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Showing posts from August, 2018

Europa League: Arsenal Drawn Against Sporting While Chelsea Meet PAOK Salonika

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Arsenal will play Sporting Lisbon in the group stage of the Europa League. Unai Emery's side have been drawn in Group E of this season's competition with the Portuguese club, Qarabag of Azerbaijan and Ukrainian side Vorskla. Chelsea, who won the competition in 2012-13, are in Group L with Greek side PAOK Salonika, BATE Borisov of Belarus and Hungarian outfit Vidi. Celtic meet Salzburg, RB Leipzig and Rosenborg  while Rangers face Rapid Vienna, Villarreal and Spartak Moscow. The final of this season's Europa League takes place in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, on 29 May. Spanish clubs have won the competition for five of the last seven seasons and Sevilla - who triumphed under Emery in 2014, 2015 and 2016 - have been drawn to face Russian side Krasnodar, Standard Liege of Belgium and Turkey's Akhisar. Dudelange, the first club from Luxembourg to reach the group stage of the competition, were handed a trip to the San Siro to play AC Milan. Arsenal wi

US Ends Aid To Palestinian Refugee Agency Unrwa

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The United States is ending all funding for the UN's Palestinian refugee agency, the US state department says. It described the organisation, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (Unrwa), as "irredeemably flawed". The US administration has "carefully reviewed" the issue and "will not make additional contributions to Unrwa," spokeswoman Heather Nauert said. In January, the US announced it would withhold more than half of a tranche of funding for the agency. A spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas responded to the US decision on Friday, describing it as a "flagrant assault against the Palestinian people and a defiance of UN resolutions". "Such a punishment will not succeed to change the fact that the United States no longer has a role in the region and that it is not a part of the solution," Nabil Abu Rudeina told Reuters news agency. What is Unrwa? Unrwa was originally set up to take care of hundreds

Champions League Draw: Cristiano Ronaldo's Juventus Drawn Against Man Utd

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Real Madrid won their third Champions League title in four years by beating Liverpool 3-1 in last year's showpiece Manchester United will face a reunion with Cristiano Ronaldo after drawing Serie A champions Juventus in the Champions League group stage. Ronaldo, who was at United between 2003 and 2009,  joined Juve for £99.2m  in July after nine years at Real Madrid. Valencia and Young Boys are the other teams in Group H. Tottenham  have been drawn in a tough group to face Barcelona, while last season's runners-up  Liverpool  face Paris St-Germain and Napoli. Eredivisie champions PSV Eindhoven and Inter Milan complete the line-up in Spurs' Group B and Red Star Belgrade are the other team to play Jurgen Klopp's side in Group C. Premier League champions  Manchester City were drawn in Group F alongside Shakhtar Donetsk, Lyon and Hoffenheim. Last season's winners Real Madrid, who have won the competition for the past three years, are in Group G wit

US Open 2018: Serena Williams To Play Sister Venus In Third Round

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  Serena Williams (right) took little over an hour to beat Carina Witthoft Serena Williams and sister Venus won their US Open second-round matches to set up a 30th career meeting. Six-time champion Serena, 36, beat German world 101 Carina Witthoft 6-2 6-2, while twice champion Venus saw off Italy's Camila Giorgi 6-4 7-5. The last time the Americans played each other at a Grand Slam was in the final of the 2017 Australian Open, which Serena won when eight weeks pregnant. "We'd rather have met later," 17th seed Serena said. Serena missed the US Open last year, giving birth to daughter Olympia shortly after the tournament started. She reached the Wimbledon final in July. Chasing a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam singles title, Serena unleashed 30 winners and 13 aces on her way to victory over Witthoft and sealed victory when the German netted a forehand. While Serena wrapped up her win in one hour seven minutes, it took Venus an extra 45 minutes to b

Rohingya Crisis: Myanmar Leader Suu Kyi 'should have resigned'

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The Rohingya are one of many ethnic minorities in Myanmar The outgoing UN human rights chief says Myanmar's de-facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi should have resigned over the military's violent campaign against the Rohingya Muslim minority last year. Zeid Ra'ad al Hussein told the BBC the Nobel Peace prize winner should have considered returning to house arrest rather than excusing the military. A new UN report says Myanmar's military should be investigated for genocide . Myanmar has rejected the report as one-sided. The army of the Buddhist-majority nation - which has been accused of systematic ethnic cleansing - has  previously cleared itself of wrongdoing. The UN report, published on Monday, blamed Ms Suu Kyi, a long-term leader of the pro-democracy movement, for failing to prevent the violence. "She was in a position to do something," Mr Hussein said in an interview with the BBC's Imogen Foulkes. "She could have stayed quiet - or even be

