Tens of thousands have rallied across the world to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, as France unveiled new measures to combat domestic violence.
Demonstrators on Monday gathered in countries as diverse as Guatemala, Russia, Sudan and Turkey, where riot police in Istanbul blocked the path of roughly 2,000 protesters before firing tear gas and plastic bullets to disperse them.
The French government announced it would make it easier for doctors to share information on vulnerable women and write into law the concept of psychological "entrapment", following massive rallies in France over the weekend.
Roughly 87,000 women and girls were murdered across the world in 2017, according to the United Nations.
Monday's rallies - animated by growing anger over the failure of justice systems to punish offenders - follow a weekend of protests against what is being termed femicide.
Crowds marched through the streets of Moscow to highlight the government's ...

Thousands rally worldwide against abuse of women

PTI Automatic

Australian police will open a formal investigation into explosive claims by a self-styled Chinese spy who defected Down Under with an apparent trove of sensitive intelligence, an official told AFP Tuesday.
The Australian Federal Police will probe Wang Liqiang's claims -- including allegations that China tried to recruit a Melbourne businessman and get him elected to parliament.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, declined to comment further but confirmed a statement about the investigation is expected later on Tuesday.
The target, Bo "Nick" Zhao -- a 32-year-old luxury car dealer who was a member of the ruling Liberal Party -- apparently rebuffed the offer and was found dead in a motel room in March.
Wang has told Australian media he knows the identities of China's senior military intelligence officers in Hong Kong and took part in covert influence operations there, as well as in Taiwan and Australia.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison described the allegations as "deeply ...

Australian police to probe 'Chinese spy' claims

Sadio Mane has, in the words of Liverpool teammate Andy Robertson, "taken his game to another level", stepping out of Mohamed Salah's shadow to become arguably the main man at Anfield.
The Senegal international shares star billing with Salah and Roberto Firmino as part of the European champions' electrifying and fluid front three.
But this year Mane is leading Liverpool's charge -- his goal at Selhurst Park at the weekend was his 12th of the campaign and his 29th for the club in the calendar year.
Mane frightens defences with his pace, direct running and skill and his goal return has eased the burden on the shoulders of Salah.
Liverpool defender Robertson praised Mane after his goal in the 2-1 victory against Crystal Palace, which kept Liverpool eight points clear of second-placed Leicester in the Premier League.
On Wednesday he will train his sights on Napoli in the Champions League, with a win guaranteeing Liverpool top spot in the group.
"He has been fantastic," said Robertson. ...

Mane the main man as Liverpool close on Champions League knockouts

Borussia Dortmund hope goal-scoring defender Achraf Hakimi will again be their Champions League "weapon" to shoot down Barcelona on Wednesday and relieve pressure on under-fire coach Lucien Favre.
With two group games left, a last 16 place is still firmly in the hands of the Germans, who sit a point behind pool leaders Barcelona, thanks to Hakimi's two goals in a stunning 3-2 home win over Inter Milan three weeks ago.
However, dreadful Bundesliga results in the meantime leave Favre needing a good performance in Barcelona to safeguard his job, putting the onus on Madrid-born Hakimi and his team-mates to turn things around at Barcelona's Camp Nou.
Hakimi, who joined on loan from Real Madrid in July 2018, has been a regular starter under Favre at Dortmund. He has scored nine goals and set up 10 more in 47 matches as either a full-back on either flank or even up front as a winger.
He has scored four of Dortmund's five Champions League goals, dazzling by scoring twice out of position on ...

Achraf Hakimi: Dortmund's goal-scoring 'weapon' for under-fire Favre

Napoli head for Liverpool on Wednesday for a Champions League which could prove crucial to coach Carlo Ancelotti's future at the troubled Italian club.
The three-time Champions League winning coach's second season at the Stadio San Paolo has proved to be a complicated one, after leading them to second in Serie A in his first year.
His team's fortunes have waned after the high of opening their Champions League campaign with a 2-0 win over reigning European champions Liverpool, with dressing room unrest amid friction between the players and club management.
Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis ordered the team to be confined to a week-long training camp earlier this month after a 2-1 league defeat to rivals Roma saw them slip to seventh in Serie A.
But as Ancelotti voiced his disagreement with the lockdown, the players all returned home after a 1-1 draw against Salzburg three days later, which stalled their bid to reach the Champions League last 16.
"The relationship between the ...

