Tropical Storm Erika began to lose steam over Haiti and the Dominican Republic, but it left behind a trail of destruction that killed at least 20 people on the small eastern Caribbean island of Dominica, authorities said.
	Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said in a televised address late yesterday that the island has been set back 20 years in the damage inflicted by the storm.
	"This is a period of national tragedy," he said, adding that hundreds of homes, bridges and roads have been destroyed. "We have, in essence, to rebuild Dominica."
	Tropical Storm Erika dumped 15 inches (38 centimetres) of rain on the mountainous island before it cut yesterday into Haiti and the Dominican Republic, where it topped trees and power lines.
	The US National Hurricane Centre in Miami said the system was expected to move north across the island of Hispaniola, where the high mountains would weaken it to a tropical depression today and possibly cause it to dissipate entirely. There's a chance ..

Dominica prime minister says 20 dead following 'Erika'

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An explosion in Bahrain has killed one police officer and wounded seven other people, among them a child, the country's Interior Ministry has said.
	The explosion took place late yesterday west of the capital, Manama, in a predominantly Shiite village called Karanah.
	The explosion, described by the ministry as a "terrorist blast," wounded four policemen as well as a married couple and their child. The statement did not disclose further details on the location or target of the explosion.
	Last month, a bombing killed two police officers in Sitra, south of Manama. Police investigators say five suspects arrested for that attack are connected to Iran's Revolutionary Guard, as well as the Iranian-backed Lebanese Hezbollah group.
	The tiny Arab Gulf nation of Bahrain has faced low-level unrest for more than four years, sparked by widespread 2011 protests among the country's Shiite majority demanding greater political rights from the Sunni-led monarchy.
	Bahrain hosts the US Navy's 5th ...

Explosion in Bahrain kills police officer, wounds 7 others

Iraq's top Shiite cleric said on Friday the government must show it was seeking genuine change to combat corruption and improve services and not just introduce temporary measures to placate the embattled nation.
	In a message delivered by a representative in a Friday sermon, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani also cautioned protesters who have staged weekly rallies to press demands for reform that they must guard against groups seeking to hijack their movement to further other interests.
	Hours later, tens of thousands of Iraqis rallied in Baghdad and a string of cities south of the capital in support of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's reform drive and to press demands for the dissolution of parliament and an end to corruption.
	The Baghdad rally, in central Tahrir square, was the largest by far, attracting at least 20,000, many of them waving the national flag. It was held under tight security measures but ended peacefully shortly after nightfall.
	Followers of a radical, anti-American .

Iraq's top cleric says government must genuinely seek change

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has approved an interim government that will lead Turkey into a new election in November, paving the way for two legislators from a pro-Kurdish party to take up ministerial posts for the first time in Turkey.
	Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu formed the temporary Cabinet today, days after a new election was called following an inconclusive vote in June and his failure to form a coalition government.
	The caretaker Cabinet is mainly made up of ruling party legislators and of independent figures after two main opposition parties refused to participate.
	Two pro-Kurdish People's Democracy Party legislators accepted invitations to join the Cabinet, as did a prominent member of Turkey's nationalist party who broke ranks with his party.

Turkish President Erdogan approves interim government

An Afghan police official says a suicide bomber on foot killed two Afghan soldiers northwest of the capital Kabul.
	Abdul Rahman Rahimi, the Kabul police chief, says two soldiers were also wounded today in the blast.
	Elsewhere in Afghanistan, officials say a Taliban ambush on Thursday killed at least 15 militia fighters loyal to Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum, the country's vice president, in the northern province of Faryab.
	Abdul Satar Barez, the deputy governor of Faryab province, says 15 militia fighters were killed and four wounded. But deputy provincial police chief Baryalai Basharyar says 20 militia fighters died in the attack.

