Human Rights Watch warned European countries on Tuesday against transferring foreign jihadist suspects from prisons in war-torn northeastern Syria to Iraq.
The New York-based watchdog expressed concern that some countries with significant contingents of prisoners in Syria were seeking to move them across the border.
A Turkish invasion of areas controlled by Kurdish forces has sparked deep concern in Europe about the potential for mass breakouts by members of the Islamic State group.
Many European governments have been reluctant to repatriate these prisoners to stand trial and have already transferred some to Iraq to be prosecuted.
"Given Iraq's record of unfair trials, European states should not promote efforts to have their nationals transferred there for prosecution," HRW's Iraq researcher Belkis Wille said.
Any government supporting such a move "without taking measures to remove the risk of torture, sham trials and execution risks contributing to serious abuses," she said.
Wille ...

HRW warns against mass transfer of IS suspects to Iraq

PTI Automatic

Syria's Kurds put up stiff resistance Tuesday around an ethnically divided  border town that is a key goal of Ankara's nearly week-old invasion, a war monitor reported.
The Syrian Democratic Forces, the de-facto army of the Kurdish administration in northeast Syria, "launched a major counterattack overnight against Turkish forces and their Syrian proxies near Ras al-Ain," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The Britain-based monitor said "fortifications, tunnel networks and a continuous supply of reinforcements" had enabled the SDF to hold off Turkish efforts to take the town.
An AFP correspondent in the area said clashes continued on Tuesday, despite repeated claims by Ankara in recent days that it had captured the area.
The Turkish invasion has already killed 70 civilians and 135 SDF fighters since its launch on October 9, according to the Observatory.  The monitor has put the number of pro-Turkish Syrian fighters killed at 120.
The United Nations says 160,000 people have .

Syria Kurds keep Turkey at bay in border town: monitor

Cricket Australia said Tuesday it would top up the prize money for the Aussie women's team for the T20 World Cup next year to ensure parity with the men's winnings.
The International Cricket Council on Monday announced a 320 percent boost in prize money for 2020 women's competition, with the winners taking home $1 million and the runners up $500,000.
Cricket Australia will kick in an extra share to match the equivalent prize money for the men's tournament wherever the women place, up to an additional $600,000 for a win in the finals.
"We want to continue our commitment to equality by ensuring that any prize money earned by the Australian Women's team in the T20 World Cup is the same as what is on offer in the men's side of the tournament," Cricket Australia boss Kevin Roberts said in a statement.
"While there is no doubt we are starting to see financial progress for our talented cricketers, we still have a way to go and CA will continue to play a role in driving equality for our ...

Cricket prize money parity for Aussie women's T20 team

Russia's opposition said on Tuesday that investigators had launched raids on its offices across the country, in the latest move to put pressure on government critics.
"They started at 6:00 am and are taking place in at least 30 addresses," opposition leader Alexei Navalny said on Twitter, less than a week after authorities declared his Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) a "foreign agent".
"The 'law enforcement system of Russia' is using all of its efforts to protect corrupt officials and bribe takers.

Russia opposition says investigators raiding offices across country

Switzerland's glaciers have lost a tenth of their volume in the past five years alone -- a melting rate unmatched during observations stretching back more than a century, a study showed Tuesday.
Measurements on 20 Swiss glaciers have shown that melt rates this year have reached "record levels", according to the annual study on the state of the glaciers, published by the Cryospheric Commission at the Swiss Academy of Sciences.
The study, released amid growing global alarm over climate change, found that intense heatwaves over the summer in Switzerland had dashed hopes that an exceptionally snow-filled winter would limit the glacier melt this year.
The commission said that in April and May, snow cover on the glaciers was between 20 and 40 percent higher than usual, with depths of up to six metres measured in some places as late as June.
But during two weeks of intense heat at the end of June and again in late July, "the volume of snow and ice melting on Swiss glaciers ... was equivalent 

Swiss glaciers shrink 10 per cent in five years: study

A feisty four-metre (13-foot) king cobra was pulled from a sewer in southern Thailand in an hour-long operation, a rescue foundation said Tuesday, describing the reptile as one of the largest they had ever captured.
Footage of the daring capture showed a man chasing the cobra -- the world's longest venomous snake -- into a dark and cramped drainage pipe.
The cobra splashed around in water and tried to slither back into the pipe, but was pulled out by the tail after multiple attempts.
A security guard on the housing estate where it was found first alerted the rescue group on Sunday.
"Seven rescue workers, including me, went there," said Kritkamon Kanghae, 26, adding that the estate was built on a plot that was once jungle.
Kritkamon said the snake was more than four metres long, weighed 15 kilos (33 pounds), and was the third-largest they had found.
It was later released into the wild.
Thailand is teeming with reptiles, and several species of cobra are native to the southeast Asian ...

