Indonesia's Search and Rescue Agency said today that rescuers are still searching for one of the two "black boxes" from a passenger plane that crashed into a mountain over the weekend, killing all 54 people on board.
	Agency chief Henry Bambang Soelistyo said people who reached the crash site yesterday had retrieved the cockpit voice recorder, but not the flight data recorder.
	Soelistyo earlier said both black boxes had been recovered. But today, he said officials had misinterpreted reports from rescuers at the scene.
	The cockpit voice recorder captures the pilots' conversations and any other noises in the cockpit, while the flight data recorder holds key details about the plane's speed, altitude, direction and the pilots' actions during the flight.
	The ATR42-300 twin turboprop plane crashed Sunday into a mountain while on a scheduled 42-minute flight from Jayapura to Oksibil in Papua province.
	Heavy fog and bad weather have prevented the evacuation of bodies from the crash site ..

Indonesia says flight data recorder of plane still missing

PTI Automatic

Hillary Rodham Clinton is opposing President Barack Obama's authorisation for oil drilling in the Alaska Arctic and his delays on the Keystone XL pipeline, in some of the clearest signs of the Democratic front-runner distancing herself from the president.
	Having agreed with him on most issues so far in her 2016 race, Clinton edged to Obama's left on climate change yesterday.
	In the course of a few hours, she announced her disapproval of his move to allow Royal Dutch Shell to drill in the Arctic Ocean and her impatience for a decision on the Keystone XL pipeline Alberta in Canada to Texas.
	Clinton argued on Twitter that the Arctic is a unique treasure and "not worth the risk of drilling."
	Then as she took questions from reporters later in Nevada, she said the US should be focusing on cleaner sources of renewable energy, rather than risking "potential catastrophes" in the search for more oil.
	"I think the very great difficulties that Shell encountered the last time they tried to do 

Clinton seeks distance from Obama on climate change issues

The head of South Africa's Department of Justice could "intervene" to prevent Oscar Pistorius' early release from prison, the department said today, just two days before the Olympic athlete is expected to leave jail and move to house arrest.
	The department said in a statement sent to The Associated Press that Justice Minister Michael Masutha is checking to see if the decision by a parole board in June to approve Pistorius for correctional supervision, a form of house arrest, was correct and "in compliance with the law."
	"He (Masutha) is seeking legal opinion (on) whether he is empowered by law to intervene if necessary," the department said.
	It said the minister would announce a decision before Friday, the day Pistorius was scheduled to leave the Kgosi Mampuru II prison in central Pretoria.
	Pistorius has served 10 months of a five-year sentence for manslaughter for killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2013. The double-amputee runner was approved by a parole board to serve the ...

SA Justice department could prevent Pistorius prison release

A military spokesman says fighting has resumed between South Sudanese troops and rebels two days after the president declined to sign a peace deal.
	Col Philip Aguer said today that there is fighting in Manyo County in the state of Upper Nile.
	He said the clashes are happening near the border with Sudan, with rebels trying to take areas controlled by government troops.
	He said there was also fighting yesterday in Eastern Equatoria state in an area where there previously had been no fighting, suggesting the rebels were opening up a new front.
	Kiir on Monday declined to sign a peace agreement with his former deputy Riek Machar, saying he needed more time to consult.

Fighting resumes in South Sudan after no peace deal signed

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency says a boat carrying about 40 Palestinians from a refugee camp in Syria capsized en route to Turkey and that at least nine migrants drowned.
	Today's report says the vessel left the northern Lebanese port of Tripoli on Monday and capsized after entering Turkish territorial waters. It says those on board were Palestinians from the Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus.
	NNA says women and children were among the dead. It says survivors were taken to hospitals in Turkey.
	The UN says about 264,500 people have crossed the Mediterranean Sea so far this year, trying to reach Europe.
	That compares to 219,000 for all of 2014, according to the International Organization for Migration.
	IOM estimates almost 2,350 people have died this year on those sea journeys.

