Liu Xia, the widow of Chinese Nobel dissident Liu Xiaobo, arrived in Germany after she was released from years of de facto house arrest in China.
Despite facing no charges, the 57-year-old poet had endured heavy restrictions on her movements since 2010 when her husband won the Nobel Peace Prize -- an award that infuriated Beijing.
After being allowed to leave China, Liu flew via Helsinki to Berlin, where she arrived just days before the first anniversary of her husband's death from liver cancer.
Berlin-based dissident Liao Yiwu and German Nobel laureate Herta Mueller were among a dozen people waiting to greet her at the airport, shouting out her name from the viewing terrace as she emerged from the aircraft.
But Liu immediately boarded a black van parked on the airfield tarmac and was whisked away without making any remarks.
Liao had earlier voiced his joy on Twitter, saying: "I am so, so, so happy! Finally, finally, Xia is coming today!!" Liu had become a cause celebre and was seen ..

Widow of Chinese Nobel dissident Liu Xiaobo arrives in Berlin

PTI Automatic

Japan's prime minister Shinzo Abe headed today to one of the areas worst-hit by record rains as the death toll rose to 179 and thousands of evacuees remained stranded in shelters.
Abe, who cancelled a four-stop foreign trip planned for this week as the disaster worsened, was due to visit the flood-ravaged Okayama area to see the scale of the damage first-hand.
With dozens reportedly still missing, the toll from the worst weather-related disaster in Japan in over three decades is expected to rise further.
Rescue workers were still digging through the aftermath of flash floods and landslides that swallowed whole neighbourhoods, but hopes were fading that any new survivors could be found.
Abe was scheduled to fly over the Mabi district to view the damage, and meet with evacuees and local officials to discuss their needs.
Over 10,000 people were still in shelters across large parts of central and western Japan, local media said, including at a school in the town of Kurashiki in Okayama ...

Japan PM to meet stranded evacuees in flood disaster zone

The toll in record rains that have devastated parts of Japan has risen to 179, the government's top spokesman said today.
Search-and-rescue operations are continuing after floods and landslides caused by the rains, and local media said several dozen people were still missing in Japan's deadliest weather-related disaster in over three decades.

Toll in Japan flood disaster rises to 179: government

Saudi Arabia has issued a sweeping royal pardon for its soldiers deployed in Yemen, lifting any "military and disciplinary" penalties for troops taking part in its support of pro-government forces in the devastating conflict.
Yemeni government forces, backed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, are battling Shiite Huthi rebels in fighting that has killed some 10,000 Yemeni citizens and pushed the impoverished country to the brink of famine.
Yesterday, A statement announcing the pardon, published by Saudi Arabia's government news agency SPA, did not mention any particular crimes, but said the move was to show appreciation for the "heroics and sacrifices" of the country's soldiers.
The statement announced the order "pardoning all military men, who have taken part in the Operation Restoring Hope of their respective military and disciplinary penalties, in regard of some rules and disciplines".
Riyadh, the UAE and other allies intervened in the conflict between Yemen's government .

Saudi Arabia pardons soldiers over Yemen conflict

Facebook could face a hefty compensation bill in Australia after a leading litigation funder lodged a complaint with the country's privacy regulator over users' personal data shared with a British political consultancy.
The social networking giant admitted in April the data of up to 87 million people worldwide -- including more than 300,000 in Australia -- was harvested by Cambridge Analytica.
Under Australian law, all organisations must take "reasonable steps" to ensure personal information is held securely and IMF Bentham has teamed up with a major law firm to lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIO).
The OAIO launched an investigation into the alleged breaches in April and depending on its outcome, a class action could follow.
IMF said in a statement late yesterday it was seeking "compensation for Facebook users arising from Facebook's alleged breaches of the Australian Privacy Principles contained in the Privacy Act 1988".
"The alleged ...

Facebook faces Australia data breach compensation claim

A prominent Chinese political campaigner was sentenced to 13 years in jail today, a court in central China said.
Qin Yongmin was found "guilty of subversion of state power," the Wuhan City Intermediate People's Court said on its official website.
The 64-year-old, first jailed as a "counter-revolutionary" from 1981-1989, has already spent a total of 22 years in prison.
At the time of his arrest in January 2015, Qin was the head of the pro-democracy "China Human Rights Watch" group, which circulated online statements denouncing government policies, as well as organising discussion groups.
Qin had "refused to cooperate with the court" and remained completely silent during his trial in May, lawyer Lin Qilei had previously told AFP.
His lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the verdict today.
The verdict comes a day after Liu Xia, the widow of Chinese Nobel dissident Liu Xiaobo, left China to Germany.
She had been held under de facto house arrest -- despite no ...

