Indonesia has shipped tonnes of Australian garbage out of the country, an official said Tuesday, as Southeast Asian nations push back against serving as dumping grounds for foreign trash.
Eight containers of trash -- weighing some 210 tonnes -- left Indonesia's second-biggest city Surabaya on Monday aboard a cargo ship bound for Singapore, the local customs agency said.
The move comes less than a week after Australia pledged to stop exporting recyclable waste amid global concerns about plastic polluting the oceans and increasing pushback from Asian nations against accepting trash.
Last month, Indonesia said it would return the Australian rubbish after authorities found hazardous material and household trash, including used diapers and electronic waste, in containers meant to hold only waste paper.
"Six containers contaminated with (hazardous) waste and two containers mixed with household rubbish" left Indonesia on Monday, said Alvina Christine Zebua, a spokeswoman for the East Java ...

Indonesia ships back tonnes of Australian waste

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The European Union says it has imposed extra duties on imports of biodiesel from Indonesia, claiming that the government in the Southeast Asian country is subsidizing the fuel.
The EU's executive commission said Tuesday that a probe "found that Indonesian biodiesel producers benefit from grants, tax benefits and access to raw materials below market prices."
The commission says "this inflicts a threat of economic damage to EU producers," so it's imposing duties of 8% to 18% "to restore a level-playing field for EU biodiesel producers." So-called "countervailing duties" are permitted under global trade rules.
The commission says the duties are temporary but that more definitive measures could be imposed by December as the investigation evolves.
The 28-nation EU imports around 400 million euros ($450 million) worth of Indonesian biodiesel annually.

EU slaps biodiesel duties on Indonesia over subsidy concerns

French authorities are investigating the deaths of three children after a speedboat overturned just off the Normandy coast.
All three adults aboard the boat survived the accident Monday near the town of Agon-Coutainville. The identities of the dead and survivors were not released.
The regional maritime authority said Tuesday that a rescue operation was launched after a witness reported seeing the speedboat in trouble about 800 meters (yards) off the coast in the English Channel.
Volunteer rescuer Pascal Dutot described finding the 5.5-meter-long boat partially under water, and "the most difficult thing was to extract (the passengers) from the cabin, to break the windscreen."
He described the conditions as manageable for a larger boat but said the waters were choppy for such a small vessel.

3 children die after boat overturns off Normandy coast

Measles cases nearly tripled globally during the first seven months of the year compared to the same period in 2018, the World Health Organization said Tuesday, amid growing concern over public resistance to the vaccine.
So far this year, 364,808 measles cases were reported around the world, compared to 129,239 cases during the first seven months a year earlier.
These numbers are "the highest (registered) since 2006," WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier told reporters in Geneva.
The numbers are especially worrying since only about one in 10 actual measles cases are believed to be reported worldwide, according to WHO.
Measles, which is highly contagious, can be entirely prevented through a two-dose vaccine, but the World Health Organization (WHO) has in recent months sounded the alarm over slipping vaccination rates.
Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar and Ukraine registered the highest number of cases, WHO said.
In Madagascar, which registered around 127,500 cases during the first .

Global measles cases triple year-on-year: WHO

Chinese intervention in Hong Kong would be a "catastrophe" and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson should be more "outspoken" in putting pressure on Beijing, former governor Chris Patten said on Tuesday.
Patten told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that Hong Kong was "close to the abyss", because its leader Carrie Lam refused withdraw a controversial extradition bill and hold an inquiry into the reasons for the ongoing demonstrations and the way they have been policed.
"I think there is a degree of frustration and anger at the government refusing to give any sensible ground at all, which probably provokes more violence," said Patten, the last British governor of the region.
Authorities at Hong Kong airport on Tuesday cancelled all departing flights after pro-democracy protesters blocked the facility for a second day.
The abrupt closure came 10 weeks into a crisis that has seen millions of people take to Hong Kong's streets in the biggest challenge to Chinese rule of the semi-autonomous .

