German industrial giant ThyssenKrupp said Thursday it has filed a complaint at an EU court against the European Commission for blocking its plan to merge with Indian group Tata Steel.
"We regret the European Commission's decision and regard it as too far-reaching and wrong. That is why we are filing a complaint," said Donatus Kaufmann, member of ThyssenKrupp's board.
The European Union's powerful anti-trust authority had in June vetoed the deal, finding that it would have "reduced competition and increased prices for different types of steel".
It also found that proposed solutions would not adequately mitigate the problem.  But ThyssenKrupp has now turned to the General Court of the European Union, as it argued that the Commission has "set out a restrictive market definition that unduly extends the scope of the existing competition law".
The German company also claimed the European Commission had failed to take into "adequate account the structural importance of imports into ...

ThyssenKrupp files suit over EU veto of Tata tie-up

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South Korea said Thursday it will terminate its military intelligence-sharing pact with Japan amid intensifying trade and diplomatic disputes with Tokyo.
The decision comes as Seoul and Tokyo are locked in a tit-for-tat trade and diplomatic dispute following a series of South Korean court rulings against Japanese firms, requiring them to pay for forced labour during World War II.
Japan had removed South Korea from a so-called white list of countries that receive preferential export treatments earlier this month "without presenting clear justifications", said Kim You-geun, a national security official at the presidential Blue House in Seoul.
He said Tokyo had done so citing security concerns and a loss of trust with South Korea, and that caused "significant change" in the nature of defence cooperation.
"In such a situation, we have determined it is not in the national interest to maintain the agreement that was signed for the purpose of exchanging sensitive military intelligence," he ..

S Korea says to scrap military intel sharing pact with Japan

Rain delayed the scheduled 10:30 am (0930 GMT) toss in the third Ashes Test between England and Australia at Headingley on Thursday.
Light rain from grey skies saw both the pitch and square remain covered for what was the first Ashes Test at Yorkshire's headquarters for a decade.
Australia lead the five-match series 1-0 after they held out for a draw in the second Test at Lord's following their 251-run win in the first Test at Edgbaston.
With star batsman Steve Smith ruled out with a concussion suffered when hit on the neck by a 92 mph Jofra Archer bouncer at Lord's, Marnus Labuschagne -- cricket's inaugural concussion substitute when replacing Smith at Lord's -- came into the side.
Smith was a huge loss to Australia having made scores of 144, 142 and 92 already this series.
Meanwhile Australia media reports suggested both opener Cameron Bancroft, who has made just 34 runs in four innings this series and paceman Peter Siddle could be replaced by Marcus Harris and James Pattinson ...

Rain delays third Ashes Test toss

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will host his Russian and Iranian counterparts for a summit on Syria in Ankara on September 16, the presidential spokesman said.
Despite being on opposing sides in the Syrian conflict, Syria regime backers Iran and Russia have worked closely with rebel supporter Turkey to find a political solution.
"The president will host a three-way summit with the participation of Russia and Iran in Ankara," spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said late Wednesday.
The announcement of the meeting between President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Erdogan comes at a time when Syrian forces have made advances into the last rebel stronghold of Idlib in Syria's northwest.
The region, which has been under heavy bombardment since April, was supposed to be protected by a buffer zone deal signed between Turkey and Russia last year.
The leaders will discuss Idlib, as well as the establishment of a constitution commission and how the political process should ...

Turkey to host Syria summit with Russia, Iran on September 16

Sudan's new prime minister, Abdalla Hamdok, is a seasoned economist who faces the daunting task of rescuing his country's moribund economy.
Hamdok built a career in international continental and international organisations, most recently as deputy executive secretary of the UN's Economic Commission for Africa in Addis Ababa.
He was welcomed off the plane Wednesday by two civilian members of the new Sovereign Council that was sworn in hours earlier and will oversee his government's work.
The joint civilian-military council replaced the transitional military council that took charge in April when Islamist general Omar al-Bashir was forced from power by relentless street protests.
The Sudanese people's main expectation of Hamdok will be tangible solutions to the dire economic crisis Bashir's rule and the last few months of political turmoil have caused.
"With the right vision, with the right policies, we will be able to address this economic crisis," he told reporters after taking the ...

