- In a rebuke to President Donald Trump, the governor of California is set to sign an order to pull most of the National Guard troops deployed on the Mexico border.
Governor Gavin Newsom's office Monday said he was signing the order ahead of his State of the State speech on Tuesday.
"The border 'emergency' is a manufactured crisis," according to excerpts of the speech sent to AFP by his office.
"And California will not be part of this political theater."
Newsom's office said most of the 360 troops deployed at the US-Mexico border will be redeployed to focus on "the actual threats" facing the western state, such as wildfires.
The decision follows similar action last month by New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grusham, who ordered the withdrawal of the majority of National Guard troops at the border.
Although Trump has ordered thousands of military personnel to be deployed on the southern border, the National Guard remain under the command of authorities in each state.
Trump argues the .

California governor to withdraw National Guard from border

PTI Automatic

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Iran that this year could be the last time it celebrates the anniversary of its Islamic revolution if it attacks Israel.
"I do not ignore the threats of the Iranian regime but neither am I intimidated by them," Netanyahu said Monday in a statement and video issued by his office as Iran celebrated the 40th anniversary of its revolution.
"If this regime makes the awful mistake of trying to destroy Tel Aviv and Haifa, it will not succeed," the Israeli leader said.
"However, this would be the last anniversary of the revolution that they celebrate. They should take this into account," Netanyahu said in a warning to his country's archfoe.
Celebrations culminated in Iran on Monday for the February 1-11 period in 1979 when the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned from exile and ousted the pro-Western shah.

Israel warns Iran this could be last anniversary

The crime-racked US city of Baltimore has got a new police chief, tasked with curbing a soaring murder rate and stamping out corruption within the force.
Michael Harrison, 49, previously commanded the New Orleans police department, where he had also served on the narcotics unit and in internal affairs, the department that investigates police officers themselves.
Harrison replaced Kevin Davis, who was sacked in January 2018 for failing to curb crime after 342 homicides were recorded in the city in a single year.
Davis' former deputy Darryl De Sousa had been named as his successor, but he too was forced out over a tax-evasion scandal.
Harrison, who was introduced by mayor Catherine Pugh on Monday, is to face a confirmation hearing in front of the city council on March 4.
His main task will be to lower crime in the Maryland port city, which has since 2015 experienced more than 300 murders a year, making it one of the most violent US urban centers.
The city was convulsed by violence in ...

Baltimore's new police chief takes on sky-high murder rate

The British economy grew at its slowest pace in six years in 2018, data showed, as Brexit uncertainty grips the country and fears grow that Britain could crash out of the EU without a deal.
The bleak official figures came Monday as the British government seeks to win more time to secure EU concessions on Brexit that could pass the UK parliament and avert a chaotic split from the bloc on March 29.
Businesses are on edge with Britain just weeks away from its scheduled departure from the European project after 46 years and still with no firm arrangements in place.
The parliament in London last month roundly rejected a Brexit deal Prime Minister Theresa May had sealed with the remaining 27 EU leaders.
Monday's figures followed data last week that showed Britain's dominant service sector almost ground to a halt in January.
"The economy is clearly struggling in the first quarter of 2019 amid serious business and consumer caution resulting from heightened Brexit uncertainties while weaker ...

UK posts slowest growth in six years as Brexit looms

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo voiced hope Monday that renewed American engagement with Hungary's Viktor Orban would help steer the increasingly authoritarian leader away from Russian and Chinese influence.
But Hungary's foreign minister retorted that Budapest was tired of the West's "enormous hypocrisy".
Hungary, Russia's closest friend within the European Union, agreed with Pompeo to seek closer defence ties and cast itself as a natural ally for President Donald Trump's brand of nationalist politics.
Pompeo held talks with Orban on a one-day visit to Budapest, the first leg of a Central European tour.
The US top official opened his trip by meeting representatives of civil society groups, whose criticism of Orban and legal work to promote human rights have gradually been curtailed.
Pompeo later told Orban's government that he would be upfront about concerns with Hungary and voiced worries about inroads of influence by both Russian President Vladimir Putin and China.
"We must not ..

