Samsung on Wednesday unveiled a smartphone that folds open to be a tablet, becoming the first major manufacturer to offer the feature as it strives to stoke excitement in a slumping market.
The South Korean giant also appeared to get the jump on rivals by announcing the first smartphone for fifth-generation -- or 5G -- wireless networks, while stepping up its efforts in artificial intelligence and wearables.
The Galaxy Fold, unveiled at a San Francisco event, serves as a smartphone with a 4.6-inch display and opens like a book to become a 7.3-inch tablet.
"We are giving you a device that doesn't just define a new category, it defies category," said Samsung's Justin Denison at the event.
The Fold will be available April 26 starting at USD 1,980, the company said.
The launch comes as the smartphone market experiences its worst-ever decline with consumers keeping devices longer and waiting for new innovations.
Samsung made the announcement on the home turf of rival Apple, with the two ...

Samsung launches folding smartphone, first 5G handset

PTI Automatic

At least 45 people were killed after a devastating fire broke out in apartment buildings also used as chemical warehouses in an old part of the Bangladeshi capital, a fire official said Thursday.
"So far we have recovered 45 bodies. The number of bodies may increase. The search is still going on," Bangladesh's fire service chief Ali Ahmed told AFP.
He said the blaze at Chawkbazar in the old part of Dhaka might have originated from a gas cylinder before quickly spreading through the building where highly flammable chemicals were stored.
The flames raced through four adjoining buildings, which were also used as chemical warehouses, including for storing plastic granules and body sprays.
"There was a traffic jam when the fire broke out. So people could not escape," he said, describing a part of town where the streets are very narrow.
Another fire official told reporters that the blaze, which began around 10.40pm (16:40 GMT) on Wednesday, has been "confined" but not yet doused despite the 

'This is not like any other fire': 45 perish in Dhaka blaze

At least 41 people were killed after a devastating fire broke out in an apartment building also used as a chemical warehouse in an old part of the Bangladeshi capital, a fire official said.
"So far we have recovered 41 bodies. The number of bodies may increase," Bangladesh's fire service chief Ali Ahmed told AFP.
He said the blaze might have originated from a gas cylinder, with the fire quickly spreading through the building where highly flammable chemicals were stored.

Fire kills 41 in Bangladesh capital: official

A US Coast Guard officer who espoused white supremacist views and drafted a target list of Democratic politicians and prominent media figures has been arrested on firearms and drug charges.
Christopher Paul Hasson, an admirer of Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik, was arrested last week and a powerful arsenal seized from his home, according to court documents unsealed on Wednesday.
"The defendant intends to murder innocent civilians on a scale rarely seen in this country," US District Attorney Robert Hur said in a motion seeking that Hasson be detained until trial.
"The defendant is a domestic terrorist, bent on committing acts dangerous to human life that are intended to affect governmental conduct," Hur said.
Hasson is being held on drug charges and for unlawfully possessing firearms and ammunition.
The US Attorney's office said 15 firearms and over 1,000 rounds of ammunition were recovered from Hasson's apartment in Silver Spring, Maryland, along with illegal drugs.
In ...

US Coast Guard officer arrested for mass murder plot

The United States said Wednesday it would refuse to take back a US-born Islamic State propagandist who wants to return from Syria, saying that she is no longer a citizen.
The refusal to admit 24-year-old Hoda Muthana could set precedent and face legal challenges as it is generally extremely difficult to lose US citizenship.
"Ms Hoda Muthana is not a US citizen and will not be admitted into the United States," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a terse statement.
"She does not have any legal basis, no valid US passport, no right to a passport, nor any visa to travel to the United States," he said.
"We continue to strongly advise all US citizens not to travel to Syria," he said.
Pompeo's statement on the Alabama native -- one of the few Americans among the hundreds of Europeans to have joined the ranks of the Islamic State group in Syria -- is at stark odds with his calls on other countries to bring back and prosecute their own jihadist nationals.
Muthana was born in the United ...

US refuses entry to Alabama jihadist

The United States said Wednesday it would not allow back US-born Hoda Muthana, who went to Syria as a supporter of the Islamic State group and wants to return home.
"Ms Hoda Muthana is not a US citizen and will not be admitted into the United States," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement of the 24-year-old Alabama native.