Hamdok, UN economist turned Sudanese premier

Beijing on Thursday accused Ottawa of worsening bilateral relations after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau vowed to stand up to China amid deepening diplomatic and trade disputes.
The two countries have been locked in a feud since last December, when Canada detained top Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou and -- in apparent retaliation -- China detained two Canadian nationals over espionage-linked accusations.
On Wednesday, Trudeau pushed back against Beijing in a speech that promised to "always defend Canadians and Canadian interests" and to not "back down".
"At present, China-Canadian relations are facing serious difficulties," said Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang.
"The responsibility lies entirely on the Canadian side," he told reporters at a press briefing in Beijing.
"We urge the Canadian side to reflect on its mistakes," Geng said, adding that Canada should "immediately" release Meng.
He also called on Canada to refrain from making "irresponsible remarks" about ...

Beijing hits back after Trudeau vows to stand up to China

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson heads to Paris on Thursday for talks with French President Emmanuel Macron who is expected to rebuff his last-ditch efforts to renegotiate the UK's withdrawal from the European Union.
Macron, who has said previously he is happy to be the "bad guy" on Brexit, roundly rejected Johnson's calls to scrap a key plank of a deal negotiated between the EU and former British premier Theresa May.
"Renegotiation on the terms currently proposed by the British is not an option that exists, and that has always been made clear by (EU) President Tusk," Macron told reporters on Wednesday evening.
At stake is the so-called "backstop", an arrangement guaranteeing that border checks will not return between EU member Ireland and Northern Ireland which is part of Britain.
Johnson considers the backstop to be "anti-democratic" and an affront to British sovereignty because it will require London to keep its regulations aligned with the EU during a transition exit ...

Macron expected to rebuff Johnson during Brexit talks in Paris

Kosovo MPs voted on Thursday to dissolve parliament and trigger early elections, a shake-up that will add new delays to the deadlocked dialogue with former foe Serbia.
The vote comes after outgoing premier Ramush Haradinaj, a former commander of ethnic Albanian rebels who battled Serbia in the late 1990s, stepped down in July after he was summoned to a special court in The Hague, which is investigating crimes from that era.
Since his resignation, parties have agitated for a snap poll, with some already kicking off unofficial campaigning and talking about possible alliances.
"The parliament decided to dissolve the sixth legislature of the assembly," speaker Kadri Veseli said after 89 lawmakers in the 120-member body voted in favour of the motion.
There were 106 MPs present for the vote.
The president will now be required to schedule an election with 45 days.
The political jostling comes as Kosovo is at an impasse with Serbia, which still rejects the former province's independence ...

Kosovo MPs dissolve parliament, paving way for snap poll

Mongolia's former intelligence chief goes on trial next week accused of allowing the torture of two people later convicted of assassinating the leader of a 1990 democratic revolution.
Khurts Bat, the ex-head of Mongolian intelligence, is charged with overseeing the torture of Sodnomdarjaa Batdagva and Chimgee Tumurkhurd, who were jailed in 2016 after confessing to murdering Zorig Sanjaasuren.
The trial is not open to the public and details are scarce as the trial of a political figure is seen as a state secret in Mongolia.
Khurts was first charged in April, but released pending trial two days later.
If he is found guilty, Sodnomdarjaa and Chimgee could then challenge their own convictions.
Zorig was a pro-democracy revolutionary on the verge of being named as the country's new prime minister, when he was stabbed to death in 1998 in what was widely believed to be a political assassination.
It took until 2015 for any arrests to be made for his murder following a long and sprawling ...

Former Mongolian intelligence chief faces torture charges

Mexican authorities Wednesday arrested six federal police officers over their alleged involvement in a 2015 massacre in which 16 people were killed in the western state of Michoacan.
"The six people were arrested with full respect for their human rights, without violence or the involvement of third parties, to be made available to the judge who requested them," the attorney general said in a statement.
The officers were arrested inside federal police facilities.
On January 6, 2015, at least 16 people were killed and several others wounded when federal police allegedly shot at members and supporters of civilian self-defense militias who were demonstrating at the city hall in Apatzingan, Michoacan.
At the time, the government of then-president Enrique Pena Nieto said the members of the self-defense groups had died in the crossfire.
However, a journalistic investigation revealed that the federal police had killed unarmed protesters in cold blood.
Michoacan is a flash-point in the violent 

Mexico arrests six police over 2015 Michoacan massacre

France football legend Thierry Henry is keen for another chance to prove he can be a successful manager despite his unhappy brief tenure at Ligue 1 side Monaco.
The 42-year-old -- Arsenal's record goalscorer -- told the Daily Telegraph that although his phone did not ring for four months following his sacking, things have picked up since then and he has received five offers.
Henry's dream return last October to manage Monaco, the club where he established his reputation as a top class striker, turned into a nightmare.
Having been part of Belgium manager Roberto Martinez's backroom team at the World Cup -- where they reached the semi-finals -- he lasted just over 100 days after only four league wins.
"Call me crazy if you want, but I love football and I believe I can be a successful coach," he said.
"I'm not thinking about the pain, I'm not thinking about failure. I don't like easy.
"I like to lead and it's on me to make it happen. The same when I joined Arsenal as a player, the same ..

