Algeria's army chief called Tuesday for President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to be declared unfit to govern, following weeks of mass protests demanding the ailing leader step down.
The move would potentially clear the way for elections to be organised in the coming months unless the president recovers.
"It is necessary, even imperative, to adopt a solution to get out of the crisis which responds to the legitimate demands of the Algerian people, and which guarantees the respect of the provisions of the constitution and safeguards the sovereignty of the state," General Ahmed Gaid Salah said in a televised speech.
The armed forces chief of staff, considered loyal to Bouteflika, added that the solution "is in article 102" of the constitution, under which parliament could declare the president unable to perform his duties due to serious illness.
The 82-year-old leader uses a wheelchair and has rarely appeared in public since suffering a stroke in 2013.
Bouteflika said last month he would run for 

Algeria army chief demands Bouteflika be declared unfit to rule

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A US consulate staffer went on trial in a Turkish court on Tuesday accused of spying and attempting to overthrow the government in a case that fuelled tensions between the United States and its NATO ally.
Metin Topuz, a Turkish citizen and long-time liaison with the US Drug Enforcement Administration, was arrested in 2017 accused of ties to US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara says ordered a failed 2016 coup.
Turkish police escorted Topuz weeping into the Caglayan courthouse in Istanbul, where he faces life in jail if found guilty, an AFP reporter said.
Topuz rejected the indictment that charges he was in contact with police officers and a former prosecutor accused of involvement in the Gulen movement.
"During my 25 year service at DEA, I met a lot of police personnel and public officials and exchanged business cards with them," Topuz told the court. "I have no duty other than to serve as a translator between the interlocutors.
"I haven't betrayed my homeland as is claimed... 

US consulate staffer faces Turkey spying trial

US prosecutors dropped all charges Tuesday against television actor Jussie Smollett, who was accused of  fabricating a racist and homophobic hate crime, his attorneys said.
"Today, all criminal charges against Jussie Smollett were dropped and his record has been wiped clean," Tina Glandian and Patricia Brown Holmes said in a joint statement.
The 36-year-old actor had denied 16 felony counts of allegedly masterminding a false attack on the streets of downtown Chicago to gain publicity and win a bigger paycheck.
"He was a victim who was vilified and made to appear as a perpetrator as a result of false and inappropriate remarks made to the public causing an inappropriate rush to judgement," the attorneys said.
Smollett was accused of sending himself a threatening letter and hiring two acquaintances to stage a street attack, complete with homophobic and racial slurs, while invoking Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan.
The case invoked widespread sympathy for the actor and ...

Case dropped against US actor accused of hate attack hoax: Attorneys

The alleged leader of an armed group that broke into Madrid's North Korean embassy in February, roughing up employees and robbing computers, offered the stolen information to the FBI, a Spanish court said Tuesday.
Adrian Hong Chang, of Mexican nationality, contacted "the FBI in New York five days after the assault to faciliate information related to the incident in the embassy," Spain's National Court said in a statement, adding he said he had acted of his own accord.
These are the first official details to emerge from the mysterious incident on February 22 after investigating magistrate Jose de la Mata lifted the secrecy surrounding the case.
Prior to this, media reports had merely said that a group of men had burst into the diplomatic mission, roughing up employees before making off with documents and computers.
The incident took place days before a high-stakes nuclear summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump that ultimately failed to reach an ...

Madrid's North Korea embassy assailant offered stolen info to FBI: court

The European Commission on Tuesday presented its plan to ensure the secure introduction of 5G telecoms networks, with suspicions hanging over Chinese giant Huawei.
The United States has accused the firm of posing a security risk to western networks, because of its alleged ties to Chinese intelligence.
But some European countries are in negotiations with Huawei to deploy its advanced technology to power the faster wireless networks of the future.
The Commission did not call on European countries to follow the example of the US, Australia or Japan in banning deals with the firm, but it will determine the extent of the risk and encourage EU members to share information.
Andrus Ansip, vice president of the commission in charge of the digital single market, said: "5G technology will transform our economy and society and open massive opportunities for people and businesses.
"But we cannot accept this happening without full security built in. It is therefore essential that 5G infrastructures 

