Nigeria has sent 200 soldiers and air assets including fighter jets to Senegal as part of a regional force to enforce the result of Gambia's contested election, the country's air force said today.
	The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) said it had "today moved a contingent of 200 men and air assets comprising fighter jets, transport aircraft, light utility helicopter as well as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft to Dakar from where it is expected to operate into Gambia".
	The Economic Community Of West African States has repeatedly called on leader Yahya Jammeh to respect the result of the December 1 election and step down after 22 years in power.
	Jammeh on yesterday declared a state of emergency as President-elect Adama Barrow, who is currently in Senegal, maintained his inauguration will go ahead as planned on tomorrow on Gambian soil.
	Nigeria said the forces were part of an ECOWAS military standby intervention force "tasked by ECOWAS heads of state to enforce the ...

Nigeria sends troops, jets to Senegal for Gambia force

PTI Automatic

Nations should strive for a world where nuclear weapons are prohibited and where existing stocks are destroyed, Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a speech at the United Nations today.
	"Nuclear weapons should be completely prohibited and destroyed over time to make the world free of nuclear weapons," the Chinese president said in Geneva.
	In a lengthy address at the UN's European headquarters alongside with the world body's new chief Antonio Guterres, Xi also made a robust case for a global governance system based on equality among nations.
	"We should reject dominance by just one or several countries", Xi said, adding that "major powers should respect each other's core interests."
	"Big countries should treat smaller countries as equals instead of acting as a hegemon imposing their will on others," he further said.
	In his disarmament call and plea for sovereign equality Xi offered China as a nation "committed to building a world of lasting peace."
	The remarks come at the end of .

Xi calls for world without nuclear weapons

WikiLeaks said today its founder Julian Assange could travel to the US to face investigation after one of the whistleblowing site's main sources was given clemency - but only if his rights were "guaranteed".
	"Assange is still happy to come to the US provided all his rights are guaranteed," WikiLeaks said on Twitter, the day after US President Barack Obama commuted a prison sentence for former soldier Chelsea Manning.
	Manning was sentenced to 35 years behind bars in 2013 for handing 700,000 sensitive military and diplomatic documents to WikiLeaks.
	Assange said last week he would abandon his refuge in the Ecuadoran embassy in London, where he has been since 2012, if the United States agreed to free Manning.
	Washington has maintained the threat of prosecuting Assange over the 2010 documents leak, although no charges have been publicly filed.
	One of the Australian's lawyers, Melinda Taylor, told AFP on Tuesday that it had failed to obtain confirmation on his legal status.
	"Julian's .

Assange says would go to US only if rights guaranteed:

'Nuclear weapons should be completely prohibited': Xi at UN.

Manchester United have appointed a counter-terrorism manager and believe they are the first Premier League club to do so, reports said today.
     The English football giants, who suffered two embarrassing security blunders in recent months, appointed an unnamed former member of the Manchester police and made the announcement at a fans' forum recently, the BBC and other British media said.
     Old Trafford is now subject to some of the most stringent security measures on match days with spectators searched at the turnstiles and cars also undergoing checks when they want to enter the car park.
     It comes after last May's Premier League match with Bournemouth saw spectators evacuated from Old Trafford when a suspect package was discovered in a toilet.
     The package proved to be harmless and had been placed there -- and then forgotten about -- by a security firm during a training exercise. The match had to be played at a later date.
     In another breach two audacious United fans 

Man United 'first' to appoint counter-terror chief

A US congresswoman made a rare secret visit to Syria as part of her effort toward ending the years-long conflict in the Middle Eastern nation, her office said today.
	House Democrat Tulsi Gabbard, an Iraq war veteran, made a fact-finding mission to the capital Damascus despite continued fighting in the war-torn country in contravention of a frail ceasefire.
	"As an individual committed to doing all she can to promote and work for peace, she felt it was important to meet with a number of individuals and groups including religious leaders, humanitarian workers, refugees and government and community leaders," said Gabbard spokeswoman Emily Latimer.
	The exact dates of the trip were not provided for security reasons, but her office said she was currently in the Middle East.
	The congresswoman from Hawaii met with US President-elect Donald Trump in November two weeks after his election victory to discuss Syria policy, raising speculation that the incoming commander in chief might consider .

US congresswoman Gabbard makes secret Syria trip

China's richest man, Hollywood investor Wang Jianlin, warned Donald Trump today against dragging the entertainment industry into a trade war -- saying his country's millions of movie-lovers are key to the future of cinema.
	The Chinese billionaire joined a chorus of concern from international business chiefs gathered at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this week over the protectionist leanings of the US president-elect, who takes office Friday.
	Wang, whose Wanda conglomerate owns a US cinema chain, a Hollywood production company and the firm that runs the Golden Globe awards, said America would be the bigger loser if the entertainment sector fell victim to a trade war.
	"The main growth market of English-language films out of the US is actually China, not anywhere else," Wang told an audience in Davos, noting that China had the most movie screens in the world with 15,000 added in the past year alone.
	"If China were to retaliate, it would be bad for both parties so I ...

