Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has ratified a law granting authorities the right to monitor social media users in the country as part of tightening internet controls, the official gazette said here.
Approved by parliament in July, the state's Supreme Council for Media Regulations will have the power to place people with more than 5,000 followers -- on social media or with a personal blog or website -- under supervision.
The council will be authorised to suspend or block any personal account which "publishes or broadcasts fake news or anything (information) inciting violating the law, violence or hatred", the gazette issued yesterday said.
The new law is one of a series of measures that rights groups say are aimed at curbing freedom of expression online, with the internet one of the last forums for public debate over Sisi's rule.
In August, the president signed off on another piece of legislation allowing authorities, through a judge, to order the blocking of websites that ...

Egypt president approves law clamping down on social media

PTI Automatic

Olympic gold medal-winning gymnasts Kyla Ross and Madison Kocian said Thursday they were among the women and girls sexually abused by former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar.
Ross, an Olympian in 2012 and Kocian, who competed at the 2016 Rio Games, spoke on "CBS This Morning" and to other US media outlets, saying that they did not join more than 150 victims who confronted Nassar at his trial in January because they had not come to terms with the abuse.
Both posted statements on their Twitter feeds saying they were proud and honored to join those who have come forward to demand change from USA Gymnastics and the US Olympic Committee.
"I am honored to join that invincible army," said Ross, who won team gold at the 2012 London Games.
Ross told CBS she was long "in denial" about what she experienced.
"At 13, I thought it was a legitimate form of treatment. As years have gone on, after hearing impact statements, you realize what a terrible event has happened," she said.
Ross said that ...

Olympians Ross, Kocian say they are Nassar survivors

A group of missing persons' relatives in Mexico has said suspected criminals had anonymously revealed to them the location of a mass grave that could hold 500 bodies.
The grave, around 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the port of Veracruz in the east of the country, was located in the same area as another grave holding hundreds of victims, which was found in 2016, also as a result of a tip-off.
Rosalia Castro Toss, spokesperson for the Solecito collective -- made up of mostly mothers of missing persons -- told reporters the map was handed to the group a few months ago. Now, they are awaiting permits to carry out a search.
Close to the grave's apparent location is a road to relieve traffic heading to the port. The surrounding terrain is covered with vegetation, and has repeatedly been the scene of criminal activity.
Veracruz state, which stretches along the Gulf of Mexico coast, has suffered heavily at the hands of organized crime and has one of the country's highest rates of missing ...

'Criminals' reveal apparent mass grave location in Mexico

China's Communist Party has sacked a dozen provincial and local officials and vowed to punish a pharmaceutical firm over a vaccine scandal that inflamed public fears over the safety of domestically produced drugs.
The government has been struggling to shore up public confidence in the pharmaceutical sector following the revelation last month that a major Chinese manufacturer of rabies vaccines was found to have fabricated records and was ordered to cease production.
The government has said the suspect rabies vaccines did not enter the market but the case provoked unusually strong outrage online from consumers fed up with recurring product-safety scandals, particularly in the drug sector.
The CEO of the company in question, Changchun Changsheng Biotechnology in the northeast province of Jilin, has been arrested along with 14 other people in connection with the scandal.
The first political casualties fell yesterday as a dozen officials were removed from office, including Jilin's deputy .

China sacks regional officials as vaccine scandal mounts

Barcelona and Brazil defender Marlon completed a move to Serie A side Sassuolo Thursday on the eve of the closure of the transfer window in Italy.
The 23-year-old underwent a medical with the side from Modena agreeing a five-year deal worth 12 million euros (USD 13.6 million).
Sassuolo will pay six million euros now and a further six million more if the Brazilian plays 50 games for the club with the Catalan giants retaining a buy-back option and 50 percent of any future fee.
The former Brazil Under-20 international, who spent last season on loan at Nice, could make his Serie A debut at home to Inter this Sunday.
Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina joined Napoli with Villarreal's Samu Castillejo and Genoa's Diego Laxalt completing medicals at AC Milan among a late flurry of action before the transfer deadline.
Colombian international Ospina's arrival comes amid criticism from fans at the lack of spending by new coach Carlo Ancelotti's Serie A runners-up compared to champions Juventus who ..

