Turkey on today claimed significant progress in the months-long battle to capture the Islamic State (IS) held Syrian town of Al-Bab, signalling it was looking to push to the jihadist stronghold of Raqa in the next stage of the operation.
	Ankara launched an unprecedented incursion to support rebels inside Syria in August, making rapid advances in initial stages but has been locked in a bloody battle for Al-Bab since December.
	Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Al-Bab was now "surrounded on all sides" and the town's outer neighbourhoods were "under control".
	"The efforts to take it completely under control continue," Yildirim added during a press conference in Ankara with the head of Libya's unity government Fayez al-Sarraj.
	He confirmed two soldiers have been killed in the latest fighting, raising the death toll for Turkey's Syria campaign to at least 50 mostly from IS attacks.
	Fighting raged on the ground near Al-Bab on Wednesday as Turkish troops and allied rebels ...

Turkey says targeting IS-held Raqa, claims progress in Al-Bab

PTI Automatic

Lee Chong Wei was today threatening to cut ties with the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) as relations become strained in the wake of the world number one's latest injury.
     The 34-year-old will be out for weeks after he slipped at the new Academy Badminton Malaysia on Saturday, missing next month's prestigious All England Championship where he would have been gunning for fourth title.
     Lee, a silver medallist in the last three Olympics, had complained to the association's technical director Morten Frost and BAM general manager Lawrence Chew about the new centre's slippery court mats but said nothing had been done.
     Lee, who has signalled he may retire this year, reportedly tore a medial collateral ligament in his left knee as he slipped and fell awkwardly.
     The Malaysia team only moved to their new national training centre in the Bukit Kiara suburb of Kuala Lumpur a week ago.
     Lee told AFP Wednesday that the association's president had told him that his ...

Angry Lee lashes out at Malaysia association

Japanese prosecutors have questioned Japan's Olympic chief and other officials over millions of dollars in payments made during Tokyo's successful bid to host the 2020 Olympics, reports said today.
     Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) president Tsunekazu Takeda, who also led the Tokyo bid, was among those quizzed in recent weeks at the request of French investigators, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported.
     French authorities said in May last year that they were investigating the 2.8 million Singapore dollar (1.8 million euros, $2 million) payments to a Singapore-based consultancy.
     Japanese officials have consistently denied wrongdoing and have said that the payments were for consulting services.
     The two payments, linked to a son of disgraced ex-world athletics chief Lamine Diack, were made either side of Tokyo winning the hosting rights at a vote in Buenos Aires in September 2013.
     "Having no recognition of the violation of laws nor bribery, I have told (prosecutors) the ...

Tokyo 2020 bid chief quizzed over payments - reports

Veteran Australian entertainer Rolf Harris was today cleared of three sex offences by a London court, but the jury was discharged on four other counts after failing to reach a verdict.
	Harris, a household name in Britain for more than 50 years, was accused of six counts of indecent assault and one of sexual assault, taking place between 1971 and 2004.
	The jury took almost a week to find the 86-year-old not guilty of two indecent assault charges and of sexual assault.
	Harris was cleared of groping a blind disabled woman in London in 1977 and of sexually assaulting a woman in her 40s after the filming of a television show in 2004.
	Judge Alistair McCreath discharged the 12-member jury on the remaining four counts, and the prosecution team have one week to decide if they will apply for a retrial on the charges that split jurors.
	Harris watched via a video-link from prison, where he is currently serving a sentence of almost six years after being convicted in 2014 of 12 sex offences ...

Entertainer Rolf Harris cleared of three sex charges

Suspected Islamic State gunmen killed six Afghan employees of the Red Cross delivering relief supplies in snowbound northern Afghanistan today, officials said, underscoring the dangers faced by aid workers in the war-battered country.
	Two other Red Cross workers were missing following the ambush in the volatile province of Jowzjan, in one of the worst attacks on the international charity in years.
	Their convoy, comprising three drivers and five field officers, came under fire while they were carrying much-needed livestock materials to a remote area badly affected in recent days by heavy snowfall, Red Cross said.
	"This is a despicable act," said Monica Zanarelli, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Afghanistan.
	"Nothing can justify the murder of our colleagues and dear friends."
	No militant group has so far claimed responsibility for the killings, but Jowzjan police chief Rahmatullah Turkistani blamed local Islamic State fighters.
	"Daesh fighters are active in 

