Chinese relatives of those who disappeared on board Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 today asked to meet the country's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad when he visits China this week.
The plane disappeared in March 2014 with 239 people -- mostly from China -- on board, while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
Amid a heavy police presence, about a dozen relatives gathered outside the Malaysian Embassy in Beijing where they handed over a letter addressed to the Malaysian government.
"We ask that Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir, or other representatives (of the Malaysian government) meet with Chinese relatives of those on board MH370 during the official visit," the letter read.
Mahathir, who became Malaysia's premier for a second time after a shock election victory in May, will arrive in China Friday for a five-day visit, including a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Monday.
Other requests include resuming the search, a monthly meeting with airline and Malaysian officials, as 

Chinese MH370 relatives ask to meet Malaysia PM

PTI Automatic

Former World Cup winner Philipp Lahm will be the head of the organising committee if Germany win the bid to host Euro 2024, it was confirmed today.
Germany and Turkey are the only two candidates bidding to host the European championships in six years time with a decision by European football's governing body UEFA set to be made on September 27.
Lahm, 34, stepped down from international duty after leading Germany to the 2014 World Cup title and retired from all football in May 2017 after winning a joint record eighth Bundesliga title with Bayern Munich.
"From the beginning of my work as an ambassador for the European Championship 2024, it was my desire to take responsibility in the long term," said Lahm in a statement.
"The new role as head of the tournament offers me a very interesting opportunity to do just that.
"Together with the bidding team, I will do everything in the coming weeks to bring Euro 2024 to Germany."
Tensions are already high between the German Football Association ..

Lahm to be figurehead if Germany host Euro 2024

A major Davis Cup revamp that would condense the annual global tournament into an 18-team, week-long event will be voted upon today with major tennis leaders divided over the proposal.
The International Tennis Federation annual meeting in Orlando will see about 120 delegates decide the fate of the 118-year-old men's team competition with two-thirds majority support needed to approve the measure, which is backed by federation president David Haggerty.
Kosmos, a group led and founded by Barcelona football star Gerard Pique and backed by Japanese billionaire Hiroshi Mikitani, has vowed USD 3 billion over 25 years to support the new event.
Haggerty vows more money, about USD 25 million, will go to national tennis associations to invest in grassroots level support.
"The money that we make will be put back to the nations for their development programs and the future of tennis," Haggerty said.
But opponents of the plan include Tennis Australia and Britain's Lawn Tennis Association ...

Major Davis Cup shake-up eyed by divided tennis leaders

Hundreds of UN-run schools for Palestinian refugees will open on time after fresh funding temporarily staved off a financial crisis triggered by a US contributions freeze, the United Nations said today.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees said all 711 schools it runs for 526,000 pupils in the Palestinian territories, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria would open for the coming school year.
There had been warnings from UN chief Antonio Guterres and others that the schools might not be able to open due to funding shortages provoked by US President Donald Trump's decision to withhold aid to the Palestinians.
The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) said it had mobilised an additional $238 million since the start of the year, but added that it currently only had enough cash to keep its services operating through September.
"We need a further $217 million to ensure that our schools not only open but can be run until the end of the year," the agency said in a statement.
The ..

UN Palestinian schools to open on time despite US freeze

A three-year-old kindergartener died after she was left behind in a hot school van in Thailand, police said Thursday after arresting the driver.
The girl was discovered Wednesday afternoon after her mother went to pick her up at the end of school in the southern province of Pattani and was told the child was absent.
The mother and a teacher located the driver, who led them to the locked van where they found the body.
"The girl's body was pale, no wounds, with a little blood stain at her nose," Montri Kongwatmai, commander of the Sai Buri district police, told AFP. "She must have thrashed around." The heat inside the stuffy van and a lack of air caused her death, Montri said, citing the autopsy results.
The 23-year-old driver admitted to failing to check whether all the children had gotten out of the vehicle in the morning, Montri said.
He was charged with negligence resulting in death.
Between 2012 and 2016 in Thailand, there were 13 cases of children abandoned inside school buses or .