Alabama jihadist Hoda Muthana will not be admitted to US: Pompeo

A British teen who joined the Islamic State group has no claim to Bangladeshi nationality, Dhaka's foreign ministry said Wednesday, after the UK government decided to revoke her citizenship.
Shamima Begum, who travelled to Syria in 2015 and now wants to return to Britain after giving birth in a refugee camp in Syria last week, was stripped of her UK citizenship on Tuesday.
The Home Office reportedly believed that Begum was entitled to claim citizenship in Bangladesh -- a claim disputed by the South Asian country.
"Bangladesh asserts that Ms Shamima Begum is not a Bangladeshi citizen. She is a British citizen by birth and has never applied for dual nationality with Bangladesh," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
"It may also be mentioned that she never visited Bangladesh in the past despite her parental lineage. So, there is no question of her being allowed to enter into Bangladesh," it added.
Tasnime Akunjee, a lawyer for Begum's family, earlier said the teen was born in ...

Bangladesh says IS teen not eligible for citizenship

Germany said Wednesday it would hold firm on its decision to halt weapons exports to Saudi Arabia, shrugging off British warnings that the embargo could hurt European credibility and efforts to bring peace in Yemen.
"The stance of the government is that we won't deliver weapons to Saudi Arabia at the moment," Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said after talks with his British counterpart about the decision taken in October over the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Any future decision would be "dependant on developments in the Yemen conflict and whether what was agreed in the Stockholm peace talks are implemented," added Maas referring to the Saudi-led war against Iran-backed rebels.
Earlier Wednesday, British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he would raise the issue with Maas, after Spiegel Online reported that the British minister had written to his German counterpart to complain about the arms embargo.
Their differences were laid bare at a news conference following the ...

Germany firm on Saudi arms ban despite British warning

A man was seriously injured after setting himself on fire in Germany Wednesday as a protest against Turkey's detention of militant Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan, police said.
"The 43-year-old doused himself with a liquid and then set himself on fire" outside the courthouse in the western city of Krefeld, police said in a statement.
Bystanders doused the flames with blankets and a fire extinguisher, and a rescue helicopter took the man to hospital.
"According to witnesses, he said he was protesting against the detention of Ocalan and against German police violence," said the statement, adding that they were also investigating a possible "personal motive" and mental health issues.
Last Friday was the 20th anniversary of the day when Turkish secret service agents caught Ocalan in Kenya, outside the Greek embassy in Nairobi -- on February 15, 1999.
Ocalan co-founded the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in 1978, an organisation that is now blacklisted as a terror group by Ankara and its ...

Man sets himself on fire in Germany pro-PKK protest

Zimbabwe's central bank on Wednesday said it was introducing a new interbank foreign exchange system effectively devaluing its quasi-currency which was officially pegged at par with the US dollar.
"We have provided a formal way of trading in foreign currency," reserve bank of Zimbabwe governor John Mangudya said in announcing new monetary policy measures aimed at addressing a perennial foreign currency crunch.
"We have basically formalised what is happening. We have basically ensured that no one goes to buy currency from the parallel market.
"The inter-bank exchange system will have significant positive effects on the economy's external and fiscal sectors, domestic production and on the welfare of citizens," he said.
The local bond -- a quasi-currency introduced two years ago to address cash shortages -- will be a tradable domestic currency alongside the greenback, South African rand and a host of other foreign currencies adopted in 2009 after hyperinflation rendered the local ...

Zimbabwe introduces inter-bank forex market to curb black market

Moscow on Wednesday warned Venezuela's self-declared interim president Juan Guaido against "inviting foreign intervention" by using aid shipments as "cover" and called for dialogue between the government and opposition.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow was concerned about "threats from the US that are actively supported... by Venezuela's opposition, essentially inviting foreign intervention."
He said "whether direct or under cover of humanitarian aid," such an intervention is "unlikely to bring the result (Guaido) seeks." Venezuela's military, which is backing President Nicolas Maduro, said it was on alert after Guaido vowed to bring aid into the struggling country, which Maduro slammed as a smokescreen for a US invasion.
US President Donald Trump has refused to rule out military action, warning the Venezuelan military that they will "lose everything".
Lavrov said US threats are "unquestionably a violation of the UN charter and direct meddling in domestic affairs of an ...

