Why Modi visit crucial for U.S., India, world

From the moment I stepped onto the tarmac in New Delhi two weeks ago, I was struck yet again by the sheer breadth of India's diversity -- ethnic, religious, cultural, geographic. It is what makes India a remarkable country, home to the world's largest democracy. Earlier this year, some 550 million citizens went to the polls to cast their vote, in the largest election the world has ever seen.

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Washington, D.C., for the first time as the leader of India, he will bring with him the aspirations and concerns of 1.2 billion people. The task before him and President Obama will be to reaffirm the strategic partnership between our two nations -- a partnership that relies not only on government ties but also on steadily expanding relations between our business communities, civil society groups and cultural institutions.

The U.S. and India form what President Obama has called the "defining partnership of the 21st century." But this partnership can only reach its full potential if it is given the kind of attention and commitment it deserves.

So what tone will President Obama set when he first sits down with the new Prime Minister? I will venture to suggest a few key points:

For the sake of peace and prosperity not only in Asia but also globally, India and the U.S. must work together across a range of economic, political, environmental, and security issues. We must recognize, however, that we will not always agree on every issue. That is the nature of a deep and close bilateral relationship.

Indeed, over the past year, there have been bouts of distrust, uncertainty and perceived drift, but I am convinced that both leaders have every intention of establishing a positive tone during Mr. Modi's visit.

Over the past decade, the two countries have made rapid strides towards strengthening the relationship without headline-grabbing developments (the exception being the 2008 civil nuclear cooperation agreement). This is not a bad thing.

Significant progress has resulted from "small" steps in people-to-people exchanges, scientific collaboration, and educational exchanges that have accreted over time.

For a first meeting between leaders of two great, and often noisy, democracies, it will be important for both sides to engage in the mutual setting of expectations. Mr. Modi comes to office with a set of ambitious plans for India In an era of considerable turmoil in various regions of the world, India can be a major force for stability.

Democratic states with a well-established rule of law and adherence to international norms, as President Obama recently invoked before the U.N. General Assembly, are the best guarantors of regional stability and prosperity.

President Obama's rebalance to Asia does not come at the expense of trans-Atlantic relations (more important than ever in light of current events on the eastern border of NATO). Similarly, we should welcome the Prime Minister's engagement with traditional U.S. allies in Asia, including South Korea, Japan and Australia, and emerging partners such as Vietnam, as part of his "look east and act east" policy.

As President Obama underscored this past week at the U.N., the world faces a stark threat in ISIL and must come together to counter extremism wherever it takes root. Mr. Modi's visit to the 9/11 Memorial on Saturdayreflects the shared suffering of our two countries at the hands of terrorists. Since the devastating Mumbai attacks of 2008, our cooperation against terror has grown exponentially. Washington should continue to expand its information sharing and other counterterrorism exchanges with India.

The President should also encourage the negotiation of a new Defense Framework Agreement with India, to replace one that is expiring in 2015. Our defense cooperation is increasingly robust, featuring major naval exercises, military exchanges and high-level consultations. These should continue, as should the trend of Washington permitting higher levels of sensitive technology to be released to Indian defense forces.

Domestically, Mr. Modi's biggest challenge is returning India to the level of economic growth that is necessary to provide opportunity for the nation's fast-growing, youthful workforce. An important part of this effort will require a focus on improving the trade and investment climate, for example, by following through on India's commitments to the World Trade Organization.

He has been very clear that he wants to expand the Indian economy by improving trade numbers and attracting more foreign investment. And, with his "Make in India" campaign officially launched just days before his U.S. trip, he has already signaled his commitment to turn India into a global manufacturing hub -- including by addressing the daunting regulatory challenges that investors, both foreign and domestic, face.

This is an encouraging sign. India and the United States share the objective to build a strong manufacturing base and create jobs. This should be an area of cooperation between our countries, not a point of conflict.

Both India and the United States must commit to rebuilding mutual trust and focus on moving our partnership forward. The world has too much to gain for these two great democracies to do otherwise.

'Blood Diamonds' arrest sheds light over grim African trade

Last Friday, a 64-year old Belgian citizen, Michel Desaedeleer, was waiting to board a flight from Malaga in southern Spain to New York. But his name registered on a Europe-wide database of arrest warrants and he was detained by police at the airport, according to Spain's Interior Ministry.

The accusation against Desaedeleer, who also holds U.S. citizenship, is that he profited from the illicit trade of "blood diamonds" during the civil war that ravaged Sierra Leone between 1991 and 2002. But it's only in recent years that a case against him has been put together by Belgian authorities, and it's largely based on eyewitness testimony.