Three-year-old dies in Thailand after being left in school van

An outspoken activist in Vietnam was jailed for 20 years today for allegedly calling for an election boycott and inciting environmental protests in the one-party state that has little tolerance for dissent.
The communist country is notorious for jailing its critics but the harsh sentence was the heaviest in years as a hardline administration in charge since 2016 intensifies its crackdown against activists.
Le Dinh Luong was convicted for "attempting to overthrow the state" in a half-day trial against the 52-year-old who appeared gaunt and grey-haired in court in central Nghe An province.
The swift trial was conducted with none of his witnesses allowed to testify, which the court mysteriously blamed on "health reasons", his lawyer Ha Huy Son told AFP.
"I asked for a cancellation because witnesses were not allowed to speak, but they were not brought to court," Son said, confirming the 20-year jail term.
A prominent activist in the region, Luong was accused of posting clips online ...

Vietnam activist gets 20 years for 'inciting protests'

The reclusive British street artist Banksy has said in a bemused social media post he was not involved in a major exhibition of his works currently on display in Moscow.
The Banksy exhibition has been running at the capital's Central House of Artists since the start of June and boasts around 100 original works, on loan from galleries and private collectors.
But the artist himself said he had no idea the display was taking place, after he was sent a picture of a banner advertising the event in Moscow.
"I saw this and thought of you," a contact of Banksy told the artist in a conversation posted to his verified Instagram account on Wednesday.
"What the hell is that?" the artist replied.
"I wish I could find it funny. What's the opposite of LOL?" he said after being informed guests were being charged about 22 euros (USD 25) to visit.
Ticket prices in fact range from 550-1400 rubles (7 euros, USD 8 - 18 euros, USD 21).
"You know it's got nothing to do with me, right?" he asked, the screen .

Bemused Banksy says 'nothing to do with' major Russian exhibition

A Malaysian drug dealer dubbed the "Iceman" was sentenced to death today by a court in Thailand after he was convicted of running a narcotics network that funnelled huge profits into legitimate businesses.
Tun Hung Seong was arrested in April last year after a tipoff that he had hired a man to smuggle nearly 300 kilogrammes of crystal meth -- known as ice -- through the violence-scarred south.
Investigators believe he acted as a gatekeeper to the Malaysian drug market just over the border and laundered money through karaoke bars, hotels and restaurants.
The Bangkok court convicted Tun, 65, on drug trafficking charges alongside two Thai women and a Taiwanese man.
All four were sentenced to death, although the sentences of the Taiwanese man and one of the Thai women were reduced to life imprisonment due to their "useful" confessions.
Situated along the drug-running routes of the "Golden Triangle," Thailand provides overland routes for the smuggling of meth from factories in lawless ...

Malaysian 'Iceman' sentenced to death in Thailand

South Korea's biggest Buddhist denomination ordered its executive head to step down today amid mounting allegations he forged his academic credentials, accumulated vast wealth, and broke his vows of celibacy.
The 56-14 vote of no confidence in Seoljeong, president of the Jogye Order, by its central committee is the first in a history that dates back hundreds of years -- the organisation is believed to have been established in the 12th century.
With more than 3,000 temples, 13,000 monks and seven million followers, it accounts for most of South Korea's Buddhists and is highly influential in a country where religion remains a powerful social force.
But it has long been dogged by corruption allegations and factional feuds.
Many rank and file members and civic groups have staged protests to demand Seoljeong's resignation over the allegations, and a senior reform-minded monk was taken to hospital this month after a 41-day hunger strike outside the Jogyesa temple, the order's headquarters ..

Top S Korea Buddhist in corruption, fatherhood allegations

A hoarse sound abruptly wakes visitors staying at a floating house that serves as a base for environmentalists on the Jaraua river in the Amazon rainforest.
During flood season, the Mamiraua Sustainable Development Reserve -- located 500 kilometres from the Amazonas state capital Manaus -- fills with water.
For researchers from the Mamiraua Institute and WWF-Brazil, that means their nearest neighbor is a caiman they call Dominique. It has decided to squat for the day at the end of their house.
But the surprising noise was something else.
"Don't worry! That's just the river dolphins breathing. It's scary in the middle of the night, right?" biologist Andre Coelho says.
The next day, scientists got into two boats, slowly navigating the endless spread of water-filled forest.
In this primeval landscape, the researchers used a drone to help them watch the Amazon's pink river dolphins, whose scientific name is Inia geoffrensis.
The voyage in late June, which AFP was invited to follow, was ...