China action in Hong Kong would be 'catastrophe': Former governor

Austrian jewellery company Swarovski apologised Tuesday for "hurting the feelings" of Chinese people after calling Hong Kong a separate country on its website, becoming the latest luxury brand to come under fire in China.
The apology from the jewellery brand came a day after several other luxury retailers apologised for mistakes in their labelling of the semi-autonomous cities of Hong Kong and Macau as well as the self-ruled island of Taiwan.
Hong Kong has become a particularly sensitive subject for Beijing with the financial hub plunged into months of pro-democracy protests, and international brands have been caught in the crossfire.
"We are extremely sorry for the Chinese people whose feelings have been hurt," the jewellery firm said in a statement on Tuesday.
"Swarovski thanks the supervision of people from all walks of life and is willing to continue to build a harmonious society with the Chinese people." The company also lost the support of their brand ambassador, Chinese actress 

Swarovski latest luxury brand to apologise to China

At least 40 people have died in Bangladesh's worst-ever outbreak of dengue, officials said Tuesday, as overburdened hospitals struggled to treat thousands of patients.
Outbreaks of the mosquito-borne viral infection, which causes flu-like symptoms but can be deadly if it develops into a haemorrhagic fever, usually occur in the South Asian nation during the monsoon season between June and September -- but this year the disease has reached epidemic proportions.
More than 44,000 people have been admitted to hospitals with the illness since January, including some 2,100 on Monday alone, said health ministry official Ayesha Akhter.
"We have confirmed 40 dengue-related casualties so far to Monday," she told AFP.
Local media put the number much higher, reporting that the death toll passed 100 last week.
The week-long holiday marking the Muslim festival of Eid-al-Adha has seen hundreds of thousands of people leaving Bangladeshi cities to return to their family homes in the countryside, ...

40 dead in Bangladesh's worst-ever dengue outbreak

The Kremlin on Tuesday defended the police response to a wave of protests demanding free local elections in Moscow and downplayed the huge demonstrations.
"We believe the firm action of law enforcement to curb public unrest was absolutely justified," spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, in the first Kremlin comment since the protests engulfed the capital.
"We do not agree with those who call what is happening a political crisis." Since mid-July tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets in central Moscow after the exclusion of several opposition figures from local polls next month.
"Law enforcement agencies are fulfilling their duties and do everything necessary to ensure security during sanctioned rallies," Peskov said.
Police detained hundreds after a major rally on Saturday and nearly 1,400 at a protest late last month. Some protesters were injured in the crackdown and footage of police violence sparked an outcry on social networks.
One young woman was punched in the stomach by 

Kremlin defends 'justified' police response to protests

More than one in 10 voters could cast ballots on paperless voting machines in the 2020 general election, according to a new analysis, leaving their ballots vulnerable to hacking.
A study released by the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law on Tuesday evaluates the state of the country's election security six months before the New Hampshire primary and concludes that much more needs to be done.
While there has been significant progress by states and the federal government since Russian agents targeted US state election systems ahead of the 2016 presidential election, the analysis notes that many states have not taken all of the steps needed to ensure that doesn't happen again.
The report also notes that around a third of all local election jurisdictions were using voting machines that are at least a decade old, despite recommendations they be replaced after 10 years.
The Associated Press reported last month that many election systems are running on old Windows 7 software ...

Analysis shows 2020 votes still vulnerable to hacking

Radiation levels were up to 16 times the norm in a nearby town after an explosion at a Russian missile testing site, the national weather service said Tuesday.
The explosion at the Arctic facility on Thursday killed five scientists with Russia's nuclear agency, which later confirmed they were involved in testing new weapons. More victims were hospitalised.
Rosgidromet, the weather monitoring service, said its sensors in Severodvinsk, a town about 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the Nyonoksa test site, registered gamma radiation exceeding background levels by "four to 16 times".
Rosgidromet said the levels were higher at six out of eight of its stations in Severodvinsk and that levels returned to normal after 2.5 hours.
One of the sensors registered a level of 1.78 microsieverts per hour, well above the local average but far below dangerous levels.
Russia's Rosatom nuclear agency has said its staff were providing support for the "isotope power source" of a missile and were thrown into ...

Radiation up to '16 times' the norm near Russia blast site

Australia have left pace bowler James Pattinson out of their 12-man squad for the second Ashes Test against England, with Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood vying for recalls.
Pattinson was part of the team that won by 251 runs at Edgbaston, taking two wickets in his first Test in three years.
But the 29-year-old will sit out at Lord's, leaving Starc and Hazlewood to push their cases.

