Tradisional Sabah Borneo

Israel's U.N. Ambassador Ron Prosor accused the Palestinians in letters to the United Nations secretary-general and General Assembly president of "attempting to swiftly change longstanding U.N. tradition in order to score political points."

The flags of all 193 U.N. member states fly outside U.N. headquarters in New York and other U.N. offices — but not the flags of the two non-member observer states, Palestine and the Vatican.The Palestinians are seeking General Assembly approval of a draft resolution that would allow non-member observer states to raise their flags.

Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour told The Associated Press that he expects a revised draft to be circulated on Thursday and a vote on Sept. 10, though a General Assembly spokeswoman said no date had been set.

He said he expects an "overwhelming majority" of states to support the resolution.

It states that "observer states maintaining permanent observer missions will raise their flags after member states," Mansour said. And it gives Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon 20 days to implement the flag-raising provision.

Mansour said he would like to see Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas raise the flag after he addresses the General Assembly's annual gathering of world leaders on Sept. 30. He said if the Holy See wants to raise its flag in time for Pope Francis' visit to the U.N. on Sept. 25, "by all means — we'll be there!"

Several nations have shown support for the Palestinians' pursuit of statehood, including the Vatican. In May, the Vatican officially recognized the state of Palestine with a bilateral treaty.Mansour said the Holy See had expressed support for the flag-raising idea in principle early last month. But last week, the Vatican's mission to the U.N. circulated a note among member states saying it was not co-sponsoring the draft.

Then on Friday, the Vatican issued a statement noting that by tradition only member states have displayed their flags, but adding that it would accept whatever U.N. decision is taken on the issue.

Prosor's letter called the flag-raising effort a "blatant attempt to hijack the U.N.," adding, "As the gatekeeper of this institution, I call on you to reject this aggressive behavior."

The United States, Israel's closest ally, opposed the Palestinian move.

"We continue to believe that Palestinian efforts to pursue statehood or endorsements of statehood claims through the U.N. system that are outside of a negotiated settlement ... (are) counterproductive," U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said, adding that this includes raising the flag.

Mansour called Prosor's letter "full of distortion and fabrications" and said the matter is up to member states to decide.

The flags could be up quickly, Mansour said.We did our homework. We inspected everything needed. There are holes for additional poles. There are poles," he said. "Everything's ready to go."

A spokesman for the U.N. secretary-general, Stephane Dujarric, told reporters Tuesday that the U.N. will abide by whatever the General Assembly decides.

"We're moving into somewhat uncharted territory here," he said.

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The rally, which gathered some 500 people, had begun peacefully at Istiklal Street in the centre of the European side of the city.

Police intervened as demonstrators attempted to form a human chain and shouted slogans against the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and its offensive against Kurdish militants.

Jets from a water cannon were fired down the middle of the street -- a busy shopping area -- and police used tear gas as demonstrators ran for cover.

Among those detained was Yasin Akgul, a Turkish freelance photographer who works as a stringer for Agence France-Presse (AFP).

He was pinned to the ground by several police as he tried to take pictures of the arrests.

Akgul was taken to a waiting police van before being released after colleagues remonstrated that he was a media photographer.

Akgul was given hospital treatment for an arm injury but was later allowed to go home.

Reports said a cameraman from the state-run Anatolia news agency was also injured.

Anatolia reported that a total of 14 people had been arrested.

Turkish cities are tense as the government presses a controversial campaign against Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants, with security forces clamping down on any signs of large scale protest.

AFP

Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said it would be impossible for Malaysia deal with such threats alone and with France's involvement, to combat threats together was timely.

"Abu Sayyaf, MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front), MNLF (Moro National Liberation Front) and BIFF (Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighter) have declared allegiance to IS.

"It is important for us to realise that the Sulu Seas must be secured in the event that there are irresponsible groups who look at the seas as an Islamic caliphate.

