THE NEWS: Netanyahu warns Merkel of new refugee crisis sparked by Iran

Netanyahu warns Merkel of new refugee crisis sparked by Iran


 AFP / Tobias SCHWARZ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began a three-day European tour in Berlin, meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned German Chancellor Angela Merkel Monday that Iranian meddling in the Middle East could touch off massive new refugee flows to Europe, as they clashed about the future of the nuclear deal with Tehran.

At the start of a three-day European tour dominated by strategic differences on Iran, Netanyahu charged that Tehran has been able to bankroll a growing military presence in countries such as Syria and Yemen because sanctions had been lifted in exchange for its halt in nuclear enrichment activities.

Iran wants to "basically conduct a religious campaign in largely Sunni Syria but try to convert Sunnis," he said at a joint press conference with Merkel.

"This will inflame another religious war -- this time a religious war inside Syria and the consequences will be many, many more refugees and you know where exactly they will come," he said.

More than one million asylum seekers, with Syrians making up the biggest group, arrived in Germany since 2015, creating deep new political divisions in the country and shrinking Merkel's ruling majority in her fourth term.

Germany, France and Britain are three of the signatories of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between world powers and Iran, aimed at keeping Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

Netanyahu, who has long railed against the deal, will continue on to Paris for meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday and British Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday.

All three countries have vowed to try to salvage the hard-fought accord since President Donald Trump announced the US withdrawal from it last month.

The European powers argue it is the best way to head off a regional arms race and have vowed with Russia and China, the two other signatory countries, to keep it alive.

- 'Malignant cancerous tumour' -

Merkel insisted that the Europeans and Israel were "united by the goal that Iran must never get a nuclear weapon" but acknowledged deep differences with Netanyahu on "how we can best achieve this".

She defended the nuclear accord as ensuring "at least for a certain time, that Iran's activities are under control" noting that Tehran had been "on the brink of having a nuclear weapon" before the deal was signed.

But she acknowledged that a supplementary deal with Tehran covering its ballistic missile programme as well as its interventions in countries such as Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen was needed.

"But we believe that this can be achieved with tough negotiations," she said.

Asked about Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's comments on Twitter Sunday calling Israel a "malignant cancerous tumour", Merkel said Germany and its partners had "repeatedly and with great clarity told Iran that we will stand up for Israel's right to security".

Western powers view Iran's involvement in its neighbours' affairs as destabilising for the region while Israel sees it as a direct threat to its existence.

Foes Iran and Israel have been kept at bay for decades. However, an unprecedented May 10 escalation in Syria that saw Israel bomb alleged Iranian targets after blaming Tehran for a rocket barrage has sparked fears of open war.

Israel is considered the leading military power in the Middle East and believed to be the only country in the region to possess nuclear weapons.

- Far-right 'minimising Holocaust' -

The visit to Germany, traditionally Israel's closest European ally due to the enduring responsibility Berlin accepts for the Holocaust, comes at a time of further diplomatic tensions.

Merkel has repeatedly criticised expanding Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory as destructive to long-thwarted hopes for a two-state solution.

She nevertheless defended Israel's right to retaliate against rocket attacks from Gaza amid the worst military flare-up in the beleaguered Palestinian enclave since a 2014 war.

Netanyahu thanked Merkel for her efforts to fight a resurgence of anti-Semitism in Germany stemming from homegrown extremists and the massive influx of Muslim asylum seekers since 2015.Alexander Gauland, a leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany, the biggest opposition party in parliament, unleashed a storm of protest at the weekend when he described the Nazi period and the Holocaust as little more than a "speck of bird shit in over 1,000 years of successful German history"

NEWS: Nicaraguan govt calls for new talks after 5 more protest deaths

Nicaraguan govt calls for new talks after 5 more protest deaths
source: AFP

AFP / INTI OCON Demonstrators stand behind an improvised barricade during clashes with riot police in Masaya, Nicaragua

Nicaragua's government urged its opponents Monday to return to the negotiating table, after a night of clashes between police and protesters left five more people dead in the country's escalating crisis.

Residents described scenes of terror overnight in the flashpoint city of Masaya, which saw running battles all weekend pitting residents armed with home-made mortars and slingshots against what they said were paramilitary forces and riot police loyal to President Daniel Ortega.

More than 100 people have died in the violence sweeping Nicaragua since protests erupted on April 18 against Ortega, the man who has dominated the Central American country's politics for four decades.

The Catholic Church initially tried to mediate the conflict, but called off the talks after a crackdown on a march led by victims' mothers on Wednesday left another 16 people dead.

Ortega's wife and vice president, Rosario Murillo -- a figure widely reviled by the protesters -- made an appeal to return to dialogue.

"We all want peace, we want dialogue, we want to work together and listen to each other, discuss all issues, because there's a solution for everything," she told state media.

"Let's not keep suffering losses, pain, mourning in our families."

The Church has said talks are impossible as long as "the people continue to be repressed and killed" by "groups close to the government."

- 'Practically an invasion' -


 AFP / INTI OCON An injured demonstrator is helped after being shot during clashes against riot police in Masaya


The latest victims in Masaya were killed between Sunday night and Monday morning, according to Alvaro Leiva, head of the Nicaraguan Association for the Protection of Human Rights (ANPDH).

The agency has identified just one of them so far, a 23-year-old teacher named Carlos Lopez, who was killed by a bullet in the torso -- indicating "he was executed, no doubt, by snipers."

"There is a profound violation of human rights" in Masaya, said Leiva.

Catholic priest Augusto Gutierrez, whose parish is in the city's Monimbo neighborhood, said the security forces had launched a "generalized attack."

"It was practically an invasion of the city with heavy armaments. There were bursts of (automatic weapons) fire," he told AFP.

Gutierrez said the attackers were riot police and plainclothes groups who entered the city in pick-up trucks, their guns blazing.

Multiple witnesses told him stories of summary executions by the police.

One young man of 15 "begged for his life," but was shot dead anyway, the priest said.

- Under siege -


 AFP / INTI OCON A demonstrator runs carrying a homemade mortar during protests in Masaya, near Managua

Residents in Masaya have constructed barricades with cobblestones, furniture, sheet metal and virtually anything else available to try to keep out Ortega's security forces, which they accuse of pillaging the city of 100,000 people.

The government blames criminals for the pillaging, and says it sent in riot police at the request of small-business owners.

Protesters have captured a number of police officers during the clashes, while police have arrested several demonstrators, many of whom say they have been badly beaten while in custody.

At least 113 people have been killed in the nearly eight weeks of violence, according to another rights group, the Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights (CENIDH) -- though it had not yet confirmed the latest deaths reported in Masaya.

The city's police chief Ramon Avellan meanwhile reported the death of a 22-year-old police officer, allegedly killed when demonstrators attacked a Masaya police station.

It was unclear whether that death was included in the toll given by the ANPDH.

- Virtual curfew -


AFP / INTI OCON A demonstrator stands behind a barricade during protests in Monimbo neighborhood in Masaya


In Managua, there is a virtual curfew in place after dark, with motorcycle gangs terrorizing those who venture out, according to the CENIDH.

The wave of protests against Ortega and his ruling party -- the Sandinista National Liberation Front -- erupted on April 18 and quickly turned violent.

The brutal crackdown on what started as relatively small protests against pension cuts have fueled demands for the ouster of Ortega and Murillo.

Ortega, whose third consecutive term is due to end in 2022, accuses right-wing opposition groups of conspiring to "terrorize" the country.

THE WORLD NEWS: First Saudi women get driving licences

First Saudi women get driving licences
source: AFP

AFP/File / FAYEZ NURELDINE A Saudi woman test-drives a car during an automotive exhibition for women in the capital Riyadh on May 13, 2018

Saudi Arabia on Monday began issuing its first driving licences to women in decades, authorities said, just weeks before the historic lifting of the conservative kingdom's ban on female motorists.

Ten Saudi women swapped their foreign licences for Saudi ones in multiple cities, including the capital Riyadh, as the kingdom prepares to end its ban on June 24.

The move, which follows a government crackdown on women activists, is part of a much-publicised liberalisation drive launched by powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as he seeks to modernise the petro-state.

"Ten Saudi women made history on Monday when they were issued driving licences," said the information ministry's Centre for International Communication (CIC).

"Expectations are that next week an additional 2,000 women will join the ranks of licensed drivers in the kingdom."

The official Saudi Press Agency said the swap came after women applicants were made to undergo a "practical test", but it did not offer details.

"It's a dream come true that I am about to drive in the kingdom," Rema Jawdat, one of the women to receive a licence, was quoted as saying by the CIC.

"Driving to me represents having a choice -- the choice of independent movement. Now we have that option," added Jawdat, an official at the ministry of economy and planning who has previous driving experience in Lebanon and Switzerland.