Drones fly to rescue of Amazon wildlife

Shares in Italian infrastructure group Atlantia, which operates the motorway on which a bridge in Genoa collapsed, were initially suspended on the Milan stock exchange today, but plunged more than 24 per cent when trading resumed an hour later.
Atlantia's prime asset is Autostrade per l'Italia, which operates the A10 highway where a segment of the overpass collapsed on Tuesday, killing at least 39 people.
Its shares had already closed 5.4 per cent lower on Tuesday.
Milan had been closed for a public holiday yesterday.
But when Atlantia shares re-opened after an hour's delay today, they were down 24.4 per cent at 17.79 euros after the government suggested that it could revoke Autostrade's operating licence for the motorway.
Deputy prime minister Luigi Di Maio charged yesterday that the tragedy "could have been avoided" and that it was clear that Autostrade per l'Italia was at fault for not carrying out maintenance.
The Italian government said it intended to fine the firm 150 million ...

Shares in Italy's Atlantia plunge 24% over Genoa bridge collapse

Chinese technology giant Lenovo today recorded a sharp rise in first quarter net profit as the company's turnaround gathered pace.
The PC maker posted a USD 77 million net profit in the quarter to June 30 -- up from a USD 72 million loss in the same period last year.
"The Group remains confident in its core PC business, and aims to grow ... without compromising on profitability," chairman Yang Yuanqing said in a statement.
Analyst Jackson Wong said competition between PC makers "is not as fierce as it is in the mobile sector", while Lenovo's focus on hardware has also contributed to the positive results.
Lenovo also reported a 19 per cent rise in revenue to USD 11.91 billion -- its second consecutive quarter of double-digit revenue growth.
The tech giant is turning its fortunes around following a USD 189 million net loss for the full fiscal year, dragged down by a USD 400 million non-cash write-off charge from deferred income tax assets.
The company's shares rose up to six percent to .

Lenovo posts first-quarter profit as recovery continues

US travel sanctions targeting Cambodian officials are "useless", a ruling party spokesman said today, as the kingdom shrugs off international criticism of a one-sided election win.
The Cambodian People's Party (CPP) led by strongman Hun Sen won all 125 seats in parliament during last month's poll.
The main opposition did not contest the vote after a court dissolved the party, clearing the way for a landslide victory for the CPP.
Western governments have decried the election and the US State Department yesterday announced an expansion of visa restrictions to include Cambodians responsible for a crackdown on dissent in the run-up to the "flawed" vote.
But a spokesman for the CPP called the move "useless".
"The restrictions or so-called sanctions on Cambodia will not be effective," Sok Eysan said. "For example, if I don't want to go to that country, how can they block my visa?"
Washington did not name the officials targeted by the expanded list but it has already hit the chief of Hun ...

Cambodia ruling party shrugs off 'useless' US visa sanctions

US newspapers big and small today hit back at President Donald Trump's relentless attacks on the news media, launching a coordinated campaign of editorials stressing the importance of a free press.
Leading the charge was The Boston Globe, which had issued an appeal for this drive -- accompanied by the hashtag #EnemyofNone -- that has been joined by more than 200 newspapers around the country.
"Today in the United States we have a president who has created a mantra that members of the media who do not blatantly support the policies of the current US administration are the 'enemy of the people,'" the Globe editorial said.
"This is one of the many lies that have been thrown out by this president, much like an old-time charlatan threw out 'magic' dust or water on a hopeful crowd," it added in a piece entitled "Journalists are not the Enemy".
Trump's treatment of the press is also encouraging strongmen such as Vladimir Putin of Russia and Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey to treat journalists 

US newspapers hit back at Trump, defend free press

Gunmen launched an attack on an intelligence training centre in Kabul early today, officials said, just a day after a suicide bomber killed dozens of students in the war-weary city.
"Clashes are ongoing and the area is cordoned off by the Afghan security forces," said Kabul police spokesman Hashmat Stanikzai.
An official at the scene requesting anonymity confirmed the attack.

Gunmen attack intelligence training centre in Kabul: Officials

Saudi forces have arrested a heavily armed "extremist" after wounding him in an exchange of gunfire in the kingdom's conservative central heartland, the interior ministry said today.
The man had embraced the Islamic State group's "ideology" and was found to be in possession of a machine gun, a pistol and multiple rounds of ammunition, the ministry said in a statement.
The man in Al-Bukhariya city was also wearing what appeared to be an explosives-laden belt, state-run Al-Ekhbariya television reported.
The incident comes as the kingdom prepares to host the annual hajj pilgrimage from August 19-24.
The kingdom has seen numerous attacks in recent years by jihadists, including Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, against security forces.
It has also seen clashes between Shiite militants and security forces in the eastern provinces.
In July, a drive-by shooting against a checkpoint in central Saudi Arabia and an ensuing gunfight left a security officer, a Bangladeshi civilian and two ...

