabia has called for urgent meetings of the regional Gulf Cooperation Council and the Arab League to discuss escalating tensions in the Gulf, the Saudi official news agency said on Saturday.
The Saudi Press Agency said King Salman had invited Gulf leaders and Arab states to two emergency summits in Mecca on May 30 to discuss recent "aggressions and their consequences" in the region.
Tensions have soared in the Gulf with the US deploying an aircraft carrier and bombers to the region over alleged threats from Iran.
Four ships including two Saudi oil tankers were damaged in mysterious sabotage attacks Sunday off Fujairah, an emirate located at the crucial entrance to the Gulf.
That incident was followed by drone strikes Tuesday by Yemen's Huthi rebels on a major Saudi oil pipeline, which provided an alternative export route if the Strait of Hormuz closed.
Iran has repeatedly threatened to prevent shipping in Hormuz in case of a military confrontation with the United States, which .

Saudi Arabia calls urgent Gulf, Arab League meetings over tensions

One of the large digital billboards dotting New York's iconic Times Square briefly caught fire Saturday, before the blaze was extinguished with no reported injuries, officials said.
Flames started bursting out of the billboard around 12:30 am IST.
Social media users posted images and video showing the blaze burning on one side of the sign as it displayed an ad for SKYY vodka as sponsor of New York's WorldPride celebrations next month, marking the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall gay rights uprising.
The ad featured drag queen Trixie Mattel. Other ads were also displayed on the billboard until firefighters turned it off.
Mattel tweeted: "1) I'm happy to be in Times Square with @SKYYVodka 2) OMG HELP THEM.
"My Times Square billboard is on fire so some of us have real problems. Omg @SKYYVodka our message of love!" Mattel added.
A New York Fire Department spokesman said there were no injuries and no damage to the building to which the billboard is attached.
The fire was under control at .

Billboard in New York's Times Square catches fire

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday said Turkey and Russia would jointly produce S-500 defence systems after Ankara's controversial purchase of the S-400 missile defence system from Moscow.
Turkey's push to buy the S-400s has further strained already tense relations with the United States which has repeatedly warned Ankara of the risks including sanctions as a result of the purchase.
"There is absolutely no question of (Turkey) taking a step back from the S-400s purchase. That is a done deal," Erdogan said in Istanbul.
"There will be joint production of the S-500 after the S-400," Erdogan told an audience of young people asking questions.
Ties between NATO allies Turkey and the US have frayed over multiple issues including American support for a Syrian Kurdish militia viewed as terrorists by Ankara and the US failure to extradite a Muslim preacher blamed for the 2016 coup attempt against Erdogan.
Washington says the deal with Moscow is a threat to Western defence and in 

Turkey says to produce S-500s with Russia after S-400 missile deal

Israel launched strikes on southern Syria late Saturday, a war monitor said, prompting air defences into action for the second night in a row.
"Israeli aeroplanes fired at least three missiles from the occupied Golan," said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Two of the strikes targeted a Syrian army brigade which supervises the country's Quneitra province, he told AFP, while the third missile was destroyed by Syrian defences.
Syria's official SANA news agency reported "foreign objects coming from the occupied territories (Israel)" which Syrian air defences were "dealing with".
The Israeli military did not comment on the reported strikes when approached by AFP.
The strikes come a day after Syrian air defence systems intercepted projectiles coming from Israel, SANA reported.
The "hostile targets" were fired late Friday towards Quneitra province which lies close to the Golan Heights, parts of which are annexed by Israel.
Hundreds of strikes .

Israel strikes southern Syria: monitor

Austria's Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has announced fresh elections after explosive revelations from a hidden camera sting forced his deputy, far-right leader Heinz-Christian Strache, to resign, bringing an end to his coalition.
"I have suggested to the president of the republic that new elections be carried out, at the earliest possible date," said Kurz.
Media reports emerged on Friday alleging that Strache promised public contracts in return for campaign help from a fake Russian backer he met on the island of Ibiza a few months before 2017's parliamentary elections in Austria.

Austria's Kurz announces new elections over corruption scandal

Hollywood star Arnold Schwarzenegger was attacked on Saturday by a man who kicked him in the back at a sports event in South Africa that the action hero was hosting.
The bodybuilder and former politician was chatting with fans at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg when a man took a flying leap and kicked him high in the back.
"Thanks for your concerns, but there is nothing to worry about," Schwarzenegger, 71, said on Twitter.
"I thought I was just jostled by the crowd, which happens a lot. I only realized I was kicked when I saw the video like all of you. I'm just glad the idiot didn't interrupt my Snapchat."
Schwarzenegger was in Johannesburg for the annual Arnold Classic Africa, an international multi-sports festival.
"He was sadly and unexpectedly attacked by a crazed fan as he was doing a walk-through to support athletes," the organisers said, adding the attacker -- who was immediately apprehended -- was known to police for similar incidents in the past.
Schwarzenegger .

Schwarzenegger attacked at S Africa sports event

Malawian President Peter Mutharika made a final plea to voters on Saturday, promising to develop the country "beyond recognition" if he wins next week's election.
Mutharika, who came to power in 2014, could face a tough battle to hold onto office in Tuesday's election, after his presidency was damaged by corruption allegations.
"We have set Malawi on the path of progress. The opposition have nothing to criticise me on," he told several thousand cheering supporters in Blantyre at his final campaign rally.
"My priorities for this country are development and building skills. When you give me a chance for another five years, I will develop this country beyond recognition.
"I can assure you that we will get to the level of Singapore and Malaysia."
Mutharika, who said he was taking only 40 per cent of his salary to help the economy, pledged to construct more schools and factories in Malawi -- a largely agricultural country that is one of the poorest in the world.
"We will continue to build .

Seeking votes, Malawi president vows to transform country

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Saturday that European politicians "must stand up to" far-right politicians "for sale", after a hidden-camera sting brought down nationalist Austrian Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache over allegations he was open to corruption.
"We are confronted with currents... who want to destroy the Europe of our values, and we must stand up to that decisively," Merkel told a press conference in the Croatian capital Zagreb before heading to a gathering of the country's ruling conservative HDZ party ahead of European Parliament elections.
While far-right parties rejected values like protecting minorities and basic human rights, Merkel said, "politicians being for sale plays a role, and we must act decisively against all of that".
Germany's Der Spiegel and Sueddeutsche Zeitung late Friday published video recordings, allegedly showing Freedom Party (FPOe) leader Strache promising public contracts in return for campaign help from a fake Russian ...

Merkel urges Europe to stand up to politicians 'for sale'

European Council chief Donald Tusk on Saturday joined thousands at a pro-Europe opposition rally in Warsaw, calling on his fellow Poles to vote against the eurosceptic governing conservatives in this month's EU elections.
"You have no choice.... You can't leave the future of our children and grandchildren in their hands," Tusk said, referring to the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party.
"Our children and grandchildren would never forgive us.... Go forth towards victory," he added to cheers and applause at the rally organised by the opposition European Coalition.
A former Polish premier, Tusk is widely believed to be eyeing a political comeback at home once his EU term ends in November.
Without referring to him by name, Tusk compared his arch-rival and PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski to an ayatollah during the rally attended by Poles from across the country.
Kaczynski for his part used an election campaign event in the southern city of Krakow on Saturday to claim Tusk's political party 

AFP

AFP

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