A fire destroyed a building and  injured 16 people in the Bronx today, just days after the  worst fire in New York City in 25 years killed 12 people.
"Our units arrived and were immediately faced with heavy  fire. Numerous people were brought out of the building by the  firefighters on scene. We have 16 people; seven adults and  nine children, all with non life-threatening injuries," said  New York City fire chief Daniel Nigro.
"They've all been transported, and they will all be ok,  thankfully," he said.
Barely four minutes after the emergency call, around 200  firefighters arrived in three dozen vehicles at 5:30 AM at a  three-floor, red-brick building close to the Bronx Zoo.
Five hours later, the fire crews were still fighting to  control the blaze on the Bronx's Commonwealth Avenue. Local  media said the fire broke out in a furniture factory on the  ground floor of the building.
One resident told NBC news he fled the building, barefoot  and barechested, with his three children ...

New Bronx fire injures 16, including nine children

PTI Automatic

France plans to install landline  phones in prison cells across the country in an ambitious bid  to improve rehabilitation rates - and cut down on rampant  cellphone trafficking behind bars.
The justice ministry said today that it had called for  bids to operate the new service after "successful tests of  this experiment" at one prison since 2016.
But the new freedom to call up to four pre-approved  numbers at any time of the day won't come cheap, with one  prisoner advocacy group warning that calls could cost up to 80  euro cents (USD 0.97) a minute.
Like other countries, France has struggled against the  smuggling of cellphones into prisons, with more than 19,000  handsets and accessories seized in the first half of 2017, for  an overall prisoner population of about 70,000.
"There have always been call boxes in prisons, but the  inmates need to be accompanied by personnel, which requires  time and availability. It gets complicated," the justice  ministry said.
"Sometimes, an inmate .

France to put phones in prison cells in bold shift

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani  phoned his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron today to demand  action against a "terrorist" Iranian opposition group he  accused of fomenting recent protests.
"We criticise the fact that a terrorist group has a base  in France and acts against the Iranian people... and we await  action from the French government against this terrorist  group," Rouhani told Macron, according to a report on Iranian  state television.
He was referring to an exiled Iranian opposition group  based in Paris and called the Mujahideen e-Khalk.

Rouhani calls on Macron to act over anti-Iran 'terrorists' in

China will invest USD 1 billion in  the construction of three 60-storey buildings at a mega-  project near Sri Lanka's main port, Colombo said today, as  Beijing aims to boost its influence in the Indian Ocean.
The deal follows an earlier Chinese investment of USD 1.4  billion to carry out reclamation work for the wider Colombo  International Financial City development, strategically  located next to Sri Lanka's harbour, the only deep sea  container port in the region.
The countries hope the project, initiated by former Sri  Lankan president Mahinda Rajapakse, will create a financial  centre in the Indian Ocean comparable with those in Singapore  and Europe, drawing billions in foreign investment and  thousands of jobs.
Sri Lankan officials said 60 per cent of the 269 hectare  reclamation, due to finish next year complete with yacht  marina, had already been completed.
No completion date was given for the buildings, the first  for the development.
"China Harbour (company) will put in .

China boosts investment in Sri Lankan mega-project

Roger Federer took another impressive  step towards his Australian Open title defence today with a  straight-sets win over Russian Karen Khachanov at the mixed  teams Hopman Cup, as many of his main rivals faltered due to  injury.
Around the time Federer was warming up for his match with  the 45th-ranked Russian, Andy Murray announced he was pulling  out of the Brisbane International, while Novak Djokovic a few  days earlier withdrew from his season opener in Abu Dhabi.
Rafael Nadal, Stan Wawrinka, Milos Raonic and Kei  Nishikori are also under injury clouds, while world number  eight Jack Sock succumbed to a hip problem earlier in the day  in Perth, forcing him to retire from his singles match.
But there were no such dramas for the elder statesman  Federer, who 12 months ago stunned the tennis world by ending  an almost four-year Grand Slam drought with a victory at the  Australian Open, after also preparing at the Hopman Cup.
The 36-year-old was too good for Khachanov, making it two 

Federer cruises towards Australian Open with another win

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has  been charged by the Football Association (FA) over his conduct  following the 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion on Sunday  English football's governing body announced today.
The 68-year-old Frenchman reacted furiously to referee  Mike Dean's decision to award a penalty to West Brom in the  89th minute for handball by Calum Chambers.
The FA said the charge against Wenger was for his conduct  in the match officials' dressing room after the final whistle  -- he has till 1800GMT on Friday to respond to the charge.
Wenger did not sound repentant earlier on Tuesday at his  press conference on the eve of their game with Chelsea.
"It was very disappointing," Wenger said.
"What is more frustrating for me is it happened many  times this season -- at Stoke, Watford, Man City, now West  Brom.
"It is a concerning coincidence for me.
"That is why as well I was not at all happy with the  movement the referee made as to why he gave the penalty. It  did not ...

