Angola may well miss its target of clearing the country of landmines left after the civil war by 2025 because of a loss of funding, said a senior official.
Adriano Goncalves, the head of the country's demining operations (CNIDAH), made the admission to reporters Saturday evening, following the visit of Britain's Prince Harry to observe mine-clearing work.
"Angola has more than a thousand minefields to clear but has lost around 90 percent of its international funding to fight this evil," said Goncalves.
"That makes it more difficult to free the country of these devices by 2025 at the latest," he added.
On Friday Prince Harry paid what he described as an "emotional" visit to a street in Angola that was still a minefield when his mother Diana visited in 1997, shortly before her death.
Diana campaigned to draw attention to the more than one million landmines planted during Angola's 27-year war, which started after independence from Portugal in 1975.
"There are still more than 1,000 ...

Angola says funding cuts have hit its mine-clearing work

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Car lovers from around the world splashed out more than USD 27 million at an auction Sunday for dozens of luxury cars seized from the son of Equatorial Guinea's president in a Swiss money-laundering probe.
The 25 lots sold by auction house Bonhams included a white-and-cream 2014 Lamborghini Veneno roadster that cost the buyer 8.28 million Swiss francs (USD 8.4 million), comprising a 15 per cent premium for the auction house but with potential taxes still to be added.
The supercar  one of only nine such versions produced  had been driven only 325 kilometers (201 miles) and has an official top speed of 359 kilometers per hour (223 mph), Bonhams said.
Total proceeds from the sale beat the 18.5 million francs (USD 18.7 million) that authorities had hoped to fetch for a charity to benefit the people of oil-rich Equatorial Guinea.
The auction comes after the Geneva prosecutor's office announced in February it had closed a case against Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, the son of the country's ..

Supercars taken from African leader's son auctioned for USD 27M

Sri Lanka's former Army Commander General Mahesh Senanayake on Sunday announced his candidacy for the presidential election to be held in November.
Senanayake's presidential bid was announced at a rally held here by National People's Movement (NPM), a collective of civil organisations.
Addressing the rally, Senanayake, who retired as Army Commander in August, said that Sri Lanka needs an alternative force and he believes he is that alternative.
Senanayake said that politics has ruined the country so there needs to be an independent force to bring about change in the country.
The former Army Commander said that his team does not include politicians but academics and other experts.
I have no connections to politicians. My backers are the civil society its honourable men and women," said Senanayake, who was the commander of the Lanka Army between 2017 and August 2019.
A loyalist of the former presidential candidate and Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka, Senanayake was forced to flee Sri Lanka 

Lanka's former Army chief Senanayake enters presidential race

Thousands gathered in Moscow Sunday for a demonstration demanding the release of opposition protesters prosecuted in recent months.
Police estimated a turnout of 20,000 at the Sakharov Avenue in central Moscow about half an hour after the start of the protest, which was authorised.
The demonstrators chanted "let them go" and brandished placards demanding a halt to "repressions" of opposition protesters.
Several protesters who were charged but freed in recent weeks thanked the crowd for putting pressure on the authorities.
"We have to keep demanding to respect our rights, because they have left us no choice but to protest in the streets," said opposition leader Lyubov Sobol.
The current wave of demonstrations was triggered by the refusal of Moscow authorities to allow opposition activists like Sobol, an associate of top Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, participate in local elections.
The sweeping, sometimes violent crackdown on protests backfired when crowds of many as 50,000 began to ...

Thousands rally for political prisoners in Moscow

Egyptian security forces have killed 15 suspected militants in a shootout in restive north Sinai, the interior ministry said Sunday.
A militant group was "planning hostile acts targeting military and police forces...in order to destabilise national security", the ministry said in a statement.
It did not name a specific group, but said "terrorist elements" had been hiding in a farm in El-Arish, the capital of North Sinai province.
When forces approached, "the militants shot live rounds forcing troops to deal with them (and) leading to 15 deaths".
Graphic pictures of the bodies of the alleged militants were sent along with the Sunday press release.
Authorities also said they found a small trove of stashed weapons including an explosive belt, several rifles and an explosive device.
The ministry did not specify when the reported shootout took place, but Sunday's announcement follows recent military operations in Sinai that authorities say killed 118 suspected militants.
Nine soldiers were 

Egypt kills 15 militants in North Sinai shootout: ministry

India's Ajeetesh Sandhu and Rahil Gangjee, who had an opportunity to finish in Top-10 at one point of the Panasonic Open Golf Championship, ended way down in tied 37th and tied 50th here on Sunday.
Sandhu shot 75 with two bogeys and a birdie on front nine and two bogeys, one birdie and a double bogey on back nine. Gangjee had three bogeys and one birdie on front nine and four birdies, one bogey and one double on back nine.
Viraj Madappa (75) was tied 68th.
Japan's Toshinori Muto collected his first Asian Tour title in style after closing with a second straight seven-under-par 64 to win by four shots.
The 41-year-old Muto halted a winless streak of four years after firing eight birdies against a bogey to cap a winning total of 21-under-par 263, setting a record lowest 72-hole score in the tournament that is celebrating its 10th edition this week.
Shugo Imahira, who entered the week as the second highest-ranked Japanese on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), came in runner-up after .