Desaedeleer is suspected of having participated with former Liberian President Charles Taylor and the rebels of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) led by Foday Sankoh in Sierra Leone in a scheme to mine diamonds illegally in the district of Kono in eastern Sierra Leone.

The warrant for Desaedeleer's arrest was based on testimony gathered by a Swiss-based NGO, Civitas Maxima from witnesses who were in Kono between 1999 and 2001. According to a statement from Spanish police, the allegation is that Desaedeleer "would have been one of the supervisors in charge of overseeing the extraction works on site" at the end of 1999 and the beginning of 2000.

Previous trials in international courts have established that the RUF ran an horrific regime of enslavement and brutality at mines it controlled in Kono and elsewhere, including amputation, rape and forced conscription of civilians and suspected rebels, according to Human Rights Watch. But also according to hundreds of pages of judgments issued in the Special Court.

Alain Werner, the lawyer who helped prepare the victims' case, was previously one of the prosecuting attorneys in the Special Court that tried Taylor for war crimes and crimes against humanity, and was also involved in the trial of prominent RUF members. He told CNN he had first come across Desaedeleer's name in 2006.

Werner told CNN that Sankoh and others needed "external actors to market the diamonds they were smuggling out to the Liberian capital, Monrovia." He said the critical element in the complaint presented against Desaedeleer, which runs to some 50 pages, was that former members of the RUF had sworn that he was in Kono.

Werner said there was no suggestion that Desaedeleer had been personally involved in any abuses. But the complaint held that Desaedeleer was complicit in pillage as a war crime and enslavement through his involvement in the Kono diamond mining.

Money used for weapons

A U.N. panel of experts that investigated the trade in blood diamonds reported in 2000 that Desaedeleer first made contact with the RUF while in Togo during the summer of 1999. Within months, according to the U.N. panel, he and an associate had "worked up an arrangement with Foday Sankoh which would give them authority to broker rights to all of Sierra Leone's diamond and gold resources for a 10-year period."

The U.N. report also said that a letter, signed by a "Michel," "proposed that his Belgian partner 'Charles' could hire a private jet to take the diamonds out directly from Kono" without having to pass through the capital, Freetown.

In October 1999, a deal was reached between Desaedeleer's company, BECA, and Sankoh. At the time Sankoh had been given the position of Chairman of the Commission for the Management of Strategic Mineral Resources as part of an ill-fated attempt to broker a peace deal in Sierra Leone. He was in essence Minister of Mines.

Documents later recovered from his compound in Freetown showed that even while in government Sankoh had been trading hundreds of diamonds illicitly. Another document found, and cited by the U.N. experts, was purportedly a fax from Desaedeleer to Sankoh, which mentioned a meeting with his wife, Fatou, in the U.S.

"I finally explained to Fatou that everything was possible, moneywise, if I could finally meet my partners with some decent inventory," the fax read.

In an interview with Newsweek in July 2000, Desaedeleer maintained that the contract he signed with Sankoh was legitimate -- because at the time it had been signed Sankoh was a member of the government.

The sums involved in the blood diamonds trade were huge. The U.N. experts estimated that the RUF was responsible for illegally exporting diamonds amounting to a total value of between $25 and $125 million each year. Much of that money was used to buy weapons on the black market -- weapons that were flown from Ukraine and elsewhere into the neighboring countries of Liberia and Burkina Faso in violation of international law.

It will now be up to Belgian prosecutors to show -- if the case comes to trial -- that the eyewitness testimony from survivors of enslavement in Kono is credible by itself or can be corroborated by other evidence showing Desaedeleer's complicity in the trade of illicit diamonds. The full indictment itself has not yet been released.

Madeleine Albright: Iran deal is a win-win

I teach my students that foreign policy is persuading other countries to do what you want. The tools available to accomplish this include everything from kind words to cruise missiles. Mixing them properly and with sufficient patience is the art of diplomacy, a task that for the United States has proved challenging even with our closest allies, and altogether necessary with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The United States and Iran have been locked in an adversarial relationship since the 1979 hostage crisis. Having worked for President Jimmy Carter, I viewed the country through the prism of that experience when I served in the Clinton administration. Nevertheless, as secretary of state I felt it important to explore the possibility of developing a less chilly relationship with Iran.

During my time in office, we offered to engage in dialogue, but the Iranians were not ready. In the end, although we improved the relationship on the margins, we failed to make much of a dent in the thick wall of mistrust separating our two countries.

These experiences lead me to be wary of the Iranian regime and realistic about the prospects for an overnight change in U.S.-Iranian relations. But it is dangerous not to pursue dialogue, and experience convinces me that the nuclear agreement between world powers and Iran is a wise diplomatic initiative.