Pompeo seeks to woo Hungary's Orban away from Russia, China

Ilhan Omar, one of the first two Muslim women in the US Congress, drew stern rebukes from Republicans and fellow Democrats Monday after suggesting US support for Israel is fueled by money from the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC.
The Minnesota freshman has faced criticism for weeks over her positions on the Jewish state, but it boiled over late Sunday after she reacted to a Republican critic in a tweet.
"It's all about the Benjamins baby," Omar replied, referring to American USD 100 bills featuring the likeness of Benjamin Franklin.
When a user asked who Omar believes is paying US politicians to support Israel, the former Somali refugee tweeted a one-word response: "AIPAC!" The exchanges triggered an uproar.
Democrat Eliot Engel, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee of which Omar is a member, said: "Anti-Semitism in any form is unacceptable, and it's shocking to hear a Member of Congress invoke the anti-Semitic trope of 'Jewish money.'"
Liz Cheney, a top Republican leader in the ...

US Muslim lawmaker's tweet sparks anti-Semitism charges

England built on an already dominant position in reaching 207 for three in their second innings, an overall lead of 330 runs, at tea on the third day of the third and final Test against the West Indies in St Lucia on Monday.
With the home side short-handed in the bowling department on the day and without regular captain Jason Holder for the match, the tourists took full advantage of the situation in adding another 99 runs in the afternoon session for the loss of Joe Denly's wicket.
Under pressure to deliver after a modest start to his Test career in the second match a week earlier, Denly rode his luck in getting to 69 before falling to Shannon Gabriel to end a 74-run second-wicket partnership with Joe Root.
Although troubled by a slight hamstring strain, the fast bowler continued to charge in at pace and was eventually rewarded with the wicket via a catch to wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich.
Captain Root was then joined by Jos Buttler and the pair have progressed without too many ...

Dominant England build lead over Windies

Iran's Islamic revolution four decades ago inflicted "failure and broken promises" on the country, President Donald Trump's chief foreign policy advisor said Monday.
"It's been 40 yrs of failure. Now it's up to the Iranian regime to change its behavior, & ultimately up to the Iranian people to determine the direction of their country," national security advisor John Bolton tweeted on the anniversary of the upheaval.
Bolton said Washington would support "the will of the Iranian people, & stand behind them to ensure their voices are heard."
Bolton, a leading hawk in the Trump administration's attempt to weaken Iranian influence, was tweeting as a huge crowd in Tehran gathered to celebrate the 1979 revolution, in which Muslim leader Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini ended the centuries-old rule of the royal dynasty.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani told Iranians they should resist a "conspiracy" involving Washington.
The Trump administration has pushed hard to weaken Iran and what it ...

Iran revolution meant '40 years of failure': Trump advisor

The number of young Americans using e-cigarettes grew by 1.5 million in 2018, undermining years of progress in reducing youth smoking, health authorities said Monday.
Some 3.6 million middle and high school students were current users of vaping products, up from 2.1 million the year before, while the number of cigarette smokers and consumption of other tobacco products remained stable, according to the report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
A current user is defined as a person who has used a product in the past 30 days.
"The skyrocketing growth of young people's e-cigarette use over the past year threatens to erase progress made in reducing youth tobacco use," said CDC Director Robert Redfield. "It's putting a new generation at risk for nicotine addiction."
Authorities have tightened regulations, with market leader Juul in particular coming under particular scrutiny.
"All policy options are on the table," warned Mitch Zeller, Director of the Center for ...

E-cigarette use 'skyrocketing' among young Americans: Official

Spain will join a Franco-German project to build a new fighter plane to replace the Eurofighter and Rafale, the defence ministry said Monday.
Defence Minister Margarita Robles will sign a letter of intent with her French and German counterparts on Thursday on the margins of a NATO meeting in Brussels, a spokesperson said.
The project launched in July 2017 is known as the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), which in addition to a new combat aircraft also plans to include drones and cruise missiles.
The new fighter jet will replace the Eurofighter which is assembled in Germany, Britain, Spain and Italy, and the French Rafale around 2040.  It will compete with the US F-35 or its successor.
A first contract worth 65 million euros was awarded to Airbus and Dassault Aviation in February to develop the design of the combat system.
Spain, where Airbus's military transport planes are assembled, had sent a letter in December to Paris and Berlin asking to be associated with the project.
The FCAS ...