Six Red Cross staff killed, two missing in Afghanistan

President Donald Trump's two-week blitz of national security initiatives has shaken up world affairs, but Washington's own foreign policy headquarters has fallen all but silent.
	While daily White House news conferences have become must-see political theater, the State Department has not held a press briefing since the day before Trump's inauguration.
	The agency now has a chief diplomat, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, but many of its senior posts remain unfilled and the oilman's daily business passes without public comment.
	Of course, all US presidents set their own national security agenda, which is then executed by State, the Pentagon and America's alphabet soup of intelligence agencies.
	But the detail and day-to-day management of foreign policy, not to mention the job of explaining and defending the policy to press and public, falls on State and the diplomatic corps.
	Yesterday, 18 days after Trump's inauguration and six days after Tillerson was sworn in, State still had no ..

State Department silent as Trump forges foreign policy

The British government "does not believe there should be a second referendum" on Scottish independence, Prime Minister Theresa May's spokeswoman said today, following reports that she is making contingency plans for another vote.
	Speculation is mounting that Scotland First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will declare her intention to hold a rerun of the September 2014 vote, as a poll published Wednesday revealed rising support for independence ahead of Britain's departure from the European Union.
	"We don't believe that there should be a second referendum. There has been a referendum, it was clear, decisive, it was legal, and both sides agreed to abide by the results of that referendum," May's spokesman told journalists on Wednesday.
	Downing Street was responding to a report that it had told Scottish newspaper The Courier it was holding "contingency" talks to deal with a referendum announcement.
	Scotland rejected independence by 55 percent in 2014, but 20 months later it voted to remain ..

UK govt 'does not believe' in second Scottish referendum

With its ageing population, Europe needs immigration and can only resolve the migrant crisis through cooperation and not by "closing its doors," EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini said today.
	"I believe Europeans should understand that we need immigration for our economies," as the continent's population ages, Mogherini said, opening a Europe-Africa meeting on migration in the Maltese capital.
	Some 8,500 people making desperate bids to reach Europe have been rescued at sea since the start of the year, while at least 227 people are either missing or feared dead.
	"Africa on its side should consider the cost of human trafficking, the loss of human life," said Mogherini, noting that at least 4,500 people, mainly Africans, drowned or were listed missing at sea last year as they tried to reach Italy.
	"Migration can only be managed through cooperation and partnership," she said.
	Mogherini also said barricades were not an answer or a solution.
	"There are forces all around the ..

Ageing Europe needs immigration: EU foreign affairs chief

A militia chief and a church pastor were among five people killed in a clash in Bangui, Central African Republic's capital, the UN peacekeeping force said today.
	The clash erupted yesterday when Central African security forces backed by UN peacekeepers went into the flashpoint PK5 neighbourhood to question the leader of an armed group, known as "Big Man", said Vladimir Monteiro, the spokesman of the UN mission MINUSCA.
	"During the operation, Youssouf Malinga -- also known as Big Man -- and his men opened fire on the security forces and killed two passers-by, a man and a woman," Monteiro told reporters.
	"The security forces responded, killing Youssouf Malinga and one of his men. Three Central African security forces troops were also injured," he added.
	Sporadic gunfire continued until nightfall, with militia members retaliating to the operation by surrounding a local apostolic church and killing the pastor, a police source said.
	PK5, once a Muslim rebel bastion, is now home to ...

Militia chief among 5 killed in C Africa clash

Romania's defiant Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu easily survived a no-confident vote today as his left-wing government battles nationwide unrest over its attempt to weaken corruption laws.
	The motion, submitted by the centre-right opposition, failed to garner the required 233 votes in parliament where Grindeanu's left-wing Social Democrat party (PSD) holds a solid majority after winning elections only two months ago.
	The prime minister had appeared defiant ahead of the vote and vowed not to quit.
	"We have a duty to the people who gave us their trust during the election and to continue to govern," the 43-year-old told lawmakers in Bucharest.
	For more than a week, hundreds of thousands of people have protested against an emergency decree approved on January 31, which critics say would have protected the corrupt from prosecution.
	Although the measure was scrapped late Sunday, the marches have continued, with some protesters vowing not to stop until the government steps down.
	While .

