World

Senator John McCain, the Vietnam war hero turned senator and presidential candidate has died aged 81. McCain died on Saturday surrounded by his family, a short statement released by his office said.

He was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour in July 2017 and had been undergoing medical treatment. His family announced on Friday that McCain, who left Washington in December, had decided to stop treatment.

The six-term senator and 2008 Republican presidential nominee was diagnosed after doctors discovered his tumour during surgery to remove a blood clot from above his left eye last July. His family said he would lie in state in Phoenix, Arizona, and in Washington DC before a funeral at the Washington National Cathedral and his burial in Annapolis, Maryland.

The son and grandson of Navy admirals, McCain was a fighter pilot during the war in Vietnam. When his plane was shot down, he spent more than five years as a prisoner of war. While in the custody of his captors, he suffered torture that left him with lasting disabilities.

Source : BBC

The Indonesian island of Lombok has been shaken by another strong earthquake, after weeks of tremors that have killed more than 476 people.

Sunday's quake measured magnitude 6.3 and was at a depth of 7.9km (4.9 miles). It caused landslides but it is not known if there are any casualties.

Residents said the tremor was felt strongly to the east of the island, and sent people fleeing into the streets. The island has been rocked by hundreds of quakes and tremors since 29 July.

Source : BBC

Flood victims returning home in the Indian state of Kerala have been warned to prepare for a new menace: Snakes. Several snake-catching teams have been deployed to affected areas, amid fears the reptiles could be hiding in cupboards, under carpets, or inside washing machines in previously submerged homes.

Hospitals in the worst-hit areas are readying supplies of anti-venom. Devastating flooding has killed around 400 people in Kerala since June.

More than a million others were displaced, with many of them taking shelter in thousands of relief camps across the southern state. As well as the glut of snakes, scorpions and other insects are reported to have moved into human homes.

Source : BBC

Kofi Annan, the only black African to become UN secretary-general, has died. The 80-year-old "passed away peacefully on Saturday after a short illness", the foundation named after him said.

His home country, Ghana, has declared a week of national mourning. Annan served two terms as UN chief from 1997 to 2006, and was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work.

He later served as the UN special envoy for Syria, leading efforts to find a solution to the conflict.

In a statement announcing his death, the Kofi Annan Foundation described him as a "global statesman and deeply committed internationalist who fought throughout his life for a fairer and more peaceful world".

"Wherever there was suffering or need, he reached out and touched many people with his deep compassion and empathy."

The career diplomat died in hospital in the Swiss city of Bern. He had been living near Geneva for several years.

He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001 for helping to revitalise the international body, during a period that coincided with the Iraq War and the HIV/Aids pandemic.

Source : BBC

Scott Morrison has become Australia's new prime minister after Malcolm Turnbull was forced out by party rivals in a bruising leadership contest.

Turnbull has been under pressure from poor polling and what he described as an "insurgency" by conservative MPs.

Morrison, the treasurer, won an internal ballot 45-40 over former Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton - who had been Mr Turnbull's most vocal threat.

Turnbull is the fourth Australian PM in a decade to be ousted by colleagues.

Former cricketer Imran Khan has been sworn-in as the new prime minister of Pakistan, more than two decades after he entered politics.

He was elected prime minister in a vote at the country's National Assembly on Friday.

His PTI party won the most seats in July's elections and Mr Khan has become PM with the help of small parties.

Correspondents say his priority will be to address a financial crisis, with the economy in need of a huge bailout.

On Saturday morning, Mr Khan was tearful and smiled as he stumbled over some of the words of his oath, led by the country's President Mamnoon Hussain.

Members of the 1992 cricket World Cup winning team that Mr Khan captained to victory watched the ceremony alongside senior PTI figures and military officials.

Source : BBC

China says it plans to file a fresh complaint against President Donald Trump's tariffs at the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

The threat comes after the US imposed a second round of tariffs on $16bn (£12.4bn) of Chinese goods, in an escalation of their trade war.

The 25% tax came into effect at noon in Beijing (04:00 GMT), affecting goods including motorcycles and antennas.