Sandhu 37th, Gangjee 50th in Japan

Sebastian Vettel made light of claims that he ignored Ferrari team orders on Sunday after an engine failure ended his hopes of winning the Russian Grand Prix.
The four-time world champion, who made a blistering start and led for 27 laps, smiled when he was told he had been voted 'driver of the day' in a fan vote.
But, he said, he was disappointed Ferrari had failed to land a one-two triumph.
"I don't know exactly what happened," said Vettel, when asked about a pre-race agreement he had with team-mate Charles Leclerc, who gave him a first lap slipstream to take the lead from third on the grid.
"I think we had an agreement. I spoke with Charles especially before the race. It was quite clear. Maybe I missed something?"
"I'm sure we'll talk about it," he added with an enigmatic smile.
"It's bitter for us today because we wanted to have a one-two and it's not the result we wanted. I don't want to share (details about our agreement) and I don't want to put the team in a bad light.
"We ...

Vettel makes light of Sochi failure

A euphoric Lewis Hamilton extended his world championship lead to 73 points on Sunday when he rode his luck to claim a strategic victory for Mercedes in a roller-coaster Russian Grand Prix.
The defending five-time champion came home 3.829 seconds ahead of team-mate and nearest championship rival Valtteri Bottas as Mercedes took advantage of Ferrari's reliability and tactical problems by delivering a Silver Arrows one-two.
Having grabbed the lead from pole man Charles Leclerc on the opening lap, Sebastian Vettel ignored team orders to let him pass before he suffered a mechanical failure and stopped on lap 28.
The resultant Safety Car period gifted Mercedes, who started on medium tyres while their rivals all used softs, a chance to extend their Sochi supremacy to six consecutive wins.
Leclerc came home a frustrated and disgruntled third, claiming he expected Vettel to repay him for his slip-stream in a race punctuated by two Safety Car interventions and one use of the Virtual Safety ...

Hamilton wins in Russia to foil Ferrari renaissance

Prime Minister Imran Khan on his return from the US on Sunday said that those standing by Kashmiris were doing "jihad" and Pakistan will support Kashmiris even if the world does not.
Prime Minister Khan, who focussed on the Kashmir issue in his maiden address to the UN General Assembly, told his party workers at the airport here that whether the world is with the Kashmiris or not, we are standing with them.
It (standing by Kashmiris) is jihad. We are doing it because we want Allah to be happy with us, he said.
It is a struggle and do not lose heart when the time is not good. Do not be disappointed as the Kashmiris are looking towards you, he said.
He said "Kashmiris would win if the Pakistani people stood by their side".
Khan on Friday raised the Kashmir issue in his address to the UNGA and demanded that India must lift the "inhuman curfew" in Kashmir and release all "political prisoners".
In his speech that went on for about 50 minutes, far exceeding the 15-minute limit for UN ...

It is a 'jihad', says Imran on Kashmir after returning from US

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has set a June, 2020, deadline for the Indian Cricket Board to confirm its participation in Asia Cup scheduled in September, next year.
"We need to see if India agrees to come to Pakistan for the Asia Cup. There is still some time till next year's September but by June, we have to know where we are going with this and if it can't be hosted here because of a lack of involvement of India," PCB CEO Wasim Khan said in an interview.
However the final decision to shift the tournament will be Asian Cricket Council's prerogative.
"But that is a decision for the Asian Cricket Council and ICC to make. We are ready to have India in the Asia Cup," Khan said.
Khan however acknowledged the practical problems in having any bilateral cricketing ties with India in the prevailing strenuous relationship between the two neighbours.
"Board to board level, we share a good relation with India but they have a lot of government interference and we can't keep on running after ..

Asia Cup In Pakistan: PCB to wait for BCCI's confirmation till June, 2020

Sri Lanka's interim head coach Rumesh Ratnayake feels his side's trouble-free limited overs tour of Pakistan will encourage other nations to send their sides to this part of the world.
The Sri Lankan team began its tour of Pakistan on Friday, after 10 of its main players refused to travel citing security concerns.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had initially invited Cricket Sri Lanka to play two Tests of the ICC Test Championship in Karachi and Lahore but the Islanders instead opted to play a limited-overs series of three ODIs and as many Twenty20 matches.
The PCB is now looking at this tour to pass off successfully and have the Tests in December in Pakistan.
"This will be a precursor for that (Test) tour (in December). I'm sure this will certainly encourage the others (SL player, who refused to travel) to take decisions, we can't enforce it on them," Ratnayake told a media conference.
"They have taken a decision and we have to respect that, but certainly, if things go well, this ...