China's richest man warns Trump against trade war

Italian Finance Minister Pier Carlo Padoan today took aim at the EU, saying it was creating its own problems because of a lack of vision, and called on policy makers to take populism seriously.
	"The problem in Europe is Europe," he told the World Economic Forum (WEF).
	"The challenge the Brexit and Trump is posing is that there is a vision. You may agree or disagree with that vision, But there is a challenge that the Brexit is posing and Trump is posing. We don't have a vision in Europe, not a vision that is comparable" in terms of impact, Padoan said during a debate.
	"All those who vote for populist ideas are not the bad guys. In most cases they are good guys, they are fellow citizens and they have real concerns about the future of their children, job opportunities, concerns about security," he added.
	 "In many, if not all the European countries, there is a strong (position) to say that our problems are generated in Brussels or sometimes in Frankfurt, it depends where you live," ..

Italian minister says Europe's problem is Europe

A UAE court today sentenced three people up to five years in prison after convicting them of belonging to a "terrorist organisation," state media said.
	The Abu Dhabi-based Federal Supreme Court handed two Emiratis jail terms ranging from one to five years, the official news agency WAM said.
	A third defendant from an unnamed Arab country was sentenced to three years, after which he will be deported, it said, without giving details of the organisation to which they were alleged to belong.
	News website 24.Ae said the trio formed a "terror cell for Al-Nusra Front," the former Syrian affiliate of Al-Qaeda that renamed itself Fateh al-Sham Front last year.
	The website said the Arab defendant was Palestinian.
	The United Arab Emirates is a member of the US-led coalition that has been bombing IS jihadists in Iraq and Syria since September 2014.
	Authorities in the Gulf state have enacted anti-terror legislation, including the death penalty and harsher jail terms for crimes linked to ...

UAE court jails three on terror charges

A suicide bombing targeting militia groups committed to restoring peace in Mali left nearly 50 people dead today and struck a fresh blow at long-running efforts to stabilise the troubled north.
	The car bomb attack in Gao, the region's biggest city, targeted a camp grouping former rebels and pro-government militia who are signatories to a 2015 peace accord struck with the government.
	The attack occurred as former rebels from the Tuareg-led CMA movement prepared to go on a joint patrol with pro-government militia members, under the terms of the peace deal.
	Mali's north fell under control of Tuareg-led rebels and jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda in 2012. The Islamists sidelined the rebels to take sole control.
	Although they were largely ousted by a French-led military operation in January 2013, implementation of the peace accord has been piecemeal with insurgents still active across large parts of the region.
	The patrols, which also include regular Malian army troops, are supposed 

Mali car bomb kills 50 in fresh blow to peace

Top seed Andy Murray sped into the Australian Open third round today but bad boy Nick Kyrgios was booed and accused of not trying as he crashed to a stormy defeat.
     Roger Federer progressed despite unexpected resistance and women's world number one Angelique Kerber celebrated her 29th birthday with a hard-fought win.
     Murray painfully rolled an ankle and needed treatment in the third set against Russian qualifier Andrey Rublev, but he shook off the problem to win 6-3, 6-0, 6-2.
     While the world number one cruised, Kyrgios stood accused of tanking, or giving up, during his 1-6, 6-7 (1/7), 6-4, 6-2, 10-8 loss to Andreas Seppi.
     Kyrgios, who is returning from a ban for "lack of best efforts" in a match in Shanghai, played lethargically and casually, especially in the fifth set.
     "Obviously it's not the greatest thing to hear," he said of the booing. "I didn't have the best preparation coming into the Australian Open. Pretty banged up, my body."
     "I don't even know 

Murray magic but Kyrgios booed in stormy defeat

Two members of an Indian family were found dead and two others unconscious in a luxury Macau hotel room today in what police said was a suspected suicide case.
	The father and eldest son, aged about 52 and 24 were found dead, while the mother and the younger son, aged around 45 and 20, were injured.
	"Today at 2:08 pm, the [police] department received notification that in a certain casino hotel in the Taipa area, three men and one woman were unconscious in a room," Macau police said in statement late today.
	"After an inspection by firemen, it was confirmed that two of the men were already dead," the statement said, adding that the other two had been taken to hospital.
	The statement concluded the "case has been initially listed as suicide" and that all the victims were members of the same family, surnamed Lunawat, and were Indian nationals.
	Media reports said the incident took place at the five-star luxury Hotel Okura, situated in the high-end Galaxy Macau resort complex.
	Initial ..