Chinese democracy activist sentenced to 13 years for 'subversion'

The United States today announced it was starting the process to slap 10 per cent tariffs on another USD 200 billion in Chinese export goods as soon as September, escalating the trade war between the world's two largest economies.
President Donald Trump vowed to hit back on a growing list of products after China retaliated in kind for the first round of 25 per cent tariffs on USD 34 billion worth of imports that Washington imposed last week.
If he goes ahead it would mean thousands of products from fish to chemicals, metals and tires would face new taxes.
US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said Washington did a thorough investigation to justify imposing tariffs on USD 50 billion worth of imports to compensate for the harm to the US economy caused by China's unfair trading practices, including theft or forced transfer of American technology.
But China has rebuffed US complaints and denied any harm was done to US companies, and instead retaliated "without any international legal .

Trade war: US lists next USD 200 bn Chinese goods to face tariffs

Warner Bros has announced plans for a USD 100 million cable car to take tourists from its studio lot to the iconic Hollywood sign, an area increasingly choked by tourist traffic.
The company, one of Tinseltown's "Big Six" film distributors, told city officials on Monday it would put up the entire funding for the "Hollywood Skyway."
The six-minute ride would extend more than a mile (1.6 km) from Warner's base in Burbank up Mount Lee to a visitor center near the sign, with pathways to a viewing area, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The iconic studio behind "Casablanca" and "Gone with the Wind" didn't respond to AFP's request for comment but circulated a statement saying the project would "reduce street congestion, improve safety, and ease neighbourhood frustrations."
"Given our close proximity to the north side of the Hollywood sign, we believe we offer a solution that has the least impact on the environment -- protecting and preserving (nearby) Griffith Park -- and the surrounding .

Warner Bros plans USD 100 mn cable car to Hollywood sign

US airline JetBlue has signed a deal to purchase 60 A220-300 jets at a catalogue price of USD 5.37 billion, European aircraft maker Airbus has said.
"JetBlue today became the first customer for the newly-rebranded Airbus A220 aircraft, signing a memorandum of understanding for 60 firm orders for the larger A220-300 model," Airbus said in a statement yesterday.
The announcement came just a few hours after the planemaker received delivery of its first A220-300 jet, formerly the C series of the Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier.
Last year, Airbus bought a majority stake in production of Bombardier's narrow-body 100 to 150-seater planes.
Airbus and Bombardier joined forces in a bid to take on US archrival Boeing.
In addition, JetBlue "converted 25 of its current orders for Airbus A320neo aircraft into orders for the larger A321neo. JetBlue's A321neos and A220s will be powered by Pratt & Whitney GTF engines," Airbus said.
"JetBlue's selection of the A220 aircraft as a ...

Airbus secures USD 5.4bn contract from JetBlue for A220-300 jets

The French national anthem La Marseillaise, chants of "We're in the final" and a cacophony of car horns and fire crackers rang out over Paris as residents of the capital celebrated France's march to the World Cup final.
A crowd of 20,000 gathered to watch Didier Deschamps' team beat Belgium 1-0 in their semi-final in Saint Petersburg last night on a giant screen at Paris' historic Hotel de Ville, or town hall.
With viewing space at a premium every vantage spot was occupied -- with fans perched on trees, on top of vans, on dustbins and bus shelters.
Samuel Umtiti's decisive goal in the 51st minute triggered the waving of a sea of tricolor flags as ecstatic supporters -- many in the national team's colours -- kissed and hugged and danced.
"Vive la France, vive la Republique" shouted Alia and Sacha, two Parisian schoolchildren.
"We are so proud to be French tonight!" Alia explained as fire crackers exploded on the cobblestones.
Motorbikes, cycles, cars, dustbin lorries - they all came to 