Four-metre king cobra wrestled from sewer in Thailand

EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said Tuesday that a deal with London could be reached this week, but warned that more tough talks were still needed.
"Even if the agreement will be difficult -- more and more difficult to be frank -- it's still possible this week," Barnier said as he arrived  to update EU countries on ongoing talks with the British side.

Brexit deal 'possible this week': EU's Barnier

An arrest warrant has been issued for former Papua New Guinea prime minister Peter O'Neill on charges of corruption, authorities announced Tuesday.
The country's acting police commissioner David Manning said a district court had issued the warrant on Friday for the former leader, who was forced out of office in May after eight years in power.
Manning added that O'Neill had been found at Port Moresby's luxurious Crowne Plaza Hotel but had so far refused to go to the police station, and that he could not "reveal any specific details" about the charges "due to the sensitivity of the investigations".
In a statement, O'Neill described the charges as a "political move" with "false and fabricated" charges and claimed he was "not informed or presented with a warrant to appear anywhere today".
"If this was a serious matter, not a political power play, a formal process would be in place that would have seen legal representation made to my office." He warned any police officer trying to execute .

Arrest warrant issued for Papua New Guinea ex-PM

Mozambique began voting in a general election on Tuesday that some fear could test the country's fragile peace, after a heated campaign marred by violence and allegations of electoral fraud.
The Frelimo party, which has ruled the impoverished southern African nation since independence from Portugal in 1975, is widely expected to again beat its arch-rival Renamo, a former rebel group turned main opposition party.
President Filipe Nyusi, who cast his ballot as polls opened at 7:00 am (0500 GMT), called on voters to show "the world we stand for democracy and tolerance".
"Mozambique has chosen to move forward peacefully," he said, adding that more than more than 4,000 observers had been deployed in the most-watched election in the country's history.
"Let's continue this process in a serene way. Peace means that everything must be done according to the rules." Nyusi, 60, is forecast to win a second five-year term despite his popularity taking a hit from chronic unrest and a financial ...

Mozambique votes in tense election after violent campaign

At least three people were hurt in a clash between asylum-seekers in a town on the Greek island of Samos, police sources said Tuesday.
They said the violence, apparently between groups of Syrians and Afghans, erupted in the town of Vathy late on Monday.
A fire later broke out outside the camp that authorities managed to place under control early on Tuesday morning.
"Half of the 6,000 people who are stuck in Vathy camp on Samos are women and children," medical charity MSF said in a tweet.
"This nightmare must end! Children and other vulnerable people must be evacuated from the Greek islands to safe accommodation."
There are over 32,000 migrants and refugees in camps on Aegean islands near Turkey, most of them vastly overcrowded, unhygienic and violence-prone.
In September, a woman died and over a dozen people were injured in the camp of Moria on the island of Lesbos, the country's most overpopulated migrant facility.
There are over 13,000 people in Moria for under 3,000 places. Many ...

Three hurt as asylum-seekers clash on Greek island

The White House's alleged effort to pressure Ukraine so alarmed former national security advisor John Bolton that he alerted a lawyer, his former aide said on Monday, according to US media.
Bolton also warned that President Donald Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, who has emerged as the point man in the president's alleged drive to pressure Ukraine to dig up dirt on Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden, is "a hand grenade who's going to blow everyone up," his aide Fiona Hill told lawmakers, according to the New York Times.
The remark, which was also reported by NBC News, came after Trump's former top Russia advisor Hill sat for an hours-long closed door deposition before US lawmakers probing whether to impeach the president.
AFP could not independently verify the report.
Following a "sharp exchange" with US ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, who was working with Giuliani on the pressure campaign, Bolton instructed Hill to notify a National Security Council ..