Success of our tour will encourage other countries to play in Pakistan: SL head coach

A fire erupted on Sunday at a new high-speed train station in Saudi Arabia's western city of Jeddah, authorities said, with huge palls of smoke seen rising into the air.
The station is dedicated to the Haramain High Speed Rail system which opened to the public in October last year, transporting passengers between Mecca and Medina, Islam's holiest sites.
"The civil defence is putting out a fire that broke out at a station in Suleimaniya... no injuries have been recorded as of yet," the General Directorate of Saudi Civil Defence said on Twitter.
A video uploaded on Twitter by the Mecca provincial government showed plumes of grey smoke rising from what looked like the inside of the complex.
The blaze erupted at 12:35 pm local time (0935 GMT), according to the Haramain High Speed Rail's Twitter account.
The system is capable of transporting passengers 450 kilometres (280 miles) via the Red Sea port of Jeddah at speeds of up to 300 kilometres per hour.
Saudi King Salman inaugurated the ...

Fire erupts at Saudi high-speed train station: authorities

Mario Balotelli scored his first goal for new club Brescia but the promoted northerners still fell to a 2-1 defeat to Napoli in Serie A action on Sunday.
The 29-year-old Italian international headed in after 67 minutes in his second match for his hometown club having missed four games because of a ban he incurred with former club Marseille.
First-half goals by Dries Mertens and Kostas Manolas ensured Napoli took all three points after their midweek loss to Cagliari, to boost confidence ahead of their Champions League trip to Belgian club Genk.
Carlo Ancelotti's Napoli stay fourth with 12 points from six games, six behind league leaders Inter Milan who beat Sampdoria 3-1 on Saturday.
Inter have a maximum 18 points from six games -- two ahead of Juve -- after winning their first six league matches for the first time since the 1966-67 season.
Juventus beat SPAL 2-0 to stay second with Atalanta third -- a point ahead of Napoli -- after thrashing Sassuolo 4-1 on Saturday.
Balotelli carried 

Balotelli scores first Brescia goal in defeat to Napoli

Voter participation in Afghanistan's presidential elections appeared Sunday to have been lower than in previous years, with turnout hit by the threat of attacks, a muted campaign and concerns of fraud.
Afghans went to the polls on Saturday to vote in the first round of a presidential race that will decide whether President Ashraf Ghani will win a second five-year term.
About 9.6 million Afghans in the war-torn nation -- with an estimated population of 35 million -- had registered to vote in the election, which was held at some 4,900 polling stations.
An initial tally released early Sunday by Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission showed that with data from slightly more than half the stations, just under 1.1 million people had voted.
If that turnout trend holds, it would represent a participation level of less than 25 per cent -- lower than any of Afghanistan's three previous presidential elections.
In 2014, for instance, turnout was a little under 50 per cent, although direct .

Attacks, fraud fears dampen turnout in Afghan election

Riyad Mahrez has set his sights on inspiring Manchester City's trophy push as the Algeria winger enjoys his best run of form for the Premier League champions.
Mahrez was City's man of the match as his crucial strike set the stage for a 3-1 win at Everton on Saturday.
The 28-year-old's fine free-kick put City ahead for good in the second half. It continued his fine run of form since helping Algeria to success in the Africa Cup of Nations in July.
When that tournament ended, City were already one game into their pre-season tour of Asia, meaning Mahrez had little respite from competitive action before the Premier League resumed.
But after a first season at the Etihad Stadium in which he did not command a regular starting spot, he feels that was for the best.
"I didn't have much holidays but that is what I wanted, because I wanted to be ready straightaway," he said.
"I am happy but I have to keep going."
Mahrez troubled Everton throughout at Goodison Park and set up a glorious early ...

In-form Mahrez aims to drive Man City's trophy push

The Pakistan government has taken action against jailed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's sugar mills in the country's Punjab province and also took over the possession of 36 kanals of land which it allegedly encroached upon some 37 years ago.
"The Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) has retrieved 36 kanals of land encroached by the Sharif family's mills in Sahiwal, some 200 kms from Lahore, 37 years ago," Gohar Nafees, the chief of ACE, said.
Sharif, 69, has been serving a seven-year prison term at the Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore since December 24, 2018 when the accountability court convicted him in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills case - one of the three corruption cases filed in the wake of the apex court's July 28, 2017 order in Panama Papers case.
Sharif and his family have denied any wrongdoing and allege that the corruption cases against them were politically motivated.
Nafees said Ittefaq Sugar Mills of the Sharif family had encroached area of the state land measuring 36 ...