EU presents plan for safe 5G amid Huawei suspicions

Prime Minister Theresa May's Northern Irish allies said Tuesday they would continue to oppose her Brexit deal and raised the prospect of delaying Britain's EU exit by one year to allow more time for negotiations.
"We will not vote for an unamended or unchanged version," the Democratic Unionist Party's Brexit spokesman Sammy Wilson wrote in a commentary in the Daily Telegraph newspaper.
The comments deal a heavy blow to May's chances of getting her deal though parliament, despite influential Brexit-supporting MPs in her party earlier hinting they could back her plan in order to make sure lawmakers do not block the process entirely.
"There are some colleagues who I admire greatly and who have stood firmly with us in defending Northern Ireland who now take the view that the Withdrawal Agreement, even though it is a rotten deal, is better than losing Brexit," said Wilson.
"To them I say that, if the deal goes through, we have lost our right to leave the EU. If we sign up to it, we give ...

British PM's North Irish allies say will not vote for Brexit deal

The Islamic State group on Tuesday claimed an attack on US-backed forces in the northern Syrian city of Manbij, days after their "caliphate" was declared defeated.
Manbij is a former IS stronghold that is now ruled by a military council affiliated with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the US-backed Kurdish-led alliance that declared victory over IS in its last redoubt in eastern Syria on Saturday.
At around midnight (2200 GMT) on Monday, gunmen opened fire at fighters manning a checkpoint at the entrance to the city, killing seven, the council said.  IS claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement published on its social media channels on Tuesday.
"The caliphate's soldiers attacked a checkpoint... west of Manbij city last night," it said.
A spokesman for the Manbij Military Council, Sherfan Darwish, said it could be a revenge attack.
"After the victory over IS, we have entered the phase of sleeper cells," Darwish told AFP.
"These sleeper cells are being activated and ...

IS jihadists kill 7 US-backed fighters in Syria

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday stressed the growing convergence between Beijing and the European Union on global issues from climate change to trade, urging the two sides to overcome their "suspicions".
At a meeting in Paris between Xi, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker, the leaders declared their desire to work together.
"Of course there are differences and competition, but it's positive competition," Xi told a joint press conference. "We are advancing together. We shouldn't let suspicions lead us to be constantly looking backwards."
European and Chinese leaders have both faced challenges from US President Donald Trump's America-first nationalism and his attacks on international agreements covering global warming, trade or Iran's nuclear programme.
In a joint statement issued at the end of Xi's three-day trip to France, the Chinese leader and Macron both committed to working together to promote 

China, EU 'advancing together', says Xi, amid US tensions

Survivors of a cyclone that pummelled southern Africa began receiving medicine, food and tents Tuesday as floodwaters receded, while officials warned up to 500,000 people are displaced in the storm-struck region.
Cyclone Idai smashed into Mozambique's coast, unleashing hurricane-force wind and rain that flooded swathes of the poor country before battering eastern Zimbabwe -- killing more than 700 people across the two countries according to estimates An area of roughly 3,125 square kilometres is still under water and three million people across Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi have been affected by the cyclone and its aftermath, according to the UN World Food Programme (WFP).
"Close to 500,000 have been displaced in the three countries," the WFP said in a briefing note.
The head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Elhadj As Sy warned Monday "we are sitting on a ticking bomb" as he called for renewed efforts to address the worsening health ...

Up to 500,000 displaced by southern Africa cyclone

The European Parliament on Tuesday adopted controversial copyright reforms championed by news publishers and the media business, but punishing tech giants that lobbied against it.
Despite an intense debate in parliament, MEPs meeting in Strasbourg ended up passing the draft law with 348 votes in favour, 274 against, and 36 abstentions.
European lawmakers were sharply divided on the copyright issue, with both sides subjected to some of the most intense lobbying the EU has ever seen from tech giants, media firms, content creators and online freedom activists.
Launched in 2016, the revamp to European copyright legislation was seen as urgently needed, not having been updated since 2001, before the birth of YouTube or Facebook.
The reform was loudly backed by media companies and artists, who want to obtain a better return from web platforms that allow users to distribute their content.
But it was strongly opposed by Silicon Valley, and especially Google that makes huge profits from the ...