Attacks kill at least 17 Afghan soldiers and militia men

The CEO of the company that runs adultery website Ashley Madison is stepping down in the wake of the massive breach of the company's computer systems and outing of millions of its members.
	Avid Life Media Inc. Says Noel Biderman's departure is effective immediately and was a mutual decision.
	"This change is in the best interest of the company and allows us to continue to provide support to our members and dedicated employees," Avid Life's statement reads. "We are steadfast in our commitment to our customer base."
	Biderman didn't immediately return an email sent to his work account seeking comment.
	Biderman, who touted himself as "the king of infidelity," made millions off the philosophy that cheating is a natural part of married life. The site charges a fee each time a member sends a potential lover a message.
	Biderman has written books espousing his views on adultery, including one published in 2011 titled: "Cheaters Prosper - How Infidelity Will Save The Modern Marriage." At ...

Ashley Madison CEO steps down in wake of hacking

A Kenyan man has been sentenced to 15 years in US prison after pleading guilty to providing money and recruits to foreign terrorist groups.
	US District Judge Ursula Ungaro imposed the maximum possible sentence today on 27-year-old Mohamed Said. He admitted in May that he conspired to support to Africa's violent al-Shabaab organization and al-Qaida affiliates in Syria and elsewhere.
	Said's attorney had sought a more lenient eight-year sentence because Said never plotted directly against the US But Ungaro said terrorist groups he supported have an avowed intent to attack the US.
	Said and co-defendant Gufran Mohammed were arrested in 2013 in Saudi Arabia in a case that evolved from FBI monitoring of Internet chat rooms frequented by Islamic extremists. Mohammed is already serving a 15-year prison sentence.

Kenyan sentenced to 15 years in prison in US terror case

The National Zoo's panda parents, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, have another son.
	The zoo announced today that the surviving panda cub is male and the son of the zoo's male panda Tian Tian. Mei Xiang gave birth to the fraternal twins Saturday, but the smaller cub also a male fathered by Tian Tian died Wednesday. The most likely cause of death was complications from food getting into its respiratory system resulting in the development of pneumonia, officials said.
	"Once an animal becomes ill, things become more difficult," Chief Veterinarian Don Neiffer said. "It's hard to come back."
	Pink, hairless and blind, newborn cubs weigh three to five ounces at birth. Mei Xiang weighs more than 700 times as much.
	The surviving cub appears to be healthy and is gaining weight, Associate Director for Animal Care Sciences Brandie Smith said. He even has a fat belly at 6 days old.
	Tian Tian is the father of Mei Xiang's other cubs, daughter Bao Bao and son Tai Shan. During this year's panda breeding, 

US National Zoo's surviving newborn panda is male

Officials and media reports say two British journalists have been detained in Turkey's largest, mainly-Kurdish city, along with their translator.
	The Dogan news agency said Vice News correspondent Jake Hanrahan and cameraman Philip Pendlebury were being questioned by anti-terrorism police in Diyarbakir today.
	An official from the Diyarbakir governor's office confirmed that the journalists were under police custody for filming without first seeking "media accreditation" from Turkish authorities. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of rules that bar officials from speaking to journalists.
	The detentions come amid renewed conflict between Turkey's autonomy-seeking Kurdish rebels and the security forces, which wrecked a 2 1/2-year-old peace process. Some 60 soldiers, police and village guards have been killed since July. Around 90 rebels have also been killed, according to state-run media.

British journalists detained in Turkey

Boko Haram extremists killed 28 people during attacks on remote farming and fishing villages in northeast Nigeria, members of a civilian defence group said today.
	A total of 24 people were killed in an attack Tuesday night in Marfunudi, according to village resident Abubakar Jojo.
	The town is roughly 50 miles from the Borno state capital of Maiduguri. Jojo said the Islamic extremists slit the throats of many of the victims. Witnesses say the extremists also attacked the fishing village of Kafa yesterday, killing four people. Sadiq Kaka, a member of a defense group, said the four bodies were thrown into a river.
	Word of attacks in remote areas such as these often take days to reach population centres.
	More than 1,000 people have been killed since President Muhammadu Buhari was elected in March with a pledge to annihilate the militants, whose 6-year-old uprising has killed a total of 20,000 people. Nearly 2 million have been driven from their homes.
	Earlier this year, troops from ..