Bolton warned lawyers over 'hand grenade' Giuliani: report

Phil Simmons has returned to take charge of the West Indies three years after being dismissed in controversial circumstances, Cricket West Indies has announced.
In a statement CWI said on Monday that Simmons would be head coach for the next four years. He led the Windies to the 2016 Twenty20 World Cup before being booted out amid tensions with his paymasters.
"Bringing Phil Simmons back is not just righting a past wrong, but I am confident that CWI has chosen the right man for the job at the right time," said CWI president Ricky Skerritt.
Former West Indies all-rounder Simmons, 56, was sacked in September 2016 for "differences in culture and strategic approach" between with the cricket hierarchy despite their remarkable T20 World Cup triumph, won in the last over of a dramatic final against England when Carlos Brathwaite hitting four consecutive sixes.
Simmons' success in the T20 arena however was not mirrored in Test cricket. During his reign the West Indies won only one of 14 ...

Simmons reappointed West Indies coach three years after being axed

South Africa's embattled former president Jacob Zuma is expected in court on corruption charges on Tuesday, in what would be the first time he faces trial for graft despite multiple accusations.
Zuma stands accused of taking kickbacks before he became president from a 51-billion-rand (USD 3.4-billion) purchase of fighter jets, patrol boats and military equipment manufactured by five European firms, including French defence company Thales.
The ruling African National Congress (ANC) party forced him to resign as president last year after a nine-year reign marred by corruption allegations and diminishing popularity.
After several attempts to dodge the trial, he will appear before a High Court in the southern eastern city of Pietermaritzburg on Tuesday for the opening of the case in which he allegedly profited four million rand (USD 270,000).
However his appearance could be brief -- a court official has predicted that at the start of the process he would likely appeal last week's ruling ..

South Africa ex-president Zuma faces court on corruption charges

Atletico Madrid forward Toni Duggan says England's players are still behind Phil Neville as coach and has warned against complacency and the need to improve standards in the women's game.
In an exclusive interview with AFP, Duggan also talked about her burgeoning friendship with Kieran Trippier and the upcoming reunion with Manchester City on Wednesday in the last 16 of the women's Champions League.
Duggan and Barcelona lost to all-conquering Lyon in the final in May and the 28-year-old admits she would still be hurting had she not left the Catalans for a fresh start at Atletico in the summer.
Yet in between there was further heartache at the World Cup, where England were beaten in the semi-finals by eventual winners the United States and Neville has come under scrutiny since, during a run of one victory in six games.
"It's been a lot to take in after the World Cup, maybe this is a transition period," Duggan tells AFP from the training ground of Atletico Madrid's women's team in ...

'I believe in Neville, he has a plan for England' - Duggan

Ukraine booked their place in Euro 2020 after squeezing past Portugal as Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 700th career goal on a night stained by Bulgaria fans racially abusing England players while their side were hit for six in Sofia.
Andriy Shevchenko's unbeaten team are through to next summer's finals with a match to spare as Group B winners thanks to first-half goals from Roman Yaremchuk and Andriy Yarmolenko, which meant that Ronaldo's 72nd-minute penalty wasn't enough for Portugal.
Ukraine join Poland, Russia, Italy and Belgium in the multi-host tournament which kicks off in Rome on June 12, with Shevchenko -- who scored 48 times for Ukraine in 111 matches -- proving a similar success on the bench as he was on the pitch.
Second-placed Portugal's fate is still in the balance, with Serbia just a point behind them with two matches remaining after they beat Lithuania 2-1.
Portugal dominated the second half and pulled one back when Ronaldo blasted home the spot-kick to make it 700 goals 

Ukraine reach Euro 2020 as racism blights England win in Bulgaria

England manager Gareth Southgate said his side made a statement by deciding to complete a 6-0 Euro 2020 qualifying win over Bulgaria after the match was twice halted by racist chanting.
The visitors led 2-0 through early goals from Marcus Rashford and Ross Barkley when play was first stopped and an announcement made to supporters that the game could be suspended if offensive chanting continued.
Once restarted, England quickly made it 3-0 through Barkley before a second stoppage as Croatian referee Ivan Bebek held discussions with players and coaching staff from both sides.
Raheem Sterling then netted twice either side of half-time before Harry Kane rounded off the scoring to take England to the brink of qualification.
"We know it is an unacceptable situation," Southgate told British broadcaster ITV.
"I think we've managed to make two statements really by winning the game, but also we have raised the awareness of everybody to the situation.
"The game was stopped twice and I know for ...