Spain joins France, Germany on new combat fighter

South Africa on Monday introduced its most severe electricity rationing in nearly five years, presenting President Cyril Ramaphosa with a major political challenge just months ahead of a May general election.
The debt-laden state power utility Eskom is at the centre of the country's economic troubles and has been hit by allegations of government graft.
Ramaphosa who last week admitted that Eskom was in crisis, on Monday expressed anger at the intense power outages.
Offices, shops, factories, traffic lights and private homes were hit on Monday by "load-shedding" -- scheduled power cuts to reduce usage.
The cuts were categorised as "stage 4", the highest severity level since March 2014.
"The power system is severely constrained, which is why after a long time we have had to implement stage 4 of load shedding," Eskom spokesman Khulu Phasiwe said.
"Since this morning we have unexpectedly lost six additional generating units which have put additional strain on the system," the company said 

S Africa imposes severe power cuts ahead of election

Acting Pentagon chief Patrick Shanahan made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan Monday, where he met with President Ashraf Ghani as the United States leads a push for peace talks with the Taliban.
The visit comes after Washington held major talks with Taliban officials in Qatar last month that negotiators hope could herald a breakthrough in the grinding 17-year conflict.
US President Donald Trump is pushing to end US involvement in Afghanistan, where 14,000 American troops are still deployed -- raising Afghan fears that Washington could exit before securing a lasting peace between the Taliban and the Kabul government.
Shanahan told reporters earlier that he had no instructions from Washington to begin a withdrawal, however.
"I have not been directed to step down our forces in Afghanistan," Shanahan said.
"I think the presence we want in Afghanistan is what assures our homeland defence and supports regional stability."
He said it was crucial Kabul, whose representatives were not at the 

Acting Pentagon chief Patrick Shanahan meets Afghan president in Kabul

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned Hungary on Monday that Russia was seeking to divide the West, while his Hungarian counterpart Peter Szijjarto slammed criticism of Budapest's ties with Moscow as "enormous hypocrisy".
Pompeo, on a visit to the most pro-Russia member of the European Union, said Hungary's dependence on Moscow's gas and its friendship with President Vladimir Putin amounted to a national security risk.
"We must not let Putin drive wedges between friends in NATO," Pompeo told a joint news conference with Szijjarto.
But the Hungarian foreign minister said Western criticism of Hungary's diplomacy was misguided as other European nations were also engaged in energy deals with Russia.
"There is an enormous hypocrisy and political correctness in the European political arena," he said.

Pompeo warns Hungary not to let Russia divide West

Britain on Monday announced plans for "swarm squadrons" of drones that could overwhelm enemy air defences as part of a series of plans to "enhance its lethality" after Brexit.
In a hawkish speech in London, Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said leaving the European Union was an opportunity for Britain "when we must strengthen our global presence".
Williamson announced plans to invest 7 million pounds (8 million euros, USD 9 million) in the drones, saying he expected squadrons "capable of confusing and overwhelming enemy air defences" to be ready by the end of 2019.
Williamson also said Britain would spend 65 million pounds in "offensive cyber", and bring two new naval vessels into service for operations from crisis support to conflict.
Opposition parties criticised Williamson's rhetoric.
"The idea that our membership of the European Union restricts us is the purest nonsense," Labour MP Chris Leslie said.
"In fact the economic damage that Brexit threatens is what will most quickly ...

UK plans drone 'swarm squadrons' after Brexit

US-led coalition air strikes on the last jihadist pocket in Syria on Monday killed 16 civilians, including at least seven children, a war monitor said.
Eight women and one elderly man were also among the civilians killed while trying to flee towards the Iraqi border, said Rami Abdel Rahman, the  head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The coalition was not immediately available for comment, but has repeatedly said it does its utmost to avoid targeting civilians.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Saturday announced the final push to expel hundreds of diehard jihadists from their last patch of territory in eastern Syria on the Iraq border.
The SDF estimates that up to 600 IS fighters could still remain inside, most of them foreigners.
Nineteen IS fighters were killed in clashes with the SDF on Monday, the monitor said.
The Kurdish-led force lost nine fighters during battles with jihadists, the Observatory said.
The SDF does not usually divulge ...

7 children among 16 killed in strike on IS Syria holdout: Monitor

Brazil has agreed to store tons of humanitarian aid at a centre near the border with Venezuela, envoys sent by opposition leader Juan Guaido said Monday after meetings with Brazilian officials.
The centre, to be set up in Roraima state, would be the second on the Venezuelan border after one in Cucuta, Colombia, said Lester Toledo, the head of Guaido's aid distribution team.
Guaido, who proclaimed himself Venezuela's interim president last month, is in a test of wills with the Venezuelan military and government of President Nicolas Maduro, which has blocked the aid from entering the country.
Guaido's envoy to Brazil, Maria Teresa Belandria, said she had received assurances from Brazilian Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo over the new aid centre.
Toledo said "in coming days we will visit the state of Roraima to see where this storage center will be and from next week we will organize the arrival of this humanitarian aid."
Several tons of medicine, food and basic items have been stocked ...

