A Turkish court rejected a request Wednesday to release a US consular staffer jailed since 2017 on espionage charges as he told the judge no credible evidence had been submitted against him.
The case of Metin Topuz, a Turkish citizen and liaison for the US Drug Enforcement Administration, has added to growing tensions between Ankara and Washington.
Topuz has been in jail since his arrest in October 2017, accused of ties to US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara says ordered an attempted coup the year before.
His next court appearance was set for March 10.
"The charges are based on unrealistic allegations and contradictory testimonies of so-called witnesses," Topuz told the Istanbul court.
"Not one single piece of evidence has been presented to the court that would convince a rational person that I tried to destroy the Turkish republic," he added, referring to claims made by the prosecution.
The trial has been delayed as prosecutors try to locate a witness who Topuz's ...

Turkey court keeps US consul staffer in jail

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Up to 20,000 protesters rallied in Sydney on Wednesday demanding urgent climate action from Australia's government, as bushfire smoke choking the city caused health problems to spike.
Sydney has endured weeks bathed in toxic smoke as hundreds of blazes have raged across the countryside, with hospitals recording a 25 percent increase in the number of people visiting emergency departments last week.
On Tuesday smoke alarms rang out across Australia's biggest city, with thick haze triggering smoke alarms and forcing buildings to be evacuated, school children to be kept indoors, and ferries to be cancelled.
The devastating fires have focused attention on climate change, with scientists saying the blazes have come earlier and with more intensity than usual due to global warming and a prolonged drought.  Police estimated the crowd size at 15,000, organisers put the figure at 20,000.
Many of the protestors voiced anger at the government's silence in the face of the crisis.
"The country is on 

Australians protest as bushfire haze sparks health fears

Pakistani fans skipped classes and work on Wednesday to attend the country's first cricket Test in a decade, which was ringed with security and guarded by snipers following the deadly 2009 attack that scared away foreign teams.
Despite the tight security, excitement was palpable as the cricket-mad country finally got to host a Test, 10 years after the militant assault on a convoy carrying the Sri Lankan team to a game in Lahore.
"This is a dream come true," said Hamza Shakoor, a 21-year-old university student.
"We are all so excited. We just prayed for (this) time."
The Sri Lanka and Pakistan teams arrived at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in armed convoys an hour before the coin toss, with roads to the venue sealed off -- adding further chaos to Rawalpindi's perennially gridlocked traffic.
Undeterred by the highly visible security presence, with heavily armed patrols and snipers on nearby rooftops, fans appeared jubilant as they entered the grounds after passing through at least five ...

Snipers, smiles as Test cricket returns to Pakistan after 2009 attack

Myanmar's civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi told the UN's top court on Wednesday there was no proof of "genocidal intent" behind her country's military campaign against Rohingya Muslims.
Suu Kyi said "it cannot be ruled out that disproportionate force was used by the military" but insisted that "surely under the circumstances genocidal intent cannot be the only hypothesis.

Suu Kyi says no proof of 'genocidal intent' in Rohingya case

Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi told the UN's top court on Wednesday that allegations that Myanmar had committed genocide against Rohingya Muslims were "misleading and incomplete".
"Regrettably The Gambia has placed before the court a misleading and incomplete picture of the situation in Rakhine state," Suu Kyi said of the case brought by the African state at the International Court of Justice.

Myanmar's Suu Kyi tells UN court Rohingya genocide case 'incomplete'

Captain Tiger Woods will lead from the front when the United States begin their Presidents Cup defence after Wednesday picking himself and Justin Thomas for the opening fourball match at Royal Melbourne.
The 43-year-old Woods and world number four Thomas will tee off first on Thursday against Australian Marc Leishman and Chilean rookie Joaquin Niemann for Ernie Els' International team.
"I think from our side, we had a game plan, who we wanted to start out, and we were committed to putting Justin and myself out there, and that's who we're rolling with," said Woods.
"I got a chance to play all of yesterday. Played a little bit today. Just to try to get a feel for this golf course.
"It is quick and it has dried out and hopefully the forecast will hold for each and every day. The preparation is very simple."
Vice-captain Fred Couples said ahead of the draw that he expected Woods would play at least three matches over the four days of the biennial matchplay showdown.
Woods has a record of .