In preparation for the lifting of the ban, Saudi Arabia last week passed a landmark law to criminalise sexual harassment, introducing a prison term of up to five years and a maximum penalty of 300,000 riyals ($80,000).

- Reforms and crackdown -

Saudi Arabia, the only country in the world where women are not allowed to drive, has long faced global criticism for what is seen as oppression of women.


AFP/File / Bryan R. Smith Saudi Arabia is lifting its ban on women drivers as part of much-publicised reforms by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to modernise the petro-state


But Prince Mohammed, who recently undertook a global tour aimed at reshaping his kingdom's austere image, has sought to break with long-held restrictions on women.

The self-styled reformer has also ended a decades-long ban on cinemas, allowed mixed-gender concerts and clipped the powers of the long-feared religious police.

But casting a shadow on his reforms, Saudi Arabia last week said it detained 17 people for "undermining" the kingdom's security, in what campaigners have dubbed a sweeping crackdown against activists.

Rights groups have identified many of the detainees as women campaigners for the right to drive and to end the conservative Islamic country's male guardianship system.

"It's welcomed that the Saudi authorities have finally issued licences to women, but the very women who campaigned for this for years are now behind bars instead of behind wheel," tweeted Samah Hadid, Amnesty International's Middle East director of campaigns.

"The government must release them now."

Authorities said eight of the detainees had been "temporarily released" until their investigation is completed.

Nine suspects, including four women, remain in custody after they "confessed" to a slew of charges such as suspicious contact with "hostile" organisations and recruiting people in sensitive government positions, according to SPA.

Previous reports in state-backed media branded some of the detainees traitors and "agents of embassies".

Campaigners have dismissed the reports as a "smear" campaign and the crackdown has sparked a torrent of global criticism.

The European Parliament last week approved a resolution calling for the unconditional release of the detained activists and other human rights defenders, while urging a more vocal response from EU nations.

THE WORLD NEWS: Plastic wasteland: Asia's ocean pollution crisis

Plastic wasteland: Asia's ocean pollution crisis
source: AFP

 AFP/File / Nhac NGUYEN A mangrove forest in Vietnam's Thanh Hoa is festooned with plastic rubbish washed in with the tide

A Vietnamese mangrove draped with polythene, a whale killed after swallowing waste bags in Thai seas and clouds of underwater trash near Indonesian "paradise" islands -- grim images of the plastic crisis that has gripped Asia.

About eight million tonnes of plastic waste are dumped into the world's oceans every year, the equivalent of one garbage truck of plastic being tipped into the sea every minute of every day.

More than half comes from five Asian countries: China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, according to a 2015 Ocean Conservancy report.

They are among the fastest growing economies in Asia, where much of the world's plastic is produced, consumed and discarded -- most of it improperly in countries where waste management is at best patchy.


AFP / Laurence CHU Plastic waste


"We are in a plastic pollution crisis, we can see it everywhere in our rivers, in our oceans... we need to do something about it," Greenpeace Indonesia campaigner Ahmad Ashov Birry told AFP.

World Environment Day on Tuesday is highlighting the perils of plastic with the tagline "if you can't reuse it, refuse it".

But it is not just an issue of aesthetics, plastics are killing marine life.

Last week a whale died in southern Thailand with 80 plastic bags in its stomach, an increasingly common sight alongside dead seabirds and turtles gorged on plastic and washed ashore.

- Invisible threat -

Experts warn the greatest threat might be invisible.


 AFP/File / Romeo GACAD More than half the plastic waste dumped in the oceans comes from five Asian countries: China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam

Microplastics -- tiny shards that easily soak up toxins after breaking off from larger plastic pieces -- have been found in tap water, ground water and inside fish that millions of people eat across Asia every day.

Scientists still do not fully understand the health effects of consuming microplastics.

"We're conducting a global experiment with no sense of where we're heading with this whole thing," Carl Gustaf Lundin, head of the global marine and polar programme at the International Union for Conservation of Nature, told AFP.

That worries Vietnamese fisherwoman Nguyen Thi Phuong, whose sleepy village on the South China Sea coast in Thanh Hoa province has slowly transformed into a dump site over the years.


AFP/File / Fred DUFOUR Plastic consumption -- and waste -- continues to balloon along with growing incomes and dependence on plastic products integral to almost every aspect of daily life


"It's unbearable, people discard their garbage here... it's so polluted for the children, it's not safe," she said in the baking heat thick with the smell of trash and fish.

In the nearby mangrove forest, her neighbours dig through warm, trash-speckled mud for snails or shrimp.

But the tree branches above are blanketed with faded plastic bags left behind from tidal waters that wash up fresh waste every day.


AFP/File / Noel CELIS The Philippines is one of the biggest plastic polluters

A one-kilometre (half-mile) stretch of beach is lined with sandals, biscuit wrappers, tubes of Japanese toothpaste, juice boxes, fishing nets, furniture and heaps of discarded clothing, as piles of trash burn nearby.

"It's hard for us to work here finding shrimp and fish," said fisherman Vu Quoc Viet, who often finds plastic trash in his nets.

- More plastic than fish by 2050 -

Rubbish collection is low in rural Vietnam as elsewhere in Asia, one of the main reasons why so much plastic ends up in the sea, according to Joi Danielson, programme director of Oceans Plastics Asia at SYSTEMIQ.


AFP/File / Noel CELIS Low rates of rubbish collection in many parts of Asia is one of the main reasons why so much plastic waste ends up in the sea


On average only about 40 percent of garbage is properly collected in the five plastic-addled countries that spit out most of the ocean's trash, with few resources dedicated to proper waste management especially in mushrooming mega-cities.

Plus, plastic consumption -- and waste -- continues to balloon along with growing incomes and dependence on plastic products integral to almost every aspect of daily life.

"You're battling against this constantly growing target," Danielson told AFP.

At the current rate of dumping, the total amount of plastic trash in the world's oceans is expected to double to 250 million tonnes by 2025, according to Ocean Conservancy.

That means there could be more plastic than fish in the world's seas by 2050 if the nothing is done to turn the tide.

- 'Not rocket science' -

Environmentalists are looking to China to lead by example when it comes to tackling the problem.

Last year the world's second largest economy said it would stop importing the West's recycling, refusing to be "the world's garbage dump".

But the vast majority of China's waste is homegrown and collection remains low in rural areas, according to Danielson.

Experts agree that while the problem seems daunting with plastic waste so ubiquitous throughout Asia, it is a crisis with a solution.


 AFP/File / Noel CELIS At current rates of dumping, there could be more plastic trash than fish in the world's oceans by 2050 if nothing is done

Social media campaigns calling for plastic bans and viral videos like the one featuring British diver Rich Horner swimming through clouds of trash off the coast of Bali have helped to spark pubic awareness.

Improved waste collection and reduced consumption have been flagged as crucial next steps.

Ocean Conservancy has also called for new plastic materials and product designs and more investment into waste-to-energy and waste-to-fuel schemes.

For Lundin, political will is perhaps the biggest hurdle at the moment.

"It's not rocket science... there's no place that couldn't fix it if they decided they had to," he said.

YHE LATEST NEWS: Ousted as Spanish PM, Rajoy to quit as conservative party leader

Ousted as Spanish PM, Rajoy to quit as conservative party leader
source: AFP

AFP / GABRIEL BOUYS Mariano Rajoy was removed from office in a no-confidence vote after officials from his party were convicted in a bribery scandal

Mariano Rajoy, a major figure of Spanish politics over the past 14 years, announced Tuesday he will quit as head of the conservative Popular Party (PP) after being ousted as prime minister last week.

"I think the time has come to put a final full stop to this period," said the 63-year-old, removed from office last week in a no-confidence vote after former officials from his party were convicted in a bribery scandal.

"The PP must keep advancing and building its history at the service of Spaniards under the leadership of another person," he told party members.

Rajoy said a national executive meeting would take place "soon" to call an emergency congress which would "open a new phase for our party" and elect his successor.

He added he would stay on in his post as PP head until the successor is chosen, and gave no date or deadline.

Rajoy's ousting was a spectacular turn of events just two weeks after his minority government managed to have its 2018 budget approved despite strong resistance.

His government's pleasure at that achievement was short-lived as a day later on May 24, a court announced it had sentenced former PP officials, businessmen and their spouses to a total of 351 years in jail for their role in a vast bribery scheme known as the Gurtel case.

It was one corruption scandal too many for the PP, which has been hit by a series of graft accusations.

The opposition Socialist party filed a motion of no-confidence, which passed on Friday. Rajoy was removed and replaced as prime minister by Socialist party chief Pedro Sanchez.