After careful review of its provisions, I have given the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action my strong endorsement.

The prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran has rightfully earned a place at the top of the long list of threats to global stability. No diplomatic agreement or military action could guarantee that Iran will never obtain a nuclear weapon, but even most opponents agree this accord puts that goal firmly out of Iran's reach for a decade or more. From any vantage point, that is a positive development, but at a time of great turmoil in the Middle East it is especially welcome.

One of the main criticisms that has been leveled against the JCPOA is that it does not address other abhorrent aspects of Iran's behavior -- its support of terrorism, its jailing of several Iranian-Americans, its rhetoric against the United States and Israel or its other destabilizing activities in the broader Middle East. In theory, the United States could have pursued a comprehensive agreement with Iran covering issues beyond the nuclear file, but experience suggests that such an approach would not have yielded results.

By zeroing in on the nuclear issue, the Obama administration took on the most dangerous threat posed by the Iranian regime and brought together the international community around the issue that most united it in opposition to Tehran.

The completion of the nuclear accord does not preclude progress on these other issues. In fact, it gives the United States new tools to shape Iranian behavior. Going forward, the United States should do so by focusing on three key areas:

First, we must subject the implementation of the JCPOA to the strongest oversight possible. Iran has agreed to intrusive, 24/7 measures to monitor and verify its compliance. We should press relentlessly to ensure every one of them is enforced, make clear that we will be closely scrutinizing Iran's actions and signal our commitment to following through on implementation. For that reason, I welcome reports that the Obama administration will name a respected senior diplomat to coordinate implementation of the agreement. Congress can also play a positive role and needs to be a partner in monitoring the agreement.

Second, we must maintain a robust deterrent in the region, increase our efforts to counter Iranian proxies and further enhance the conventional military capabilities of our allies and partners relative to Iran.

Before the agreement was finalized, the President jump-started this process by convening an historic meeting with Arab leaders at Camp David and since then dispatched Secretary of Defense Ash Carter to Israel and Saudi Arabia to follow up.

Next month, King Salman of Saudi Arabia will come to Washington to continue these discussions. With both Israel and our Gulf partners, we should establish a revamped regional system of security backed by an enduring commitment to their capabilities and strong U.S. guarantees.

Despite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's public opposition to the agreement, it is all but certain that Israel and the United States will move toward completing a new long-term security assistance agreement that will further enhance Israel's already substantial qualitative military edge. And next year, the United States will significantly augment Israel's capabilities by delivering to it the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, making it the only military in the region to possess this advanced stealth fighter aircraft.

These steps will increase pressure on Iran and can outweigh any gains its military and intelligence institutions receive as a result of the easing of some international sanctions. But our policy must go beyond isolation and containment. We must use all the foreign policy tools at our disposal.

To that end, the third leg of our approach should involve carefully calibrated engagement with Iran.

It is not insignificant that senior American and Iranian officials have now had regular opportunities to interact and establish relationships. We should build on that, because Iran is not monolithic. It is a country where theocrats and reformers are present at the same time, where there are ideologues exporting hate and a sizable commercial class that wants to engage productively with the world.

It is in America's interest to cultivate good will with those Iranians who are dissatisfied with the international isolation Iran's external policies and unelected leaders have brought it. By showing Iran that international cooperation can bring tangible benefits, the agreement provides them with reason to push for further change.

Many people I respect have voiced concerns about this agreement, but I believe the administration has provided solid answers to their questions. It troubles me that many opponents came out against the JCPOA before even reading the text.

The advocates for a vote of disapproval in Congress have also not put forward a viable alternative or any plan to deal with the consequences of rejection. And make no mistake, those consequences would be grave.

Rejection of this accord would leave the United States isolated and Iranian hardliners empowered. It would be practically impossible to reassemble the coalition that united against Iran's nuclear activities and imposed the robust sanctions regime that brought Iran to the table. Many of our tools of influence in the region would be rendered useless, and it would hurt our ability to lead on a range of pressing global issues.

Rejection of this agreement would be a strategic setback for the United States, one that our rivals and adversaries would not ignore.

In a turbulent Middle East, there is no way to predict what the next decade will bring. But the United States will be in a far better position to shape events in the region with this nuclear agreement in place than without it. This accord is a bold stroke of diplomacy, and an opportunity we must not waste.

ISIS damages Bel, Syria's 'most important temple,' rights group says

The iconic columns of a temple with historic significance in Palmyra, Syria, are still standing despite an explosion there Sunday, the antiquities chief in Syria, Maamoun Abdulkarim, said Monday.