Henry's desire to succeed as manager undimmed by Monaco misery

Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu warned Pacific island nations Thursday against "empty promises" of financial aid from China, as the Solomon Islands considers switching diplomatic allegiance from Taipei to Beijing.
Visiting Palau to shore up Taiwan's relations in the Pacific -- where six of its 17 diplomatic allies are located -- Wu said democratic nations were concerned about Chinese inroads into the region.
"They feel it's very important that China doesn't extend its influence into the region," he told reporters.
The Taiwan-allied Solomon Islands is being courted by China, which has been investing heavily in the Pacific.
Nations such as Australia and the United States fear Beijing's interest is fuelled by a long-term goal to establish a military base in the islands, offering control of vast swathes of ocean.
China's increased presence in the Pacific also helps it isolate self-ruling Taiwan, which it sees as part of its territory awaiting reunification, by force if necessary.
Wu ...

Taiwan warns Pacific islands of China's 'empty promises' on aid

Iran unveiled its new home-grown air defence system on Thursday at a time of increased tensions with the United States.
Iranian officials have previously called Bavar-373 the Islamic republic's first domestically produced long-range missile defence system.
Tehran began making Bavar -- which means "believe" -- after the purchase of Russia's S-300 system was suspended in 2010 due to international sanctions.
President Hassan Rouhani attended the unveiling ceremony for the mobile surface-to-air system and ordered it to be added to Iran's missile defence network, state news agency IRNA reported.
"The long-range Bavar-373 missile system is suited to Iran's geography with a range of more than 200 kilometres (124 miles) ... and competes with Russian and American systems such as S-300 and Patriot," IRNA said.
The system is "better than S-300 and close to S-400", Rouhani said in televised remarks after the ceremony, held on Iran's "national defence industry day".
Pictures released by his office 

Iran unveils home-grown missile defence system

Qantas on Thursday said it will run "ultra long-haul" test flights in the coming months from New York and London to Sydney in order to assess the health of pilots and passengers, as it eyes commercial services on the marathon routes.
Three flights aboard Boeing 787-9 aircraft will take place from October, with up to 40 passengers and crew on the 19-hour flight.
Those on board will be subject to medical checks, while their sleep patterns and food consumption will be monitored, as Qantas bids to establish non-stop commercial flights from Australia's east coast to London and New York.
Qantas last year introduced the first direct service from the western Australian city of Perth to London, with the 17-hour journey one of the longest passenger flights in the world.
"Flying non-stop from the East Coast of Australia to London and New York is truly the final frontier in aviation, so we're determined to do all the groundwork to get this right," Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said in a statement.
Both ..

Qantas to test 'ultra long-haul' Sydney to NY, London flights

Sri Lanka skipper Dimuth Karunaratne won the toss and elected to bat after rain delayed the start of the second and final Test against New Zealand in Colombo on Thursday.
The first session of the game was washed out due to rain and play will begin at 1:40 pm (0810 GMT). A possible 60 overs are planned for the day with extended time.
The hosts, who lead the series 1-0, have made just one change to their starting line-up from the six-wicket victory in Galle last week.
Veteran spinner Dilruwan Perera comes in for Akila Dananjaya, who was reported for a suspect action for the second time in 10 months.
The Kane Williamson-led New Zealand have also made one change in their bid to level the series, with Mitchell Santner making way for Colin de Grandhomme.

Sri Lanka opt to bat in second New Zealand Test

The head of Iraq's Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary force has walked back his deputy's accusation that the United States was behind a string of recent explosions at the group's bases.
Faleh al-Fayyadh said investigators had yet to determine who was behind the past month's blasts at four training camps and arms depots used by the Hashed, which is mainly composed of pro-Iranian militias.
Fayyadh, who also serves as the government's national security adviser, issued the statement after an emergency meeting with Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi late on Wednesday.
"Preliminary investigations" found the incidents were "an external, premeditated act," he said.
"The investigations will continue until the responsible entities are accurately identified to be able to take the appropriate stances." Just hours earlier, the Hashed's deputy commander Abu Mehdi al-Muhandis, whose virulent anti-Americanism as a militia leader earned him a US terror blacklisting, had been unequivocal in blaming ...