Paris celebrates France's march to the World Cup final

A plane carrying 11 people crashed today on a mountainside in Alaska, officials and rescuers said, but there were no deaths.
"It was reported that 11 people from the plane crash are alive, but have injuries," the US Coast Guard said in a statement following the incident near the southeasternmost city of Ketchikan.
The De Havilland DHC-3T Turbo Otter floatplane was carrying 10 passengers and a pilot, according to CBS-affiliated TV station KTVA, citing rescuers.
The channel said 10 people were injured as it hit the side of Mount Jumbo at a height of around 2,000 feet (600 metres), and were all in a stable condition.
Authorities say the pilot radioed shortly before 9:00 am and the Coast Guard dispatched two helicopter crews to the area, around 65 km southwest of Ketchikan.
All 11 people rescued were hoisted from the crash site and taken to a staging area to be moved to the city for medical treatment.

Eleven hoisted from Alaska plane crash

Cuba has re-authorised private businesses after a year-long freeze, but with tighter controls than before on a segment of the economy that now makes up 13 per cent of the Communist island's workforce.
The freeze had led to jitters among would-be entrepreneurs in Cuba's budding private sector, and yesterday's announcement brought some measure of relief.
The official daily Granma said the new, stricter measures were necessary because of numerous breaches by private entrepreneurs, such as tax evasion, under-declaring the number of people they employed and failure to pay employer contributions.
The government suspended the issuing of business licenses in August 2017 for around 30 of the island's most profitable business activities, in particular the restaurant trade, in order to review regulations.
"We are not going to go backwards, nor slow down, nor allow prejudice against the non-state sector, but it is essential that people respect the law, in order to consolidate the gains," said ...

Cuba re-authorises private sector, but with tighter controls

The United States today listed the USD 200 billion in Chinese export goods that could be hit with tariffs as soon as September, escalating the trade war between the world's two largest economies.
President Donald Trump vowed to hit back after China retaliated for the first round of 25 per cent tariffs on USD 34 billion worth of imports that Washington imposed last week.
The US Trade Representative office will hold hearings on the targeted products and an administration official said it would take about two months to finalise the list, at which point Trump would decide whether to go ahead with the tariffs.

US lists USD 200 bn in Chinese goods to be hit with tariffs

President Donald Trump told NATO allies to "reimburse" the United States for defence costs as he landed for the alliance's most difficult summit in years.
Trump touched down in Brussels aboard Air Force One hot on the heels of a stern warning from the EU's top official that America should "appreciate" its allies.
The leaders of the other 28 members of the NATO alliance are hoping for a show of unity despite stark transatlantic tensions on a host of issues, most notably Trump's repeated invective against Europe over defence spending.
"Many countries in NATO, which we are expected to defend, are not only short of their current commitment of 2 per cent (which is low), but are also delinquent for many years in payments that have not been made," he tweeted while his plane was in the air.
"Will they reimburse the U.S.?" Trump had said before leaving Washington that his meeting in Helsinki with Russian President Vladimir Putin next Monday "may be the easiest" part of his upcoming European ...

Trump lashes NATO allies as he lands for tense summit

Samuel Umtiti headed France into the World Cup final in Saint Petersburg with a 1-0 win, consigning Belgium's 'golden generation' to another bitter disappointment.
France's own supremely talented young squad will aim to make amends for defeat on home soil in the final of Euro 2016 in Sunday's showpiece against England or Croatia.
In a World Cup replete with set-piece goals, a corner again proved decisive when Umtiti timed his run perfectly to meet Antoine Griezmann's delivery six minutes into the second half last night.
France were thankful for fine saves from goalkeeper Hugo Lloris either side of half-time.
Belgium's Kevin De Bruyne warned Kylian Mbappe was ready to take the world by storm on the eve of the game and the most expensive teenager in the history of football showed why inside the first 60 seconds.
He skipped past Jan Vertonghen with ease and only a last-ditch tackle by Vincent Kompany prevented Griezmann from latching onto his cross.
Thibaut Courtois rushed from his goal .

Umtiti heads France into World Cup final as Belgium fall short

Austria's hardline interior minister Herbert Kickl said today he would push to change the EU's migration policy so it is no longer possible to make asylum requests on European soil.
"That would be a proposal," the minister of the far-right FPOE party told journalists in Vienna.
Any other solution, he argued, "would encourage traffickers to say: 'I take your money to bring you to the European Union because you are guaranteed the right to make a request for asylum, with a very, very weak probability of being sent back'."
Austria currently holds the rotating EU presidency, which gives it the opportunity to chair meetings and set agendas as the bloc grapples to find a common migrant policy.
In the Austrian proposal, asylum requests would be made in refugee camps outside Europe to "a sort of mobile commission," Kickl said.
Only exiles from countries that directly border the European Union would be able to make their asylum requests on EU territory.
The issue of migration and asylum rights .