Sassuolo bag Barca's Marlon as Serie A transfer deadline looms

Two million Muslims gather in Saudi Arabia this week for the hajj as the annual pilgrimage becomes increasingly hi-tech with apps to help the faithful navigate Islam's holiest sites.
This year the hajj comes with the ultra-conservative kingdom witnessing an unprecedented pace of change, finally ending a ban on women driving while remaining firm in the face of any dissent.
One of the five pillars of the world's fastest-growing religion, the hajj is expected to draw two million people from around the globe this year.
By yesterday, more than 1.6 million people had already arrived in Saudi Arabia for the pilgrimage, which runs from Sunday to Friday.
Thousands could be seen arriving in Mecca, with groups from different countries wearing distinct colours to set them apart.
Some pilgrims pushed their elderly relatives on wheelchairs while others stopped to call family members back home on video chat or buy ice cream as temperatures soared above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).
For many, .

Pilgrims descend on Mecca for 'smart hajj'

Football Federation Australia chairman Steven Lowy said Friday he will not seek re-election later this year, in a shock decision that comes amid a reform battle that could lead to a takeover by FIFA.
The world governing body has been pushing the FFA to expand its membership and adopt a more democratic governance model, or potentially face FIFA taking over the running of the game in Australia.
Lowy, who took over in 2015 after his father Frank Lowy stepped down, said the suggested changes to give domestic A-League clubs more power would hand their foreign owners more control of the game at the expense of grassroots football.

Australia football boss Lowy to step down amid reform battle

By the time Baba John escaped the tribal militia he had joined as an 11-year-old, he had long stopped counting the number of people he had killed.
"I shot people. We all did," said Baba John. "I received a gun and was told how to shoot and point the gun. I don't remember how many I shot but there were many."
A murderous time for Baba John began with a life-or-death decision when a South Sudanese armed group, known as the Cobra Faction, attacked his village close to the eastern town of Pibor, nearly 400 kilometres (240 miles) north of the capital Juba.
Baba John survived that attack but, fearing he would not be so lucky the next time he decided, like many others have done, to join the militia.  "I was forced to shoot and loot," recalls Baba John of the year spent with them.
Now aged 15, Baba John found salvation in a programme run by the UN children's agency, UNICEF, to give child soldiers a chance of a new life even as recruitment, press-ganging and outright abductions ...

South Sudan's child soldiers hope for life after war

Since being returned to his parents in Honduras, 16-month-old Johan has suffered from stomach problems and sleepwalking.
They say the symptoms come from the trauma of being separated as a result of the US government's "zero tolerance" policy against migrant families who illegally cross the country's southern border.
Rolando Bueso, 37, and Johan, then aged 10 months, were intercepted by US Border Patrol officers on March 17 after crossing from Mexico into Texas with the help of a people-smuggler, who was paid USD 6,000.
They were soon split up and sent to detention centres in different states, with the infant becoming just one of 2,000 Central American and Mexican children that US authorities forcibly removed from their parents between April 19 and May 31 this year.
Bueso ended up being deported back to Honduras on April 5 -- but his son remained in US custody until he was finally returned to his family on a flight that landed on July 20.
His parents discovered that Johan, who had ...

Honduran families traumatised by US-imposed separations

Cristiano Ronaldo will make his much-anticipated Serie A debut for Juventus who open their campaign for an eighth straight Italian league title on Saturday against a sombre backdrop of a country in mourning following the Genoa bridge disaster.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner was the star signing of the summer season arriving amid great pomp and ceremony following a 100 million euro (USD 117 million) deal from Real Madrid.
But it could be a low-key start for the 33-year-old Portuguese superstar against minnows Chievo in Verona's Stadio Bentegodi on Saturday on a day of national mourning for the victims of the Morandi bridge tradegy in the north-western port city.
The emotional impact of the disaster has led to the postponement of Serie A games involving local teams Sampdoria and Genoa who had been due to open their campaigns against Fiorentina and AC Milan.
But all other games will go ahead starting on Saturday -- the day of the 38 victims' funerals -- with last season's top two teams 

Ronaldo set for Serie A debut amid sombre backdrop in Italy

Unai Emery couldn't have asked for a tougher start to life as Arsenal manager as hot on the heels of defeat to Manchester City in his Premier League bow, the Gunners travel to Chelsea on Saturday.
The task facing Emery to turn Arsenal merely back into contention for the top four, after missing out on the Champions League for the past two seasons, let alone title challengers was laid bare as City cruised to a 2-0 win at the Emirates.
Reversing seasons of decline towards the end of Arsene Wenger's 22-year reign was never going to be a quick fix, particularly with Arsenal's spending over the summer not near the top of the Premier League arms race.
Emery's decision to not start GBP 20 million new recruit Bernd Leno in goal was therefore even more of a surprise as Petr Cech kept his place.
Veteran Cech, 36, struggled with Emery's demands to play out from the back against City and almost scored a comical own goal by passing the ball inches past his own post.
Cech subsequently became ...

