China opens new freight train service to Milan

JINAN, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- A new freight train linking east China's Shandong Province with Milan, Italy, started service Friday, making it the newest China-Europe freight train route.

A 41-container train carrying clothing, electronic products, and machinery departed from Yanzhou North railway station in Jining, on Friday morning. The train will run every Friday.

The 10,900-km journey, which makes a stop in Chengdu for customs clearance, will take 18 days, said Zhang Benhong, deputy head of the railway station.

First woman fined in Denmark for wearing full-face veil

4 Aug 2018; AFP; A 28-year-old woman wearing a niqab on Friday became the first person in Denmark to be fined for violating a new controversial law banning full-face Islamic veils in public places, media reported.

Police were called to a shopping centre in Horsholm, in the northeastern region of Nordsjaelland, where the woman had become involved in a scuffle with another woman who had tried to tear her niqab off, police duty officer David Borchersen told the Ritzau news agency.

AfD figure sparks backlash for calling failed Hitler assassin von Stauffenberg 'traitor'

2 Aug 2018; DW; An AfD state youth leader called the German officer who attempted to assassinate Hitler a "coward" and "traitor." The Facebook post has landed him in hot water within the right-wing populist party.

The right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) on Thursday tried to distance itself from comments made by a regional party youth leader who labeled a German officer who tried to kill Adolf Hitler a "traitor."

Hamas leaders to meet in Gaza amid Israel truce reports

4 Aug 2018; AFP; The leadership of Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas is to convene late Friday for a rare meeting, officials said, amid speculation of a long-term truce between the Gaza Strip's rulers and Israel.

The meeting comes as a Palestinian was shot dead by Israeli forces in clashes along the border between Gaza and Israel.

Imran Khan opts for simple oath ceremony, not to invite foreign leaders

PTI; Islamabad, Aug 2 :  Imran Khan has decided against inviting foreign leaders and celebrities to his oath taking ceremony as Pakistan's new prime minister as he wants to keep the event very simple, according to a media report.

Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) emerged as the single largest party in the elections held on July 25. The 65-year-old leader is expected to take oath on August 11.

Foreign Office (FO) spokesman Dr Mohammad Faisal said a simple ceremony will be held at President's House for which no date has been issued so far.

Minor tribal girl gangraped in Malkangiri

Malkangiri (Odisha), Aug 4 (PTI) A 15-year-old tribal girl was allegedly kidnapped and gangraped in a forest at Erbanpali in Malkangiri district, the police said today.

Two youths riding a motorcycle abducted the girl from her house when she was alone last evening. They took her to a nearby forest and raped her.

After the accused left the spot, the girl returned home and informed her parents about the incident, the police said.

BJP govt turning Aadhaar into surveillance tool: Chavan

Mumbai, Aug 4 (PTI) Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan today accused the BJP government of working hand in glove with global tech giants and turning Aadhaar into a surveillance tool.

The senior Congress leader also alleged that in 2016 the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIADI) had asked global tech companies to embed Aadhaar encryption into their technology.

"BJP Government working in cahoots with global tech giants and turning AADHAR into a surveillance tool. Government must come clean," Chavan said in a tweet.

Imran may take oath as Pak PM on August 14

By Sajjad Hussain

Islamabad, Aug 4 (PTI) Imran Khan, who is set to become Pakistan's new Prime Minister, may take oath of the office on the country's Independence Day on August 14, a media report said today.

Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) emerged as the single largest party in the July 25 elections, winning 116 National Assembly seats out of the contested 270 parliamentary constituencies.

Pak anti-graft body approaches Interpol, seeks Red Corner Notices against Sharif's sons

By Sajjad Hussain

Islamabad, Aug 4 (PTI) Pakistan's apex anti-graft body has approached Interpol seeking issuance of Red Corner Notices against jailed former premier Nawaz Sharif's sons Hasan and Hussain, a media report said today.

Sharif's sons were declared as absconders by an accountability court after they failed to appear in either of the three cases launched against them along with their father following a Supreme Court decision on July 28, 2017.

Soaring temperatures across Europe likely to break record

BRUSSELS, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- As Europe's scorching heat wave continues to spread across the continent, forecasters are now saying the all-time temperature record in Europe could be broken in the coming days.

The temperature in Spain and Portugal, in particular, are expected to rise dramatically over the weekend.

Europe's weather warning group, Meteoalarm, has already issued red warnings - categorized as very dangerous and posing a risk to life - for much of southern Portugal and for the Badajoz province in Spain.

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