European Parliament adopts copyright reform in blow to big tech

A 2.3 per cent jump in global energy demand last year outstripped the expansion of renewables and helped drive record-high greenhouse gas emissions, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said Tuesday.
Fossil fuels satisfied nearly 70 per cent of that growth for the second year running, with natural gas accounting for 45 per cent of the rise in energy consumption, according to the Agency's Global Energy & CO2 Status Report.
Double-digit growth in solar and wind power generation -- 31 per cent for solar -- was still not fast enough to meet soaring electricity demand that also pushed up the use of coal, the most carbon-intensive of fuels.
"We have seen an extraordinary increase in global energy demand in 2018, growing at its fastest pace this decade," said IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol.
"But despite major growth in renewables, global emissions are still rising, demonstrating once again that more urgent action is needed on all fronts" to tackle climate change, he ...

2018 spike in energy demand spells climate trouble: IEA

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani Tuesday accused his US counterpart Donald Trump of "colonialism" for recognising Israeli sovereignty over the disputed Golan Heights, a border area seized by Israel from Syria in 1967.
"In a point of time when colonialism ruled, some colonialist powers did such things and bestowed parts of one country to another, but this is unprecedented in the present century," Rouhani said, according to the official government website.
"Nobody could have believed that a man would come in America and unilaterally and against all international laws and regulations give away a land belonging to one country to an aggressor," Rouhani said in a meeting with advisors and ministers.
Trump on Monday signed a proclamation recognising Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which Syria denounced as a blatant attack on its sovereignty.
US recognition for Israeli control over the territory breaks with decades of international consensus and has been criticised by most Islamic 

Iran accuses Trump of 'colonialism' over Golan move

Chinese President Xi Jinping said Tuesday that China and Europe were "advancing together" but that the two trading blocs needed to overcome "suspicions".
"Of course there are differences and competition, but it's positive competition," Xi told a press conference in Paris with the leaders of France, Germany and the European Commission.
"We are advancing together. We shouldn't let suspicions lead us to be constantly looking backwards."
Xi was speaking on the third day of a France visit dominated by concerns over China's massive investments on the continent, which are being built up through a series of bilateral deals.
French President Emmanuel Macron urged his Chinese counterpart to "respect the unity of the European Union" and called for an "exemplary relationship" between Europe and China during the joint press conference.
"No one is naive but we respect China," Macron said, while adding that EU leaders "naturally expect our major partners to respect the unity of the European Union ...

Xi says EU, China 'advancing together' despite 'suspicions'

French President Emmanuel Macron and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Tuesday issued an unprecedented call for a "global push" to halt biodiversity loss, which threatens species and habitats across the planet.
In a joint statement following trade talks between EU leaders and the Chinese president in Paris, France and China promised to work together "against environmental crimes, especially poaching and trafficking of species threatened with extinction".
The statement contained a series of environmental pledges alongside security and economic declarations, including unspecified commitments to support actions to reduce plastic pollution and protect marine ecosystems in Antarctica.
France and China also pledged to implement "all dimensions" of the landmark 2015 Paris climate accord, which aims to limit global temperature rises to "well below" two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit).
"We will act together for a global push against the erosion of biodiversity," the statement said.
In 

Macron and Xi urge 'global push' to halt biodiversity loss

Austrian investigators have raided the apartment of a far-right group leader over possible links to the man behind deadly attacks on two mosques in New Zealand, officials said Tuesday.
Martin Sellner of the Identitarian Movement Austria (IBOe) said in a video uploaded online late Monday that he had received a donation, possibly from Christchurch gunman Brenton Tarrant.
But he denied having any connection to the March 15 assault, which claimed 50 lives, and instead blamed Tarrant for seeking to involve him by making the donation.
"I have nothing to do with this terror attack," Sellner said in the video, adding his group's was a peaceful anti-immigration movement.
Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who governs Austria in a coalition with a far-right party, on Tuesday called for a "complete and unsparing" investigation of any links.
Sellner said he had had no contact with Tarrant, but had found an email with a "disproportionally large" donation with the name "Tarrant" in the email ...

Austria far-right figure probed over NZ attacker link

The US Education Department has opened investigations into eight universities tied to a major admissions scam, Politico has reported, citing people close to the matter.
If the department finds the colleges violated federal education regulations, it could impose penalties up to cutting off their access to federal student loans and grants.
Letters were sent informing the presidents of Yale, Wake Forest University, the University of San Diego, Stanford, Georgetown, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Southern California and the University of California, Los Angeles about the probe.
The move comes after the Department of Justice accused dozens of wealthy parents including two famous actresses of being involved in an operation that charged from $15,000 to millions of dollars to help them get their children into elite schools.
According to prosecutors, the accused parents paid a college admissions consulting firm as much as $6 million to cheat on entrance exams for their ...