"It is impossible for us to deal with IS alone, so as Asean chair (this year), I got all member countries to support efforts against IS. France coming on board especially on the issue of maritime security is directly on point."

Hishammuddin told reporters this after he co-chaired the Defence Joint Higher Strategic Meeting with France Defence Minister Jean-Yved Le Drian at the ministry here, today.

Le Drian, along with French defence industry representatives had also paid a courtesy call to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak at the prime minister's office in Perdana Putra earlier this morning

NEW STREET TIMES

The Canadian economy retreated at an annual pace of 0.5 percent from April through June after sliding 0.8 percent the first three months of the year, Statistics Canada reported Tuesday. Two consecutive negative quarters are the technical definition of a recession.

Canada is the world's 11th-biggest economy and the United States' biggest trading partner. The Canadian economy suffered far less damage from the financial crisis and Great Recession than its southern neighbor.

The economic news could spell trouble for Prime Minister Stephen Harper during the Oct. 19 election. Analysts call the three-way race a toss-up. Harper, campaigning for a fourth term on a record of economic growth, refused Tuesday to recognize that Canada is in a recession.

But the data shows that business investment and commercial construction fell sharply in Canada, reflecting cutbacks by energy companies responding to lower oil prices.

Economists, however, expressed confidence the Canadian economy will rebound. Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics, said the Canadian slowdown can be at least partially traced to the problems in China and said the weakness is largely confined to energy sector: "The rest of the Canadian economy is doing OK."

Moreover, the economy grew at 0.5 percent pace in June, first monthly gain in six months. "The economy is contracting through the first half of the year, but the solid gain in June suggests that we'll at least get a breather with a return to growth in the third quarter," said CIBC chief economist Avery Shenfeld.

Harper said the economy was bouncing back after a brief bump. He pointed to 0.5 percent growth in JuneI think it's more important to describe the reality of the situation rather than to have labels," Harper said.

Harper called Canada an "island of stability" amid rough financial waters. The country avoided the worst of the 2008 global financial crash and fared better than most nations. Unlike the U.S., it avoided a real estate market implosion or credit crisis.

That was before oil prices plunged, dragging down Canada's economy. Now Harper's bid to become the first Canadian leader to win four consecutive terms in over a century is far from assured. Harper reminded Canadians of their recent prosperity Tuesday. The Conservatives have run small deficits and are promising balanced budgets.

"We've had a couple of weak months, but the fact of the matter is over the long haul, post the global financial crisis, Canadians know there is no better place to be," Harper said.

Since coming to power in 2006, Harper has managed to pull a traditionally center-left country to the right. He has lowered taxes and supported the oil industry, but has failed to win approval for new pipelines that would get the oil to market.

Analysts say the left-of-center opposition New Democrats, led by Tom Mulcair, has a chance to gain .power for the first time. Mulcair has moved his party to the center and vowed to balance the budget.

The opposition Liberals, who governed Canada for most of last century, said they would stimulate the economy with deficit spending on infrastructure.

Opposition Liberal leader Justin Trudeau, the 43-year-old son of late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, said Harper refused to acknowledge the economy was in trouble and his plan was failing.

"Today it has been officially recognized what Canadians have known for a long time, that there is a need for investment," Trudeau said.

Mulcair said Harper just won't acknowledge that his plan his failing. "All the objective measures prove that Stephen Harper's plan has failed," Mulcair said.

The unexpected takeover of the ministry by a number of activists demanding the resignation of the environment minister over the country's trash crisis left some Lebanese bewildered, wondering whether it was the right path to take. It opened the possibility of protracted instability in a fragile country already facing multiple crises.

Angry protests that suddenly erupted last month over the government's failure to deal with the garbage crisis have evolved into the most serious anti-government demonstrations in Lebanon in years. The protesters seek to challenge a political class that has dominated Lebanon and undermined its growth since its civil war ended in 1990.Their goal is shared by most Lebanese. But differences over the tactics used are already emerging.