Extremists kill 28 in villages in northeastern Nigeria

A Virginia teenager has been sentenced to more than 11 years in prison for helping another teen travel to Syria to join the Islamic State and providing other aid to the militant group.
	The judge said he considered 17-year-old Ali Shukri Amin's age and lack of a criminal record during sentencing today in federal court in Alexandria.
	Amin of Manassas told the judge he didn't "expect sympathy."
	Amin pleaded guilty in June to conspiring to provide material support to terrorists. He would have otherwise been graduating from high school with honours around the time of his plea.
	He admitted helping another Virginia teenager travel to Syria, as well as using Twitter and other social media to solicit donations and support for the Islamic State.

US teen gets more than 11 years for helping Islamic State

Police arrested three people in Hungary overnight in connection with the deaths of 71 migrants found in a refrigerated truck abandoned on Austria's main highway, a police official said today.
	The migrants likely suffocated, said Hans Peter Doskozil, chief of police in eastern Burgenland province. A Syrian travel document was found, indicating that at least some of the dead were refugees fleeing violence in Syria, though it wasn't clear if some were for elsewhere. The 71 included eight women and four children.
	It was the latest tragedy in a year that has seen tens of thousands of people risking everything to seek a better life or refuge in wealthy European countries.
	At least 2,500 have died, mostly at sea, where another tragedy was unfolding today as Libyan authorities counted bodies from two ships that capsized off the coast of that country. The UN refugee agency said 200 were missing and feared dead.
	Migrants fearful of death at sea in overcrowded and flimsy boats have ...

3 arrested in connection with deaths of 71 migrants in truck

Iraqi officials say an explosion has ripped through the parking lot of a Baghdad police station when a police bomb squad tried to defuse a car bomb while colleagues looked on, killing six and wounding 10.
	Police and hospital officials say the blast took place in southeast Baghdad today, a day after police in the area towed a suspicious car to the police station. The six killed were three bomb squad members and three policemen.
	The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media.
	Baghdad has for years seen near daily attacks targeting civilians and security forces by car bombs, suicide attacks and roadside explosions. The attacks are mostly blamed on Sunni militants.

Bomb blast kills 6 Iraqi policemen, injures 10

Greece's new prime minister, a top judge who is the country's first female premier, named the members of her caretaker government today as the country heads to early elections next month, the third time Greeks will go to the polls this year.
	The appointments come a day after Supreme Court head Vassiliki Thanou was sworn into office.
	The 65-year-old was appointed after outgoing prime minister Alexis Tsipras resigned last week, barely seven months into his four-year mandate, following a rebellion by members of his radical-left Syriza party who objected to his agreement with the conditions of Greece's third international bailout.
	The finance ministry post went to Giorgos Houliarakis, an academic who had been on Greece's negotiating team during talks with creditors. Popular Greek pop singer Alkistis Protopsalti was named tourism minister. The new cabinet was to be sworn in later today.
	Elections are widely expected to be set for September 20.
	Tsipras has said he needs a stronger ...

Greece's new prime minister names caretaker cabinet

The Paris prosecutor's office and a lawyer for Morocco's King Mohammed VI say two French journalists have been arrested in France for allegedly trying to blackmail the monarch.
	The prosecutor's office said the two, Eric Laurent and Catherine Graciet, remained in detention today.
	Eric Dupont-Moretti, a lawyer for the king, told RTL radio yesterday that Laurent claimed he and Graciet were writing a compromising book about the monarch and demanded 3 million euros (USD 3.4 million) to keep it unpublished.
	Dupont-Moretti said the Moroccan leadership filed a lawsuit in Paris and the arrests came after a sting operation.
	The king has built a reputation as a moderate, modern leader, though journalists in Morocco have been jailed for criticizing him.
	Laurent and Graciet co-wrote a book in 2012 about the king.

2 French journalists arrested in blackmail of Moroccan king

The US national security adviser is holding talks in Beijing to help lay the groundwork for Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Washington next month.
	While Susan Rice visits the Chinese capital, the country is dealing with fallout from a sharply sliding stock market and slowing economic growth that have rattled global markets.
	A move to devalue the currency and make Chinese exports more competitive has brought criticism from some U.S. politicians, in a throwback to past years when Beijing was accused of manipulating its currency.
	The economic setbacks are seen as weakening Xi's clout as he prepares to meet with President Barack Obama at the White House in late September and travels to New York to address the U.N. General Assembly.