Brazil to open aid storage centre for Venezuela: Guaido envoys

Four soldiers were killed on Monday after a Turkish military helicopter crashed in a residential area of Istanbul, the province's governor said.
"Unfortunately four of our soldiers became martyrs," Istanbul governor Ali Yerlikaya told reporters at the scene.
Yerlikaya said no other military personnel or civilian had been injured after the helicopter ploughed to the ground in the Cekmekoy district.
The incident happened around 1851 (1551 GMT), he said in televised comments.
Images on Turkish television earlier showed thick black smoke emanating from behind a white wall at the site on the Asian side of Istanbul.
Yerlikaya said the Istanbul public prosecutor had launched an investigation into the cause of the crash.
Four Turkish soldiers were killed last November after a military helicopter crashed in another residential area of Istanbul, hitting a four-storey building.

Four dead after military helicopter crashes in Istanbul

Four soldiers were injured on Monday after a Turkish military helicopter crashed in a residential area of Istanbul, the province's governor said.
"A military helicopter went down while making a forced landing in a housing complex in Cekmekoy district," Istanbul governor Ali Yerlikaya said on Twitter.
"Four of our injured soldiers on board the helicopter have been taken to hospital," Yerlikaya said in another tweet shortly after.
Images on Turkish television showed thick black smoke emanating from behind a white wall at the site on the Asian side of Istanbul.
Four Turkish soldiers were killed last November after a military helicopter crashed in another residential area of Istanbul, hitting a four-storey building.

Four injured after military helicopter crashes in Istanbul

Thirty years after Iran called for the killing of Salman Rushdie, the British novelist remains a figure of hate for extremists across the Muslim world, and though the level of outrage has dropped, the issue of blasphemy is as incendiary as ever.
Rushdie's novel "The Satanic Verses" triggered mass protests from London to Islamabad and, analysts say, closed down the space for debate around Islam in a way that still resonates today.
Iran's spiritual leader, the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, issued the fatwa calling for Rushdie's murder on February 14, 1989.
A day earlier thousands of protesters enraged by the novel's publication had attacked the American Cultural Centre in Islamabad. Five people were killed in the ensuing clashes with police.
Pakistani journalist Shahid ur Rehman told AFP he was among the first to arrive on the scene that day, and watched as men stormed the roof of the centre and pulled down its American flag while police fired tear gas, then live bullets.
Rehman said the 

Thirty years after Rushdie fatwa, blasphemy still a potent weapon

England made the most of a morning of errors and misadventures to extend their second innings to 108 for two at lunch on the third day of the third and final Test against the West Indies at the Darren Sammy Stadium in St Lucia on Monday.
After the combination of Mark Wood's pace and Moeen Ali's spin earned them a healthy first innings advantage of 123 runs on an eventful second day, the tourists now have an overall lead of 231 runs with eight wickets in hand going into the afternoon session as they pursue a consolation victory having already surrendered the series and the Wisden Trophy after massive defeats in the first two Tests in Barbados and Antigua.
Resuming at the overnight position of 19 without loss, England suffered an immediate setback when Rory Burns clipped the first delivery of the morning to Alzarri Joseph at square-leg to give Keemo Paul immediate success.
However the young all-rounder, drafted into the final eleven for this match due to the suspension of regular ...

Denly nears fifty as England consolidate lead

Argentine footballer Emiliano Sala died of "head and trunk injuries", an inquest in England heard Monday as it began to examine his death in a plane crash in the sea.
Sala, 28, had signed for English Premier League side Cardiff City and was flying to his new team from his old club Nantes in France when his plane went missing over the Channel on January 21.
The wreckage was located on the seabed. The striker's body was recovered but pilot David Ibbotson is still missing. The plane remains under the sea.
In a brief hearing in Bournemouth on the south coast, an inquest into Sala's death was opened, and adjourned until November 6 pending further inquiries.
The post-mortem presented at the hearing gave Sala's cause of death as "head and trunk injuries".
Sala was formally identified by fingerprints.
In English law, inquests are held to examine sudden or unexplained deaths.
They set out to determine the identity of the deceased, the place and time of death as well as how the deceased came by 

AFP

AFP

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