Russia warns Venezuela's Guaido against 'inviting foreign intervention'

Brazil expects to save more than USD 300 billion over 10 years through a bill presented to Congress Wednesday that aims to overhaul the country's unsustainable pension system, the government said.
The text, which requires constitutional changes to impose a minimum retirement age and extended pay-in periods for workers in both the public and private sectors, is a crucial plank of right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro's plan to overhaul Latin America's biggest economy.
Bolsonaro personally delivered the much-anticipated text to Congress, where he was jeered and booed by leftist deputies in the opposition.
He was to address the nation on the issue later Wednesday, after earlier this week warning that spending on pensions would break Brazil's finances within four years if changes were not adopted.
Injecting pro-business vigor and removing sclerotic regulations were principal election pledges that propelled Bolsonaro into the presidency. He took office seven weeks ago.
"We need to change the 

Brazil sees USD 300 bn in savings over 10 years with pension reform

Nepal's government on Wednesday tabled draft legislation that would impose harsh penalties for "improper" social media posts, igniting concerns it could be used to suppress freedom of speech and stifle dissent.
Under the proposed law, the government would have the power to block social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube unless they register in Nepal.
And social media posts deemed defamatory or against national sovereignty could be punished with up to five years in jail and a fine of 1.5 million Nepalese rupees (USD 13,000).
No timetable was given for passing the bill, but activists have described it as an attempt to shackle criticism of the powerful communist government, which has a two-thirds majority in parliament.
"The bill is against the freedom of expression and justice as it criminalises online expression," Tara Nath Dahal of Freedom Forum, a media freedom organisation, told AFP.
The government has defended the bill, saying it is needed to ensure data and ...

Nepal social media bill sparks freedom of speech concerns

British Prime Minister Theresa May is heading to a summit of EU and Arab League leaders in Egypt this weekend, but will not try to hijack the gathering with Brexit talks, officials insisted Wednesday.
The two-day first-ever summit between the European Union and the League of Arab States, in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, starts on Sunday.
A senior British government official insisted May would not attempt to talk Brexit with fellow European leaders, more than 20 of whom are expected to attend.
Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29 and no divorce agreement is yet in place. May was in Brussels on Wednesday for talks.
"There are important shared challenges to discuss with the League of Arab States like security cooperation," the official told reporters.
"This is not a meeting about Brexit and the prime minister is not going to seek to turn it into one.
"At summits, the PM always holds a series of bilateral meetings and conversations and she will, of course, continue to ...

UK PM promises no Brexit talk at EU-Arab League summit

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic's partner gave a birth to a baby boy Wednesday, her office said, heralding it as a historic event although the conservative country does not legally recognise same-sex marriages or partnerships.
"Ana Brnabic is one of the first Prime Ministers whose partner has given birth while in office... and the first in the world in a same-sex couple," her media office said in a statement.
"The delivery went well and both the mother and baby are doing fine," it added.
According to local media, the boy was named Igor.
Brnabic, 43, became one of the few openly gay government leaders in the world when she came to power in June 2017.
But she has not been a vocal advocate on LGBT issues in a country where homophobia is widespread.
In February alone there have been at least two acts of vandalism at an LGBT centre in central Belgrade.
During an appearance at a Pride parade in Belgrade in 2017, Brnabic declined to comment on whether she would like to see same-sex ...

Partner of Serbia's gay PM gives birth to baby boy

A Turkish prosecutor on Wednesday sought life in prison for 16 suspects including philanthropist and businessman Osman Kavala charged with attempting to overthrow the government, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
Kavala, who has been held in custody for more than a year without being charged, is now accused of backing 2013 anti-government protests in Istanbul and the failed 2016 coup.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Kavala of "financing the terrorists" during the anti-government protests that threw up one of the biggest challenges to his rule. Erdogan was prime minister at the time.
Kavala, a respected figure in intellectual circles in Turkey and abroad, has been kept in pre-trial custody since November 1, 2017 at the Silivri prison outside Istanbul.
The case has alarmed Turkey's Western allies and increased concern of a clampdown on freedom of expression under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Kavala has worked closely with foreign missions on civil society ...