- Caught off guard -

Surveys show that support for the PP has been falling sharply since October, when Catalonia's separatist crisis came to a head. Even a majority of the party's voters, 63 percent, feel Rajoy should step aside, according to a Metroscopia poll released Tuesday.

Political analysts say the rapid turn of events caught the PP off guard.

"It is pretty clear that they did not really expect this," Roger Senserrich, a contributor to political analysis website Politikon, told AFP.

"No one really has made plans to make a run for it to try to succeed Rajoy. No one has prepared, no one has built the internal coalitions that you need."

Among those tipped to replace Rajoy is former defence minister Maria Dolores de Cospedal, currently deputy head of the PP.

Others include former deputy prime minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria and the president of the northwestern region of Galicia, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, who is close to the ousted prime minister.

- More graft cases -

Whoever takes over will continue to be haunted by graft scandals that will hurt the party's electability, said Pablo Simon, a political science professor at Madrid’s Carlos III university.

"The drip of corruption cases still has not ended. The Gurtel ruling was just one of 14 court cases related to corruption involving the PP that are pending," he told PP.

In his speech, Rajoy defended his record, saying Spain's economy had largely recovered from the economic crisis that was racking Spain when he came to power in 2011.

Where corruption is concerned, he said many graft cases had "affected" and "shocked" him.

But he pointed out that none of his government members or the PP itself were found penally responsible in the Gurtel case, even if his party was ordered to pay back money that had been illegally obtained.

He criticised Sanchez sharply, saying he had become prime minister without having won any general elections by teaming up with Catalan separatist and Basque nationalist lawmakers in order to get support for the no-confidence vote.

"Someone who was systematically rejected by Spaniards when they were asked their opinion in the polls is governing the country," he said of Sanchez, who lost both 2015 and 2016 elections.

THE LATEST NEWS: Toll rises in Guatemala volcano as more bodies recovered

Toll rises in Guatemala volcano as more bodies recovered
source: AFP

 AFP / Johan ORDONEZ A woman cries for her missing relatives during the search for vicitms in San Miguel Los Lotes, a village in Escuintla Department, about 35 km southwest of Guatemala City, on June 4, 2018, a day after the eruption of the Fuego Volcano

Rescue workers pulled more bodies Monday from under the dust and rubble left by an explosive eruption of Guatemala's Fuego volcano, bringing the death toll to at least 69.

Of them, 17 have been identified so far, said Fanuel Garcia, head of the National Institute of Forensic Sciences.

In addition, there are 46 people injured, most of them seriously, more than 1.7 million being hit by the disaster, including 3,271 ordered evacuated and 1,787 in shelters in the departments of Escuintla, Sacatepequez and Chimaltenango since Sunday's eruption.

The 3,763-meter (12,346-foot) volcano erupted early Sunday, spewing out towering plumes of ash and a hail of fiery rock fragments with scalding mud.

Authorities had warned the death toll could rise after searches resumed for survivors in communities on the mountain's southern flank.

After an initial toll of 25 dead, it was revised upwards within hours as bodies were recovered from villages razed by the tumbling mud.


 AFP / Patrice Deré What happens in a volcanic eruption


"There are missing persons, but we do not know how many," said Sergio Cabanas of Guatemala's disaster management agency. A roll call of communities on the slopes of the volcano was under way.

The speed and ferocity of the eruption took mountain communities by surprise, with many of the dead found in or around their homes.

Cabanas said those who were killed had been overrun by fast-moving burning material discharged by the volcano Sunday. Communities located on its southern slope were the worst hit. Several of the dead were children.

An AFP journalist saw at least three bodies burned in the rubble of the village of San Miguel Los Lotes, where rescue workers, soldiers and police were desperately searching for survivors.

Dead dogs, chickens and ducks also lay among the mud and ash, much of it still smoking.

"I do not want to leave, but go back, and there is nothing I can do to save my family," a weeping Eufemia Garcia, 48, told AFP. She was searching for her three children, her mother, nephews and siblings.


AFP / Johan ORDONEZ A police officer carries a chicken in the ash-covered village of San Miguel Los Lotes, in Escuintla Department, about 35 km southwest of Guatemala City, on June 4, 2018, a day after the eruption of the Fuego Volcano

Garcia, from Los Lotes, said she escaped with the help of her husband.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was deeply saddened by the "tragic loss of life and the significant damage caused by the eruption," and said the UN was ready to assist national rescue and relief efforts.

- National mourning -

President Jimmy Morales, who has declared three days of national mourning, visited the disaster zone.


AFP / Johan ORDONEZ A local resident and rescuers search for victims in San Miguel Los Lotes, a village in Escuintla Department, about 35 km southwest of Guatemala City, on June 4, 2018, a day after the eruption of the Fuego Volcano


"The volcano has erupted before, but never like this," said Gustavo Larius, a 27-year-old bricklayer searching the streets of his village for missing family and friends, a handkerchief pressed over his mouth and nose.

The eruption sent ash billowing over the surrounding area, turning plants and trees gray and blanketing streets, cars and people.

Farmers covered in ash fled for their lives as civil defense workers tried to relocate them to shelters.

"This time we were saved; in another (eruption) no," said Efrain Gonzalez, 52, sitting on the floor of a shelter in the city of Escuintla, where he arrived with his wife and one-year-old daughter.

Gonzalez was overwhelmed with despair, as two more of his children, aged 10 and four, are missing. They were trapped in their home, which was flooded with hot mud that descended from the volcano.

Dense ash blasted out by the volcano shut down Guatemala City's international airport, civil aviation officials said.

The eruption ended after 16.5 hours, but "there is a likelihood that it will reactivate" warned the Institute of Volcanology.

- Surprising speed -

The speed of the eruption took locals by surprise, and could be explained by it producing pyroclastic flows, sudden emissions of gas and rock fragments, rather than lava, said volcanologist David Rothery of Britain's Open University.

"A lava flow rarely travels fast enough to engulf people," he said.

"The videos and still images I've seen suggest instead one or more pyroclastic flows. This is when a violently erupted mass of rock fragments and hot gas finds itself too dense to rise as an ash column and instead cascades down the volcano's slopes.

"Pyroclastic flows or surges can move at over 100 kilometers (62 miles) per hour, and may be hot enough to glow like molten lava. They can travel further, as well as much faster, than lava flows," said Rothery.

Fuego has been erupting since 2002, and was continuously active in 2017. There were explosions and ash plumes and a volcanic mudflow last month.

THE LATEST NEWS: Next stop San Francisco as 'longest swim' embarks from Tokyo

Next stop San Francisco as 'longest swim' embarks from Tokyo
source: AFP

AFP / Martin BUREAU French swimmer Ben Lecomte faces a gruelling six month swim through shark-infested waters

Ben Lecomte dived into the Pacific Ocean Tuesday, kicking off an epic quest to swim 9,000 kilometres (5,600 miles) from Tokyo to San Francisco, through shark-infested waters choking with plastic waste.

Under sunny skies, the 51-year-old Frenchman slipped into cool and placid waters shortly after 09:00am (0000 GMT), in warm and pleasant conditions with a slight breeze.

He will face giant waves, sharks and jellyfish, and will also swim through part of the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" in his attempt to be the first to accomplish the feat of swimming across the world's biggest ocean.

"I'm very anxious to start right now," said the swimmer as he prepared to take to the waves.

His son and daughter swam with him for the first hundred metres or so, then rejoined a crowd of around 70 well-wishers, with family and friends hugging each other on the shore.

"It's very emotional for a lot of people here," said Lecomte.


 AFP / John SAEKI Pacific swim


Part adventurer, part environmentalist, Lecomte hopes to raise awareness of plastic contamination and ocean pollution and his support team will conduct a raft of experiments on the trip, expected to take between six to eight months.

Part of his daunting swim takes him through the Texas-sized vortex of garbage that floats between Hawaii and California, where tangled plastic will pose extra dangers.

His team will collect water samples to learn more about the build-up of micro-plastics littering the area.

He will be accompanied throughout by the 20-metre (67-foot) support boat Discoverer, where he will eat, rest and sleep before being dropped every morning where he stopped the previous evening.

- 'Plastic everywhere' -

Lecomte aims to swim around eight hours a day and will burn off more than 8,000 calories daily in the process.

In an interview with AFP just before he began his Odyssey, Lecomte revealed the mind tricks that keep him going through the physical torture of eight hours of ocean swimming per day.

"The mental part is much more important than the physical. You have to make sure you always think about something positive or you always have something to think about.

"When you don't have anything to occupy your mind, it goes into kind of a spiral, and that's when trouble starts," he said.

He said the hardest part was getting back into the chilly water every morning and admitted that he would hit a "wall" after around four to six hours every day.