Wenger charged by FA over West Brom outburst

Iran's foreign ministry responded to  US President Donald Trump's latest Twitter attack, saying he  should focus on "homeless and hungry people" in his own  country rather than insulting Iranians.
"Instead of wasting his time sending useless and  insulting tweets regarding other countries, he would be better  off seeing to the domestic issues of his own country such as  daily killings of dozens of people... and the existence of  millions of homeless and hungry people," said ministry  spokesman Bahram Ghasemi.

Iran says Trump should focus on 'hungry' people in US

Last year was the safest year for  civil aviation since plane crash statistics were first  compiled in 1946, two industry studies have found.
A total of 10 crashes of civil passenger and cargo planes  claimed 44 lives, said the Aviation Safety Network in a  statement published yesterday.
"The year 2017 turned out to be the safest year ever for  commercial aviation," ASN said.
Five of the fatal accidents involved cargo flights and  five passenger flights, it said.
The previous year, ASN recorded 16 accidents and 303  lives lost.
No major airline crashed a plane, the To70 agency said in  its annual report, also published yesterday.
"The past year has been another exceptionally good year  for civil aviation safety," To70 said.
"2017 was much better than could reasonably (and  statistically) be expected, and was again better than last  year's remarkable performance," said To70 researcher Adrian  Young.
The chances of dying in a plane crash are now one in 16  million, Young said, making ...

2017 safest year for post-war civil aviation: industry

Iran today reopened the  last two border posts with Iraqi Kurdistan that it closed in  response to an independence vote rejected by Baghdad and  neighbouring countries, officials said.
The Iranian consulate in the Kurdish autonomous region's  capital Arbil announced the Parwezkhan and Haji Omran posts  were beginning work again "from Tuesday".
A Kurdish spokesman at Parwezkhan confirmed the post had  "reopened officially at 0900 (local time)" after notification  was received from the Iranian side.
The opening of the two posts means that all crossings on  the border between Iran and Iraqi Kurdistan are now up and  running after a third post at Bashmaq started working again in  October.
Iran first announced on December 18 the reopening of all  its border posts with Iraqi Kurdistan, without setting a  specific date.
Iraq's Kurds voted overwhelmingly in a controversial  non-binding referendum in September to establish their own  country, but the vote was deemed illegal by the central  ...

Iran reopens all border posts with Iraqi Kurdistan

President Donald Trump praised  Iranian protesters today for acting against Tehran's "brutal  and corrupt" regime after days of unrest that have seen 21  people killed and hundreds arrested.
"The people of Iran are finally acting against the brutal  and corrupt Iranian regime," Trump tweeted, a day after  calling for regime change in the Islamic republic.
"All of the money that President Obama so foolishly gave  them went into terrorism and into their 'pockets.' The people  have little food, big inflation and no human rights.

Trump denounces 'brutal and corrupt' Iranian regime

Iran's supreme leader blamed the  country's "enemies" today for days of unrest that have seen 21  killed and hundreds arrested in the biggest test for the  Islamic regime in years.
"The enemies have united and are using all their means,  money, weapons, policies and security services to create  problems for the Islamic regime," Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said  in a speech carried on state television.
Iranian officials have said online accounts in the United  States, Britain and Saudi Arabia are fomenting protests.
A fifth night of unrest saw six protesters killed during  an attack on a police station in Qahderijan in the central  province of Isfahan, state TV said today.
At least three other towns near the cultural hub of  Isfahan also saw violence overnight, causing the deaths of a  young member of the Revolutionary Guards, a policeman and a  bystander.
The estimated death toll is now 21 since protests began  in second city Mashhad and quickly spread to become the  biggest challenge to ..

