Hong Kong police shot a protester at close range, leaving him bleeding from his shoulder and howling on the ground, in a fearsome escalation of anti-government demonstrations that spread across the semi-autonomous Chinese territory on Tuesday.
Tens of thousands marched in a day of rage as Communist leaders in Beijing celebrated 70 years in power.
The protester was shot by an officer who opened fire with his revolver, a police official said, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release information.
While officers have previously fired warning shots in the air on multiple occasions during Hong Kong's monthslong anti-government protests, this is the first time a protester is known to have been shot.
Video of the shooting that spread quickly on social media appeared to show the officer opening fire as the protester came at him with a baton, striking the officer's shooting arm.
Taken by the City University Student Union, it showed a ...

Police shoot protester in Hong Kong day of rage

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North Korea and the US have agreed to resume nuclear negotiations on October 5 following a months-long stalemate over withdrawal of sanctions in exchange for disarmament, a senior North Korean diplomat said Tuesday.
Choe Son Hui, North Korea's first vice minister of foreign affairs, said the two nations will have preliminary contact on October 4 before holding working-level talks on October 5.
In a statement released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency, Choe expressed optimism over the outcome of the meeting but did not say where it would take place.
"It is my expectation that the working-level negotiations would accelerate the positive development of the DPRK-US relations," Choe said in the statement, using an abbreviation for North Korea's formal name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Nuclear negotiations have been at a standstill for months following a February summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump in Hanoi, Vietnam. ...

North Korea says nuclear talks with US will resume on Oct 5

Sri Lanka's former police chief Pujith Jayasundara was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly assaulting and threatening a lift operator at the police headquarters here in 2017.
Jayasundara was arrested after he presented himself before the police's Criminal Investigation Department here. The former inspector general of police was produced before a magistrate, who gave Jayasundara bail.
Jayasundara was sent on compulsory leave after the Easter Sunday suicide bombings in Colombo which killed 258 people.
He resigned from the police force after President Maithripala Sirisena had asked him to step down.
In July, Sri Lanka's former defence secretary Hemasiri Fernando and Jayasundara were arrested, after the country's Attorney General instructed the authorities to charge them with the failure to prevent the attacks.
More than 250 people were killed in eight coordinated suicide attacks carried out by local Jihadi group National Thowheed Jammath linked to the ISIS on April 21.

Former Lankan police chief arrested for assault

Maisnam Meiraba Luwang and Tasnim Mir on Tuesday led India to an impressive 4-1 victory over Australia in their Group E clash on the second day of the BWF World Junior Mixed Team Championships.
In the opening match, Goa's Tanisha Crasto and Chattisgarh's Ishaan Bhatnagar continued their good form, overcoming Jack Yu and Kaitlyn Ea of Australia 21-17, 20-22, 21-11 in a 43-minute match to give India first point of the day.
Junior World No. 10 Meiraba then crushed Australia's Rio Agustino 21-17, 21-11 in 29 minutes to secure India's second point for the day.
The Manipur youngster carried his rich vein of form from his Russian Junior White Nights 2019 title win and his runner-up finish at the India Junior International earlier in the year.
In the girls' singles, Gujarat's Tasnim Mir, who had claimed two golds at the Dubai Junior International Series, clinched an easy 21-11, 21-15 victory over Angela Yu in just 22 minutes to give India an unassailable 3-0 lead.
Manipur duo of Manjit Singh .

Meiraba, Tasnim take India to its 3rd consecutive win at World Junior Mixed Team C'ships

Andy Murray said his return to tennis is going "in the right direction" after the former number one claimed his biggest scalp Tuesday since career-saving hip surgery.
The Briton defeated US Open semi-finalist Matteo Berrettini 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (9/7) in just over two hours at the China Open in smoggy Beijing.
Murray meets compatriot Cameron Norrie in the last 16 after a gutsy victory over the 13th-ranked Italian.
Murray, 32, a three-time Grand Slam winner, said he had made big strides since the first singles match of his return, a defeat at the Cincinnati Masters in mid-August.
Last week in Zhuhai he won his first ATP singles match since January's major operation.
"I didn't really feel like I was playing at a great level," he said of his match against Richard Gasquet in Cincinnati "Whereas even last week (in Zhuhai), although I lost in the second round, I felt like I was playing tour-level tennis."
"I think things are going in the right direction," added Murray.
Now ranked 503 in the ...