He said there was an explosion Sunday inside the walls of the Temple of Bel, and while the extent of the damage is not yet known, witnesses report the walls are still standing. He called the site "the most important temple in Syria and one of the most important in the whole Middle East."

For nearly 2,000 years, the Temple of Bel has been the center of religious life in Palmyra. But now, at least part of the temple has been destroyed by ISIS, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on a network of activists in Syria for information.

ISIS has become known not only for its brutal executions, but for its hatred of antiquities -- and its wanton destruction of them.

Recently, it executed Khaled al-As'ad, an 82-year-old man who had spent his life on the painstaking task of preserving antiquities in Palmyra, because he refused to reveal where various irreplaceable relics had been hidden.

And now, apparently, ISIS has damaged the Temple of Bel.

Abdulkarim had told CNN on Monday that officials were working to confirm the reports with sources in the city.

'Meeting point' between classical, Eastern architecture

"We are waiting for details on the truth of what occurred, the exact location inside the temple, and the size of the destruction," Abdulkarim said.

The first-century temple, which is dedicated to the ancient "god of gods," is one of the largest and best-preserved in the region and represents a meeting point between classical and Eastern architecture, Abdulkarim said.

ISIS, perhaps the most brutal terrorist group to emerge in modern times, has shown a taste for demolishing irreplaceable ancient sites and antiquities. It considers "pre-Islamic religious objects or structures sacrilegious," wrote Sturt Manning, chairman of Cornell University's Department of Classics, in an opinion piece for CNN.com.

"It seeks to destroy diversity and enforce narrow uniformity. Evidence of a tolerant, diverse past is anathema," he said. "What it fears is memory and knowledge, which it cannot destroy."

Last week, ISIS published photos of its destruction of the temple of Baal Shamin, the first major structure in the ancient city of Palmyra to be destroyed.

Hungary arrests fifth suspect in death of 71 migrants in truck

Hungarian police said Sunday they have made a fifth arrest over the deaths of 71 migrants found in an abandoned truck in Austria last week

The latest suspect, a Bulgarian national, was taken into custody late Saturday evening in Budapest, according to a police statement.

Three Bulgarian citizens and an Afghan citizen had already been arrested in connection with the truck full of people, who were likely fleeing war-ravaged Syria. Austrian authorities suspect a Bulgarian-Hungarian smuggling ring.

Sixty of the 71 victims were men. Eight women died, as did three children, ages 2, 3 and 8.

'Scandalous'

Hungary is under increasing pressure from Western European countries to change its approach to the migrant crisis.

France's Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Sunday he is shocked by the escalating migration crisis and accused eastern European countries like Hungary of not respecting European values.

"Each country needs to find a solution. France and Germany are part of these countries. When I see some European countries that don't accept quotas of migrants I find it scandalous. Especially East European countries," he said on a popular Sunday morning program on Europe 1 in France.

Hungary has been erecting a barbed wire fence along its more than 100-mile border with Serbia, which Fabius said should be taken down.

"Hungary is very severe. Hungary is part of Europe. Europe has some values and it doesn't respect these values. Like this razor wire barrier they built."

EU dilemma

The European Union has been trying to find ways to ease the migrant pressure on Italy and Greece, where most migrants enter Europe, but many EU member countries, including Hungary, have been reluctant to accept a voluntary quota.

The foreign ministers of Germany, France and Britain issued a statement Friday asking a special EU council to meet in the next two weeks to work on measures to better organize the influx of migrants.

They're asking for the implementation of "hot spots" in Greece and Italy by the end of this year. These hot spots would register the number of migrants and identify those who need protection, according to the statement.

More migrants die crossing Mediterranean

A boat carrying migrants sank off the coast of Libya on Saturday, killing at least seven, according to the Red Crescent in Tripoli.

The coast guard is recovering the bodies, according to spokesman Mohamad al-Misrati.

"We are now receiving unconfirmed reports that there are more dead people who were on that boat," said al-Misrati. "It could be that up to 30 people died but we are still checking."

Officials said that they believe the boat that sank was on its way to the Italian coast.

Pope prays for migrants

Pope Francis appealed for prayers for migrants during an address in St. Peter's Square on Sunday.

He called on people to work together to prevent tragedies like the death of the 71 migrants in the truck on the Vienna-Budapest highway, which he said "offends the entire human family."

"For all these brothers and sisters, I pray and ask you to pray," he said.

Jeb Bush jabs Donald Trump as 'not realistic' on immigration

On Sunday, Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush once again went after Donald Trump head on, taking aim at the front-runner's policy proposals for dealing with immigration.

"He wants everyone deported, which would tear family lives asunder," Bush told New York radio talk show host John Catsimatidis, later calling Trump's plans "unconstitutional."