Pak government initiates action against  Sharif's sugar mills; takes possession of land encroached

A first-of-its-kind conference to explore and chronicle the contributions of Hindus in the US would be held in Boston from November 1, its organisers announced on Sunday.
The three-day conference 'Threads 2019: Share, Appreciate and Engage - To Shape a Collective Future' would be attended by eminent Indian-Americans from various fields, said members of World Hindu Council of America, a non-profit body organising the conference.
The Hindu council had organised the World Hindu Congress in Chicago in 2018.
"The purpose of the event is two-fold: exploring and chronicling the contributions of Hindus to America and, paying tribute to the largesse of America and its warm embrace of Hindus," a media release said.
The panel for the session 'The Emergence of Hindu Americans in The Public Square' will include State Representative Niraj Atani from Ohio and State Representative Padma Kuppa from Michigan.
State Representative Niraj Atani from Ohio and State Representative Padma Kuppa from Michigan .

Boston to host conference on contributions of Hindus to America

A prominent bodyguard of Saudi Arabia's King Salman has been shot and killed at a friend's house in what has been described as a personal dispute, according to state media.
Major General Abdelaziz al-Fagham's death triggered an outpouring of emotion on Twitter, with some condemning the killing of the Saudi ruler's "guardian angel".
Fagham, who was frequently seen by the king's side, died Saturday evening in the western city of Jeddah, police in Mecca said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
A spokesman said that the gunman was shot dead by security forces, but that five officers were wounded in the melee that has shocked the kingdom, where gun violence is rare.
Police said the trouble broke out when Fagham was visiting a friend who was receiving guests at his home in Jeddah, the port city in western Saudi Arabia.
An acquaintance, Mamdouh al-Ali, entered the residence and an argument ensued.
"The conversation between Fagham and Ali escalated... Ali left the 

Bodyguard of Saudi king killed in shooting

Iran's oil minister on Sunday ordered his country's energy sector to be on high alert to the threat of "physical and cyber" attacks.
Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said "it is necessary for all companies and installations of the oil industry to be on full alert against physical and cyber threats," in a statement published on the oil ministry's Shana website.
Zanganeh said precautions were needed due to American sanctions and the "full-scale economic war" that the Islamic republic accuses the United States of waging against it.
Washington, Riyadh, Berlin, London and Paris blame Iran for attacks that damaged the Saudi oil sector on September 14 and forced the world's largest crude exporter to sharply reduce production.
Tehran denied any link to the strikes, which were claimed by Huthi rebels in Yemen. Iran supports the rebels against a Saudi-led coalition that has been fighting the Huthis since 2015.
Following the attacks, US President Donald Trump said he was preparing a response. Several days .

Iran's oil sector on 'full alert' against attacks

The French authorities have expanded an investigation against Tariq Ramadan, a leading Islamic scholar already charged in France with raping two women, to include evidence from two more alleged victims, judicial sources said Sunday.
Ramadan, a Swiss national, 57, has already been charged in France with raping a disabled woman in 2009 and a feminist activist in 2012. He denies all the charges.
Paris prosecutors earlier this month instructed the investigating magistrate handling the case to look into the evidence from "two new potential victims" over incidents that took place in 2015 and 2016, a judicial source told AFP, confirming a report in Le Journal du Dimanche newspaper.
Investigators took witness statements from the two women after they were identified from documents found on his computers. The women themselves have not filed a criminal complaint.
But they both say they were led into a brutal sexual relationship with Ramadan, one from November-December 2015 and the other in March 

France expands rape probe against Islamic scholar Ramadan

Naomi Osaka poked fun on Sunday at a Japanese comedy duo's reported comments that the Japanese and Haitian tennis star needed to pick up some "bleach."
The relatively unknown female comedy pairing "A Masso" reportedly suggested last week Osaka needed "bleach," and said the 21-year-old former world number one was "too sunburned" during a live performance.
They apologised after the skit referring to Osaka made news.
"'Too sunburned' lol that's wild," Osaka wrote on Twitter.
"I never get sunburned" by using a sunscreen, she added -- naming a local brand.
Osaka is a household name in Japan, where her every move is followed feverishly by local media, particularly when she is in the country of her mother's birth.
She is the face of several leading Japanese brands, including the carrier ANA, and "Naomi-chan" -- as she is affectionately known -- was the main attraction at this month's Pan Pacific Open in Osaka, which she won.
But she has faced controversies over her dual heritage in a nation .

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