Embattled Romania PM survives no-confidence vote

Prominent Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was convicted on Wednesday of embezzlement and given a five-year suspended sentence in a ruling that threatens his bid to challenge President Vladimir Putin in next year's presidential poll.
	The judge in the court in the provincial city of Kirov found the Kremlin critic and anti-corruption whistleblower guilty on a  charge that the 40-year-old lawyer insists is aimed at knocking him out of the vote.
	Navalny in December announced his intention to run for president in 2018, while Putin has yet to confirm his expected participation.
	The fierce Kremlin critic insisted he would keep on campaigning despite Russian law banning people serving such a sentence from standing for office.
	"According to the constitution I have a full right to take part in the elections and I will do that," Navalny said after the verdict.
	"I will continue to represent the interests of people who want to see Russia a normal, honest and non-corrupt country."
	The 

Putin foe Navalny given 5-year suspended jail term

Facebook today updated its Safety Check feature with a way for people to lend, or get, helping hands after disasters.
	A new "Community Help" feature provides a forum at the leading social network where assistance can be offered to victims of floods, earthquakes, fires or other kinds of natural or accidental tragedy, according to Facebook vice president of social good Naomi Gleit.
	"In times of crisis, connecting is more important than ever," Gleit said.
	Facebook launched Safety Check in 2014 as a way for members of the social network to let family or friends easily see whether they are unharmed after disastrous events.
	Community Help now lets people find, or give, assistance such as food, shelter or transportation in the aftermath of a crisis.
	"Safety Check has been activated hundreds of times, but we know we can do more to empower the community to help one another," Gleit said.
	The feature was inspired by Facebook members using groups or posts at the social network to organize ..

Facebook adds tool for helping in times of crisis

A Russian court today handed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny a five-year suspended sentence that could end his bid to challenge President Vladimir Putin in 2018 polls.
	The judge at a court in the provincial city of Kirov found Navalny guilty of embezzlement, giving him a five-year suspended sentence and his co-defendant a four-year suspended sentence in a retrial that repeated the outcome of a 2013 trial. Each was also fined 500,000 rubles (USD 8,500).

Court hands Kremlin foe Navalny 5-year suspended sentence

A militia chief and two of his henchmen were shot dead in clashes in Bangui, Central African Republic's capital, sparking a backlash in which a pastor was also killed, police said today.
	The incident, which took place yesterday, erupted in the flashpoint PK5 neighbourhood as security forces backed by UN peacekeepers went in to question the leader of an armed group, known as "Big Man".
	"Big Man and his entourage resisted. An exchange of fire erupted and the leader was neutralised along with two of his men," a police source told AFP.
	Sporadic gunfire continued until nightfall, with militia members retaliating to the arrest operation by surrounding a local apostolic church and killing the pastor, the source said.
	PK5, once a Muslim rebel bastion, is now home to several armed groups that have taken advantage of the weakness of the state since the end of a sectarian conflict pitting mainly Muslim against Christian militias.
	Even though relative peace has returned following the civil ..

Militia chief among 4 killed in CAfrica flareup

Bangladesh today rebuked Myanmar for opening fire on a boat in the Naf river that marks their border and killing one fisherman, describing it as an "act of unprovoked aggression".
	Tensions have been running high since thousands of Rohingya began pouring over the border, fleeing a crackdown by the Myanmar army which began in October.
	It was the second time that Myanmar forces had fired on Bangladeshi fishermen.
	Bangladesh's foreign ministry expressed "deep concern" at the latest shooting on Monday, which also seriously injured another crewman aboard the trawler.
	"The ministry urges the government of Myanmar to ensure that Myanmar desist from repeating such an act of aggression," a statement said.
	Police said Myanmar border guards opened fire without warning on the fishing boat when it unintentionally strayed into Myanmar waters.
	Nearly 70,000 Rohingya Muslims have entered Bangladesh in recent months, with stories of killings and mass rape by Myanmar soldiers that have raised ...

Bangladesh rebukes Myanmar for 'unprovoked aggression'

The EU said today it aimed to phase out anti-dumping duties on Chinese solar panel imports after 18 months, ending a bitter dispute with one of its largest trading partners.
	Stung by US President Donald Trump's protectionist stance, the EU has touted its free trade credentials and pledged closer cooperation with China in response.
	The EU imposed the duties in 2013 after European panel manufacturers complained they were being forced out of business by underpriced Chinese imports.
	Other companies which installed solar panel systems claimed the duties harmed them by increasing their costs and should be removed.
	European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans said: "There is no doubt we have the right to protect our industry... But at the same time we have to take into account other companies who import these products."
	These companies, he told reporters, provided thousands of jobs and were a key element in the renewable energy industry.
	"The college (of the 28 member state ...