US captain Woods picks himself to lead off Presidents Cup defence

Fears of another eruption at the New Zealand volcano believed to have killed 15 people made it too dangerous for emergency teams to recover bodies, police said Wednesday, as doctors fought to save survivors who suffered horrific burns.
The official death toll after Monday's explosion on White Island stands at six, with police listing another nine as missing, up from the previous figure of eight.
Their bodies are thought to be on the island, but it remains too hazardous for rescuers to travel there, and for forensic pathologists, odontologists and other victim identification experts to begin their work.
"Every day that passes with those bodies unrecovered is a day of anguish for their loved ones... but right now, the science tells us that the risk is just too high," Civil Defence emergency director Sarah Stuart-Black said.
Health officials said 22 survivors still being treated in hospital burns units around the country remained in a critical condition requiring airway support.
They ...

Eruption fears halt plans to get bodies off New Zealand volcano

Sri Lanka were 89 for no loss at lunch on Wednesday as Pakistan hosted its first cricket Test since a deadly 2009 attack scared off foreign teams.
Skipper Dimuth Karunaratne was unbeaten on 57 and Oshada Fernando was on 26 after Sri Lanka won the toss on a greenish Rawalpindi stadium pitch.
The match is a momentous occasion for Pakistan, and there was applause as Pakistan captain Azhar Ali tossed the coin in the air to open proceedings.
Sri Lanka have embarked on the first Test tour of Pakistan since the gun-and-rocket attack in March 2009 killed eight people and wounded visiting players and officials, plunging Pakistan into sporting isolation.
With foreign teams refusing to tour, Pakistan have since played their 'home' fixtures in the United Arab Emirates, meaning all of their current team are now playing their first Test on home soil.
However, as security has improved, Pakistan has gradually revived international cricket with limited-overs matches against Zimbabwe, World XI, the ...

Sri Lanka make steady start as Test cricket returns to Pakistan

Chinese Olympic swimming champion Sun Yang's anti-doping case, in which he is facing an eight-year ban for missing a drug test, won't be settled before mid-January because of translation problems, the Court of Arbitration for Sport said.
The Swiss-based court said "some concerns were raised" about the translation of Sun's testimony from Chinese into English at the one-day hearing on November 15.
The triple Olympic gold medal-winner, who served a doping suspension in 2014, is accused of smashing a blood vial with a hammer following a visit by testers in September last year.
"Although the organisation and the schedule of the public hearing was to the satisfaction of the arbitrators and parties' counsels, some concerns were raised with respect to the quality of the interpretation of Mr. Yang's testimony," a CAS statement said.
"The parties are currently preparing an agreed-upon written transcript of the proceedings, including a full translation of Mr. Yang's testimony, which the panel ...

Lost in translation: swimmer Sun Yang's doping case hits interpretation snag

Saudi Aramco's shares begin trading domestically on Wednesday, after the energy behemoth raised USD 25.6 billion in the world's biggest initial public offering.
Aramco has priced its IPO at 32 riyals (USD 8.53) per share, the high end of the target range, surpassing the USD 25 billion raised by Chinese retail giant Alibaba in its 2014 Wall Street debut.
The sale of 1.5 per cent of the firm, or three billion shares, is the bedrock of de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's ambitious strategy to overhaul the oil-reliant economy.
Riyadh's Tadawul stock exchange said it will hold an opening auction for Aramco shares for an hour from 9:30 (0630 GMT) followed by continuous trading, with price changes limited to plus or minus 10 percent.
The company said Friday it could exercise a "greenshoe" option, selling additional shares to bring the total raised up to USD 29.4 billion.
The market launch puts the oil behemoth's value at USD 1.7 trillion, far ahead of other firms in the ...

Saudi Aramco shares to begin trading after world's biggest IPO

Five people including three civilians were killed when jihadist militants stormed a hotel in Somalia's capital, police said Wednesday, adding that all five attackers had also died after several hours of siege.
The attack on Tuesday evening, claimed by the Islamist group al-Shabaab, took place at a hotel in Mogadishu popular with politicians, army officers and diplomats.
"Our brave security forces ended the terror attack on SYL hotel rescuing more than 80 people" including government officials and hotel guests, police said in a statement.
"The number of the dead we have confirmed is five, among them two members of the security forces and three civilians. Nine other civilians and two soldiers were also wounded slightly".
Several witnesses told AFP that the assailants were dressed in police uniform, which allowed them to approach the hotel without arousing suspicion.
They then opened fire and threw grenades, triggering an armed response from security forces guarding checkpoints leading ..