Lebanon: 9 Palestinians from Syria drown en route to Turkey

Google is introducing a low-priced smartphone in six African countries where most people still can't afford an Internet-connected device.
	The "Hot 2" phone announced yesterday is made by Infinix and has a recommended price of USD88. It will be sold in stores in Nigeria and offered by online retailer Jumia in five other countries: Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, and Morocco.
	Jumia listed the phone at USD98 before it sold out, based on a check of its website yesterday.
	Infinix worked with Google on the Hot 2 as part of a programme called Android One that made its debut in India last year.
	Android One represents Google's push to lower the prices of smartphones in less developed parts of the world where computers are considered a luxury.
	Google consults with device makers to build cheap phones that can still run the latest version of its Android software.
	Infinix's phone will be sold with an Android release that came out last year under the nickname "Lollipop." It will be capable .

Google expands low-cost phone programme in 6 African countries

Four people were missing from a neighbourhood in the Alaska coastal town of Sitka after heavy rain caused several landslides and flooded homes, emergency responders have said.
	The landslides were reported in the southeast Alaska town after 2.5 inches (6.35 centimeters) of rain fell in 24 hours. One sinkhole also was reported.
	Governor Bill Walker will tour Sitka today to observe the damage.
	"Our thoughts and prayers are with those who are missing and all the people affected by the disasters in Sitka today," Walker said in a written statement provided by his office.
	The people who were unaccounted for were believed to be workers at a residential construction site, Sitka fire spokeswoman Sara Peterson said. Because of the instability of the site, a search had not yet started.
	One of the newly built homes was destroyed in the landslide and another was damaged, Peterson said. Some other homes in the area were evacuated, but Peterson did not know how many residences or people were ...

4 people missing after several landslides in Alaska

The conflict in Yemen has killed nearly 400 children since the end of March, and a similar number of children have been recruited by armed groups, according to a new report by the UN children's agency.
	This is UNICEF's first such alert on Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition has been fighting Shiite Houthi rebels since late March.
	The report says that as of a week ago, 398 children have been killed, 377 have been recruited to fight and 1.3 million have fled their homes.
	Human rights groups have expressed concern that both sides are violating the laws of war and not doing enough to protect civilians.
	Amnesty International has called on the UN to create a commission of inquiry to investigate alleged war crimes.

Yemen conflict has killed nearly 400 children, UN says

Mexican navy officials have said that one marine was killed and two others wounded in an ambush by drug cartel gunmen in the State of Mexico, just west of Mexico City.
	The ambush, and the earlier discovery of an opium poppy plantation in a nearby town, suggested that drug cartel violence may be moving ever closer to the nation's capital.
	The marines were on patrol in the township of Luvianos when gunmen opened fire on the troops in the main square of an outlying hamlet from the roof of a building and from a moving vehicle.
	The two wounded marines are in stable condition.
	While shootouts with police are not uncommon in Mexico City, ambushes of military patrols are rare so close to the capital. The scene of the shootout was about 120 kilometers (100 miles) west of Mexico City.
	Earlier, the navy said marines found and destroyed a 6-acre (2.4-hectare) opium poppy plantation even closer to the capital. The field was found in the State of Mexico about 80 kilometers (50 miles) from ...

Gunmen kill Mexican marine, wound 2 in state next to capital

The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees says there is a typhoid outbreak among civilians from a besieged Palestinian refugee camp on the outskirts of the Syrian capital, with at least six confirmed cases.
	Christopher Gunness, spokesman for the agency known as UNRWA, yesterday said that its staff gained access to Yalda, an area east of the Yarmouk camp hosting displaced Palestinian refugees and Syrian civilians, for the first time since June 8.
	UNRWA said it confirmed cases in Yarmouk, Yalda and two other areas, Babila and Beit Sahem and was authorized to provide limited health assistance.
	Gunness said "UNRWA's priority remains the delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians within Yarmouk itself."
	When fighters from the Islamic State extremist group entered camp in April, UNRWA said there were 18,000 refugees.