"I try to disassociate my mind from my body and everything that happens to my body -- pain or cold, I try to put aside."

"I have a schedule of what I'm going to think about for those eight hours... it's always about keeping my mind occupied."

Lecomte swam across the Atlantic in 1998, vowing "never again" after finishing, but he was inspired to get back into the water after starting a family.

"When I was little and I was with my father walking on the beach, I didn't see any plastic, or hardly any.

"Now every time I go with my kids, we see plastic everywhere," added Lecomte, who will also wear a device to test levels of radioactive material from the tsunami-hit Fukushima nuclear plant.

US prosecutors accuse Manafort of attempted witnesses tampering

US prosecutors accuse Manafort of attempted witnesses tampering
source: AFP

 GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP / MARK WILSON A motion submitted by Special Counsel Robert Mueller said that Paul Manafort had contacted witnesses by phone and encrypted messaging for the purpose of securing "materially false testimony"

US prosecutors on Monday accused Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who is facing multiple charges of money laundering, bank fraud and illegal lobbying, of attempting to tamper with witnesses.

A motion submitted by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is heading up the main investigation into alleged Russian election meddling, said that Manafort had contacted witnesses by phone and encrypted text messaging for the purpose of securing "materially false testimony."

It added that such activities amounted to a violation of his bail terms, which "triggers the statutory presumption in favor of detention," meaning he could face jail time ahead of his trials.

Manafort has been under home confinement since he was indicted in October.

According to the court document, he had sought to suborn perjury from witnesses who would be called to testify regarding the activities of the so-called "Hapsburg group" which allegedly carried out unlawful lobbying for Ukraine.

In February, the 69-year-old pleaded not guilty to charges of money laundering, illegal lobbying and lying, setting up the first trial to result from Mueller's investigation, due to begin on September 17.

Then in March he pleaded not guilty to charges of bank and tax fraud, setting up a separate trial for July 10.

Mueller's investigation has now entered its second year, and continues to dominate US politics while menacing Trump's presidency.

So far the investigation has issued 22 indictments -- of which 16 were for Russian individuals and companies associated with online meddling in the 2016 election.

The remaining include Michael Flynn, Trump's erstwhile national security advisor, who admitted guilt to one count of lying to investigators on December 1; Manafort's longtime partner and deputy campaign chair Rick Gates and campaign foreign policy advisor George Papadopoulos.

All three worked out plea deals and have pledged to cooperate with the investigation.

Earlier Monday, Trump downplayed Manafort's role in his election campaign and complained the FBI should have informed him that his chairman was under investigation.

"As only one of two people left who could become President, why wouldn't the FBI or Department of 'Justice' have told me that they were secretly investigating Paul Manafort," he asked.

"Paul Manafort came into the campaign very late and was with us for a short period of time (he represented Ronald Reagan, Bob Dole & many others over the years), but we should have been told that Comey and the boys were doing a number on him, and he wouldn’t have been hired!"

THE LATEST NEWS: FIFA files criminal complaint against secondary ticket firm Viagogo

FIFA files criminal complaint against secondary ticket firm Viagogo
source: AFP

AFP/File / Mladen ANTONOV FIFA claims it has brought action against Viagogo to protect fans at the World Cup in Russia

FIFA on Tuesday said it had filed a criminal complaint against the secondary ticketing firm Viagogo's sale of 2018 World Cup tickets, opening a new battle between sports organisations and websites seeking a share of their profits.

"As part of its efforts to protect the fans and prevent unauthorised ticket resales for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, FIFA filed a criminal complaint on 4 June 2018 based on a breach of the law on unfair competition against Viagogo AG with the public prosecutor’s office in Geneva," world football's governing body said in a statement.

"Over the past months, FIFA has received numerous complaints from individuals, consumer protection bodies and other market players over the opaque and deceptive business conduct of Viagogo AG," it added.

FIFA noted that in seeking legal action it was joining other sports bodies, including European football confederation UEFA, which has previously taken Viagogo to court.

With the World Cup set to kick off in just nine days, FIFA also warned fans to stay clear of any "unauthorised transfer and/or resale of tickets."

It also said that anyone with a ticket that can be traced to an authorised resale site may be refused entry to World Cup matches.

"FIFA reminds all fans that FIFA.com/tickets is the only official and legitimate website on which to buy 2018 FIFA World Cup tickets," the statement further said.

Viagogo describes itself as "a global online platform for live sport, music and entertainment tickets," that aims to "helps ticket sellers ranging from individuals with a spare ticket to large multi-national event organisers reach a global audience."

According to the Guardian newspaper, it was set up by the people behind StubHub, the American secondary ticket online giant widely used by sports fans in North America.

THE LATEST NEWS: Iran tells UN it will hike uranium enrichment capacity

Iran tells UN it will hike uranium enrichment capacity
source: AFP

 IRNA/AFP/File / Kazem GHANE An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspector in January 2014 disconnects cascades for 20 percent uranium production at the nuclear power plant of Natanz, some 300 kilometres south of Tehran

Iran has notified the International Atomic Energy Agency that it has launched a plan to increase its uranium enrichment capacity, nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi said Tuesday.

"If conditions allow, maybe tomorrow night at Natanz, we can announce the opening of the centre for production of new centrifuges" for uranium enrichment, said Salehi, a vice president and head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organisation, according to conservative news agency Fars.

"What we are doing does not violate the (2015 nuclear) agreement," he said, adding that a letter was submitted to the IAEA "yesterday regarding the start of certain activities".

He specified that this was just the start of the production process and "does not mean that we will start assembling the centrifuges".

Under the 2015 agreement, Iran can build parts for the centrifuges as long as it does not put them into operation within the first decade.

Salehi also emphasised that these moves "do not mean the negotiations (with Europe) have failed."

European governments have been trying to salvage the agreement ever since the United States announced its withdrawal last month and said it would reimpose sanctions on foreign companies working in the Islamic republic by November.

The other parties -- Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia -- have vowed to stay in the accord but many of their companies have already started to wind down Iranian operations.

On Monday, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned the Europeans that "Iran will never tolerate both suffering from sanctions and nuclear restrictions" and called for preparations to speed up uranium enrichment.

Iran insists its nuclear programme is for civilian uses only, but opponents in the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia accuse it of seeking to build an atomic bomb.

THE LATEST NEWS: Belgian police detain 13 in tennis match-fixing probe

Belgian police detain 13 in tennis match-fixing probe
source: AFP

AFP/File / Timothy A. CLARY Belgian prosecutors said the tennis matches involved were on the low-level Futures and Challenger circuits

Belgian police on Tuesday held 13 people in an investigation into match-fixing in tennis, prosecutors said, barely a month after a major independent report warned of a "tsunami" of corruption in the lower levels of the sport.

Officers swooped on 21 addresses in Belgium while simultaneous raids were launched on properties in the US, Germany, France, Bulgaria, Slovakia and the Netherlands as part of an international probe into an Armenian-Belgian criminal network suspected of bribing players to throw games.

Belgian prosecutors said the matches involved were on the low-level Futures and Challenger circuits, away from the gaze of television coverage and where prize money is low enough that players are susceptible to backhanders.

"This judicial investigation showed that an Armenian-Belgian criminal organisation actively would have bribed professional tennis players from 2014 to the present day in order to obtain a pre-arranged match result with the aim of betting on these fixed matches based on insider information, thereby fraudulently boosting winnings," the prosecutors said in a statement.

The suspects mostly fit the same profile, prosecutors said -- no income, no job and facing financial problems. They would be given money to bet on lower-division matches where prize money was around $5,000 to $15,000.

"These tournaments are usually not filmed, which would make the players easier to corrupt and the organisers of fixed matches generate a lot of cash, making themselves guilty of match fixing, corruption, money laundering, participation in the activities of a criminal organisation," the prosecutors said.

In April, the Independent Review of Integrity in Tennis report said the lower levels of the sport were engulfed in betting-related corruption.

The report said the problems stemmed from too many players in the likes of the Futures and Challenger circuits not earning enough to make a living, coupled with the rise of online betting.

There are around 15,000 professional tennis players but only the top 250 women and the top 350 men even manage to break even before coaching costs, lawyer Adam Lewis, who chaired the review panel, warned in April.

THE LATEST NEWS: Weinstein pleads not guilty to rape, sex assault charges

Weinstein pleads not guilty to rape, sex assault charges
source: AFP

 AFP / EDUARDO MUNOZ ALVAREZ Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein enters Manhattan criminal court in New York, where he pleaded not guilty to rape and sex assault charges

Harvey Weinstein on Tuesday pleaded not guilty to rape and sexual assault charges in a New York courtroom -- the next step in a high-stakes legal battle that the #MeToo movement hopes will end with the disgraced Hollywood mogul behind bars.