Five killed in jihadist attack on Somali hotel

Thousands were expected to rally in Sydney on Wednesday to demand urgent climate action from Australia's government, as bushfire smoke choking the city caused health problems to spike.
Smoke alarms rang out across Australia's biggest city Tuesday with thick haze from bushfires burning along the country's east coast forced buildings to be evacuated, school children to be kept indoors, and ferries to be cancelled.
Sydney has endured weeks bathed in toxic smoke as hundreds of blazes have raged across the countryside, with hospitals recording a 25 percent increase in the number of people visiting emergency departments last week.
The devastating fires have focused attention on climate change, with scientists saying the blazes have come earlier and with more intensity than usual due to global warming and a prolonged drought.
At least 5,000 people were expected at Wednesday's protest, according to organiser Chloe Rafferty, who said the bushfires and smoke haze had created anger at the ...

Australians to protest as bushfire haze sparks health concerns

A bomb exploded close to the largest US military base in Afghanistan on Wednesday, injuring at least five people and damaging a hospital that was under construction near the entrance to Bagram Airfield, officials said.
The attack -- which has not yet been claimed -- comes as Washington resumed talks with the Taliban on Saturday, three months after President Donald Trump abruptly halted diplomatic efforts that could end America's longest war.
"The explosion happened in front of the gate of the Korean hospital which is almost adjacent to Bagram airfield," Parwan governor spokeswoman Wahida Shahkar said, referring to the US airbase in eastern Parwan province.
"So far five injured civilians have been transferred to the hospital." NATO's Resolute Support mission said there were no US or coalition casualties and "Bagram remained secure throughout the attack".
"The attack was quickly contained and repelled... but the future medical facility was badly damaged," it added in a statement.
Bagram 

Blast damages hospital near Bagram airbase in Afghanistan

At least 250 journalists are jailed around the world, with the largest number held in China, amid a growing crackdown by authoritarian regimes on independent media, a press watchdog group said Wednesday.
Many of those imprisoned face "anti-state" charges or are accused of producing "false news," according to the report by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists which also cited Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Eritrea, Vietnam, and Iran for their jailing of journalists.
The press freedom watchdog said it counted at least 48 journalists jailed in China, one more than in 2018, as President Xi Jinping ramps up efforts to control the media.  That put China ahead of Turkey, which has 47 imprisoned journalists -- and the largest number over the previous three years.
The report said the situation in Turkey, which had 68 journalists jailed last year, is not really an improvement but "reflects the successful efforts by the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to stamp out ...

China biggest jailer of journalists, as press dangers persist: watchdog

Tiger Woods will combine his captain's duties with playing most likely three times during the Presidents Cup, his deputy Fred Couples revealed Wednesday.
There has been fervent speculation leading up to the biennial match play showdown between the United States and an International team led by Ernie Els about how much the US superstar might contribute with the clubs after awarding himself a captain's pick.
Couples, who captained the team in 2009, 2011 and 2013, has long championed Woods as capable of assuming the dual roles and said he anticipates he will play a big part on the course at Royal Melbourne.
"I think he'll play three times," he said. "He still wants to captain this team (but) I know he'll play three days.
"I picked him when he was like 400th in the world to come down here and play," added Couples.
"I picked him three months early and took a bunch of grief for it. He should be on every team. That's how good he is."
Woods is the first playing captain since Hale Irwin in the 

US Captain Woods likely to play three times at Presidents Cup

Former world number one Dustin Johnson has fully recovered from left knee surgery and declared Wednesday he was fit and "ready to play" a full role for the US team in this week's Presidents Cup.
Johnson has not played since the Tour Championship in August and had arthroscopic surgery to repair cartilage damage in September.
He pulled out of captain Tiger Woods' Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas last week sparking concerns for his fitness for this week's matchplay showdown against the Internationals in Melbourne.
But the big-hitting 2016 US Open champion told reporters on the eve of the opening day's action: "I'll play as many (times) as Tiger wants me to play. I wouldn't be here if I wasn't ready to play.
"I was always planning on playing. The game is in good enough form." Johnson said he had suffered no problems since the surgery, but it had just taken time to make sure he recovered fully.
"I was chipping and putting, three, four weeks after, but I didn't start hitting probably ...