US Education Department investigates 8 universities implicated in scandal: report

President Donald Trump on Tuesday branded the mainstream media the "enemy" and the "opposition party" after the Mueller report cleared him of collusion, accusing journalists of covering the Russia probe unfairly.
"The Mainstream Media is under fire and being scorned all over the World as being corrupt and FAKE. For two years they pushed the Russian Collusion Delusion when they always knew there was No Collusion," Trump tweeted.
"They truly are the Enemy of the People and the Real Opposition Party!" Trump has previously used "enemy of the people" -- echoing a Stalinist phrase used to describe political enemies -- to describe the media, which he has always said does not give him accurate coverage.
This time, Trump is referring to the two-year probe led by special prosecutor Robert Mueller into Trump's opaque links with Russia and suspicions that his 2016 presidential campaign colluded with Russian agents in attempts to influence the election in his favor.
According to a brief summary ...

Trump: media is 'Enemy of the People'

The all-female editorial team behind the Vatican's women's magazine have resigned over what they describe as attempts to stifle their reporting and bring in more "obedient" journalists, its founder said Tuesday.
"We are throwing in the towel because we feel surrounded by a climate of distrust and progressive de-legitimisation," Woman Church World founder Lucetta Scaraffia wrote in an editorial published by Italian religious news blog Il Sismografo.
The magazine -- which has not shied away from tackling hard-hitting issues such as the sexual abuse of nuns by priests -- began life seven years ago as an insert and is published along with the Vatican's L'Osservatore Romano newspaper.
Scaraffia said the new editor of L'Osservatore, Andrea Monda, was attempting to "weaken" the monthly by bringing in external collaborators in a bid to control the editorial line.
"They are returning to the practice of selecting women who ensure obedience... (and) giving up that 'parresia' (freedom to speak ...

Female reporters quit over Vatican call for 'obedience'

Mixed martial star Conor McGregor said Monday he had retired from the sport, vowing to hang up his gloves for the second time in three years.
The trash-talking Irish star of the Ultimate Fighting Championship wrote on Twitter that he had decided to call time on his career inside the octagon.
"Hey guys quick announcement, I've decided to retire from the sport formally known as 'Mixed Martial Art' today," McGregor wrote.
"I wish all my old colleagues well going forward in competition.
"I now join my former partners on this venture, already in retirement. Proper Pina Coladas on me fellas!"
McGregor, 30, has not fought since being well beaten by rival Khabib Nurmagomedov in October last year.
The Dubliner, one of the most bankable stars in UFC, had previously vowed to retire in 2016 in a move that was widely seen as a negotiating gambit.
"I have decided to retire young. Thanks for the cheese," McGregor wrote in April 2016.
His short-lived retirement ended in August 2016, when he returned .

McGregor announces his retirement from MMA, again

The administration of US President Donald Trump has escalated its battle against Obamacare by fully siding with a court ruling that found the health care law unconstitutional.
Texas-based Judge Reed O'Connor issued his ruling in December following a lawsuit brought by conservative states, but later ordered a stay while an appeal lodged by Democratic attorneys general was being heard.
Trump's Department of Justice (DOJ) had previously taken the position that it would not defend the law's protections for people with pre-existing conditions, though other parts could stay.
But on Monday night the DOJ issued a letter saying its stance had now changed and it agreed with O'Connor's ruling in its entirety.
"The Department of Justice has determined that the district court's judgment should be affirmed," it said, adding: "The United States is not urging that any portion of the district court's judgment be reversed."
Opposition Democrats, who have seen the law survive previous legal and ...

Trump administration escalates legal battle against Obamacare

The death toll from major floods swamping much of Iran has risen to 21, emergency services said Tuesday, as authorities sent safety warnings to mobile telephones across the country.
Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a message of condolence urging officials to speed up relief efforts and compensation for victims of the floods, which the authorities described as unprecedented.
The disaster, which the energy minister blamed on climate change, struck in the middle of Iranian New Year holidays, with many relief workers on vacation.
Nineteen people were killed and 98 injured in the southern city of Shiraz, while one person died in the western province of Kermanshah and another in Lorestan, also in the west, rescue services said.
At least 110 people were reported wounded, according to the health ministry.
With 20 of Iran's 31 provinces experiencing floods or facing an imminent threat, the country's National Crisis Management Committee was activated at the cabinet level.
Iran's ...

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