Ancelotti's future in spotlight as troubled Napoli visit Liverpool

Barcelona fielded their fabulous four against Leganes on Saturday for the first time this season but it was only after Antoine Griezmann went off that his replacement scored the winner.
Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Ousmane Dembele and Griezmann all started but Giezmann departed in the 57th minute before Arturo Vidal poked home in the 79th, fortuitously placed as Messi's cross cannoned into his path.
When Barca signed Griezmann last summer for 120 million euros from Atletico Madrid, many wondered where the Frenchman would fit into their stacked front line, which would have swelled further had Paris Saint-Germain come to terms over a deal for Neymar.
Gerard Pique has said key players were even prepared to alter their contracts to facilitate Neymar's arrival and while Messi has dismissed talk of a rift with Griezmann, doubts persist.
"For me, he's a player that has just arrived - and at a club like Barca, who play a little differently from other clubs," said Clement Lenglet last month.
"He 

Griezmann struggles symptomatic of a Barcelona lacking creativity

A key World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) panel has recommended Russia be barred from all sporting competition for four years after accusing Moscow of falsifying laboratory data handed over to investigators, the global anti-doping watchdog said on Monday.
In a bombshell statement, WADA's Compliance Review Committee (CRC) called for the sanctions, which would see Russia banned from next year's Tokyo Olympics, to be approved at a meeting in Paris on December 9.
The WADA committee has also recommended Russia be barred from staging or bidding for major international sporting events for a four-year period -- potentially placing Saint Petersburg's status as one of the venues for the Euro 2020 football tournament in jeopardy.
If the sanctions are approved by WADA's Executive Committee, Russia can appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The proposed punishments followed what WADA investigators described as "an extremely serious" case of non-compliance "with several aggravating .

WADA seeks four-year Russia ban over false doping data

Chinese state media on Tuesday sought to downplay and discredit the results of Hong Kong elections that delivered a stunning victory for pro-democracy candidates and a stinging rebuke to the pro-Beijing establishment.
Local elections in the semi-autonomous city revealed broad public support for a protest movement that has stirred months of violence, as candidates seeking to loosen control by China seized an overwhelming majority of the 452 elected seats.
But the election winners were not mentioned in Chinese-language state media on Tuesday, including official broadcaster CCTV and Communist Party mouthpiece the People's Daily.
The People's Daily said "social unrest... has seriously disrupted the electoral process."
An editorial in the English-language version of China Daily said the poll was "skewed by intimidation" and "dirty tricks".
The editorial said "violent intimidation tactics were intended to reduce the exposure and visibility of pro-establishment candidates".
"External forces .

Chinese state media say Hong Kong elections 'skewed'

Hong Kong's deeply unpopular leader Carrie Lam acknowledged Tuesday that a weekend poll result revealed public dissatisfaction with her government, but she offered no new concessions to the city's pro-democracy movement.
The district council elections on Sunday laid bare concern over "deficiencies in the government, including unhappiness with the time taken to deal with the current unstable environment and of course to end violence", Lam acknowledged at a weekly press briefing.
The city's chief executive pledged that her government would "seriously reflect" on the result of the community-level elections in which her pro-Beijing establishment took a severe drubbing, and would "improve governance".
In a rout that stunned the semi-autonomous territory, candidates seeking to loosen control by China seized an overwhelming majority of the 452 elected seats in the city's 18 district councils, bodies that have historically been firmly in the grip of a Beijing-aligned establishment.
The ...

Hong Kong leader admits voter 'unhappiness', offers no concessions

Hong Kong's deeply unpopular leader Carrie Lam acknowledged Tuesday that a crushing defeat for the city's pro-Beijing establishment in weekend polls revealed public discontent over her government's handling of months of political unrest.
The elections showed concern over "deficiencies in the government, including unhappiness with the time taken to deal with the current unstable environment and of course to end violence", Lam said at a weekly press briefing.

Hong Kong leader admits vote revealed 'unhappiness' with govt

Shares in Chinese online retail giant Alibaba soared more than six per cent on their Hong Kong debut Tuesday, after raising at least USD 11 billion in the city's biggest IPO in nearly a decade.
Alibaba, which already is listed in the United States, had set the price for each share at HK$176, but the stock jumped 6.25 per cent to HK$187 as it began trading on the Hong Kong exchange.
The company called the listing a vote of confidence in the city which has been wracked by months of sometimes violent protests and the China-US trade war, which have sent the local economy into recession.
Asia's most valuable company has said previously it could raise almost $13 billion via the initial public offering, which was originally planned for the summer but was pushed back due to the headwinds hitting the city.
Alibaba's list price came in below an HK$188 indicative ceiling originally announced.  With 500 million shares offered to investors, the company has said it would raise HK$88 billion ($11 ...