Starc, Hazlewood vie for Ashes places as Pattinson misses out

Maleeha Lodhi, Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, was seen heckled, in a purported video, by a man here claiming to be a Pakistani.
In the video circulating online, Lodhi was seen evading questions based by the man during an interaction with the media.
When Lodhi was leaving from the event, the man heckled her and shouted,"from last 15-20 years, what are you doing?"
He then shouted loudly "I have a question for you."
When he was asked to stop recording by the people present at the event, the man said, "I'm not going to stop recording. It is not against the law. I am asking her a question...I am a Pakistani."
When Pakistan's top diplomat at the UN refused to answer, the man heckled her and said "did not deserve to represent Pakistan."
However, the authenticity of the video could not be ascertained.
There was no official response from Lodhi and the Pakistani mission.

'You are a thief, don't deserve to represent Pak': Maleeha Lodhi heckled in US

Malaysian rescuers on Tuesday found the body of a Caucasian female in the forest surrounding a nature resort where a 15-year-old London girl was reported missing more than a week ago, police said.
Negeri Sembilan state police chief Mohamad Mat Yusop said officials were in the process of determining whether the body is Nora Anne Quoirin, who was discovered missing by her family from the Dusun eco-resort in the southern state on August 4.
The Lucie Blackman trust, a charity that helps the families of Britons who are in crisis overseas, said in a statement: "At this time we cannot confirm it is Nora.
However it sadly seems likely." Quoirin's family arrived August 3 for a two-week stay at the Dusun, a small resort located in a durian orchard next to a forest reserve 63 kilometers (39 miles) south of Kuala Lumpur.
Police believe the teen, who has learning and physical disabilities, climbed out through an open window in the living room of the resort cottage. They listed her as a missing ...

Malaysia finds body near where London teen went missing

- French club Marseille said on Tuesday they had sacked World Cup winner Adil Rami reportedly for 'gross misconduct' following a disciplinary procedure.
The Ligue 1 outfit gave no explanation for the decision, saying only that they had "decided to end the contract" of Rami, 33, part of France's 2018 World Cup winning squad.
L'Equipe sports daily, citing a letter sent by the club to Rami, said he had been sacked for 'gross misconduct' after he skipped training to take part in a TV reality show.
The defender, former partner of ex-Baywatch star Pamela Anderson, had been under investigation since he missed the training sesion at the end of last season.
Rami, who has played two seasons for the club, said he was injured  but on the same day took part in the recording of a French TV show that included demanding physical stunts.
In July club president Jacques-Henri Eyraud told Rami he needed to think deeply about "his obligations as a player especially as a world champion".
The previous ...

French club Marseille sack Adil Rami for 'gross misconduct'

US President Donald Trump's son and his Indonesian business partner say a theme park that also features a Trump hotel and condos will no longer have Chinese financing.
Donald Trump Jr. said Tuesday at a news conference in Jakarta that his father is not involved in Trump-branded resorts in West Java and Bali.
In a move that alarmed Trump critics, MNC Land, the Indonesian company that is developing the theme park owned by billionaire Hary Tanoesoedibjo, said in May that it has hired a subsidiary of Chinese state-owned Metallurgical Corporation to build the park at its Lido City development outside Jakarta.
Tanoesoedibjo said the Trump Organisation has nothing to do with the theme park and his company has canceled a Chinese bank's loan for the project.

Indonesian firm cancels Chinese loan for its Trump project

Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich have signed Inter Milan and Croatia winger Ivan Perisic on a one-year loan deal, the club confirmed Tuesday.
"Ivan will help us immediately with his many years of international experience," said Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic.
"He is technically gifted and flexible in attack." Perisic, 30, is widely considered to be Bayern's back-up option after their bid to sign Leroy Sane was derailed by the Manchester City winger's recent knee injury.
The 2018 World Cup finalist had already confirmed the transfer to German media after he was spotted undergoing a medical check in Munich on Monday.
According to Bild newspaper, Bayern have paid five million Euros ($5.6m) for the Croatian international, with the option to buy him outright for around 20 million Euros at the end of the season.
Perisic is a familiar name in Germany, having won the Bundesliga title with Borussia Dortmund and the German Cup with Wolfsburg earlier in his career.
"I am very ...