"There is no coherent message coming out from the protesters," said Salwan Issa, a 39-year-old sales manager who stayed away from Tuesday's protest. "We all want the same things but nobody wants chaos," he said.

Others also questioned the ability of the protesters to channel their grievances into a fruitful process.

"I understand the urge to do something different and to convey the message that people are fed up, but they (protesters) are basically ramming themselves and the government, I think, into a corner," said Maha Yahya, a senior associate at the Carnegie Middle East Center.

Following three huge protests over the past two weeks, the main group behind the protests known as "You Stink" gave the government a Tuesday deadline to begin responding to its demands, starting with the resignation of the environment minister. He refused, resigning instead from a government committee assigned to resolve the trash crisis.

On Tuesday, a group of about 30 protesters from the movement known as "You Stink" marched into the ministry, pushing through security guards at the entrance of the building.

They sat cross-legged on the floor, clapping and shouting slogans against the minister, Mohammed Machnouk, who was holed up in a nearby office on the same floor.

"Out, out, out!" they shouted. Following an hours-long standoff during which police cut off electricity, air conditioning, and closed the bathrooms on the 8th floor, riot police dragged most activists out of the building, beating some of them with batons. At least two activists, Nemat Badreddine and director Lucien Bourjeily were injured and taken to the hospital. Bourjeily suffered a broken shoulder.Skirmishes erupted outside as dozens of protesters outside pelted security forces with bottles and stones. As night fell in Beirut, about a thousand protesters remained gathered downtown.

The protests have attracted supporters from across Lebanon's political and religious divides, reflecting the growing frustration with an aging and corrupt political class that has failed to provide basic services, but for which there appears to be no clear alternative.

In addition to the "You Stink" movement, the protests are being led by some half a dozen civil society groups with names like "Leave us alone" and "We Want Accountability" and "We're Disgusted."

While some have insisted on the resignation of the environment minister or the entire government, others say the main demand should be parliamentary elections. The country has been without a functioning parliament — the last elections were held in 2009 — and no president for the past 15 months.Unlike Arab Spring protests in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya or Syria, Lebanon is not a dictatorship and the anger is not directed against one person. It is, rather, a revolt against a sectarian system and an entrenched political elite seen as greedy and dysfunctional.

"I don't think the current state of protests will lead to anything," said Hilal Khashan, professor of political science at the American University of Beirut. "There is no functioning government to address the issues."

The standoff outside the ministry — transmitted live by local TV channels — reflected the government's reluctance to potentially fuel the protests by resorting to violence.

After hours of failed negotiations, police entered the building and dragged out most of the activists one by one.

"They cut off the electricity, they closed all the bathrooms. There were no windows, we had no ventilation," said Mohammed Mugharbel, 21, a graphic design student who said he joined the sit-in to deliver a message peacefully."We were holding our hands. They stepped over our hands like cockroaches," he said.

Bourjeily earlier told The Associated Press from inside the building that the activists would not leave until the minister resigned. He said the group had decided to stage the sit-in "because someone should be held accountable."

"Instead of resigning from the ministry he resigned from his responsibility to deal with the garbage issue," said Bourjeily. "We are left with no choice — we want to make ourselves heard."

Another protest leader, Imad Bazzi, said he and others were beaten inside the ministry. "It's just the beginning," he said.

Garbage has been piling up for weeks since the government closed the city's main landfill without finding a replacement.

So far the only response to the growing protest movement has been a promise by the parliament speaker for high-level talks between Lebanon's politicians in the coming days.Speaker Nabih Berri announced Tuesday that the first dialogue session will be held Sept. 9. His call for dialogue has been backed by the country's main political leaders, but it was unclear how such talks between the same group of veteran politicians being vilified by the protesters would help break the deadlock. Protesters called it a farce.

Yahya, the Carnegie analyst, predicted a long stalemate. "What did they (protesters) take into account when they took this step? Have they been discussing it with anyone? Is there a plan B," she asked.