Murray going 'in right direction' after biggest win since return

World number one Novak Djokovic displayed steady recovery of his left shoulder injury Tuesday by defeating an Australian challenger at the Japan Open, his first competition since pulling out of the US Open.
The experienced Serbian top-seed claimed a 6-4, 6-2 victory against 20-year-old Alexei Popyrin, who fought bravely at the Ariake Colosseum.
Popyrin mixed big serves with delicate drop shots to stage courageous offensives against 32-year-old Djokovic.
But Djokovic, taking part in a Japanese competition for the first time, kept his calm to always stay a step above the Aussie, never giving his opponent a break point while breaking once in the first set and twice in the second set.
Djokovic nailed seven aces, against eight by Popyrin, and managed to win points on 84 percent of his successful first serves.
He finished the roughly 90-minute match by winning the final five games straight.
It was Djokovic's first singles competition since he withdrew from his US Open fourth-round match ...

Djokovic returns to winning in Japan after US Open injury

Naomi Osaka said that having her father as her coach had been "nostalgic" and revealed Tuesday that one of his favourite phrases to her is, "It's not rocket science."
The 21-year-old Japanese has dispensed with two coaches this year, leaving her Haitian father, Leonard Francois, as the person to guide her.
It has proved a successful combination so far, the world number four winning the Pan Pacific Open on home soil and on Tuesday emphatically reaching the last 16 of the China Open.
"It feels like it took me back a little bit because he's always been around, but he's been in the shadows for the most part," said the two-time Grand Slam champion, after breezing past Andrea Petkovic 6-2, 6-0 in Beijing.
"I would say he is a person that knows my game the most.
"He's the person that knows the trigger words, whether good or bad. Definitely it's been very nostalgic.
"I think we're getting along good."
Asked what those "trigger words" were, Osaka replied with a smile: "He likes saying, 'It's ..

Naomi Osaka's father tells star: 'It's not rocket science'

Thousands of Sikh community members are gearing up for a fitting funeral to trailblazing Indian-American Sikh police officer Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal, who was murdered while on duty in Texas in a gruesome killing that has triggered an outpouring of public grief.
Dhaliwal, 42, the first Indian-American police officer in Texas, made national headlines when he was allowed to grow a beard and wear a turban on the job. He was gunned down while conducting a mid-day traffic stop in northwest of Houston on Friday.
The Sikh National Center started an Akhand Path, a non-stop front-to-back reading of the Guru Granth Sahib, on Monday and it will conclude on Wednesday.
Thousands of people are expected to gather at the Berry Center in Houston on Wednesday to honour the fallen deputy's life and legacy in a ceremony open to the public. The event will start with an hour of Sikh prayer, followed by a ceremony led by the Harris County Sheriff's Office.
Sikh funeral traditions will soon take place at the ..

Preparations on for fitting funeral to Dhaliwal, over $600,000 raised for family

A Pakistani court on Tuesday handed down six years imprisonment to a man for defrauding his Canadian wife.
Canadian national Merry Gartner made friends with Pakistani Hammad Butt in 2012 on Facebook. Gartner came to Pakistan same year and married him. The couple later left for Canada.
Butt, who hailed from Sialkot city - some 100 kms from Lahore, returned to Pakistan a few months ago. His wife also came from Canada and filed a fraud case against him in the sessions court of Sialkot.
Gartner in her petition said that Butt had taken 140,000 dollars from her to invest in a business. She said that he transferred the money to Pakistan and returned to his homeland.
She prayed the court to take action against Butt for defrauding her.
After hearing the arguments from both sides, Judge Syed Mahmood Afzal Shah handed down six years imprisonment to Butt and also imposed a fine of Rs 40,000.

Pak court sentences man to 6 yrs in jail for defrauding his Canadian wife

Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted Chinese people on the occasion of their country's National Day on Tuesday, saying India cherishes its friendship with China.
China celebrated its 70th founding anniversary of the People's Republic of China (PRC) on Tuesday with a massive military parade in Beijing.
"India cherishes its friendship with China," Modi wrote on his account on the Chinese social media platform Weibo.
"We look forward to further developing political, trade as well as people-to-people ties for mutual benefit of the citizens of the two countries," he said, according to a press release issued by the Indian Embassy here on Tuesday.
Modi had opened an account in Weibo, a popular Twitter like social media platform in China during his visit here in 2015.