Perisic joins Bayern on one-year loan from Inter Milan

Italian senators will on Tuesday try to hammer out agreement on a possible no-confidence vote in Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte's government after far-right leader Matteo Salvini pulled the plug on the teetering coalition.
Senators have been recalled at the height of the holiday season after the heads of political groupings in the house on Monday failed to agree on a timetable for the vote demanded by Interior Minister Salvini.
He called last week for swift elections after withdrawing the support of his anti-immigration League party from an increasingly acrimonious alliance with the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S), plunging the country into turmoil.
While the government is still in place, the Senate must decide whether to initiate a no-confidence vote in the 14-month-old administration of Conte, an independent agreed to by deputy prime ministers Salvini and M5S leader Luigi Di Maio last year.
Thursday is the Catholic Feast of the Assumption or Ferragosto, a bank holiday ...

Italy recalls Senate as government crisis intensifies

Legendary singer George Michael's home in Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire has sold been sold for 3.4million pounds to a local couple.
The 16th century property was sold last month, according to Land Registry documents obtained by Mirror.co.uk.
Michael passed away in the residence on Christmas Day in 2016, and the place has since become a popular spot for his fans to visit and pay tributes.
Many of his followers had appealed to turn the building into a museum dedicated to Michael's life and legacy.
"We can confirm that we have now sold George's former home in Goring-on-Thames. It was a place that he loved, not least for the privacy that it afforded him. We would therefore kindly ask that the new owners have their privacy respected and are able to enjoy the property as he did," said lawyer John Reid, who acts on behalf of the singer's estate and family.
Michael bought the property in 2001.

George Michael's home sold for 3.4 million pounds

Amanda Seyfried has revealed that she once turned down a major role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as it required her to be in green make-up for six months out of every year.
Though the actor did not name the character, it is most likely Gamora, played by Zoe Saldana in "Guardians" and "Avengers" franchise.
"I turned down (a superhero movie) once and they haven't called back since. And it was a big one. I don't regret it because I didn't want to be green for six months out of every year. They tell beautiful stories through superheroes, and my daughter's now really obsessed with superheroes now, and part of me wishes I'd done it, but the other part of me is like I had a life to live' and I don't think I would've been happy," Seyfried told MTV.
"It's so much more fulfilling to be in a scene with another human, doing human things, talking about real life and that's what we did (in 'The Art of Racing in the Rain').

Amanda Seyfried turned down Gamora's role in MCU over green make-up

Travellers in Hong Kong's airport voiced support for pro-democracy demonstrators on Tuesday, despite an overnight occupation of the international transit hub that saw tens of thousands of passengers stranded.
The airport, one of the busiest in the world, reopened on Tuesday morning but hundreds of flights remained cancelled and several hundred protesters returned for a fresh rally on Tuesday afternoon.
Monday's abrupt closure came 10 weeks into a crisis that has seen millions of people take to Hong Kong's streets in the biggest challenge to Chinese rule of the semi-autonomous city since its 1997 handover from Britain.
"It may affect me, but I still know what they are doing and I support them so it doesn't matter, said 27-year-old advertising worker Mag Mak, whose flight back home to Hong Kong from Dubai was delayed by five hours.
"I think the government is so rubbish and they don't have any response to the protesters," she added.
Frank Filser, 53, was struggling to reschedule a flight 

Stranded passengers voice support for Hong Kong protesters

Dozens of firefighters Tuesday battled a major wildfire that forced the evacuation of a monastery on the Greek island of Evia as smoke from the blaze reached as far as Athens, authorities said.
Authorities also placed on alert two villages threatened by the blaze on the island, Greece's second largest after Crete and located northeast of Athens.
The fire started at about 3 am (0000 GMT) at the side of a road and was quickly spread by strong winds through the dry and dense vegetation in the centre of the island, the semi-official news agency ANA said.
The monastery of Panagia Makrymallis was evacuated as a precaution and residents of the villages of Kontodespoti and Stavros were told to be ready to leave also, TV SKAI said.
"Everything is ready in case it is necessary to evacuate the villages. The evacuation can be done in a few minutes. We are totally prepared," Fani Spanos, the governor of central Greece who was coordinating the operations, told SKAI.
He warned the fire was not yet ..

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