"It's not conservative and it's not realistic and it does not embrace American values," Bush added.

Similarly, on Trump's signature idea of building a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border, Bush charged that the proposal is likely impossible.

"What Donald Trump is proposing is a wall that can't be built, and if it was, it would cost hundreds of billions of dollars."

Bush added that "right now the number of Mexicans crossing the border is basically flat," suggesting that Trump misunderstood the immigration issue. Bush charged that "the immigrants that are crossing legally or illegally in both cases are from Central America now."

Last week, Bush went to McAllen, Texas, where he also criticized Trump and his views for dealing with the immigration problem.

Still, Bush lobbed the billionaire who has roundly criticized him since getting in the race some praise.

Acknowledging his appeal and their different style, Bush admitted, "He has captured a sizable amount of support based on connecting with people's anxiety about what the future looks like."

Making sure to finish with a jab, Jeb qualified his compliment, "He is not offering any compelling proposals, though."

Footage shows Israeli soldier aggressively handling boy

Images of an armed Israeli soldier trying to arrest an 11-year-old Palestinian boy with a broken arm in the West Bank went viral on social media over the weekend.

The images show the soldier putting a headlock on the child while women pull on the soldier's back, trying to free the boy.

The altercation took place during a weekly protest Friday organized by Palestinian activists against settlement construction in the village of Nabi Saleh in the West Bank.

The footage was shot by the boy's father, Bassem Tamimi, he told CNN.

The family routinely films its demonstrations, he said, and posts them on a site called Nabi Saleh Solidarity.

"This is very difficult for any father or mother to see their son or daughter in that way, being violently attacked," said Tamimi.

In the video, Bassem Tamimi's daughter, A'hed, is seen biting the soldier's right hand in an apparent attempt to free her brother.

A'hed has appeared in previous videos the family has shot and posted online. Two years ago a video was posted that showed her shaking her fist at an Israeli soldier. The soldier reacted by walking away.

Tamimi said he documents all of the protests to keep a record of the conflict there and collect what he says is evidence of Israeli abuses.

Israeli army: Actions were justified

The Israeli army defended its actions, saying that people in the crowd had thrown rocks at the soldiers.

"The forces decided to detain one of the Palestinians identified hurling rocks," an Israeli army spokeswoman told CNN.

The army said the commander at the scene halted the arrest to avoid an escalation of the situation.

Tamimi told CNN that his wife and daughter were trying to free his son and clashed with the soldier, as the video appeared to show.

Some residents of Nabi Saleh have been staging protests for years against Israel's settlement policy.

Sometimes the protests turn violent, with Palestinian youths throwing stones and Israeli soldiers firing tear gas and rubber bullets.

Marco Rubio on world leaders: Vladimir Putin a 'gangster,' Kim Jong Un a 'lunatic'

When it comes to his assessment of world leaders, Sen. Marco Rubio isn't pulling any punches: Russia's run by a "gangster" and North Korea a "lunatic."

The 2016 Republican presidential candidate made a foreign policy speech Friday morning in South Carolina, in which he riffed on his unvarnished opinions on various enemies of the United States.

His harshest words were reserved for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"Russia is governed today by a gangster," Rubio said. "He's basically an organized crime figure who controls a government and a large territory. ... This is a person who kills people because they're his political enemies. If you're a political adversary of Vladimir Putin, you wind up with plutonium in your drink or shot in the street."

He also called Russia one of the top five threats to the United States, saying "we have a gangster running the largest nuclear stockpile in the world."

The others were North Korea, China, Iran and "jihadists" around the world.

What about North Korean leader Kim Jong Un?

"In North Korea, a lunatic possesses dozens of nuclear weapons, and a long-range missile that can hit the United States," Rubio said.

And Rubio had harsh words for Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, especially on the heels of President Barack Obama's nuclear deal with the country, currently being weighed by Congress.

"Iran: A radical, Shi'ite cleric is going to develop a nuclear weapon, and he will also have a long-range missile that can hit the United States," Rubio said.

As for other adversaries, Rubio noted that Argentina is increasingly moving toward other South and Latin American countries that have become anti-American, including Nicaragua, Cuba and Venezuela.

"Argentina seems to be wanting to join them, at least as long as this lady is running the country."

Cristina Fernández de Kirchner is the president of Argentina.

Rubio said the common thread among the greatest threats to the U.S. is they are all totalitarian regimes, which is why the U.S. should do more to spread democracy.

'Downton Abbey': A look at final season

Consider this a tease, America.

The final season of "Downton Abbey" starts in the United Kingdom on September 20 and thanks to the wonders of the World Wide Web, fans all over the world get to check out the trailer.