There are fears that more tariffs could further hurt companies and consumers.

China's commerce ministry warned of a "counter-attack" after Washington imposed the new tariffs, saying it "clearly suspected" the US of violating WTO rules. It filed the first complaint at the WTO in July.

On Thursday, China imposed retaliatory taxes on $16bn of US goods at the exact same time as the US levies came into force. The levies cover goods including coal, medical instruments, cars and buses.

A total of $50bn worth of imports from both sides will now be taxed under this second round.

The tit-for-tat tariffs come as officials from the US and China are holding low-level talks in Washington.

But hopes are not high they will bring a breakthrough in the trade row which began in July.

Source : BBC

Corona beer owner Constellation Brands is set to pour some $4bn (£3.15bn) into Canada's top cannabis producer, Canopy Growth, in a deal marking the largest investment in the industry to date.

Last year, Constellation injected $200m into Canopy in a deal to produce a non-alcoholic cannabis-based beverage.

The alcohol firm wants to capitalise on the growing legalisation of the drug.

On news of the deal, Canopy's Toronto-listed stock surged 30%, while on Wall Street, Constellation's fell 6%.

The two firms said the investment would allow Canopy to expand its business reach "in the nearly 30 countries pursuing a federally permissible medical cannabis programme".

Canopy, which has the largest legal cannabis production footprint in the world, currently produces cannabis-based oils and soft gel caps, among other products. 

With Constellation's latest injection of cash, Canopy plans to expand its suite of products to include edible bars, inhalers and pre-rolled items.

It also wants to develop cannabinoid-based medicines that provide a safer alternative to some mainstream treatments for pain, anxiety, sleeplessness and psoriasis.

"This [deal] marks the end of the warm-up in our sector... it's fully go-time," said Canopy's chief executive Bruce Linton on an investment call. 

There are nearly 30 countries pursuing a federally permissible medical cannabis programme/Getty Images

'Tremendous growth opportunity'Constellation, which makes and markets beer, wine and spirits in the US, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand and Italy, noted that governments around the world had already signalled a significant change in attitudes towards cannabis and cannabis-based products.

"Over the past year, we've come to better understand the cannabis market, the tremendous growth opportunity it presents, and Canopy's market-leading capabilities in this space," said Rob Sands, chief executive of Constellation Brands.

In June, the Canadian government passed a bill which will effectively legalise the recreational cannabis market in the country. The bill is set to be rolled out in October.

Constellation's latest investment in Canopy takes its ownership in the firm to 38%.

The deal is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to be closed no earlier than the end of October.

(BBC)

Saudi Arabia's public prosecutor has reportedly sought the death penalty for five activists, including the female rights defender Israa al-Ghomgham. Human Rights Watch said they recently went on trial at a terrorism tribunal on charges including "participating in protests" in the restive Qatif region.

It has been the scene of demonstrations by the minority Shia Muslim community. Ghomgham is believed to be the first Saudi woman to possibly face the death penalty for rights-related work. HRW warned that it set "a dangerous precedent for other women activists currently behind bars" in the Gulf kingdom. At least 13 human rights defenders and women's rights activists have been arrested since mid-May, accused of activities deemed a risk to national security. Some have been released, but others remain detained without charge.

HRW said Ghomgham was an activist well known for participating in and documenting the mass protests that have taken place in Qatif since 2011. Members of the Shia community have taken to the streets to complain about the discrimination they say they face from the Sunni-led government. Ghomgham and her husband were reportedly arrested in December 2015, and they have been held at Dammam's al-Mabahith prison ever since.

The public prosecutor accused Ghomgham and the other four activists of charges including "participating in protests in the Qatif region", "incitement to protest," "chanting slogans hostile to the regime", "attempting to inflame public opinion", "filming protests and publishing on social media", and "providing moral support to rioters", according to HRW.

The prosecutor reportedly called for them to be given the death penalty at the start of their trial based on the Islamic legal principle of "tazir", under which the judge has discretion over what constitutes a crime and over the sentence.