Austria to propose moving asylum requests outside EU

The teenage son of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad has asked to be treated as a "normal student" while competing in the International Mathematical Olympiad in Romania, an education official said today.
Hafez al-Assad, 16, is one of the 615 students participating in the annual competition, taking place in the central city of Cluj-Napoca until Saturday.
"He wants to be treated like a normal student and he acts like one. He checked into a hotel alongside students from 18 countries", Valentin Cuibus, who leads the School Inspectorate in Cluj-Napoca, told AFP.
"He didn't ask for anything special; no special conditions, no separate apartment, giving that he shares a room with a colleague." Every country represented has a team of 6 students.
Hafez al-Assad, told local media that maths is his "childhood passion" and he is hoping for a good result.
Last year, when the event took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Hafez al-Assad finished in 528th position out of a total of 615.
He told reporters 

Assad's son wants "normal" treatment at maths competition in Romania

US President Donald Trump arrived today in Brussels on the eve of a tense NATO summit where he is set to clash with allies over defence spending.
Trump arrived on Air Force One at Melsbroek military airport, shortly after saying on Twitter that NATO allies should "reimburse" the United States for spending on the alliance.

Trump arrives in Brussels ahead of NATO summit

Taiwan began evacuating residents in mountainous areas while offices and schools were closed and flights were cancelled today as Typhoon Maria churned towards the island bringing torrential rains and powerful winds.
Maria was 310 kilometres east of the northeastern coastal town of Yilan packing gusts of up to 173 kilometres an hour as of 5:00 pm (0900 GMT), the weather bureau said.
Its impact was expected to be strongest from late today to early tomorrow although it has weakened slightly in the past few hours, with up to 500 millimetres of rainfall forecast for some areas, the bureau added.
Authorities said nearly 700 people had been evacuated as of this evening. Local television showed soldiers going door to door in a mountainside village in Yilan to help evacuate residents.
Officials have warned of possible floods and mudslides.
"I have ordered the troops to stand by for relevant disaster prevention and relief ... I also want to urge the public again to make typhoon preparations as .

Evacuations as Taiwan braces for Typhoon Maria

Cristiano Ronaldo has opted to leave Spanish giants Real Madrid for Italian champions Juventus for the next -- and possibly final -- chapter of one of the greatest careers the game has seen.
The shock move by the 33-year-old superstar comes shortly after losing what is likely his last chance to collect the only honour missing from his glittering resume -- a World Cup for Portugal.
Speculation that one of the game's greatest players could be up for grabs began when he hinted he was considering leaving the Santiago Bernabeu following May's Champions League final victory.
Then the transfer rumour mill went into overdrive after Italian media said Juventus had put in a bid and Spanish sports daily Marca cited reports of Ronaldo looking for a home in Turin.
There was little left for Ronaldo, Real's all-time record goalscorer with 450, to prove in Madrid.
He said he had spent nine fantastic years at the Spanish giants.
"But I think the time has come to open a new stage in my life and that's .

Ronaldo: Football legend takes his talents to Juventus

Nineteen people were injured when a vintage plane crashed today after it took off on a test flight from a small airport in the South African capital Pretoria, emergency services said.
The Convair plane -- built in 1954 -- was due to soon be flown to the Aviodrome air museum, near the central Dutch city of Lelystad, after reportedly being renovated at the small Wonderboom airport in Pretoria.
Images from the site showed the plane broken into several pieces as paramedics helped survivors out of the aircraft and treated patients at the scene as firefighters tackled the smoking wreckage.
"Medics from ER24 and other services are at the scene of a plane crash at Wonderboom in Pretoria," Russell Meiring, spokesman for the ER24 medical service, said.
"We have 19 injured casualties ranging from minor to critical injuries at this stage and no confirmed fatalities."
The Aviodrome aerospace theme park in the Netherlands said on its Facebook page that it was "hugely shocked" by the crash.
The ...

AFP

AFP

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