The trailer is downright emotional, with the sad music and Robert Crawley (played by actor Hugh Bonneville) telling Mr. Carson (Jim Carter), "If I could stop history in its tracks, maybe I would. But I can't, Carson, for neither you nor I can hold back time."

The period drama, which premiered in 2010, follows the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants on the Downton Abbey estate. The show's first season depicted life in pre-World War I England, while the fifth season spanned the late '20s. The action in the new season will take place six months after the last one ended.

Producers had earlier announced that this sixth season would be a final one for the wildly popular series.

"Downton Abbey" airs on PBS in the United States and the new season is scheduled to start on January 3, 2016.

2015 World Athletics Championships: Diminutive Mare Dibaba stands tall in marathon

Track and field world champions come in all shapes and sizes from the towering height of Usain Bolt to the diminutive 4 foot 11 inch (1.51m) Mare Dibaba, who took gold for Ethiopia in the women's marathon Sunday

Dibaba thrillingly outsprinted two other athletes to take top spot on the podium, the first of two victories for the East African country on the final day of competition in Beijing.

For all its long distance running pedigree, it was the first time Ethiopia had won global gold in a marathon and Dibaba did it with a sprint worthy of the six foot five (1.95m) Bolt, who had streaked along the same stretch of track Saturday to win his third gold of the championships as Jamaica took the sprint relay.

Dibaba, who had set the fastest time in the world earlier this year, beat Kenya's Helah Kiprop by a second, while Kenyan-born Bahraini Eunice Kirwa claimed bronze.

IAAF 

All three had entered the Bird's Nest Stadium in contention, with Kenya's Jemima Sumpgong in close pursuit, but it was Dibaba who had the fastest finishing kick.

"I was confident because my last lap is fast," said Dibaba.

Defending champion Edna Kiplagat could only finish fifth, but Kenya did add to its gold medal tally later when Asbel Kiprop defended his men's 1500m title.

It left them on seven golds, the same mark as Jamaica, which continued its dominance of the relay events by stunning the United States team in the women's 4x400m relay.

Jamaica's Novlene Williams-Mills overtook Francena McCorory in the final 10m of the last leg after individual 400m champion Allyson Felix had run a stunning third leg to give the U.S. the advantage ahead of the final change.

Kenya, by virtue of a greater tally of medals, topped the final medals table from Jamaica, with the U.S. in third.

There was some consolation for the U.S. as LeShawn Merritt anchored them to the men's 4x400 title ahead of Trinidad and Tobago.

The women's 5,000m also produced a shock as Ethiopia's Genzebe Dibaba, a warm favorite to add to her 1500m title, was left trailing by compatriot, Almaz Ayana.

Dibaba, no relation to marathon winner Mare, had to settle for bronze as another Ethiopian, Senbere Teferi, edged ahead of her in the closing straight.

Derek Drouin of Canada dashed the hopes of defending champion Bohdan Bondarenko to win the men's high jump gold, while Katharina Molitor of Germany took the women's javelin with her final throw of 67.69m, the best in the world this year.

Pakistan: Militants storm airport, kill engineer and kidnap another

Six armed militants stormed Pakistan's Jiwani Airport on Sunday, killing an engineer, a local official said.

The assailants who escaped unharmed also kidnapped another engineer, said Bashir Ahmed, a senior district-level official in Balochistan province.

The attack happened in Pakistan's southwestern port city of Gwadar, an area in which Baloch insurgents have been operating.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The attack comes a week after Baloch separatist leader Brahumdagh Bugti said he's ready to consider talks with Pakistan.

Jordan Spieth misses cut and will lose World No 1. spot

Jordan Spieth was on top of the world on Thursday morning but by Friday evening he'd come crashing back down to earth.

The 22-year-old Texan has won two majors in 2015 and was crowned World No.1 after a second place finish at the PGA Championship earlier this month.

But Spieth will lose the top spot he secured just two weeks ago after failing to make the cut at The Barclays event in New Jersey.

The reigning Masters and U.S. Open champion added a three-over-par 73 Friday to the four-over-par 74 he carded on Thursday to miss the cut by five strokes.

"I'm definitely searching for answers," Spieth said in comments carried by the PGA website when asked to explain his dramatic drop-off in form.

"I don't know exactly what I'm going to do from here as far as how I get prepared for next week (when the tour progresses to the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston) but I have some time to figure it out."

Spieth's troubles mean Rory McIlroy will return to the summit of the world rankings when they are published next week without lifting a club this weekend.

The Northern Irishman is currently taking time out to recover from ankle surgery after damaging ligaments playing football with friends.