UN: Typhoid outbreak among Palestinian refugees in Syria

The US is quietly reviewing America's three-decade deployment to Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, fearful that the lightly equipped peacekeepers could be targeted by Islamic State-inspired militants.
	Officials tell The Associated Press the options include added security or a possible withdrawal.
	The US forces have helped marshal peace there since Egypt's 1979 peace treaty with Israel. Some 700 members of an Army battalion and logistics support unit are currently there.
	They mainly monitor and verify compliance, and have little offensive capability. Several other countries provide personnel.
	An expanding insurgency in the Sinai has the U.S. concerned its forces are at risk.
	Officials say there are no current plans to bring the Americans home, but that various options have been reviewed.
	They weren't authorized to speak public on the subject and demanded anonymity.

US weighs more security, withdrawal option for Sinai forces

New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez announced today his opposition to the Iran nuclear deal, the second Democratic senator to go against President Barack Obama, who is heavily lobbying for a congressional endorsement of the agreement.
	Under the agreement, which the U.S. And other world powers negotiated with Tehran, Iran would curb its nuclear program in exchange for getting billions of dollars in relief from economic sanctions, which have been choking its economy. Menendez, a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, joins Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York in rejecting the deal.
	Menendez said he is opposed to the measure because Iran has violated various U.N. Security Council resolutions while advancing its nuclear program.
	He said he is concerned that the agreement doesn't require Iran to dismantle its nuclear infrastructure.
	"Let's remind ourselves of the stated purpose of our negotiations with Iran: Simply put, it was to dismantle all or significant parts of Iran's ...

Democrat Menendez announces opposition to Iran nuclear deal

Yemeni rebels ambushed pro-government forces in the south today, setting off a major battle that killed 65 anti-rebel forces and handed them their first serious setback following a series of recent advances, officials said.
	The officials said 15 Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, were killed in the fighting near the Aqaba Tharaa area, where anti-rebel forces were advancing from Abyan into Bayda province.
	The officials, who hailed from both sides of the conflict, said the rebels destroyed at least eight armored vehicles and four tanks, which were left burning. The officials said both sides were rushing reinforcements to the area, with the Houthis attempting to squeeze the pocket closed and their opponents attempting to break out.
	Dozens of airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition opposing the rebels hit the mountainous area, but had yet to open up the rebels' positions.
	All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.
	Yemen's conflict ..

Yemen's rebels ambush pro-government forces, kill scores

Israel's opposition leader today warned that a new Palestinian uprising could be looming after a recent spate of violence and called on both sides to reduce tensions and restart peace talks.
	The appeal came during a meeting in the West Bank with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, a rare face-to-face encounter after a more than yearlong diplomatic standstill.
	Officials on both sides said that Abbas initiated the meeting with Isaac Herzog, leader of the opposition Zionist Union, in response to the violence of recent weeks.
	Addressing reporters at Abbas' West Bank headquarters in Ramallah, Herzog said the two men held an "in-depth" discussion that lasted more than an hour.
	He said they agreed "first and foremost" that a new "intifada," or uprising, must be prevented.
	"We have agreed that in order to prevent a third intifada we must combat terror on the one hand aggressively, and on the other hand move toward a diplomatic process," he said. "We must ignite the process yet again and 

Israeli opposition leader fears new Palestinian uprising

A man identified as one of Nelson Mandela's grandsons has been arrested for allegedly raping a 15-year-old girl, South African police said today.
	Mbuso Mandela, 24, is in police custody and will appear in a Johannesburg magistrates court on Friday for a bail hearing, said police spokeswoman Brig. Mashadi Selepe. He appeared briefly in court Monday when he was charged with rape.
	The rape allegedly took place at a restaurant in Greenside, a Johannesburg suburb, on August 7, Selepe said.
	The matter was reported to police a week later and Mandela was arrested last Saturday, she said.
	Mbuso Mandela is one of late statesman Nelson Mandela's 17 grandchildren. Mandela died in 2013 at the age of 95.

Mandela's grandson arrested for alleged rape in South Africa

A tractor-trailer rig that swerved to avoid another vehicle had 10 people packed into the cab when it crashed, burned and fell 20 meters off a bridge, killing everyone aboard, authorities in western Mexico say.
	Prosecutors in Michoacan state said late yesterday that six of the people who died over the weekend were children. All were from the same small town, but there was no explanation of why so many people were in the cab.
	The accident began when a sport utility vehicle crashed into a median barrier on a bridge that crosses over a railroad line. Both occupants were injured but survived.
	The driver of the tractor-trailer swerved to avoid the SUV, but the truck flipped onto its side and skidded about 15 yards (meters), leaving the cab hanging off the side of the bridge.
	The cab then caught fire and fell off the bridge onto the railroad tracks below.