The 66-year-old producer, whose career imploded in a blaze of accusations of sexual misconduct and abuse from dozens of women that triggered a global reckoning about harassment in the workplace, could face up to 25 years in prison if convicted.

Weinstein, who appeared in court in a dark blazer, jeans and a tie, uttered only a few words at the brief arraignment hearing in Manhattan. He has steadfastly denied all accusations of nonconsensual sex.

"Not guilty," he said in a barely audible voice when asked for his plea on the three counts he is facing. He also replied "Yes" several times as the judge reiterated the conditions of his monitored release.

Weinstein, the onetime Tinseltown powerbroker whose films earned dozens of Oscars, was charged with rape and another sex crime in New York late last month, nearly eight months after the first public allegations against him surfaced.

The twice-married father of five has been indicted for allegedly forcing a woman to perform oral sex on him in 2004, and for allegedly raping another at a Manhattan hotel in 2013.

- 'We intend to fight' -

Benjamin Brafman, one of America's most celebrated criminal defense attorneys, did most of the talking for the mogul at his hearing Tuesday.

"Mr Weinstein is presumed innocent... however reprehensible the crime may be, it is also reprehensible to falsely accuse someone of rape," Brafman said.

"We intend to fight this in the courtroom."


 AFP / Don EMMERT Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein (L) leaves Manhattan criminal court with his lawyer Benjamin Brafman (R) -- one of America's most celebrated criminal defense attorneys


Brafman says the rape complaint came from a woman who had a 10-year affair with Weinstein, but the information was not confirmed.

The accusation of forced oral sex comes from Lucia Evans, a marketing consultant who, in 2004, was an aspiring actress. She told her story in October to The New Yorker.

Evans says Weinstein spoke to her of a possible role as a model on television reality show "Project Runway," before forcing her into oral sex.

- Dozens of allegations -


AFP / Gal ROMA Harvey Weinstein

Since October, nearly 100 women have said they were harassed or sexually abused by Weinstein over a period of more than two decades.

Salma Hayek, Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie are among more than two dozen actresses who say they were sexually harassed by the producer. A few, including Asia Argento and Rose McGowan, say they were raped.

The #MeToo movement has seen people around the world come forward with cases of sexual mistreatment, leading to the downfall of powerful men across industries, including Oscar winner Kevin Spacey.

Weinstein has reportedly spent months in treatment for sex addiction. His fashion designer wife, Georgina Chapman, has left him.

Weinstein remains free, having posted $1 million bail. He is wearing a GPS monitoring device, and his travel is restricted to the states of New York and Connecticut.

- New lawsuits -

Weinstein already faces a slew of civil lawsuits, is reportedly under federal investigation, and his former studio has filed for bankruptcy.

He is also under criminal investigation in London and Los Angeles, but the criminal charges in New York were the first to be lodged.

Last week, three actresses filed a new lawsuit against Weinstein alleging sexual assault. They urged other victims to come forward and join the complaint.

Melissa Thompson, one of the women filing the class action lawsuit, said she was sexually assaulted by Weinstein during a 2011 meeting to discuss a new marketing tool.

Weinstein has largely been convicted in the court of public opinion, but could he walk free from the courtroom?

"It is hard to predict the outcome," said Columbia University law professor Suzanne Goldberg.

"Regardless of what's happening in the #MeToo movement, the prosecutor must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Weinstein engaged in these unlawful acts with these particular women."

THE LATEST NEWS: Iran steps up pressure with plan to boost uranium enrichment capacity

Iran steps up pressure with plan to boost uranium enrichment capacity
source: AFP

 IRNA/AFP/File / Kazem GHANE An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspector in January 2014 disconnects cascades for 20 percent uranium production at the nuclear power plant of Natanz, some 300 kilometres south of Tehran

Iran said Tuesday it has launched a plan to boost uranium enrichment capacity with new centrifuges, raising the pressure on European diplomats scrambling to rescue the crumbling nuclear deal after Washington pulled out.

"If conditions allow, maybe tomorrow night at Natanz (plant), we can announce the opening of the centre for production of new centrifuges," said Vice-President Ali Akbar Salehi, head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organisation, according to conservative news agency Fars.

"What we are doing does not violate the (2015 nuclear) agreement," he said, specifying this was just the start of the production process and "does not mean that we will start assembling the centrifuges".

The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed it had received a letter from Iran, which Salehi said was submitted on Monday and outlined Tehran's plans.

Under the 2015 nuclear agreement that Iran signed with world powers, it has the right to build and test certain centrifuges, though detailed restrictions exist for the first 10 years on the types and quantities of the machines.

Salehi also emphasised that these moves "do not mean the negotiations (with Europe) have failed."

European governments have been trying to salvage the nuclear deal ever since the United States announced its withdrawal last month and said it would reimpose sanctions on foreign companies working in the Islamic republic by November.


 AFP / AFP The Uranium enrichment process


The remaining parties -- Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia -- have vowed to stay in the accord but many of their companies have already started to wind down Iranian operations.

The European Union said that a first assessment indicated the new steps announced by Iran did not constitute a violation of the agreement.

"However, at this particularly critical juncture, they will not contribute to build confidence in the nature of the Iranian nuclear programme," Maja Kocijancic, spokeswoman for EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini, told AFP.

- Enmity with Israel -

On Monday, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned the Europeans that "Iran will never tolerate both suffering from sanctions and nuclear restrictions" and called for preparations to speed up uranium enrichment.

Iran insists its nuclear programme is for civilian uses only, but opponents in the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia accuse it of seeking to build an atomic bomb.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reacted swiftly to Salehi's announcement, declaring that the Islamic republic's aim was "unlimited enrichment of uranium to create an arsenal of nuclear bombs" to destroy his country.

On Sunday, Khamenei repeated the long-standing view from Iran that Israel is "a malignant cancerous tumour in the West Asian region that has to be removed and eradicated".


IRNA/AFP/File / KAZEM GHANE International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors and Iranian technicians at Iran's Natanz plant on January 20, 2014

Under the 2015 agreement, Iran can only enrich uranium to 3.67 percent.

If it chooses to abandon the deal, it has stated it could "within days" return to enrichment of 20 percent -- still within the limits of civilian use but allowing for a much quicker jump to military-grade levels of around 90 percent.

- Businesses leaving -

Iran was already seeing limited economic benefits from the deal even before the US withdrawal, thanks to the reluctance of international banks to facilitate trade and a raft of non-nuclear US sanctions that were not touched by the agreement.

European governments have been scrambling to protect their businesses from renewed US sanctions in order to keep Iran in the deal.

But several large firms have said it will be impossible to continue operating in Iran except in the unlikely scenario that they win bulletproof exemptions from Washington.


 AFP/File / Behrouz MEHRI An Iranian flag is seen outside the building housing the reactor of the Bushehr nuclear power plant on April 3, 2007

THE LATEST NEWS: Trump-Kim summit venue named -- Singapore's Capella Hotel

Trump-Kim summit venue named -- Singapore's Capella Hotel
source: AFP

KCNA VIA KNS/AFP/File / -, Mandel NGAN US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are to hold their June 12 summit on Singapore's resort island of Sentosa, the White House says

The much-vaunted summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un will take place on Singapore's resort island of Sentosa, the White House said Tuesday.

"The venue for the Singapore summit between @POTUS and Leader Kim Jong Un will be the Capella Hotel on Sentosa Island. We thank our great Singaporean hosts for their hospitality," said White House press secretary Sarah Sanders.

The June 12 meeting will be the first between sitting leaders of each country and will focus on denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

Sentosa is home to palm-fringed beaches, casinos, tourist sites and some of the best golf courses in Asia.

It also houses the luxurious Capella Hotel, which -- at a distance from centers of population -- can be more easily secured.

Sources familiar with the arrangements told AFP that American diplomats had picked the island resort, which is connected to the Singapore main island by a single causeway that can be easily closed off to traffic.

It is also home to some of the city-state's richest residents with waterfront villas costing up to Sg$39 million ($29 million).

Singapore authorities on Tuesday marked out a part of the island surrounding the Capella hotel a special security zone on the days around the June 12 summit.

According to a posting on the government gazette, weapons, flares, loud hailers, sound systems and banners will be banned in the special zone, with police allowed to conduct body searches on those entering the area.

Drones are also not allowed.

Set on 30 acres of lush, manicured greenery, the Capella's 112 rooms and villas were built in restored colonial buildings that once included an officers mess for the British army.

Designed by British architect Norman Foster, it has played host to A-listers like queen of pop Madonna and Lady Gaga when they stopped over in the city-state on tour.