Don McGahn: Trump Says White House Counsel To Depart

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US President Donald Trump has said White House lawyer Don McGahn will leave his post in the coming months. The president tweeted that Mr McGahn would depart after the confirmation of a Supreme Court nominee in the autumn. His exit follows reports of White House unease at the extent of Mr McGahn's co-operation with an ongoing inquiry into alleged Russia election meddling. It is not unusual for White House counsels to come and go during an administration. But Mr McGahn - who served as a lawyer on the Trump election campaign - is the latest in a series of senior White House officials to leave the president's side. A person close to Mr McGahn  told the Washington Post  that he was planning to leave in the autumn. However, Mr McGahn is said to have not discussed this plan with Mr Trump and was surprised by the president's tweet. The lawyer has reportedly sat for three voluntary interviews totalling 30 hours with Department of Justice investigators. Accordi

Morocco: Arrests Made In Khadija Rape And Torture Case

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The young woman said her captors forcibly tattooed her and burnt her with cigarettes Police in Morocco have arrested 12 young men over allegations by a 17-year-old woman that she was brutally raped and tortured over a two-month period. She described in a TV interview last week how she was abducted by a gang in June. "I will never forgive them - they have destroyed me," she said. The case caused outrage in Morocco and led to an online campaign to bring those responsible to justice. A judge-led investigation is under way in the city of Beni Mellal - those arrested are aged between 18 and 27, an official told the AFP news agency. The main suspect, 20, faces charges of rape, torture, kidnapping, making death threats and forming a gang. The others could face similar charges. The young woman, Khadija, appeared on Moroccan station Chouf TV last week. She showed scars, cigarette burns and tattoos on her body, which she said were inflicted on her by her captors. &q

Air Pollution May Harm Cognitive Intelligence, Study Says

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A family struggles with the effects of air pollution in Delhi Chronic exposure to air pollution can cause harm to cognitive performance, a new study reveals. Researchers believe that the negative impact increases with age, and affects men with less education the worst. Over four years, the maths and verbal skills of  some 20,000 people in China were monitored by the US-Chinese study. Researchers believe the results have global relevance, with more than 80% of the world's urban population breathing unsafe levels of air pollution. The study was based on measurements of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and particulates smaller than 10 micrometres in diameter where participants lived. It is not clear how much each of these three pollutants is to blame. Carbon monoxide, ozone and larger particulates were not included in the study. Described as an invisible killer, air pollution causes an estimated seven million premature deaths a year worldwide, according to the World Health Or

Pope Keeps Silent On Abuse Claim Letter At End Of Irish Visit

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Pope Francis has refused to respond to claims by a former Vatican diplomat who has called on him to resign. Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano also accused the Pope of covering up reports of sexual abuse by a US cardinal. The pontiff was asked about the accusations by reporters on his flight back to Rome after this weekend's Papal visit to Ireland. He said he would not say a single word in response to the 11-page letter from Archbishop Vigano. "I will say sincerely that I must say this, to you," he said, when asked by a journalist about the letter, "and all of you who are interested: Read the document carefully and judge it for yourselves. "I will not say one word on this. I think the statement speaks for itself." The timing of the letter, released as the Pope addressed sexual abuse by priests during his visit to Ireland, has raised questions about whether Pope Francis is facing a coordinated attack from traditionalists within the Catholic hierar

Myanmar Military Leaders Must Face Genocide Charges, Says UN

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A UN report has said top military figures in Myanmar must be investigated for genocide in Rakhine state and crimes against humanity in other areas. The report, based on hundreds of interviews, is the strongest condemnation from the UN so far of violence against the Rohingya. The army's tactics are "consistently and grossly disproportionate to actual security threats", it says. It names six senior military figures it believes should go on trial. It is also fiercely critical of Myanmar's de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, for failing to intervene to stop the violence. The report calls for the case to be referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC). The government has consistently said its operations targeted militant or insurgent threats. But the report says the crimes it has documented are "shocking for the level of denial, normalcy and impunity that is attached to them". "Military necessity would never justify killing indiscri