Tough start makes Arsenal's Emery evolution a slow burner

Former Portugal boss Paulo Bento will coach South Korea over the next four years through the 2022 Qatar World Cup, the Korea Football Association (KFA) announced Friday.
Kim Pan-gon, a top KFA official in charge of finding a new coach, said that with "four years of patience and support" Bento will take the Taeguk Warriors to new heights.
"Coach Bento fits the Korean football style as  he pursues high-pressing games and tight defences denying opponents chances for counterattacks," Kim told journalists.
He also praised Bento -- who took Portugal to the semi-finals of Euro 2012 -- for his strength in the knockout stages of competitions.
"He is professional, charismatic and has passion and confidence," Kim said.
Bento and his staff are scheduled to arrive in South Korea on Monday, the KFA said.
Bento took the Portuguese reins in 2010 after four seasons in charge of Sporting Lisbon, but was sacked in 2014 after an ignominious home defeat to Albania.
He later had stints in charge of ...

Ex Portugal boss Bento named as new South Korea coach

US electric automaker Tesla has sued the government of Ontario, Canada, after the province scrapped a rebate initiative for purchases of electric cars, Canadian media reported.
Upon assuming power last July, Premier Doug Ford's conservative government announced the end of several green energy programs, including several thousands of dollars in rebates for electric car buyers.
Customers who ordered their car before July can still benefit from the program until mid-September -- except for hundreds of Tesla customers, according to the firm.
In court documents cited by Canadian media yesterday, Tesla slammed the "arbitrary" exclusion.
Ontario "left hundreds of Tesla Canada's customers in the unfair position of no longer being eligible for the rebate they had expected to receive when they ordered their vehicles, while purchasers of other brands and from other dealers will still receive the rebate during a transition period," Tesla said in its complaint.
It wants the provincial government ..

Tesla sues Ontario over scrapped electric car rebate

Britain's Dina Asher-Smith ruled the roost in the sprints at the European Championships, but on Saturday in front of an expectant British crowd at the Birmingham Diamond League meet she will see if she can beat the best in the world.
The 22-year-old swept 100 metres, 200m and 4x100m relay titles in Berlin but the likes of Jamaican legend Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, in-form Ivorian Marie-Josee Ta Lou and Bahamas star Shaunae Miller-Uibo will oppose her over what should be a mouth-watering 200m.
British track and field fans will be in for a treat as also present will be men's 100m champion Zharnel Hughes and 400m gold medallist Matt Hudson-Smith.
However, like Asher-Smith, it is one thing to be European champion but throw the potent cocktail of Americans and Jamaicans into the sprint mix and the level of what is required to win goes up a level or two.
Asher-Smith, though, has been bathing in plaudits all week with the likes of Michael Johnson predicting she can go on to win Olympic gold in 

European champions Asher-Smith and Hughes face world's best

Brandt Snedeker became only the ninth golfer in US PGA Tour history to fire a 59 on Thursday, his 11-under effort putting him in the lead in the first round of the Wyndham Championship.
Snedeker rolled in a 20-foot birdie putt at his final hole, the par-4 ninth, to join one of golf's most exclusive clubs.
"To roll that putt in was such a cool feeling," said Snedeker, whose 10 birdies, six pars and one eagle virtually erased any memory of an opening bogey at the 10th hole.  "I got so excited, goosebumps ... jumping around like I won the golf tournament and it's Thursday morning," Snedeker said.
"I'll have to get the emotions in check this afternoon, get back to reality." Snedeker finished with 10 birdies, six pars and an eagle at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina.
He improved on his career best of 61 -- which he has shot three times on tour -- and came up one shot shy of Jim Furyk's record low of 58 for a single PGA Tour round, achieved at the 2016 Travelers ...

Snedeker fires rare 59 to seize PGA Greensboro lead

Tennis great Serena Williams tells Time Magazine in a cover story published Thursday that shortly before the worst defeat of her career she learned the killer of her sister Yetunde Price had been paroled.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion was stunned 6-1, 6-0 by Britain's Johanna Konta on July 31 in San Jose, California.
The defeat marked the first time in 928 professional matches that Williams failed to win more than one game. At the time she spoke of having "so many things on my mind" without elaborating.
But in a wide-ranging interview with Time, she said that 10 minutes before she took the court she learned via Instagram that Robert Edward Maxfield, the man convicted of killing Price in a drive-by shooting in 2003, had been released from prison earlier in the year after serving 12 years of a 15-year sentence.
"I couldn't shake it out of my mind," she said. "No matter what, my sister is not coming back for good behavior. It's unfair that she'll never have an opportunity to hug ...