Reflecting concerns about a protracted crisis, authorities on Tuesday erected a tall metal fence around the prime minister's office and government headquarters in anticipation of more protests. Anti-government protests turned violent last week after a few of the protesters repeatedly tried to remove the barbed wire protecting the building.The government put up a concrete barrier following those protests, which protesters were quick to brand a "wall of shame." That wall was removed less than 24 hours later upon orders from the prime minister.

More than 350,000 people, many from war-torn Syria, have made the perilous crossing of the Mediterranean so far this year, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said.

Police, some in riot gear, cleared and briefly shut Keleti station a day after thousands of migrants boarded trains for Germany and Austria.

As night fell more than 300 migrants were still being barred from the station by police, and rights group Hungarian Helsinki Committee warned the situation was "very tense and unpredictable".

The blocked migrants chanted "Germany! Germany! We want to leave!" in protest, and some held their babies in the air in a sign of their distress.Hungarian railway authorities said they would allow "only those in possession of the appropriate travel documents and -- if necessary -- a visa" to board trains travelling to western Europe.

The ban was enforced just 24 hours after police had unexpectedly allowed people stuck for days in makeshift camps to leave Budapest, with hundreds surging onto trains bound for Germany and Austria, despite many not having EU visas.

This saw the highest number of migrants entering Austria in a single day this year, with police saying 3,650 arrived in Vienna by train on Monday.

Many continued on to Germany, which last week eased asylum restrictions for Syrian refugees.

German police said a record 3,500 asylum-seekers had turned up in Bavaria on Tuesday.

Sweden also said on Tuesday that the number of asylum requests there was nearing historic levels. Record influx -

The latest flashpoint, one of several recent standoffs at borders and transport hubs across the continent, came as the IOM published new figures revealing the scale of Europe's biggest migrant crisis since World War II.

Out of the 350,000 arrivals by sea so far this year, 234,770 alone were in Greece, it said.

That figure by itself is more than the entire Europe-wide total for all of 2014.

At least 2,600 died trying to reach Europe, either by drowning or suffocating in packed or unseaworthy boats, the agency said.

Stories of refugees dying in horrific conditions crammed inside lorries have piled the pressure on the EU, which has scheduled emergency talks for September 14.

The influx is Europe's "greatest challenge", Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said Tuesday during talks in Berlin with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.Within the EU, the crisis has stoked friction over burden-sharing -- about help for "frontline" nations where the migrants arrive by sea or land, and about sharing out the numbers who are granted asylum.

Much-flouted EU rules, known as the Dublin regulation, say refugees should be processed in the first country they reach.

But the human tide is so great that this system is now badly under strain.

Hungary, where 50,000 migrants arrived in August, insists it cannot cope and has built a razor-wire fence along its border with Serbia.

France has slammed the fence as "scandalous" while Austria has accused Hungary of being "sloppy" in applying the Dublin rules. The Hungarian government has summoned the ambassadors of both countries to explain the remarks.

The migrants' plight was brought sharply into focus last week after 71 people, including four children, were found dead in an abandoned truck on an Austrian motorway near the Hungarian border.

So far, police in Hungary and Bulgaria have arrested six people in connection with the tragedy, Austrian police said.

The grim discovery led to a security crackdown in Austria with huge tailbacks forming along the border on Monday and Tuesday, as officers inspected vehicles in search of people-smugglers and migrants.Police said they had rescued 24 young Afghan migrants crammed inside a van that was like a "prison cell on wheels".

"The car was carrying 24 Afghan minors, most aged around 16 or 17. They had been packed into this dangerous vehicle like objects, crammed on top of each other into a very small space," a spokesman told AFP.

The EU's Frontex border agency meanwhile said a brisk trade in fake Syrian passports had emerged, mostly in Turkey.

"They know Syrians get the right to asylum in the European Union," Fabrice Leggeri told French radio station Europe 1.

AFP