Hundreds arrested as Khamenei blames Iran's 'enemies' for

Israel has extended the detention  without trial of a prominent Palestinian politician by another  six months, the army said today, meaning she will spend at  least one year in custody.
Khalida Jarrar was arrested on July 2 for being a senior  member in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine  (PFLP), a movement considered a terrorist organisation by  Israel, the United States and the European Union.
She had been released from prison only a year before.
Details of the accusations against her are secret, as is  customary with Israeli administrative detention orders, which  allow detention without trial for renewable six-month periods.
A legislator in the largely defunct Palestinian  parliament, she was given a six-month administrative detention  order in July.
On December 24, the detention was extended by another six  months "after security personnel found she still poses a  substantial threat," the Israeli army said.
"The decision to hold Jarrar under administrative  ...

Israel extends detention without trial for Palestinian MP

Former world number one Andy Murray  has withdrawn from the season-opening Brisbane International  in a major setback to his Australian Open preparations.
He suffered a right hip injury in 2017 and has not played  on the ATP tour since losing a tough five-setter to American  Sam Querrey in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon.
Murray said on Sunday he felt in great shape and that he  was confident he would play in Brisbane.
But the 30-year-old Scot issued a statement today  announcing his withdrawal from the tournament, and did not say  whether he would be able to play the year's first Grand Slam.
Murray said he would stay in Brisbane as he "works  towards returning to the tennis circuit".
"I'm very disappointed to be withdrawing from the  Brisbane International," he added.
"I came here with every intention of making a strong  start to the year, but sadly my team and I don't feel that I'm  where I need to be just yet to compete at the highest level."
Murray joins top seed and world number .

Murray pulls out of Brisbane tournament

Five-time Grand Slam champion Maria  Sharapova came back from a set down to defeat American Alison  Riske at the Shenzhen Open today and book a spot in the  quarter-finals.
Riske, who had been hoping for her first win against the  former world number one, proved to be a tough opponent early  in the match before the Russian finally overcame her 3-6, 6-4,  6-2 in just under two and a half hours.
"I'm glad I got this kind of match. Although I would've  wanted a quick and easy victory, these are the kind of matches  that you need, especially with such a short preparation going  into the Australian Open in terms of matchplay," Sharapova  said afterwards.
"I'm just glad that I came back. She played a really  great match and as I said to her at the net, I thought it was  a great quality match. In the end, I won it so I have another  opportunity to keep going."
Despite Riske's early lead, Sharapova hit 34 winners,  nearly three times Riske's total.
The world number 59 was helped by 11 aces, ..

Sharapova downs Riske in tough test at Shenzhen Open

French President Emmanuel Macron  will visit China for three days starting January 8, the  Chinese foreign ministry said today, after the young leader  declared the need for a stronger Europe to "face China".
This will be Macron's first state visit to the country,  and the first by a European Union nation leader since the  ruling Communist Party's 19th national congress in October.
President Xi Jinping secured a second five-year term as  the head of the party at the twice-a-decade political meeting,  becoming the most powerful Chinese leader in years.
News of the trip comes after Macron, 40, who campaigned  on a pro-globalisation platform, called on France and all of  Europe to return to its former glory during a televised New  Year's address Sunday.
"We need to... be a more sovereign, more united, more  democratic Europe," he said.
"I deeply believe Europe can become that economic,  social, environmentally-friendly, scientific power that will  be able to face China and the United ...

French President Macron to visit China next week

A fugitive Vietnamese intelligence  officer wanted in his homeland for allegedly disclosing state  secrets has been arrested in Singapore, his lawyers said  today.
Phan Van Anh Vu, who is also a property developer, was  detained on Thursday at a border checkpoint as he attempted to  cross into Malaysia.
Police in the central Vietnamese city of Da Nang said in  recent days that Vu, 42, was being sought for "deliberately  revealing state secrets" but gave no further details.
His lawyer Remy Choo told AFP he had met Vu's family, who  had confirmed that "apart from being a property developer, he  was also a senior officer in the Vietnamese intelligence  services".
"My client's family are concerned that there is an  imminent risk of repatriation," Choo said.
"I can confirm he has applied for asylum in a European  country but I cannot reveal which country this is."
Another of Vu's lawyers, Foo Cheow Ming, confirmed his  arrest. His lawyers have not yet been allowed to see him.
Singapore ...