10 die as truck crashes, burns, falls from bridge in Mexico

The Paris prosecutors' office says an investigation has been opened after one of the hostages in the January attacks around Paris accused some television and radio stations of having put his life in danger and sued them.
	Twenty people were killed, including the three attackers, in the extremist attacks around Paris that ended with police raids on a printing plant and a kosher supermarket where hostages were being held.
	At the printing plant north of Paris, hostage Lilian Lepere was hiding in a cupboard under a sink, apparently unknown to the gunmen, when at least three television and radio stations revealed his possible presence. He was eventually released unharmed.
	Lepere's lawyer, Antoine Casubolo Ferro, told The Associated Press that the complaint aims to increase media awareness of life-threatening situations.
	"Delivering information without careful consideration may lead to endanger other's lives. Journalists must think of it," he said.
	On January 9, as the police surrounded 

Paris attacks hostage sues media for endangering his life

A forensic examination of Hillary Rodham Clinton's private computer server could unearth more details than what she put in her emails. It could answer lingering questions about the security of her system, who had access to it and whether outsiders tried to crack its contents.
	Clinton last week handed over to the FBI her private server, which she used to send, receive and store emails during her four years as secretary of state. The bureau is holding the machine in protective custody after the intelligence community's inspector general raised concerns recently that classified information had traversed the system.
	Clinton leads the race for Democratic presidential nomination by wide margin even though questions about her use of the server have since shadowed her campaign. Republicans have seized on the issue to raise questions about Clinton's trustworthiness.
	Clinton again this weekend repeated a carefully constructed defence of her actions, in that she did not send or receive emails 

Probe of Clinton's server could find more than just emails

The White House has hired its first openly transgender staff member.
	The White House announced Raffi Freedman-Gurspan's appointment today. Freedman-Gurspan is an outreach and recruitment director for presidential personnel in the Office of Personnel.
	Transgender advocates say she is the first openly transgender official to serve in the White House.
	Freedman-Gurspan previously was a policy adviser for the National Centre for Transgender Equality's racial and economic justice initiative.
	Advocates hailed her appointment as an important step for the LGBT community and for ensuring that the federal government includes the voices and experiences of all Americans.
	White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett says Freedman-Gurspan's commitment to improving the lives of transgender Americans reflects the values of the Obama administration.

First openly transgender official hired at White House

The Obama administration is proposing to cut methane emissions from US oil and gas production by nearly half over the next decade in an unprecedented step to curb climate change.
	Individuals familiar with the proposal say the Environmental Protection Agency will set a target to cut methane from oil and gas drilling by 40 to 45 per cent by 2025, compared to 2012 levels.
	That's the same target the administration unveiled in its preliminary blueprint in January.
	The individuals weren't authorised to discuss the proposal before its public release and requested anonymity.
	The administration is expected to issue the first US regulations cutting emissions from new natural gas wells.
	Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that traps heat in the atmosphere and is blamed for contributing to climate change.

US proposes to cut methane from oil, gas by nearly half

Muslim scholars and environmental advocates from about 20 countries today called for a global phase-out of greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century, joining a chorus of religious leaders urging the world to take strong action against global warming.
	Participants in a seminar in Istanbul said it was the first declaration of its kind from Islamic leaders, a voice many say has been missing from the debate on global warming.
	The move comes two months after Pope Francis' encyclical on climate change and other environmental issues and ahead of a key UN climate conference in Paris in December, where world leaders are supposed to adopt a landmark agreement to fight climate change.
	"I think this declaration will incentivise ambitious actions and spur the Muslim world, especially the oil producing countries," said Mohamed Adow, a Kenyan advocate for climate action who attended the seminar.
	Organisers said the declaration was "in harmony" with the pope's message and supported by the ...

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