Serena thinking of slain sister shortly before lopsided loss

Novak Djokovic's third-round struggle with defending champion Grigor Dimitrov was halted by rain, forcing the pair to come back on Friday at the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Masters.
Officials called a halt to a frustrating day on which Roger Federer was never able to take the court for his third-round match against Leonardo Mayer.
Wimbledon champion Djokovic is vying to break through for a first Cincinnati win after coming up empty in five finals. He lost the first set 6-2 and won the second 6-3 when rain stopped the contest for 90 minutes.
When play resumed, Djokovic edged ahead 2-1 in the third, but another storm rolled in and organizers called a halt.
Cincinnati remains the only one of the nine Masters 1000 events that the Serb star hasn't won. He has lifted trophies at least twice at each of the other eight events in the elite ATP series.
Bulgaria's Dimitrov, who has won just one of eight prior encounters with Djokovic, prevailed easily in the opening set and broke early in the second ...

Rain slows Djokovic in Cincy, Stephens ousted

A US police chief has defended the use of a Taser on an 87-year-old grandmother cutting dandelions near her home in the southern state of Georgia.
The incident occurred last Friday when a youth club worker called 911 after spotting Martha Al-Bishara, who does not speak English, using a knife to cut dandelions in the club's grounds near her home.
Responding to the scene, police in Chatsworth, around 85 miles (135 kilometers) north of Atlanta, stunned her with a Taser and handcuffed her after she failed to follow instructions to drop the knife.
"It was the lowest use of force we could have used to simply stop that threat at the time," Chatsworth police chief Josh Etheridge told local media.
But Al-Bishara's granddaughter, Martha Douhne, told NBC that "she thought she got shot." "We have never really told her about stun guns or Tasers, and so she doesn't know what that is," she said, adding her grandmother is having trouble sleeping and is afraid to go outside.
Etheridge insisted the ...

US police officer uses Taser on woman, 87

A military parade ordered by US President Donald Trump for later this year has been postponed until at least 2019, a defense official has said, following reports the cost had soared to over USD 90 million.
"The Department of Defense and White House have been planning a parade to honor America's military veterans and commemorate the centennial of World War I," Pentagon spokesman Colonel Rob Manning said in a statement.
"We originally targeted November 10, 2018 for this event but have now agreed to explore opportunities in 2019," he added.
When the White House in February announced the commander-in-chief's desire to hold a parade in Washington, the budget director said it would cost between USD 10 million and USD 30 million.
But a US official told AFP earlier yesterday the planning estimate had now gone as high as USD 92 million, though no final figure has been reached.  The parade had been planned for the Veterans Day weekend, and was expected to include a large show of air power.
The .

Military parade ordered by Trump postponed: Pentagon

President Donald Trump has said he was in "no rush" to complete a deal to rewrite the trade pact with Mexico and Canada.
As Mexican officials were gathered in Washington for talks with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, Trump said at a cabinet meeting, "if you can't make the right deal, don't make it."
Negotiators have been working for four straight weeks to hammer out differences with Mexico, largely over provisions affecting the auto industry as they try to update the 24-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement, and sign a revised deal before the end of the year.
But Trump said yesterday, "I'm in no rush. We want to make the right deal.
"NAFTA has been a disaster for our country," he said. "So we're going either going to do a good NAFTA -- a fair NAFTA for us -- or we're not doing NAFTA at all."
And Trump again aimed a jibe at Canada, saying "Their tariffs are too high. Their barriers are too strong. So we're not even talking to them right now." Trade negotiators have ...

Trump says in 'no rush' to get NAFTA deal

William McRaven, commander of the US Navy SEAL raid that killed Osama bin Laden, has condemned President Donald Trump for revoking the security clearance of former CIA chief John Brennan and asked that his be withdrawn as well.
The decorated retired Navy admiral, in an open letter published in The Washington Post, defended Brennan as "one of the finest public servants I have ever known" and accused Trump of using "McCarthy-era tactics."
"Few Americans have done more to protect this country than John," McRaven said yesterday. "He is a man of unparalleled integrity, whose honesty and character have never been in question, except by those who don't know him."
"Therefore, I would consider it an honour if you would revoke my security clearance as well, so I can add my name to the list of men and women who have spoken up against your presidency," he said.
McRaven was the head of US Joint Special Operations Command from 2011 to 2014 and supervised the SEAL raid that killed bin Laden in ...

AFP

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