COLU @ CONCEPTS

Image copyright REUTERS Image caption Mr Napout was president of the Paraguayan federation until 2014 The trial has begun in New York of three former South American football officials accused of corruption as part of a major US inquiry. The men - Jose Maria Marin, Juan Ángel Napout and Manuel Burga - have been charged with racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering. They have pleaded not guilty. The former officials have been accused of taking millions of dollars in bribes in exchange for granting contracts for top South American tournaments. US Assistant Attorney Keith Edelman told jurors the evidence will show abuse over 20 years, as the men took money meant to promote the sport. Prosecutors say the they received bribes from marketing companies to grant them rights over the region's most prestigious competitions, including the Copa America. 'Falsely accused' Mr Napout, from Paraguay, was the president of South America's football governing body Conme...

Image copyright AFP Image caption Atareb is home to thousands of Syrians displaced by their country's civil war At least 53 people are reported to have been killed in air strikes on a rebel-held town in northern Syria. A market was hit, with video on social media showing widespread destruction. Rubble covers the streets and panicked civilians are seen carrying away the injured. Eyewitnesses say there were three separate strikes. It is not clear whether the strike was carried out by Syrian government warplanes or those of its ally Russia. The town is located in an area of Aleppo province that is part of a "de-escalation zone" established earlier this year by Russia and Iran - which support the Syrian government - and Turkey, which backs the rebels. The zones are credited for creating a drop in violence, but intermittent clashes have continued while humanitarian access is minimal. The area is largely held by opposition forces and a jihadist group formerly af...

Image copyright AFP Image caption Zimbabwe Army General Constantino Chiwenga spoke in Harare Zimbabwe's army chief has warned those responsible for "purging" the country's ruling Zanu-PF party to stop, or the military will step in. The rare intervention comes just a week after President Robert Mugabe sacked his deputy Emmerson Mnangagwa. General Constantino Chiwenga, who appeared at a news conference with another 90 senior army officers, did not refer to anyone by name. Mr Mnangagwa, once seen as a successor to Mr Mugabe, has fled into exile. Africa Live: More on this and other stories Mugabe's wife urges him to name heir 'Grace Mugabe underwear' reporter held Mr Mugabe's wife Grace, who is now the favourite to succeed her husband, referred to Mr Mnangagwa as a snake which "must be hit on the head". Mr Mnangagwa, nicknamed the "crocodile" because of his perceived shrewdness, has rebuked Mr Mugabe, saying Zanu-PF is ...

Image copyright NINE NETWORK Image caption Charlie Fry said he was "blindsided" by the shark A UK doctor says he escaped a shark by punching it in the face after the animal injured him in Australia. Charlie Fry, 25, was at a beach north of Sydney on Monday when the shark "jumped out of the water and hit him in the right shoulder", police said. Dr Fry said he punched the shark while in the water before climbing back on his board and surfing to shore. He said he had been inspired by  surfer Mick Fanning, who famously fended off a shark  during a competition in 2015. The shark left scratches and a small puncture wound on Dr Fry's arm. Police said the animal was about 2m (6.5ft) long. "I saw this shark come out of the water and breach its head and I punched it in the face with my left hand,"  Dr Fry told local Nine Network's Today programme  on Tuesday. "When it happened, I was like, 'just do what Mick did, just punch it in the...

Media caption Who is burning down Rohingya villages? The 300,000 people who have fled Rakhine state to Bangladesh over the past two weeks all come from the northern districts of Maungdaw, Buthidaung and Rathedaung, the last areas of Myanmar with sizeable Rohingya populations not confined to displacement camps. These districts are hard to reach. Roads are poor, and the government requires permits to go there, which journalists rarely get. So we grabbed the opportunity to join a government-organised visit to Maungdaw, for 18 local and foreign journalists. It would mean seeing only places and people they wanted us to see. But sometimes, even under these restrictions, you can glean valuable insights. Besides, the government has arguments that need to be heard. It is now facing an armed insurgency, albeit one some would argue has been self-inflicted. The communal conflict in Rakhine state has a long history, and would be difficult for any government to deal w...