US national security adviser in China ahead of Xi's US trip

Vietnam has granted amnesty to more than 18,000 prisoners to mark the 70th anniversary of its independence from France.
	Giang Son, deputy chairman of the President's Office, told a news conference Friday that 18,539 inmates were granted amnesty under two directives signed by President Truong Tan Sang. They will be released from prisons starting Monday.
	He says the amnesty reflects a tradition for mercy in Vietnam as well as the government's clemency policy.
	Officials said there were 34 foreigners are among those to be released 16 from China, six from Malaysia, six from Laos and two from Australia.
	More than 63,000 prisoners had been given early release under presidential amnesties since 2009, according to government figures.

Vietnam grants amnesty to more than 18,000 prisoners

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has dismissed top officials in the wake of a recent standoff with South Korea, state media reported today, a move that suggests the young leader holds them responsible for allowing the confrontation to nearly spin out of control.
	The rival Koreas earlier this week threatened strikes against each other before agreeing on measures to reduce animosity.
	The standoff began after land mines that Seoul says the North planted maimed two South Korean soldiers. Seoul responded by resuming propaganda broadcasts critical of Kim's authoritarian rule for the first time in 11 years.
	Pyongyang then threatened to destroy the South Korean loudspeakers, and Seoul says the rivals exchanged artillery fire at the border.
	During a ruling Workers' Party meeting, Kim hailed the agreement, which came after marathon talks, as a "crucial landmark" that put "catastrophic" inter-Korean relations back on track toward reconciliation, according to Pyongyang's Korean Central News ...

N Korea leader dismisses top officials after standoff eases

Streets across Dominica turned into fast-flowing rivers that swept up cars as Tropical Storm Erika pummeled the eastern Caribbean island, unleashing landslides and killing at least four people.
	The storm, which forecasters said could reach Florida as a hurricane on Monday, knocked out power and water supplies on Dominica as it dumped 15 inches (38 centimetres) of rain on the small island and headed west into the Caribbean Sea.
	An elderly blind man and two children were killed when a mudslide crashed into their home in the southeast of the island, said Police Superintendent Daniel Carbon. Another man was found dead near his home in the capital of Roseau after a mudslide, but the cause of death was could not be immediately determined, Carbon said.
	Police said another 20 people have been reported missing.
	Erika was centered about 175 miles (280 kilometres) west of Guadeloupe, and was moving west at 15 mph (24 kph) with maximum sustained winds that had slipped slightly to 45 mph (75 ..

4 killed in Dominica as Tropical Storm Erika hits island

A new report estimates Apple shipped 3.6 million watches in the last quarter more than some analysts have estimated and enough to change the competitive landscape for fitness bands and other wearable gadgets.
	Apple shipped enough units of its new smartwatch to nearly overtake market leader FitBit in the last quarter, according to analysts at International Data Corp. Their report warns that traditional fitness bands may be losing popularity to smartwatches and other devices that offer more features.
	"People want to get more out of their devices," said IDC's Ramon Llamas in an interview. "It's kind of like the way smartphones overtook basic phones."
	Consumer response to the Apple Watch has been the subject of intense speculation since the new gadget went on sale this spring. While Apple is known for making popular gadgets, the watch represents a new category of products for the company. Critics have questioned whether it's useful enough for consumers to need or want one on their ...

New estimate: Apple shipped 3.6 million watches last quarter

US forces have launched airstrikes on a district in southern Afghanistan seized by the Taliban the day before.
	Afghan army Brig. Gen. Mohammad Rasool Zaizai says NATO and Afghan warplanes struck the army and police headquarters in the Musa Qala district in Helmand province Thursday, likely killing fighters and civilians.
	He says it is not possible to confirm casualty figures because insurgents control the area.
	Col. Brian Tribus, a spokesman for US forces in Afghanistan, says "US Forces conducted airstrikes in Musa Qala today against individuals threatening coalition and Afghan forces," without providing further details.
	Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef says 30 civilians and 10 fighters were killed, but the Taliban often provide unreliable figures. Taliban insurgents overran Musa Qala on Wednesday after a weeklong assault on Afghan security forces.

AP

AP

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