Basic rooms start at Sg$663 ($496), with the opulent three-bedroom colonial manor going for Sg$10,000 for a night's stay.

The entire hotel has been booked out in the period leading up to the summit.

the latest news:LeBron, Curry, Durant say NBA champ won't go to White House

LeBron, Curry, Durant say NBA champ won't go to White House
source: AFP

 Getty/AFP/File / Lachlan Cunningham LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers drives against Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors in Game 2 of the 2018 NBA Finals at ORACLE Arena on June 3, 2018 in Oakland, California

Cleveland star LeBron James and Golden State's Stephen Curry said Tuesday the NBA Finals champions will not be visiting US President Donald Trump in the White House no matter whether the Cavaliers or Warriors win the crown.

Both spoke a day after Trump revoked an invitation to the NFL champion Philadelphia Eagles to visit the White House amid reports fewer than 10 players would take part in the traditional trip to celebrate a major US sports crown.

"It's typical of him," James said. "I'm not suprised. Typical of him.

"I know no matter who wins this series, no one wants the invite anyway. It won't be Cleveland or Golden State going."

Curry later added, "I agree with 'Bron" and teammate Kevin Durant concurred, saying, "I'm sure whoever wins this series won't be going."

Last September, Trump revoked an invitation to the Warriors after they beat Cleveland in last year's final following remarks from Curry saying he didn't want to attend because he objected to Trump administration comments and policies.

"You've got to do what's in the best interest of your team," Curry said. "It's unfortunate but we all have to do what we have to do and the Eagles fall right into that."

The Warriors, who lead Cleveland 2-0 in the best-of-seven series entering game three Wednesday, would likely follow the lead of what they did last year when they went to Washington and spent the day with children instead of what would have been a White House trip.

"I hope to be in that situation," Curry said. "I agree with 'Bron. The way we handled things last year, we would stay consistent with that.

"Every team has the right to speak for themselves in that situation and I think that's big."

- Normal in three years? -

Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he wasn't shocked at Trump's latest sporting snub and said teams look forward to returning to the tradition of White House visits without Trump there.

"It's not surprising," Kerr said. "The President has made it pretty clear he's going to try and divide us all in the country for political gain. We're all looking forward to the day when we can go about celebrating Americans for their athletic achievements.

"It will be nice when we can get back to normal, in three years."

James also supported NFL players who choose to kneel during the pre-game playing of the US national anthem.

"There are a lot of things we believe in as Americans we don't believe he's for," James said. "As long as he's in office, (these) things are going to continue to happen."

Curry said he was not shocked to see how the White House appearance issue has escalated since last September.

"You can't control what other people try and do to control the narrative," Curry said.

James said people should not forget the championship season the Eagles had because of the situation with Trump.

"Let's not have someone disinviting them from his house take away from that moment," James said. "It's way bigger than getting invited to the White House, especially with him in there."

Durant said the Eagles snub was no shock, saying "What else do you expect Trump to do?" but call off the event "so the photo op won't look so bad."

- Laugh to stop from crying -

James also shook his head at the Women's NBA champions not being invited last year.

"It's laughable at this point," James said. "You laugh to stop from crying."

Trump tweeted the Eagles didn't want to appear because he "insists they properly stand for the National Anthem" but no Eagles player ever took part in the anthem kneeling protest, started to raise awarenes of social injustice and police violence.

Trump, who has equated the protest with disrespect of flag and nation, said last September that any protesting "son of a bitch" should be fired and added recently "maybe you shouldn't be in the country."

Curry snubbed Trump last September, noting having golfed with former President Barack Obama and adding, "I'm pretty sure I won't get a tee-time invite during this regime."

James defended Curry after Trump blamed him last Septembr for the disinvitation, tweeting: "U bum. @StephenCurry30 already said he ain't going! So therefore ain't no invite. Going to White House was a great honor until you showed up."

THE LATEST NEWS: Trump pushes separate trade deal with Canada: White House

Trump pushes separate trade deal with Canada: White House
source: AFP

AFP/File / NICHOLAS KAMM Larry Kudlow, Director of the National Economic Council, pictured here at the White House on April 4, 2018

President Donald Trump is "seriously contemplating" making separate trade deals with Canada and Mexico in place of the two-decade-old North American Free Trade Agreement, and has broached the idea with Ottawa, a White House official said Tuesday.

"He prefers bilateral negotiations and he is looking at two much different countries," Trump economic adviser Larry Kudlow said on Fox News.

A senior Canadian official told AFP that Ottawa is "not ruling out" negotiating a separate deal with Washington, but for now is focusing on NAFTA talks.

But Mexican Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo said in a statement that his country wanted to preserve a tri-nation deal.

Guajardo said Mexico believed NAFTA had been "highly beneficial" and attracted foreign investors seeking access to the North American market.

"We believe that the agreement would lose value were it to stop being what it is today and we want it to continue to be: a trilateral integration of the continent," he said.

Word of the possible change in tack during the negotiations comes as Washington faces unified opposition from Group of Seven economies, who have vowed to retaliate against Trump's steel and aluminum tariffs.

Mexico on Tuesday released a more detailed list of specific US products facing retaliatory import duties.

Speaking Tuesday to Fox News, Kudlow said he was awaiting a reaction from top Canadian officials to whom he had relayed the idea on Monday.

"I'm waiting to hear what their reaction is going to be frankly. I spoke yesterday to one of their top people, right next to the prime minister. He will probably get back to me sometime today," Kudlow said, expressing hope the response would come "as soon as possible and move the whole process forward."

Kudlow noted that the talks to revamp NAFTA had "dragged on" so separate deals "might be able to happen more rapidly."

Trump "is seriously contemplating a shift in the NAFTA negotiations ... (and) he asked me to convey this," he said, adding that the president "believed bilateral is always better. He hates large treaties."

- NAFTA talks in suspense -

Trump on Friday had publicly floated the idea of having individual agreements to replace NAFTA, which he again called "a terrible deal."

The official in Ottawa told AFP, "Canada is not ruling out signing a separate bilateral trade pact with the United States but right now we're still focused on negotiating a successful NAFTA deal."

He noted that Trump had floated this bilateral pact idea last year when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited him at the White House.

Trump initially threatened to pull out of the three-nation pact. Talks to revise and modernize the deal have been underway since late 2017 but snagged on US demands to increase American content in duty-free NAFTA autos as well as a five-year sunset clause.

Negotiations are now suspended due to the coming elections in Mexico and the United States.

The Canadian official said there were currently no plans for another round of NAFTA talks but officials "remain in touch by telephone and email."

Kudlow said Trump "will not withdraw from NAFTA. He will try a different approach."

"The important thought is he may be moving quickly towards these bilateral discussions instead of as a whole," Kudlow said, but noted it is not clear how soon that would happen.

The NAFTA talks are just one facet of Trump's confrontational, multi-front trade policy, which includes imposing steep tariffs on steel and aluminum coming from chief US allies -- Canada, Mexico and the European Union -- which has prompted sharp retaliation.

The Latest World News: Jordan king calls for review of bill that sparked protests

Jordan king calls for review of bill that sparked protests
SOURCE: AFP

AFP / Khalil MAZRAAWI Children wave flags during a protest near the prime minister's office in Amman, Jordan, on June 4, 2018

Jordan's King Abdullah II called Tuesday for a review of a controversial draft tax law that has sparked a wave of anti-austerity protests and led to the prime minister's resignation.

But while Jordan's trade unions said the review was a "positive" step, they called for a general strike on Wednesday with new demonstrations expected overnight after Jordanians break their Ramadan fast.

For nearly a week the capital and other cities have been hit by angry demonstrations against reforms backed by the International Monetary Fund that have brought repeated price hikes.

Hours after premier Hani Mulki stepped down on Monday in an effort to quell the unrest, protesters were back in the streets of Amman.

"We are demanding a change to the government's economic programme, not just a change in prime minister," said 23-year-old university student Ahmad Abu Ghazzal -- one of about 2,000 demonstrators who gathered overnight in central Amman.

"We're sick of seeing changes in the cabinet -- it's not good enough and it doesn't have any results," he said.

In a letter charging new premier Omar al-Razzaz with forming a government, King Abdullah II said it "must carry out a comprehensive review of the tax system" to avoid "unjust taxes that do not achieve justice and balance between the incomes of the poor and the rich".


AFP / Khalil MAZRAAWI A protester offers sweets to police officers during a demonstration in Amman, Jordan, on June 4, 2018


Late Monday the king had warned Jordan was "at a crossroads", blaming the economic woes on regional instability, the burden of hosting hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees and a lack of international support.

Protesters on Monday night chanted "we want rights and duties, not tips and handouts!" and "down with the IMF!" as they gathered under a heavy police presence.