Fit Johnson 'ready' for full part in Presidents Cup after surgery

Five people were killed in a jihadist attack on a hotel in Somalia's capital Mogadishu, police said Wednesday, adding that the victims were three civilians and two members of the security forces.
"Our brave security forces ended the terror attack on SYL hotel rescuing more than 80 people including government officials and civilians who stayed at the hotel when the attack occurred," the police said in a statement.
"The number of the dead we have confirmed is five, among them two members of the security forces and three civilians," it said, adding that five jihadist fighters also died in the assault claimed by the Al-Shabaab militant group.

Five killed in hotel attack in Somali capital: police

Bougainville has voted by a landslide for independence from Papua New Guinea, according to official referendum results released Wednesday, a major step toward creating the world's newest nation.
Bertie Ahern, chairman of the Bougainville Referendum Commission, said 176,928 people had voted for independence and 3,043 had backed the option of remaining in Papua New Guinea.
The result of the referendum must be ratified by Papua New Guinea's parliament -- where there is some opposition to the move -- but the scale of the victory for the pro-independence side will heap pressure on Port Moresby to recognise the result.

Bougainville voters back independence: referendum result

Qatar fully opened its new metro network on Tuesday in a major infrastructure milestone ahead of the football World Cup Doha will host in 2022.
The railway was opened just in time for the Club World Cup football tournament that kicks off Wednesday, with organisers hoping the metro will ease the burden on the wealthy Gulf emirate's choked roads.
The three lines link several stadia, residential areas, the airport and tourist zones.  "We were waiting for this," said airport handling agent Anshu, as she tested the new link between Doha's Hamad airport and the city.
"Almost everybody is taking public transport," she said of her colleagues at the airport, which had previously only been served by expensive taxis and infrequent buses.
A single journey in the metro's standard class, equipped with WiFi and USB charging points, costs two riyals (USD 0.55), while gold class, boasting plush armchairs and hardwood floors, costs 10 riyals (USD 2.75).
"For now, its mostly airport staff who are ...

Qatar hits metro milestone ahead of World Cup

Last season's runners-up Arsenal and Steven Gerrard's Rangers have their sights fixed on the Europa League knockout phase Thursday with 19 clubs competing for the final 11 places.
Interim Arsenal boss Freddie Ljungberg will look to lead the Gunners into the last 32 after Unai Emery was sacked following last month's 2-1 home loss to Eintracht Frankfurt.
Monday's 3-1 victory at West Ham ended the club's worst winless run since 1977 and Arsenal just require a point at Standard Liege in Belgium to progress from Group F.
Rangers missed out on their first major silverware in almost a decade at the weekend following an agonising 1-0 defeat by Celtic in the Scottish League Cup final.
Gerrard's side dominated large parts of the game but were unable to find a way past an inspired Fraser Forster, who saved a second-half penalty from Alfredo Morelos.
Rangers are top of Group G and will advance if they avoid a second defeat of the competition to Swiss champions Young Boys.
"We've got a huge game ..

Arsenal, Rangers chart safe passage in Europa League

Britain's political leaders were to criss-cross the country on Wednesday's final day of general election campaigning as a key poll showed the outcome could be hanging in the balance.
Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Labour main opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn were set for whistlestop tours of key battleground seats in a frantic last push for votes.
Thursday's snap general election was called in a bid to break the Brexit deadlock that has gripped Britain ever since the seismic 2016 referendum vote to leave the EU.
After struggling to lead a minority administration, Johnson is hoping to secure a majority government that will enable him to take Britain out of the European Union on January 31.
His centre-right Conservatives have been consistently ahead in the opinion polls but YouGov's final survey of the campaign predicted they were set only for a narrow majority -- with the race tightening.
The pollsters' seat projection put the Conservatives on course for a relatively ...

AFP

AFP

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