Trump Organization Financial Chief Weisselberg 'given immunity'

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The Trump Organization's finance boss, Allen Weisselberg, has reportedly been granted legal immunity in the probe into Michael Cohen. He was summoned to testify earlier this year in the investigation into Cohen, Donald Trump's longtime former lawyer, US media report. Cohen pleaded guilty on Tuesday to handling hush money for Mr Trump in violation of campaign finance laws. Mr Weisselberg, Chief Financial Officer, is the latest to get immunity. On Thursday, it emerged that David Pecker, head of the company that publishes the National Enquirer tabloid, was also given immunity. Mr Weisselberg is reportedly mentioned on a tape secretly recorded by Cohen in 2016 in which a hush money payment to an alleged lover of Mr Trump is discussed. It is not yet clear what Mr Weisselberg has agreed to in return for getting legal immunity. The Trump Organization has not commented on the reports, which first emerged in the Wall Street Journal. Where does this fit in? This i

Jean-Pierre Bemba 'cannot run for DRC president'

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Former warlord Jean-Pierre Bemba cannot run to be the next president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the country's electoral commission said. Mr Bemba was one of six would-be candidates deemed ineligible following hours of deliberation. The ex-rebel leader had a war crimes conviction overturned in June. However, the commission said Mr Bemba was excluded because of his conviction by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for bribing witnesses. Mr Bemba, who returned to the DR Congo at the start of August after 11 years spent in exile or prison, is currently appealing against the ICC conviction. This year's election is meant to choose a successor to President Joseph Kabila, whose second and final term in office ended two years ago. The governing coalition has nominated former Interior Minister Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary to be its candidate. A total of 25 people put their names forward, including former prime ministers Antoine Gizenga and Adolphe Muzito - both

Papal Visit: Pope Shamed By Church's Abuse Failures

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Pope Francis has said he is ashamed of the Catholic Church's failure to adequately address the "repellent crimes" of sex abuse by clergy. The Irish prime minister earlier delivered a strong warning to the Pope to take action against clergy involved in child abuse and keeping it secret. The Pope is expected abuse survivors later on Saturday. The papal visit, the first to the Irish Republic for 39 years, coincides with the World Meeting of Families. It is a global Catholic gathering  held every three years . "I cannot fail to acknowledge the grave scandal caused in Ireland by the abuse of young people by members of the Church charged with responsibility for their protection and education," the Pope told political leaders and dignitaries at Dublin Castle. "The failure of ecclesiastical authorities - bishops, religious superiors, priests and others - adequately to address these repellent crimes has rightly given rise to outrage, and remains a so

Tiger Woods v Phil Mickelson: Duo To Face Off In $9m Vegas Duel In November

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Golf greats Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson will go head-to-head in a winner-takes-all $9m (£7m) exhibition match in Las Vegas. The Americans, who have 19 major championship titles between them, will face off in the 18-hole event at Shadow Creek Golf Course on 23 or 24 November. The contest, which coincides with Thanksgiving weekend in the US, will be screened on pay-per-view. Woods confirmed "The Match" on social media, saying: "It's on". Mickelson, who has attracted almost 100,000 followers in less than 24 hours on Twitter, replied to Woods, saying: "I bet you think this is the easiest $9M you will ever make." At present the US Open delivers the largest winning pay cheque of the four major championships at about $2.16m (£1.68m), though the winner of the FedExCup - awarded for an accumulation of points on the US PGA Tour - can expect to earn a bonus of $10m (£7.8m). The possibility of a duel between the former Ryder Cup team-mates has b

Jeff Sessions: US Attorney General Hits Back At Trump

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US Attorney General Jeff Sessions has responded to Donald Trump's latest attack on him by insisting that the justice department he heads will not bend to political pressure. The apparent rebuke of Mr Trump came after the president made personal comments about him during an interview. Mr Trump has been vociferous in his criticism of the Department of Justice. He has been particularly riled by its handling of the inquiry into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Mr Sessions, an early supporter of Mr Trump's campaign, recused himself from that inquiry and handed control to his deputy, Rod Rosenstein. That decision, and the ongoing progress of the inquiry under special counsel Robert Mueller, has provoked frequent outbursts from Mr Trump, both in person and on his Twitter feed. Two days ago, in the most dramatic development yet linked to that inquiry, former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort was found guilty of tax and bank fraud, and Mr Trump's forme