Last month, the government proposed a new income tax law, yet to be approved by parliament, aimed at raising taxes on employees by at least five percent and on companies by between 20 and 40 percent.

It was the latest in a series of austerity measures since Amman secured a $723-million loan from the IMF in 2016.

Since January, resource-poor Jordan, which suffers from high unemployment and poverty, has seen repeated price rises including for staples such as bread, as well as extra taxes on basic goods.


 AFP / Khalil MAZRAAWI Jordanian police officers secure the office of the prime minister during a demonstration in the capital Amman late on June 4, 2018

Fuel prices have risen five times since the start of the year, while electricity bills have surged by 55 percent since February.

The measures have sparked some of the biggest economic protests in five years.

After a two-hour meeting Tuesday afternoon, head of the trade unions' council Ali al-Abous called on Jordan's new premier to "open a constructive dialogue" with trade unions and civil society groups "to get out of this impasse that the draft income tax law has put us in".

The head of Jordan's Bar Association, Mazen Arshidat, said the unions "were determined to withdraw" the tax reform bill.

- Resignation 'not enough' -

Jordan, a key US ally, has largely avoided the unrest witnessed by other countries in the region since the Arab Spring revolts broke out in 2011, although protests did flare late that year after the government cut fuel subsidies.

The latest protests started last week when unions called for nationwide demonstrations.

They have rocked several other cities, including Irbid and Jarash in the north, Zarqa in the east, and the southern city of Maan, which saw deadly riots in the 1980s over rising food prices.

The premier's departure did not stop people from demonstrating after breaking the Ramadan fast in Amman and other cities.

"When the protests began they weren't just directed against Mulki as a person, they were against the income tax draft law and the price hikes," said Bushra Abu Jabbara, a 34-year-old pharmacist.

"We want the government to respond to our demands and withdraw the bill, which hasn't happened yet," she added.

A majority of deputies -- 78 out of 130 -- have said they will vote against the draft legislation.

"The income tax draft law is almost certain to be dropped now," Jordanian political analyst Samih al-Maitah said.

The bill is one of a tranche of measures aimed at slashing Jordan's public debt from over 90 percent of gross domestic product to 77 percent by 2021.

King Abdullah said gas supply cuts due to attacks on an Egyptian pipeline to Israel and Jordan had cost the kingdom some $5.6 billion (4.8 billion euros).

He added that the closure of the borders with the kingdom's main export markets, war-torn Syria and Iraq, and the cost of securing those frontiers, had added to Jordan's economic woes.

Job Vacancy For Well Services Manager at AVODAN Project and Engineering Services Limited

AVODAN Project and Engineering Services Limited provides Project Management and Engineering Support to the Oil & Gas Industry; from Project Initiation all the way through to Commissioning of  Oil & Gas Projects, and Operations & Maintenance of Oil & Gas Processing Facilities.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Well Services Manager

Location: Rivers

Job Description

• Maintain operational & technical excellence on all related well services activities aimed at achieving an ultimate goal of increased oil & gas production from all operated wells within the assets.
• Develop, implement and support Well Services plan for well testing, well completion and stimulation operations to achieve continuous improvement in well services operations.

Application Closing Date
8th June, 2018.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Applications to: info@avodan.com Please include your CV,  phone number and the position applied for in the email.

Job Vacancy For Operations Readiness, Standards and Procedures Lead at AVODAN Project and Engineering Services Limited

AVODAN Project and Engineering Services Limited provides Project Management and Engineering Support to the Oil & Gas Industry; from Project Initiation all the way through to Commissioning of  Oil & Gas Projects, and Operations & Maintenance of Oil & Gas Processing Facilities.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Operations Readiness, Standards and Procedures Lead

Location: Rivers

Job Description

• To manage and drive the delivery of Operations Readiness & Assurance (OR&A) into the portfolio of Seplat projects, ensuring that Operations, Maintenance and HSE requirements are embedded in the design, construction and commissioning, to achieve flawless startâ€�up and hand over of projects, ready for sustained steady state operations in line with Operational Excellence and maximization of project value.
• To develop and ensure operational guidelines and procedures are standardised in ensuring all production core activities are done consistently and in a most effective way to sustain production.

Application Closing Date
8th June, 2018.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Applications to: info@avodan.com Please include your CV,  phone number and the position applied for in the email.

Maintenance Compliance/ Standard/ EAM Lead at AVODAN Project and Engineering Services Limited

AVODAN Project and Engineering Services Limited provides Project Management and Engineering Support to the Oil & Gas Industry; from Project Initiation all the way through to Commissioning of  Oil & Gas Projects, and Operations & Maintenance of Oil & Gas Processing Facilities.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Maintenance Compliance/ Standard/ EAM Lead

Location: Rivers

Job Description

• Responsible for delivering an accurate and reliable status of Asset Integrity to the Asset Manager and timely warning of issues that can potentially impact on HSE or facilities availability to meet the corporate objectives of the facility
• Establish an Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) programme that incorporates asset performance reliability to maximize production uptime and minimize downtime.
• Define, implement maintenance strategy and provide guidance on maintenance standards and procedures to accomplish effective maintenance methods and improve production efficiency.

Application Closing Date
8th June, 2018.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Applications to: info@avodan.com Please include your CV,  phone number and the position applied for in the email.

Integrated Prod/Asset Integrity Planner at AVODAN Project and Engineering Services Limited

AVODAN Project and Engineering Services Limited provides Project Management and Engineering Support to the Oil & Gas Industry; from Project Initiation all the way through to Commissioning of  Oil & Gas Projects, and Operations & Maintenance of Oil & Gas Processing Facilities.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Integrated Prod/Asset Integrity Planner

Location: Rivers

Job Description

• Develop and implement production planning policies, standards, guidelines, and procedures that will manage the long and short term production goals and ensure that all aspects of the Production planning processes run efficiently to achieve optimum levels of operational effectiveness to meet Asset production targets.

Application Closing Date
8th June, 2018.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Applications to: info@avodan.com Please include your CV,  phone number and the position applied for in the email.

Well Services Manager at AVODAN Project and Engineering Services Limited

AVODAN Project and Engineering Services Limited provides Project Management and Engineering Support to the Oil & Gas Industry; from Project Initiation all the way through to Commissioning of  Oil & Gas Projects, and Operations & Maintenance of Oil & Gas Processing Facilities.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Well Services Manager

Location: Rivers

Job Description

• Maintain operational & technical excellence on all related well services activities aimed at achieving an ultimate goal of increased oil & gas production from all operated wells within the assets.
• Develop, implement and support Well Services plan for well testing, well completion and stimulation operations to achieve continuous improvement in well services operations.

Application Closing Date
8th June, 2018.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Applications to: info@avodan.com Please include your CV,  phone number and the position applied for in the email.

Job Vacancy For Employee Relations /Planning Manager at AVODAN Project and Engineering Services Limited

AVODAN Project and Engineering Services Limited provides Project Management and Engineering Support to the Oil & Gas Industry; from Project Initiation all the way through to Commissioning of  Oil & Gas Projects, and Operations & Maintenance of Oil & Gas Processing Facilities.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Employee Relations /Planning Manager

Location: Rivers

Job Description

• To promote and maintain employees’ wellbeing and good professional relations, providing expert advice and support on all industrial relations issues, thereby promoting positive employee relations culture within the organisation.
• The HR Manager, Employee Relations & Planning manages highly complex and ambiguous employment and labour relations issues for the company, providing tactical support and advise.
• Job holder is also responsible for ensuring that HR management is linked to the strategic plan of the Organization.

Application Closing Date
8th June, 2018.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Applications to: info@avodan.com Please include your CV,  phone number and the position applied for in the email.

Job Vacancy For Security Analyst at AVODAN Project and Engineering Services Limited

AVODAN Project and Engineering Services Limited provides Project Management and Engineering Support to the Oil & Gas Industry; from Project Initiation all the way through to Commissioning of  Oil & Gas Projects, and Operations & Maintenance of Oil & Gas Processing Facilities.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Security Analyst

Location: Rivers

Job Description

• Monitors the application and compliance of security administration procedures and reviews information systems for actual or potential breaches in security.
• Ensures that all identified breaches in security are promptly and thoroughly investigated and that any system changes required to maintain security are implemented.
• Ensures that security records are accurate and complete and that request for support are dealt with according to set standards and procedures.
• Contributes to the creation and maintenance of policy, standards, procedures and documentation for security.

Application Closing Date
8th June, 2018.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Applications to: info@avodan.com Please include your CV,  phone number and the position applied for in the email.