Modi greets Chinese people on China's National Day

Former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara on Tuesday took over as the first non-British President of the historic Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) here.
The former Sri Lankan wicketkeeper-batsman is the first non-British President of MCC and will hold the post for one year.
His nomination was announced by the outgoing President, Anthony Wreford, at the MCC Annual General Meeting at Lord's in May.
"I am thrilled to hold the prestigious position of MCC President and I look forward to working hard with the MCC to build on this incredible year of cricket," Sangakkara said in a statement.
"We have an opportunity to convert more supporters to the game we love and educate them about the fantastic work MCC does locally, nationally and globally for cricket and those communities," he added.
Sangakkara's tenure as MCC President will encompass two England Tests against West Indies and Pakistan, ODI against Australia and the launch of The Hundred competition.
Outgoing MCC President Wreford said: ...

Kumar Sangakkara takes charge as MCC President

An umpire who asked a ball girl whether she was 'hot' during a men's tennis tournament in Italy has been banned from officiating pending an investigation, the ATP said Tuesday.
Umpire Gianluca Moscarella addressed the girl during a second-tier ATP men's tournament in Florence, Italy, last week, during which he was also accused of inappropriate conduct towards one of the players.
Video on social media showed the Moscarella telling the girl she was "very sexy, then asking: "are you hot...  physically or emotionally... or both?"
The incident occurred during the Challenger Tour match between Pedro Sousa and Enrico Dalla Valle during which the umpire offered encouragement to the former while Dalla Valle was absent from the court momentarily.
"We are aware of a number of incidents involving chair umpire Gianluca Moscarella during a match between Pedro Sousa and Enrico Dalla Valle at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Florence last week," the ATP said in a statement.
"Moscarella was ...

Umpire banned over comments to ball girl

The Speaker of Nepal's Parliament resigned on Tuesday over allegation of raping a woman staffer in the federal parliament secretariat.
Speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara tendered his resignation letter to Deputy Speaker Shivamaya Tumbahamphe, officials said.
In the letter, Mahara said he resigned to allow a fair investigation over the allegations.
Earlier, Mahara had denied the allegations by the woman.
In a video released by online news portal Hamro Kura, the woman claims that she has known Mahara for years and that he has behaved indecently with her in the past as well.
The woman claimed Mahara visited her rented room on September 23 while she was alone.
The woman said she tried to stop Mahara, who was in an inebriated state, from entering her home but he did not listen.
She alleged Mahara forced himself on her and when she tried to stop him, he abused her.
The secretariat of Nepal Communist Party (NCP) had met earlier on Tuesday and decided Mahara should resign from the post of Speaker 

Nepal speaker resigns over rape allegation

The Netherlands' King Willem-Alexander has heaped praise on Indian Ambassador Venu Rajamony for his book highlighting the cross-cultural legacy between the two countries ahead of his visit to India this month.
The King, who received the first copy of the book titled 'India and the Netherlands: Past, Present and Future' authored by Rajamony, attended a seminar along with Queen Maxima on the Indo-Dutch bilateral relations here.
The book - an encyclopaedia of the cross-cultural legacy between India and the Netherlands - was released at the event jointly organised by the Royal Asian Art Society in the Netherlands and the Embassy of India.
The Dutch royals interacted with representatives who embody the Indo-Dutch connection in the fields of business, science, culture, sports, food and health at the seminar held at the prestigious Rijksmuseum (National Museum) Amsterdam on Monday.
Interacting with the media on the occasion, King Willem-Alexander said that he was looking forward to his trip .

Dutch King praises Indian envoy for book on Indo-Dutch ties ahead of India visit

Top running coach Alberto Salazar was barred from the World Athletics Championships on Tuesday following his four-year doping ban, officials confirmed.
In a statement following news of Salazar's suspension, the United States Track and Field Federation said it had moved to have the 61-year-old coach stripped of his credentials for Doha.
"USATF has taken the steps necessary to have Mr. Salazar's IAAF World Championships accreditation deactivated," the USATF said in a statement emailed to AFP.
An IAAF spokesperson later confirmed that Salazar's credentials for the championships have been revoked.
"USATF's commitment to clean sport and a level playing field for all athletes cannot be overstated," the US federation added.
"USATF's focus remains on the health and well-being of its athletes." Salazar was not a part of the US track and field team competing in Doha, but several athletes from his Nike Oregon Project stable are competing at the championships.
The status of athletes linked to ...

Salazar barred from World Championships after drug ban

Lebanon's central bank has issued guarantees to secure US dollars for local banks at the fixed official rate that would cover imports of fuel, wheat and medicine.
The central bank's move on Tuesday aims to ease the demand for dollars at a time when many Lebanese are rushing to exchange shops to convert their local currency into dollars.
Hundreds protested on Sunday over a worsening economic crisis, compounded by worries that Lebanon's dollar-reliant currency is losing value for the first time in more than two decades.
The central bank said the imports it's securing hard currency for are "only for local consumption."
The move will cover only imports into Lebanon amid reports that gasoline and wheat are being smuggled to neighboring Syria, which is under US and European sanctions.