Saudi forces arrest armed 'extremist' after gunfight: Ministry

The US Treasury announced sanctions on Russian and Chinese companies for violating the economic embargo on North Korea as Washington seeks to maintain pressure on Pyongyang over its nuclear program.
The Treasury accused China-based Dalian Sun Moon Star International Logistics Trading Co and its Singapore-based affiliate, SINSMS Pte, of falsifying documents to facilitate shipments of alcohol and cigarettes to North Korea.
Those shipments helped fuel what the Treasury alleged was a huge "illicit" cigarette trade earning the Pyongyang regime USD 1 billion a year.
It also blacklisted Russia-based Profinet Pte for violating UN sanctions by providing loading and refueling services to sanctioned North Korean-flagged ships at three eastern Russia ports.
Also named was Profinet director general Vasili Aleksandrovich Kolchanov, whom the Treasury said "was personally involved" in deals with the North Koreans.
"Treasury reminds the shipping industry... of the significant risks posed by North ...

US blacklists Russian, Chinese companies for breaking North Korea

A Malaysian court ruled today the murder trial of two women accused of assassinating the half-brother of North Korea's leader can proceed -- in a blow to their families who insist the pair were tricked into carrying out the dramatic hit.
After hearing prosecutors' case, Judge Azmi Ariffin said there was sufficient evidence to support a murder charge against Siti Aisyah from Indonesia and Doan Thi Huong from Vietnam, accused of murdering Kim Jong Nam with nerve agent VX at Kuala Lumpur airport.
"I must therefore call upon them to enter their defence on their respective charges," the judge said in his ruling to the Shah Alam High Court, outside Kuala Lumpur.
The women looked shocked and tearful as the ruling was handed down.  If the judge had decided the evidence was not sufficient, he could have chosen to acquit the women.
Aisyah's lawyer Gooi Soon Seng told reporters: "We are deeply disappointed with the ruling... We will do our best at the defence stage." Their families insist the ...

Malaysia court rules N Korea assassination trial can proceed

Rescue workers toiled through a second night today in a desperate bid to find survivors in the rubble of a Genoa bridge which caved in during a heavy rainstorm, killing at least 39 people and injuring 16 more.
A vast span of the Morandi bridge collapsed in the northern port city on Tuesday, sending about 35 cars and several trucks plunging 45 metres (150 feet) onto railway tracks below.
Italy's government has blamed the firm that operated the collapsed bridge for the disaster and announced a state of emergency in the region.
Children aged eight, 12 and 13 were among the dead, Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said, adding that more people were still missing. Sixteen people were injured.
The driver of a green lorry left precariously close to the edge told Italian media how he had escaped the "hell" of the bridge collapse.
"It was raining very hard and it wasn't possible to go very fast," he told the Corriere della Sera daily.
"When a car overtook me I slowed down... (then) at a certain .

Second night of rescue efforts after deadly Italy bridge collapse

A Malaysian court ruled today that the murder trial of two women accused of assassinating the half-brother of North Korea's leader in a hit that shocked the world can proceed.
"I must accordingly find that the prosecution had made out a prima facie case against the accused persons and I must therefore call upon them to enter their defence on their respective charges," judge Azmi Ariffin told the Shah Alam High Court, outside Kuala Lumpur.
The ruling means the prosecution, which has been presenting its case for several months, has shown that there is sufficient evidence to support a murder charge against the women.

Malaysia court rules Kim Jong Nam assassination trial can proceed

Asia stocks opened sharply lower today, joining a global sell-off on concerns over Turkey's financial crisis but later pared losses on news that China and the US would hold trade talks.
Equities across the region suffered steep losses at the opening bell, with Tokyo and Shanghai off by more than one percent, dragged down by a weak session on Wall Street as traders fretted over possible contagion from Turkey's currency crisis.
Japan's main Nikkei 225 index shed 1.20 percent in early trade and China's benchmark Shanghai Composite was off by 1.17 percent after another day of volatile trading driven by Turkey.
On Wednesday, Ankara hiked tariffs on imports of several US goods in retaliation for American sanctions, the latest step in a tit-for-tat spat between the two NATO allies that shows little sign of easing.
The crisis has sent the Turkish currency into free-fall and sparked concerns that European banks and other emerging markets exposed to the unit could also suffer.
A bearish mood ...

AFP

AFP

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