Alibaba shares surge more than 6% on Hong Kong debut

"So this is Conan -- right now, probably the world's most famous dog." In a stream of superlatives, Donald Trump introduced to the world the military dog involved in the raid that led to the death of Islamic State group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
"Conan did a fantastic job," the US president told the White House press corps, assembled for a brief, unannounced ceremony with the Belgian Malinois and its handler on Monday.
"So brilliant, so smart," said Trump, joined for the event by First Lady Melania Trump and Vice President Mike Pence who lavished fulsome praise of his own on the four-legged "hero."
"The dog is incredible," Trump continued. "Conan is a tough cookie. And nobody is going to mess with Conan."
According to the US account of the raid on Baghdadi last month, Conan cornered the jihadist leader in a dead-end tunnel in his Syrian hideout, where Baghdadi detonated a suicide vest, killing himself and two children.
Conan was injured by the electric cables exposed in the ...

Trump presents Conan the dog, 'incredible' hero of Baghdadi raid

Good with cats: a stray dog found on the side of a road on a cold Canadian night keeping a litter of kittens warm needs a home.
The two-year-old female mongrel, named Serenity by animal rescue officials, was discovered in a ditch on the side of a rural road near Chatham, Ontario a week ago.
It was -3 degrees Celsius and dark outside, and the dog was covered in a dusting of snow.
When the passerby stopped to help the dog, she was surprised to find five tiny black kittens "snuggling with her," Myriam Armstrong, a spokeswoman for the Pet and Wildlife Rescue, told AFP.
The unlikely companions were brought to the agency for care -- and their heartfelt story of survival and cross-species nurturing has been widely shared on social media.
More than 30 people from across the continent have asked about adopting them.
"The kittens wouldn't have survived the cold Canadian winter without this dog's help," Armstrong said.
It's not clear how or what brought the dog and the now five-week old kittens .

Stray dog saves abandoned kittens from cold Canada winter

At least four protesters were killed in eastern DR Congo, the military said, after angry clashes erupted over the perceived failure of UN peacekeepers to stop deadly militia attacks.
Crowds defied warning shots fired by Congolese forces and stormed a UN camp, which had apparently been evacuated, after rioting broke out in the eastern town of Beni on Monday.
The violence was prompted by the killing overnight of eight people in Beni, the latest attack blamed on the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) militia, which has plagued the area for years despite a large UN peacekeeping presence.
Dozens of protesters broke into the UN camp and set fire to parts of it after a crowd of several hundred had also set fire to the Beni town hall, partly damaging it.
"There were four deaths during the day," military prosecutor Kumbu Ngoma told AFP. "Ten civilians were wounded and three Congolese military were also hurt." Investigators were still determining the origin of the gunfire, the prosecutor said.
The .

Four dead in anti-UN protests in eastern DR Congo

Saudi Arabia has detained at least nine academics, writers and activists, campaigners said, the latest in a series of crackdowns on intellectuals over the past two years.
The detention of liberals  in the midst of a much-hyped liberalisation drive  underscores what observers call increasing repression and authoritarianism under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's de facto rule as he consolidates his grip on power.
In a sweeping crackdown that began on November 16, authorities raided the homes of nine journalists, bloggers and activists across multiple cities  including Riyadh, Jeddah and Hail  and seized their laptops and mobiles, rights group ALQST said.
"Saudi authorities have carried out a new wave of arrests of journalists and activists, women and men, over the past few days, in a continuation of their previous crackdowns on civil society," ALQST said in a statement on Monday.
"At the same time, the authorities have stepped up their harassment of existing prisoners of conscience by 

Saudi detains nine academics, writers in new crackdown

DR Congo and UN peacekeepers will launch "joint operations" to beef up security in an eastern town where massacres by a shadowy armed group sparked angry protests by local people, the presidential office said Monday.
Demonstrators stormed a United Nations peacekeepers' camp near the DR Congo town of Beni, incensed by failures to curb a notorious group that killed eight civilians overnight, an AFP reporter said.
Defying warning shorts fired by Congolese security forces, protesters broke into the camp, which had apparently been evacuated, and set fire to an office, an AFP reporter saw.
They were among an angry crowd several hundred strong that had headed to two camps after setting fire to Beni town hall, partially damaging it.
Army spokesman Colonel Mak Hazukai confirmed that the town had been attacked by armed men overnight, telling AFP that "the enemy entered the Boikene quarter and killed eight civilians".
The killing has been blamed on the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) militia, a ..