EU to phase out China solar panel duties

Six Red Cross workers have been killed and two others are missing in northern Afghanistan, the international charity said today, underscoring the growing dangers faced by aid workers in the war-battered country.
	They were killed in the volatile province of Jowzjan, the charity added, without revealing their nationalities or who was behind the incident.
	"We can confirm that six of our colleagues were killed and two are unaccounted for in Jowjzan province," a spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross told AFP, adding that a statement would be released later Wednesday.
	"We are shocked and devastated," he added.
	The killings come after a Spanish employee of the ICRC was abducted on December 19 when workers from the charity were travelling between the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif and the neighbouring volatile Taliban hotbed of Kunduz.
	He was released nearly a month later, but ICRC and local officials did not say how he was freed or who was behind the ...

Six Red Cross staff killed, two missing in Afghanistan: ICRC

A South Korean pilot has won his legal battle to keep a beard after a court ruled today that his company's ban on facial hair was unfair and discriminatory.
	The pilot at Air Asiana, the country's number two carrier, was banned from flying for a month in 2014 after violating company policy by having a beard. He was allowed to return to work after shaving.
	Seoul High Court said the policy -- which only applied to workers of South Korean nationality -- was illegal, turning over an earlier ruling by a lower court supporting the Air Asiana ban.
	"The firm says that workers are required to maintain neat appearances...But there is no ground to believe that a beard makes one look untrustworthy or shabby," the high court said.
	"Also, imposing the ban only on South Korean employees is discrimination based on nationality," it added.
	Dozens of foreign pilots and cabin crew at Air Asiana had facial hair but were not punished for it, the high court said.
	The lower court had ruled in favour of .

S Korean pilot wins beard ban legal battle

A Colombian nun has been kidnapped by gunmen in southern Mali, a Malian security source and a local official said today.
	The woman was kidnapped yesterday near Koutiala, a city some 400 kilometres east of the capital, Bamako, which is in the Sikasso region near the Burkina Faso border.
	"The Malian army is in pursuit," a security source who asked not to be identified told AFP.
	A local official said the kidnappers drove away in a vehicle owned by the nun's Franciscan order.
	There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the kidnapping which follows the Christmas Eve capture of a French aid worker, Sophie Petronin, in the restive north of Mali, where jihadists have staged repeated attacks.
	Last month, Al-Qaeda's affiliate in North Africa released a new proof-of-life video of Swiss missionary Beatrice Stockly, who has been held hostage by the group for more than a year.
	The Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) video showed Stockly, who was captured in the north, saying she was 

Gunmen kidnap Colombian nun in southern Mali

The UN appealed today for USD 2.1 billion to provide desperately needed aid to millions of people in war-ravaged Yemen this year, warning the country could soon face famine.
	"Two years of war have devastated Yemen and millions of children, women and men desperately need our help," warned UN humanitarian aid chief Stephen O'Brien in a statement.
	"Without international support, they may face the threat of famine in the course of 2017 and I urge donors to sustain and increase their support to our collective response."
	The appeal from UN agencies and other humanitarian organisations aims to gather funds to help some 12 million of the nearly 19 million people expected to need assistance across Yemen this year.
	The poor Arab country has been engulfed in war for years, but the conflict escalated dramatically in March 2015 when the Saudi-led coalition launched air raids against Shiite Huthi rebels, who had taken over the capital and seized swathes of the country's centre and ...

UN appeals for USD 2.1 bn for Yemen aid as famine looms

Sri Lanka's central bank Wednesday announced plans to raise USD 2.5 billion in foreign loans, a month after Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake said the country was struggling under a "gigantic debt trap".
	The nation is struggling to repay billions of dollars borrowed by its previous government for white-elephant projects.
	Central bank Governor Indrajith Coomaraswamy told reporters the country will issue USD 1.5 billion in sovereign bonds and raise another USD 1 billion through a syndicated loan.
	"In the coming months the government intends to raise a syndicated loan and there is a cabinet paper (seeking formal approval) to issue the international sovereign bonds," he said.
	The money raised is expected to repay part of the existing debt and build reserves, finance ministry officials told AFP.
	The previous government took Chinese loans to build a deep-sea port at Hambantota in the south of the country -- at a cost of USD 1.4 billion -- and an international airport in the same ...

AFP

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