Racist abuse twice halts England's 6-0 victory in Bulgaria

Ireland captain Gary Wilson wants his side to ensure they finish "right at the top again" in the upcoming 2020 T20 World Cup qualifying tournament, but Nigeria and Jersey are among those chasing a "dream" appearance on the global stage.
Scotland are the highest-ranked team in the competition, with 14 nations vying for six places in the opening round of next year's World T20 in Australia, where they would join Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in attempting to reach the 'Super 12s'.
Ireland are the only Test team having to go through qualifying, which starts on Friday in the United Arab Emirates, and will be expected to book a sixth straight appearance in the tournament.
"We are here to compete at the world stage," said Irish skipper Wilson. "We have a great record in the Middle East and the boys are looking forward to a great tournament and ensure we finish right at the top again."
The winners of each group of seven will qualify automatically, with the four remaining spots to be decided in ...

Ireland, Scotland attempting to deny minnows 'dream' World T20 qualification

France drew 1-1 with Turkey in Euro 2020 qualifying on Monday in a match played against a backdrop of diplomatic and security tensions after Paris condemned Ankara for its military offensive against Kurdish forces in Syria.
Substitute Olivier Giroud headed in from a corner to put France ahead on 76 minutes at the Stade de France but Kaan Ayhan nodded in an equaliser six minutes later -- a goal celebrated by a military salute in front of the Turkish supporters.
Turkey remain top of Group H above the world champions on the head-to-head rule, although France can qualify for the finals with a win at home to Moldova next month.
Turkey would clinch their place by avoiding defeat against third-placed Iceland, who are four points back after beating Andorra 2-0.
"They scored a goal from a set-piece in the first match. We could have avoided it," said France coach Didier Deschamps, whose side were beaten 2-0 by Turkey in Konya in June.
"We did what we needed to win the match based on the play ...

Ayhan equaliser forces France to wait for Euro 2020 spot

Australian captain Tim Paine has addressed speculation over whether Steve Smith will again lead the team once a ban ends in March, saying he would be fully supportive if it happens "one day".
Smith skippered the team until he was suspended for 12 months over a brazen attempt under his watch to alter the ball with sandpaper in Cape Town last year.
Part of his punishment included a further year-long exile from any leadership role.  Calls have grown for Smith to take over from Paine when the ban is lifted, following batting performances that helped Australia retain the Ashes against England.
Paine, who will turn 35 in December, on Monday brushed off questions surrounding the Australian side's future leadership.
"I'm enjoying having the job at the moment... and I certainly hope Steve Smith does captain Australia again one day, and if he does, I'll be fully supportive of it," he told the Daily Telegraph.
Paine will not play in this summer's Big Bash League, instead joining broadcaster ...

Aussie skipper Paine backs Smith's return to captaincy

Nearly 70 people have been killed in Japan by Typhoon Hagibis, national broadcaster NHK said Monday, as the search for survivors continued for a third day.
The broadcaster said 15 people were still missing after the deadly storm, which slammed into Tokyo and surrounding areas Saturday night as one of the most powerful typhoons to hit the area in decades.

Toll in Japan from Typhoon Hagibis nears 70: NHK

Police in northern Nigeria said on Monday they rescued over 300 young men from an Islamic boarding school where they were chained and sexually abused, the second such operation in a  month.
A police team raided the school in Daura in Katsina state after some students escaped from their hostel on Sunday and poured into the streets in protest.
Katsina police chief Sanusi Buba told reporters in Daura that the young men were chained and tortured.
"We learnt that the inmates here are over 300 and because of the inhuman treatments they are being subjected to they revolted yesterday (Sunday)," he said.
"Some of the inmates escaped while...about 60 of them stayed back," he said, with most of them found in chains.
Buba said the school was established by 78-year-old Muslim cleric, Bello Mai Almajirai, 40 years ago. He later transferred management of the school to his son.
He said the school enrolled students brought by their families to learn the Koran and be treated for drug adduction and ...

AFP

AFP

Page 356 - Afp/pti