Lebanon's central bank secures dollars to cover some imports

Strife-torn Hong Kong on Tuesday marked the 70th anniversary of Communist China's founding with defiant "Day of Grief" protests and fresh clashes with police as pro-democracy activists ignored a ban on marches and took to the streets.
Activists are determined to overshadow Beijing's festivities, using the anniversary to step up their nearly four months of protests pushing for greater democratic freedoms and police accountability.
Thousands marched through the streets of Hong Kong island on Tuesday afternoon, despite authorities rejecting an application to hold a rally there as police warned people "to leave the scene as soon as possible".
Smaller crowds rallied in a number of other districts with clashes quickly breaking out.
In Tsuen Wan, masked protesters used umbrellas and sticks to beat riot officers after they made a series of arrests.
The officers retreated into a nearby town hall after they came under a barrage of projectiles.
In Wong Tai Sin, police fired brief volleys of tear 

Hong Kong defies China anniversary with 'Day of Grief' rallies and clashes

Filmmaker Rian Johnson hopes to make more mystery films like his upcoming directorial "Knives Out", with Daniel Craig's character being the main pivot.
In an interview with Syfy Wire, Johnson said he wants to follow the template made famous by iconic author Agatha Christie if he decides to make another film in the whodunnit genre.
"I had so much fun with this, and I had so much fun with Daniel, if I can make another mystery with the same character, and do what Agatha Christie did and do a new cast and a new setting and make a few of these," the director said.
"Knives Out" follows a family gathering gone horribly awry, after the family patriarch's death leads a master detective to investigate.
It also features Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, Lakeith Stanfield, Katherine Langford, Jaeden Martell, and Christopher Plummer.
Johnson compared the film with his previous directorial "Star Wars: The Last Jedi", saying, "It's weird, you ..

Rian Johnson teases 'Knives Out' sequel

Thousands of Dutch farmers headed to The Hague on Tuesday, many driving in slow-moving convoys of tractors that snarled traffic in the morning rush hour, for a national day of protest to demand more respect for their profession.
The Dutch motorists association, ANWB, reported that Tuesday was the busiest ever morning rush hour on the nation's roads, with more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) of traffic jams blamed on convoys of tractors, bad weather and accidents.
Organisers of the protest said on their website that they want to counter the "negative image" of farming in the Netherlands.
They say, "we are not animal abusers and environment polluters, we have a heart for our businesses."
Agriculture Minister Carola Schouten is scheduled to address the farmers in the early afternoon.
According to the Dutch farmers' organisation, LTO, exports from nearly 54,000 farms and other agricultural businesses were worth 90.3 billion euros last year.
However, while farmers are a cornerstone of ...

Angry Dutch farmers descend on The Hague to demand respect

No force can ever stop China from marching forward, President Xi Jinping asserted on Tuesday as he presided over the country's largest parade, showcasing its military might and unity among top leaders, to celebrate the Communist Party's hold on power for 70 years.
As China held its largest parade, Hong Kong witnessed one of its violent protests with thousands of pro-democracy activists, who burnt Chinese flags, demanding autonomy, universal franchise, and freedom for all the people to contest the elections for the territory's legislature.
"No force can ever shake the status of China, or stop the Chinese people and nation from marching forward," an assertive Xi said in his speech ahead of the parade, as the two-million strong world's largest army flexed its muscles displaying some of its most sophisticated weapons, including long range Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs).
Regarded as the most powerful leader since the Communist Party of China (CPC) founder Mao Zedong, Xi, 66, ..

No force can stop China from marching forward: President Xi

Israel is quietly allowing thousands of Palestinians to enter from the Gaza Strip to conduct business and work menial jobs, apparently as part of understandings with the ruling Hamas militant group aimed at preventing a fourth war in the blockaded territory.
Israel effectively revoked thousands of work permits when it joined Egypt in imposing a crippling blockade on Gaza after Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007.
The blockade, along with three wars between Hamas and Israel, has devastated the economy in Gaza, where unemployment is over 50 per cent.
In recent months, Israel has quietly provided some relief as part of an unofficial, Egyptian-brokered truce with Hamas, in exchange for reduced rocket fire from the territory and the scaling back of weekly protests along the border.
It has allowed Qatar to deliver millions of dollars in cash to allow Hamas to pay its civil servants and has allowed the United Nations to step up aid efforts.
Now it appears Israel has ...

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