DR Congo, UN announce 'joint operations' after Beni violence

The US defense secretary Monday defended the decision to sack his navy secretary, saying he went behind his back to make a deal with the White House over a convicted Navy SEAL's future.
Mark Esper told reporters Richard Spencer, the Navy's top civilian, admitted he had gone around Esper and Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley.
Esper and Milley were holding their own discussions with President Donald Trump last week about the SEAL's case, which caused a rare public split between the Pentagon leadership and the US commander in chief over military justice.
"We were completely caught off guard by this information, and realised that it undermined everything we have been discussing with the president," Esper said of Spencer's secret talks.
"We have a chain of command that should be followed and that chain of command must be kept informed," he said.
"Secretary Spencer broke these rules and thus lost my trust and confidence."
Spencer was fired on Sunday amid a dispute over whether Edward ...

Ousted Navy secretary made secret deal with Trump: Pentagon chief

A former advisor to President Donald Trump who admitted lying to federal investigators about his contacts with Russians announced Monday he is running for a US Congress seat in California.
"I'm running for the 25th congressional district," George Papadopoulos told Fox News.
"I'm here to promote the America-first agenda, and to enact legislation that has real-life consequences for the American people."
The seat, in the suburbs of Los Angeles, was vacated this month by Democrat Katie Hill, who resigned amid lurid revelations about her private life and the publication of nude photos without her consent.
A special election will be held in May.
Papadopoulos, 32, was a member of Trump's foreign policy advisory panel when he ran for president in 2016.
He was catapulted from obscurity when he pleaded guilty in October 2017 to lying to the FBI about contacts with a professor who promised to connect him to senior Russian officials.
Papadopoulos pursued a back channel that led him to contact ...

Convicted ex-advisor to Trump launches US Congress bid

Two French citizens were shot dead in Port-au-Prince at the weekend shortly after flying into the Haitian capital to adopt a child, diplomatic and other sources told AFP Monday.
An official at the French embassy confirmed that a French couple had been killed, without giving further details of the exact circumstances of their deaths.
According to two other sources, however, the couple were from the Ardeche region of southeastern France and had arrived in the Caribbean country to adopt a child.
One of the sources said they were killed in an armed robbery that turned deadly.
A spokeswoman for the Ardeche department confirmed to AFP that the couple, from the town of Saint-Martin-d'Ardeche, had been given a green light last year to adopt their first child.
Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, has been roiled for two months by protests, which were triggered by fuel shortages but have turned violent and morphed into a broader campaign against President Jovenel Moise.
According to UN ..

French couple shot dead in Haiti while seeking adoption, officials say

At least 146 demonstrators were killed across Iran since leaders ordered security forces to stamp out protests that followed fuel price rises on November 15, Amnesty International said Monday.
"According to credible reports... those killed include at least 143 people," said the London-based rights group.
"The deaths have resulted almost entirely from the use of firearms."
It said one person reportedly died after inhaling tear gas, another after being beaten.
Amnesty "believes that the death toll is significantly higher" and was still investigating, it said.
Amnesty, which last week gave a death toll of more than 100, called for the international community to condemn the bloodshed.
"The international community's cautious and muted response to the unlawful killing of protesters is woefully inadequate," said Philip Luther, Amnesty's research and advocacy head for the Middle East.
"They must condemn these killings in the strongest possible terms and describe these events for what they are 

At least 143 killed in Iran protests: Amnesty

Tim Southee led a New Zealand comeback with a triple strike, which included denying Ben Stokes a century, as England lost four wickets in the morning session on day two of the opening Test on Friday.
After resuming the day at 241 for four, England were 329 for eight at lunch in Mount Maunganui.
With the Bay Oval wicket starting to assist the bowlers, Southee was sitting on a hat-trick at one stage as New Zealand ripped through the middle order with the four wickets taken in 20 deliveries.
Stokes and overnight partner Ollie Pope had started the day confidently with Stokes progressing from his overnight 67 to 91, toying with the New Zealand attack as he constantly adjusted his stance and moved around on the crease to keep the bowlers from finding a regular line.
But as he entered the nineties, Stokes' attempt to charge at Southee was edged to Ross Taylor who took a stunning one-handed catch diving to his right.
The star England all-rounder had added 24 to his total since he was dropped .

AFP

AFP

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