Prosecutor seeks 'life in jail' for Turkey financier Kavala

NATO on Wednesday condemned as "unacceptable" threats by Russian President Vladimir Putin to deploy new missiles against Western capitals, as a key Cold War arms control treaty crumbles.
The Russian leader struck a combative note in a state of the nation address, warning Washington against deploying new missiles in Europe after the collapse of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty, saying Moscow would install its own weapons targeting "decision making centres".
"Russian statements threatening to target Allies are unacceptable. We call on Russia to focus on returning to compliance with the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty," NATO deputy spokesman Piers Cazalet said in a statement.
"NATO is a defensive alliance, which stands ready to defend all members against any threat. We do not want a new arms race, and allies have repeatedly called on Russia to verifiably destroy its intermediate-range missiles."
The US announced earlier this month it was withdrawing from the ...

NATO condemns 'unacceptable' Putin missile threats

Mercedes-Benz parent company Daimler could be set for a massive fine in Germany over diesel trickery, as prosecutors confirmed Wednesday they had opened a probe similar to one that cost Volkswagen one billion euros (USD 1.1 billion).
"We opened a fine procedure yesterday" against the high-end car giant, a spokesman for prosecutors in car industry bastion Stuttgart told AFP.
Like VW, Daimler is suspected of building "defeat device" functions into its motor control software that allowed cars to reduce harmful emissions when undergoing regulatory tests.
Prosecutors have already fined Volkswagen one billion euros and VW subsidiary Audi 800 million euros in such cases.
Officials said managers failed in their duty to supervise the firms' activities.
In a statement, Daimler confirmed the probe and said it would "continue to cooperate fully" with prosecutors.
Beyond the Mercedes-Benz maker, VW sports car subsidiary Porsche and components supplier Bosch both face open fine proceedings.
And on .

Daimler faces mega fine in diesel probe

Czech authorities said Wednesday they would slap checks on beef imported from Poland after veterinarians found the dangerous Salmonella bacteria in a 700-kilogramme batch of Polish beef.
"Tests have shown the presence of Salmonella enteritidis, which can cause serious diarrhoea and affect human health, in beef imported from Poland on February 13," Agriculture Minister Miroslav Toman told reporters.
Czech veterinary authorities have warned the European Commission and Polish authorities through a rapid warning system, he said, adding that they are also checking whether any of the meat has been consumed.
"The State Veterinary Administration (SVS) will immediately adopt an extraordinary measure -- all beef imported from Poland must be tested in a lab before hitting the market," Toman added.
SVS head Zbynek Semerad said meat from the 700-kilo (1,500-pound) batch had been distributed to five "places" in the Czech Republic and one in Slovakia.
"I will inform my Slovak counterpart. As far as .

'Salmonella-tainted' Polish beef found by Czech vets

A convoy of trucks evacuated dozens of people including women and children from the Islamic State group's last Syria redoubt Wednesday, bringing US-backed forces closer to retaking the last sliver of the "caliphate".
The implosion of the jihadist proto-state which once spanned swathes of Syria and neighbouring Iraq has left Western nations grappling with how to handle citizens who left to join IS.
Around 15 trucks carrying men, women and children exited the last patch of IS territory in eastern Syria, according to AFP correspondents.
Women wearing face veils, several children -- including young veiled girls -- as well as men were seen inside the vehicles.
Their exact number and nationalities were not immediately clear.
The convoy passed a position of the Kurdish-led SDF, which are spearheading the battle against the jihadists, after leaving the last IS holdout in the village of Baghouz, near the Iraqi border.
SDF fighters watched as double-trailer trucks made their way across the arid 

Convoy plucks women, children from last IS holdout in Syria

Juventus midfielder Sami Khedira has undergone successful treatment for a heart problem and will be out of action for a month, the Italian champions confirmed on Wednesday.
The Germany World Cup winner had already been ruled out of the midweek Champions League tie at Atletico Madrid because of atrial arrhythmia - an irregular heartbeat.
Juventus said in a statement that the 31-year-old had undergone surgery on Wednesday morning in Turin by the club's cardiologist Fiorenzo Gaita.
"After a short period of convalescence (Khedira) will be able to resume his activity approximately within one month," it added.
Khedira went for treatment after feeling his heart rate suddenly speed up in training on Tuesday.
The condition causes an irregular and fast heart rate and can result in dizziness, shortness of breath and tiredness.
The German will miss Juventus's top-of-the table clash at Serie A rivals Napoli on March 3 and their Champions League second leg clash against Atletico on March 12.
"He's .

AFP

AFP

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