Iraq paramilitary chief walks back accusations against US

US Energy Secretary Rick Perry -- who oversees the country's nuclear arsenal -- has fallen for an Instagram hoax.
He reposted a message claiming there was a "new Instagram rule" that would allow the social media site to "use your photos," according to images of the since-deleted post on Perry's account -- which he also linked to from Twitter -- that were carried by US media.
But Perry -- a two-time presidential candidate and former governor of Texas -- was ready.
"Instagram DOES NOT HAVE MY PERMISSION TO SHARE PHOTOS OR MESSAGES," according to the post, which billed itself as offering protection against the new rule if it was displayed on a user's account.
There was just one problem: there was no new rule.
"There's no truth to this post," BuzzFeed News quoted a spokesperson for Instagram's parent company Facebook as saying.
Perry came in for heavy criticism on social media, with various users wondering whether someone who couldn't identify an internet hoax should be in charge of ...

US energy secretary falls for Instagram hoax

The head of a research center at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has said he will quit in protest after the revelation of financial ties between the institution and disgraced hedge fund manager Jeffrey Epstein.
Ethan Zuckerman, director of the Center for Civic Media at the MIT Media Lab, said he would leave at the end of the 2019-2020 academic year after finding out that lab director Joi Ito took money from Epstein, who committed suicide in prison on August 10 as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges.
"My logic was simple: the work my group does focuses on social justice and on the inclusion of marginalized individuals and points of view," Zuckerman wrote in a message posted on the Medium forum Tuesday and added to Wednesday.
"It's hard to do that work with a straight face in a place that violated its own values so clearly in working with Epstein and in disguising that relationship."
Zuckerman said he had apologized to the three recipients of the Media Lab's 2018 ...

MIT professor quits in protest over lab links to Epstein

More than 78 million Facebook users follow the page of the state-run China Daily, where they are served a diet of largely positive -- and government-approved -- stories about the authoritarian country.
Not a bad fan-base, considering Facebook is banned in China.
The huge -- and growing -- social media presence of Beijing-run organisations pushing a decidedly pro-China line came under the spotlight this week when Facebook and Twitter announced they had uncovered a naked propaganda campaign to shape global opinion on Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests.
The two platforms -- neither of which is legally accessible in China -- said they were turfing off accounts they believed were linked to a government campaign to spread disinformation.
Twitter said it had suspended nearly 1,000 users originating in China, while Facebook removed seven pages, three groups, and five accounts it said were involved in "coordinated inauthentic behaviour" focused on Hong Kong.
The financial hub has seen months ..

Banned at home but thriving abroad: China's social media campaign

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits Paris on Thursday, a day after Berlin offered a glimmer of hope that an agreement could be reached to avoid a chaotic "no deal" Brexit.
On the second leg of his first foreign visit since taking office, Johnson will meet his French counterpart at the Elysee palace to press home his message that elements of the UK's impending divorce from the European Union must be renegotiated.
But Johnson is likely to face a tougher audience in Paris than in Berlin.  Macron on Wednesday dismissed Johnson's demands that the EU reopen negotiations on the Irish border, saying that the bloc had always been clear it would not agree.
"Renegotiation of the terms currently proposed by the British is not an option that exists, and that has always been made clear by (EU) President Tusk," Macron told reporters in Paris.
At the weekend, all three European leaders will meet US President Donald Trump, a vocal supporter of both Brexit and Johnson, and the leaders of ...

UK's Johnson to hold Brexit talks with Macron after Merkel offers glimmer of hope

Indonesia has blocked internet access in unrest-hit Papua over fears that a stream of offensive and racists posts online will spark more violent protests in the region, the government said Thursday.
Riots and demonstrations brought several Papuan cities to a standstill this week, as buildings were torched and street battles broke out between police and protesters in Indonesia's easternmost territory.
A rebel insurgency against Jakarta's rule has simmered for decades in the island region, which shares a border with Papua New Guinea.
But the riots appear to have been triggered by the arrest of dozens of Papuan students -- who were also pelted with racist abuse -- in Java at the weekend.
Indonesia slowed internet service in recent days to clamp down on hoaxes, provocative comments and racist abuse targeting Papua's ethnic Melanesian population. But it shut down service completely late Wednesday.
"As of this morning, there is still a full block on internet access," communications ministry 

AFP

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