McIlroy's time-off will ensure Spieth can return to World No 1. next weekend should his form improve sufficiently at TPC Boston.

"I've reached that peak already and I know it's going to be close enough to where if I just get the job done next week, I'll be back in that ranking," Spieth continued.

"But again, that ranking, it's great once you reach it but it's not something that I'm going to live or die on each week. It doesn't really make much of a difference.

"If you go on a three- or four-year cycle, Rory is No. 1 in the world. If you go just base off of this year, I am."

As Spieth heads home, Bubba Watson will be looking to extend his lead at the New Jersey course.

The 2012 and 2014 Masters champion leads the field at seven-under-par going into day three.

Open champion Zach Johnson, Henrik Stenson, Jason Dufner and Tony Finau all lie just one shot back on six-under-par.

Donald Trump defiant after calling Anthony Weiner a 'perv'

Donald Trump on Saturday stood by his charge that disgraced former Rep. Anthony Weiner is a "perv," adding that he "obviously is psychologically disturbed" and alleging that his wife, Huma Abedin, a top adviser to Hillary Clinton, is passing sensitive information to him.

"I think it's a very fair statement that I made and a lot of people have congratulated me," Trump said after an event in Nashville, Tennessee. "(Abedin) is receiving this very, very important information and giving it to Hillary. Well, who else is she giving it to? Her husband has serious problems, and on top of that, he now works for a public relations firm. So how can she be married to this guy who's got these major problems?"

Trump added: "Who knows what he's gonna do with it. Forget about her. What she did is a very, very dangerous thing for this country and probably it's a criminal act."

Speaking at an event in Massachusetts Friday night, the real estate mogul first accused Abedin of "getting classified secrets" due to her proximity to Clinton, who used a private server as secretary of state for official business.

"Think of it, Huma is getting classified secrets, she's married to Anthony Weiner, who's a perv. He is," Trump told supporters. "It all sort of came through Huma -- who is Huma married to, one of the great sleazebags of our time."

Weiner, a former New York City congressman and later a mayoral candidate, has admitted to repeatedly engaging in sexting with young women.

But Trump wasn't done Saturday, saying Weiner "obviously is psychologically disturbed" and that it was "dangerous" for Abedin to receive sensitive information from Clinton.

Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill defended Abedin from Trump's comments in a tweet Friday night, blasting the suggestion that she shared classified information with Weiner.

"There is no place for patently false, personal attacks against a staff member," Merrill said. "He should be ashamed of himself."

Abedin's lawyers on Saturday referred a request for comment to Merrill's statement. A message left with Abedin herself was not immediately returned.

Trump was asked Saturday whether his staffers were fair game for attacks.

"Oh sure they are," Trump said.

Police put kibosh on Seinfeld lemonade stand; oh, but there's cookies

Oh. Kids selling lemonade illeeegal. Okaaaay, officer. No permit. Riiight. The perrrrrmit. How could we forget the permit??

A neighbor called the cops on Jerry Seinfeld, his son and some young pals for selling lemonade without a permit by the roadside in the Hamptons, CNN affiliate News 12 Long Island reported. Seems a neighbor didn't like that.

The officer made them shut down the stand.

Whaddaya do now? Make an irreverent joke out of it, if you're Seinfeld -- what else?

With the officer in still the background, the master of wry observation comedy posed with his son Julian and two of his friends with their hands behind their heads for a photo. Seinfeld's wife, Jessica Seinfeld, posted it to her verified Facebook account.

"Lemonade dreams crushed by local neighbor but not before raising lots of money for @loverecycled," she wrote. "Thanks to all of our customers and big tippers! thanks Xander and Jaden for crushing it today with Julian and Jerry."

@LoveRecycled is the Twitter handle of Jessica Seinfeld's charity Baby Buggy, which provides families in need with clothing and other essentials.

That's what the lemonade money was for. And there is plenty of that in East Hampton Village -- money, that is. It's a country living bedroom community for New York City stars and Wall Street billionaires. A wreck of a house there can reportedly go for about $5 million.

Well. Neighbors don't like lemonade stands? OK. Bake sale.

A bakery in Southhampton donated cookies, and the Seinfelds were back in business, this time peddling cookies for the charity.

"Out of the slammer in time to enjoy some cookies sent by our friends at @Tate's," Jessica Seinfeld wrote, as she plugged the bakery in a new Facebook post with a photo of her comedian husband posing with kids and cookies.

But calling the police on the drink stand may not yet be forgiven. She included a quip about it.

"'Love Thy Neighbor Lemonade' anyone?"

Egyptian court sentences 3 Al Jazeera journalists to prison

An Egyptian court on Saturday sentenced three Al Jazeera journalists to three years in prison after a lengthy retrial.

Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed were present for the proceedings, with the latter given an additional six months in prison and a fine of 5,000 Egyptian pounds ($640.)

Australian Al Jazeera journalist Peter Greste, who was deported from Egypt in February 2015, was sentenced in absentia.

The journalists were charged with aiding a terrorist organization, a reference to the Muslim Brotherhood, which was outlawed in Egypt after the army overthrew President Mohamed Morsy amid mass protests against his rule in 2013.

The judge didn't mention terrorism on Saturday. The court confirmed over 13 sessions that the defendants are not journalists and worked without a broadcast license, Judge Hassan Farid said. "They broadcast video footage that contained false news and aired it after editing it on Al Jazeera with the aim of harming the country," he said.

The defendants have said they were just doing their jobs, covering all sides of the stories in Egypt.

Al Jazeera Media Network's acting director general Mostefa Souag condemned the verdict, saying it "defies logic and common sense" and follows a heavily politicized and unfair trial process.

The court's ruling means Fahmy and Mohamed must return to prison, he said.

"Today's verdict is yet another deliberate attack on press freedom. It is a dark day for the Egyptian judiciary; rather than defend liberties and a free and fair media they have compromised their independence for political reasons."

All three were convicted last year on charges that included conspiring with the Brotherhood, spreading false news and endangering national security, but they have maintained their innocence.

The three appealed their convictions, and in January their attorneys announced that Egypt's highest court had granted them a retrial and they were released on bail.

The reasoning for the court's verdict has not yet been released.

Announcing the decision, the judge listed several charges he said had been confirmed -- including that the three were not registered journalists, possessed unlicensed broadcast equipment and broadcast footage containing "false news."

Greste: No evidence to support charges

Greste voiced his anger over the verdict via Twitter and in an interview with CNN from Sydney.

Peter Greste

"I'm absolutely devastated by this verdict," he said. "There is no basis whatsoever in evidence to confirm any of the charges."

Every independent observer who followed the trial, including diplomats, legal experts, lawyers and journalists, "has confirmed that there was never any evidence presented in court whatsoever to substantiate the allegations," Greste said.

"And so far as I'm concerned, the only conclusion we can come to is that this verdict was politically motivated."

If Egypt issues an international arrest warrant, Greste said, he won't be able to travel to any country that has an extradition treaty with Egypt.

This will devastate his career as a foreign correspondent, he said, "but that really is a minor inconvenience compared with what my colleagues are having to go through."

Mohamed has three young children, one of them only a year old, as well as a wife, said Greste, while Fahmy also has a new wife he will leave behind.

Both Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed will be able to appeal the verdicts in a higher court, but Greste will not because he was not physically present in court.

However, the Australian said he would be using every means at his disposal -- political, legal and diplomatic -- to try to clear his name and right this injustice, backed by Australia's Foreign Ministry.

In a statement on her official website, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said she was "dismayed" by the court's decision and said she would "continue to pursue all diplomatic avenues with my Egyptian counterpart to clear (Greste's) name."

Clooney: 'Really disappointed'

Greste also said he would seek to ensure Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi lives up to past promises that he would pardon the Al Jazeera journalists when the opportunity arose.

At the time the journalists made contact with the Muslim Brotherhood, it was not a banned organization, Greste added. The three were simply carrying out responsible journalism as they sought to make sense of a time of great political turmoil for the Al Jazeera English channel, he said.

Fahmy's wife, Marwa Omara, broke down in tears as the sentence was announced.

"The verdict was extremely unjust and was extremely unfair," she said.

His lawyer Amal Clooney, wife of Hollywood star George Clooney, said the verdict was an outrage.

"We are really disappointed," she said.

"Everyone who has looked at this case, every independent third party has said there is no evidence whatsoever of any criminal wrongdoing. The U.N. has said it, the EU has said it, the U.S., the UK [and] other governments."

Rights group: 'Farcical verdict'

Amnesty International also condemned the court's ruling, saying the charges against the journalists were baseless and politicized.

"This is a farcical verdict which strikes at the heart of freedom of expression in Egypt," said Philip Luther, the rights group's director for the Middle East and North Africa.

"Today's verdict must be overturned immediately -- Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed should be allowed to walk free without conditions. We consider them to be prisoners of conscience, jailed solely for exercising their right to freedom of expression."

Amnesty International also urged the Egyptian authorities to facilitate Fahmy's request for deportation from Egypt to Canada.

Fahmy gave up his Egyptian citizenship in hopes of benefiting from a new law allowing for the deportation of foreign defendants but, unlike in the case of Greste, no presidential decree has been issued for him.