Document Controller at AVODAN Project and Engineering Services Limited

AVODAN Project and Engineering Services Limited provides Project Management and Engineering Support to the Oil & Gas Industry; from Project Initiation all the way through to Commissioning of  Oil & Gas Projects, and Operations & Maintenance of Oil & Gas Processing Facilities.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Document Controller

Location: Rivers

Job Description

• This job role as the responsibility of ensuring Document Management consistency across all projects, strictly, maintaining control and traceability of the documentation from project initiation throughout its life cycle to completion.

Application Closing Date
8th June, 2018.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Applications to: info@avodan.com Please include your CV,  phone number and the position applied for in the email.

Job Vacancy For Geophysics & QI Lead at AVODAN Project and Engineering Services Limited

AVODAN Project and Engineering Services Limited provides Project Management and Engineering Support to the Oil & Gas Industry; from Project Initiation all the way through to Commissioning of  Oil & Gas Projects, and Operations & Maintenance of Oil & Gas Processing Facilities.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Geophysics & QI Lead

Location: Rivers

Job Description

• The Geophysics & QI Lead is tasked with overall responsibility of all geophysics related activities across the various Asset Teams.
• He/she is expected to lead/supervise a team of geophysicists charged with maintaining an accurate inventory of all 2D and 3D seismic data and ensuring archiving and availability for exploration and development studies.
• Key QI deliverables expected of this position include seismic inversion and AVO volumes Quantitative Seismic Interpretation (QI) is important to the business in ensuring accurate reservoir characterization and definition of subsurface architecture, reserves estimation as well as optimum well placement.

Application Closing Date
8th June, 2018.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Applications to: info@avodan.com Please include your CV,  phone number and the position applied for in the email.

Job Vacancy For Network Services Analyst at AVODAN Project and Engineering Services Limited

AVODAN Project and Engineering Services Limited provides Project Management and Engineering Support to the Oil & Gas Industry; from Project Initiation all the way through to Commissioning of  Oil & Gas Projects, and Operations & Maintenance of Oil & Gas Processing Facilities.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Network Services Analyst

Location: Rivers

Job Description

• Takes responsibility for major aspects of network specification and design within the organization. Produces network design policies, philosophies and criteria covering connectivity, capacity, interfacing, security, resilience, recovery, access and remote access.
• Produces outline system designs and specifications, and overall architectures, topologies, configuration databases and design documentation of networks and networking technology within the organization.
• Specifies user/system interfaces, including validation and error correction procedures, processing rules, access, security and audit controls. Assesses associated risks, and specifies recovery routines and contingency procedures.
• Translates logical designs into physical designs.

Application Closing Date
8th June, 2018.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Applications to: info@avodan.com Please include your CV,  phone number and the position applied for in the email.

Job Vacancy For Production Seismologist at AVODAN Project and Engineering Services Limited

AVODAN Project and Engineering Services Limited provides Project Management and Engineering Support to the Oil & Gas Industry; from Project Initiation all the way through to Commissioning of  Oil & Gas Projects, and Operations & Maintenance of Oil & Gas Processing Facilities.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Production Seismologist

Location: Rivers

Job Description

• Production Seismologist will be responsible for gathering, analyzing, and interpreting subsurface 2D and 3D geophysical data for the purpose of assessing the amount of oil and gas contained within rock structures and quantifying inâ€�place volume (STOIIP); the ease of which it can be extracted; and the likelihood of encountering any hazards or problems in the process.
• S/he is responsible for carrying out detailed reservoir seismic characterization, interpretation, calculations, predictions and modelling studies; and recommends and drives opportunities to improve geophysical data quality. Partake in the delivery of fitâ€�forâ€�purpose field development plans as well as planning studies to maximize hydrocarbon recovery.

Application Closing Date
8th June, 2018.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Applications to: info@avodan.com Please include your CV,  phone number and the position applied for in the email.

Senior Production Technologist at AVODAN Project and Engineering Services Limited

AVODAN Project and Engineering Services Limited provides Project Management and Engineering Support to the Oil & Gas Industry; from Project Initiation all the way through to Commissioning of  Oil & Gas Projects, and Operations & Maintenance of Oil & Gas Processing Facilities.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Senior Production Technologist

Location: Rivers

Job Description

• Deliver well & completions designs for all wells, Production optimization and multiâ€�discipline projects in accordance with World Class Hydrocarbon Maturation and Well Delivery and Intervention Processes
• Significantly contribute to / lead the delivery of quality reservoir development studies (RDS), field development plan (FDP), the identification of production improvement opportunities and production optimization studies in conjunction with reservoir engineers, petrophysicists and production geologists.

Application Closing Date
8th June, 2018.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Applications to: info@avodan.com Please include your CV,  phone number and the position applied for in the email.

Latest Job Vacancy For Civil Lead at AVODAN Project and Engineering Services Limited

AVODAN Project and Engineering Services Limited provides Project Management and Engineering Support to the Oil & Gas Industry; from Project Initiation all the way through to Commissioning of  Oil & Gas Projects, and Operations & Maintenance of Oil & Gas Processing Facilities.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Civil Lead

Location: Rivers

Job Description

• To provide leadership, training/mentorship required in the Civil/Structural engineering discipline and act as a technical authority to Quality check and endorse all Civil/Structural designs executed in-house by the pipeline team or by external third party Civil contractors on behalf of Seplat.
• Will drive all Civil/Structural engineering activities in support of modifications, operations and maintenance of existing Seplat facilities also instituting appropriate Civil/Structural engineering practices, codes and standards for proper execution of projects.

Application Closing Date
8th June, 2018.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Applications to: info@avodan.com Please include your CV,  phone number and the position applied for in the email.

Job Vacancy For Well Delivery & Operations Manager at AVODAN Project and Engineering Services Limited

AVODAN Project and Engineering Services Limited provides Project Management and Engineering Support to the Oil & Gas Industry; from Project Initiation all the way through to Commissioning of  Oil & Gas Projects, and Operations & Maintenance of Oil & Gas Processing Facilities.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Well Delivery & Operations Manager

Location: Rivers

Job Description

• Responsible for the management and co-ordination of all Company's drilling and completions operations, both onshore and offshore (shelf) to achieve immediate business objectives across the Asset.

Application Closing Date
8th June, 2018.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Applications to: info@avodan.com Please include your CV,  phone number and the position applied for in the email.

Senior Materials, Corrosion and Inspection Engineer at AVODAN Project and Engineering Services Limited

AVODAN Project and Engineering Services Limited provides Project Management and Engineering Support to the Oil & Gas Industry; from Project Initiation all the way through to Commissioning of  Oil & Gas Projects, and Operations & Maintenance of Oil & Gas Processing Facilities.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Senior Materials, Corrosion and Inspection Engineer

Location: Rivers

Job Description

• To provide effective materials and corrosion engineering related supports for area mechanical integrity team, ensure facility integrity and reliability through implementation of specific corrosion engineering related mechanical integrity standards based on company standards.

Application Closing Date
8th June, 2018.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Applications to: info@avodan.com Please include your CV,  phone number and the position applied for in the email.

Job Vacancy For Project Manager at AVODAN Project and Engineering Services Limited

AVODAN Project and Engineering Services Limited provides Project Management and Engineering Support to the Oil & Gas Industry; from Project Initiation all the way through to Commissioning of  Oil & Gas Projects, and Operations & Maintenance of Oil & Gas Processing Facilities.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Project Manager

Location: Rivers

Job Description

• The Project Manager will provide project management for a particular project or a small number of projects, as assigned by the Engineering Manager.
• This will involve the production of plans, documentation and the provision of guidance for project teams and ensuring communication is maintained between all stakeholders throughout the project lifecycle, ensuring all organisational procedures are adhered to, objectives are identified and met, and benefits realised from the implementation of the change.
• The project manager will be fully accountable to deliver project to agreed scope, schedule and budget.

Application Closing Date
8th June, 2018.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Applications to: info@avodan.com Please include your CV,  phone number and the position applied for in the email.

Job Vacancy For Field Civil Engineer at AVODAN Project and Engineering Services Limited

AVODAN Project and Engineering Services Limited provides Project Management and Engineering Support to the Oil & Gas Industry; from Project Initiation all the way through to Commissioning of  Oil & Gas Projects, and Operations & Maintenance of Oil & Gas Processing Facilities.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Field Civil Engineer

Location: Rivers

Job Description

• The job holder will play a key role within the Civil Engineering Team.
• The role will be to plan, design, build, construct, commission and maintain approved Oil & Gas and non-oil and gas infrastructural facilities in support of the company's business.
• The job holder will also advise and support other Departments on Civil/structural engineering works to ensure that quality standards are maintained

Application Closing Date
8th June, 2018.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Applications to: info@avodan.com Please include your CV,  phone number and the position applied for in the email.