Singapore holds fugitive Vietnam intelligence agent: lawyers

A major Chinese tech entrepreneur  has defied regulators' orders to return home, writing today  that his wife and brother would deal with the debt woes  plaguing his LeEco conglomerate.
Jia Yueting, the 44-year-old head of a tech empire that  has spanned electric cars and smartphones, posted a letter on  social media to the Beijing branch of the China Securities  Regulatory Commission, which last week ordered him to return  to China before the end of 2017.
The one-time billionaire is believed to be in the US,  attempting to build up his Los Angeles-based electric car  company Faraday Future. He was added to a national blacklist  of debt defaulters by Chinese courts last month over hundreds  of millions of dollars in unpaid loans.
"I have entrusted (wife) Ms. Gan Wei and (brother) Mr.  Jia Yuemin with full power to exercise my rights as the public  company shareholder and fulfil my shareholder  responsibilities," Jia wrote in the letter published on the  Twitter-like Weibo platform.
He 

Tech icon ordered back to China sends wife instead

Two people were killed and thousands  fled strong winds and floods as a tropical depression hit the  central Philippines today, following deadly back-to-back  storms during the Christmas season.
The deaths were reported on Cebu island, where an elderly  woman was killed in a landslide while a man died after he hit  his head on the pavement as the storm cut off electricity in  the area.
Tropical Storm Kai-Tak killed 47 people in the central  Philippines last month, while Tropical Storm Tembin killed 240  on the southern island of Mindanao.
The state weather service warned the new disturbance was  poised to hit the western tourist island of Palawan with gusts  of 65 kilometres per hour today.
"The residents are really sad. It is tough that we have  three storms coming one after another. People have lost their  livelihood and have had no rest since Christmas," Gil Acosta,  information officer of the island, told AFP.
Palawan accounted for 37 of the recorded Tembin deaths,  with 60 other .

Two dead, thousands flee in storm-weary Philippines

Some 450 people have been arrested in  the Iranian capital over the past three days during unrest  linked to protests, an official told local media today.
"200 people were arrested on Saturday, 150 on Sunday and  around 100 on Monday," Ali-Asghar Naserbakht, a deputy in the  Tehran city governor's office, told the reformist-linked ILNA  news agency.
Protests have been relatively small in Tehran compared  with many parts of the country since the unrest began last  Thursday.
"We feel the situation in Tehran is more calm than  previous days. Already yesterday, it was calmer than before,"  said Naserbakht.
He added that no request had yet been put to the  Revolutionary Guards to intervene in the capital.
"We will not permit insecurity to continue in any way in  Tehran. If it continues, officials will take decisions to  finish it," said Esmail Kowsari, a deputy commander for a  local branch of the Revolutionary Guards, on state television.

450 people arrested over three days in Tehran: official

Three people died when a small  plane crashed in the US state of Indiana, police said today.
The single-engine Cessna went down and caught fire behind  a home in a heavily-wooded area of the Midwestern state at  about 9:10 pm (0210 GMT) local time on Saturday, the Indiana  State Police said in a statement.
The crash "claimed the lives of all three people on  board" as well as a dog, it said.
"A second dog survived the crash and showed up at a  nearby residence. The dog was taken to a local veterinarian to  be treated for injuries," the police said.
They did not release the victims' identities.
The plane was flying from Kansas City, Missouri, to  Frederick, Maryland.

Three people killed in US plane crash: police

Barcelona opened up an 11-point La  Liga lead over Real Madrid ahead of next weekend's Clasico  between the Spanish giants as Luis Suarez and Paulinho each  scored twice in a 4-0 thrashing of Deportivo la Coruna.
Lionel Messi also saw a penalty saved and hit the  woodwork three times as Barca regained their six-point lead  over Atletico Madrid in second place.
Real remain down in fourth, but do have a game in hand on  their rivals as they missed out on domestic action this  weekend to win the Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.
"I know people fixate on the difference between us and  Real Madrid, but Atletico are just six points behind," said  Barca boss Ernesto Valverde.
"No matter what happens on Saturday, there is still a  world of a way to go in La Liga."
The only drawback for Barca as they extended their  unbeaten run in all competitions to 24 games since they were  beaten by Real on their last visit to the Santiago Bernabeu in  the Spanish Super Cup back in August, was a ...

AFP

AFP

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