"Any execution is appalling, but seeking the death penalty for activists like Israa al-Ghomgham, who are not even accused of violent behaviour, is monstrous," Sarah Leah Whitson, HRW's Middle East director, said in a statement.

"Every day, the Saudi monarchy's unrestrained despotism makes it harder for its public relations teams to spin the fairy tale of 'reform' to allies and international business."

The European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights and ALQST, a London-based Saudi human rights group, have called on the authorities to drop the charges against Ghomgham.

The Saudi government has so far not commented on Ghomgham's trial. However, courts have sentenced to death several Shia activists after convicting them of what human rights groups have called politically-motivated charges.
Officials have said those executed were guilty of terrorism-related offences, including taking up arms against the government and attacking security forces.

Source : BBC

The provisional toll of a bridge collapse in Italy's northwest city of Genoa rose to 26, local authorities said late on Tuesday.

"Official victims rise to 26, including 23 on the spot (of collapse), 1 person under surgery, and 2 pulled out from rubble," the region of Liguria (of which Genoa is capital city) said on Twitter.

Some 15 people were also registered, of which nine were considered as "red codes", meaning they were in critical health conditions, the government added.

All of the bodies were sent to the San Martino hospital, and at least 19 of them were identified, according to the regional authorities.

The region would officially call a state of emergency due to the major incident on Wednesday, and mayor of Genoa Marco Bucci said two days of mourning would be declared on Aug. 15-16.

Meanwhile, rescuers were expected to continue their search activities all through the night, according to civil protection agency and firefighters.

The incident concerned a major motorway viaduct called "Morandi Bridge" connecting the western part of Genoa to the east.

The collapse involved some 100 of the bridge, and occurred shortly before noon on Tuesday, while some 30 cars and 5 heavy trucks were passing through it. Several people were feared to be still trapped in their vehicles crashed under the concrete rubble of the huge structure.

The bridge was built between 1963 and 1967, and was 1,182 meters long. The portion that caved in was about 50 meters high.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte met with local authorities and rescuers at Genoa's prefecture on Tuesday evening, while ministers of Interior and Infrastructures were expected to visit the city on Wednesday.

Source : Xinhua

About 22,000 people were rescued from the flood-hit Indian state of Kerala on Sunday, officials say, after monsoon rains finally eased.

Military teams, as well as disaster response forces and local fishermen, reached some of the worst hit areas.

Helicopters also brought much-needed supplies to communities cut-off by two weeks of incessant rain.

More than 350 people have been killed, most of them in landslides, since the monsoon started in June.

Kerala's chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the number of people taking refuge in the 5,645 relief camps now stood at 725,000.

But he vowed on Sunday "to save even the last person stranded".

Meanwhile, the head of the state's disaster management team, Anil Vasudevan, said he was preparing to deal with a possible outbreak of waterborne and airborne diseases in temporary relief camps.

Source : BBC

The Chinese Defense Ministry on Tuesday expressed opposition to the China-related contents in a new act adopted by the United States.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday signed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 into law. The act includes clauses such as directing a whole-of-government strategy on China and submitting the assessment and plan on strengthening Taiwan's force readiness.

"The China-related contents in that act are filled with a cold-war mentality, advocating confrontations between the two countries and interfering with China's internal affairs," said Wu Qian, spokesperson with the Ministry of National Defense.

Wu identified the related contents as violations to the one-China principle and the stipulations in the three joint communiques between China and the United States. He highlighted their damage to the bilateral relations, military ties, mutual trust and cooperation between the two countries.
"Chinese armed forces firmly oppose the contents and have lodged solemn representations with the U.S. side," said Wu.

Taiwan is a part of China and the Taiwan issue, concerning China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, is the most important and sensitive issue in China-U.S. relations, according to Wu.

Wu reiterated the resolute opposition to any form of official or military contact between any country and Taiwan, and stressed that "We will never allow anyone, at any time or in any form, to separate Taiwan from China."

Wu called on the United States to adhere to the one-China principle and the stipulations in the three joint communiques between China and the United States, and handle Taiwan-related issues prudent, so as to avoid damaging China-U.S. relations, the military ties or the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

Source : Xinhua