2 Indians dead in family suicide in Macau hotel: police

The death toll from a botched air strike on Boko Haram fighters in northeast Nigeria rose to 70 today, as aid agencies indicated more could die without urgent treatment.
	Nigeria called yesterday's incident at a camp for displaced people in Rann a mistake and blamed the "fog of war", sparking strong condemnation from aid agencies working in the crisis-hit region.
	The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which lost six members of its Nigerian affiliate, said: "It is estimated that 70 people have been killed and more than 100 wounded."
	ICRC surgeon Laurent Singa, part of a team dispatched to Rann shortly after the bombing, described the conditions for post-operative care as "not adequate".
	"All the patients must be evacuated to (the Borno state capital) Maiduguri as soon as possible," he added in a statement.
	Nine patients were said to be in a critical condition and were evacuated to Maiduguri on Tuesday. Forty-six of the 90 that remain were said to be "severely ...

Death toll in botched Nigeria air strike soars to 70

The head of one of Morocco's biggest Sufi orders, with tens of thousands of followers at home and abroad, died today aged 95, an official and local media said.
	Sheikh Sidi Hamza al-Qadiri al-Boutchichi was the spiritual leader of the Qadiriya Boutchichiya order.
	He died in the northwestern city of Oujda and was to be buried in the nearby town of Madagh where he was born and his order is based, local media reported.
	Seen as a "living master" by his followers and famed for his wisdom and kindness, Hamza was believed to be descended from the Prophet Mohammed and belonged to a long line of Sufi leaders.
	Visitors came from across the world to hear him teach, and every year hundreds of thousands of pilgrims gather in Madagh to celebrate Mawlid, the Prophet Mohammed's birthday.
	Sufism is an offshoot of mainstream Islam which focuses on meditation, inner purity and finding a mystical pathway towards God.
	Sufis spend time studying the Quran, chanting and dancing to enter a spiritual ...

Popular Sufi leader in Morocco dies aged 95

Top seed Andy Murray remained wary about his right ankle today after he rolled it painfully during a straight-sets win over Andrey Rublev at the Australian Open.
     The British world number one cruised past teenage Russian qualifier Andrey Rublev 6-3, 6-0, 6-2 and will play American Sam Querrey in the third round.
     Murray, who is chasing his first Australian Open title after losing five finals, raised concerns in the third set when he went over on his right ankle, grimacing in pain.
     Murray looked worried, hobbling noticeably, and was heard telling his player's box "not good news... It's not good".
     But he played on and finished the match without great duress, breaking Rublev's serve six times and not having one break point on his 12 service games.
     "I don't know how bad it is. It just is a little bit stiff just now. It's okay. I don't think I've done too much damage," he said afterwards.
     "I heard a few sort of little crackles, and it was sore. It was throbbing .

Murray wary over ankle after quickfire win

Asian title-holders Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors have been banned from this year's AFC Champions League over a match-fixing scandal in South Korea's K-League, Asia's football governing body said today.
     "The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) independent Entry Control Body today declared that Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (KOR) is ineligible to participate in AFC competitions for the 2017 season due to its indirect involvement in activities aimed at arranging or influencing the outcome of matches during the 2013 and 2014 K-League seasons," the confederation said in a statement.
     "The Body subsequently ordered that Jeju United FC (KOR) shall be the third seed and Ulsan Hyundai (KOR) the fourth seed representing the Korea Football Association in the AFC Champions League 2017," it added.
     The ban decision was based on a new document by the Entry Control Body setting out rules for eligibility.
     Any clubs involved in "arranging or influencing the outcome of a match at national or ...

Asian champs Jeonbuk banned from 2017 season

Bad boy Nick Kyrgios was booed off court and accused of giving up as he crashed out of the Australian Open second round in a stormy five-set defeat to Andreas Seppi today.
     In a madcap match, 14th seed Kyrgios looked in command with a two sets lead before a familiar meltdown in the third set changed the complexion of the contest.
     The 89th-ranked Seppi, who saved a match point, advanced to a third-round match with Belgium's Steve Darcis with a 1-6, 6-7 (1/7), 6-4, 6-2, 10-8 win in three hours, nine minutes.
     Kyrgios was booed off the court by some of the fans, while tennis great John McEnroe hit out at the brash youngster.
     "What I don't understand, what I can't accept, is when he stops trying. It's a black eye for the sport," McEnroe said during television match commentary.
     Kyrgios said of McEnroe's criticism: "My body was sore. I was hurting. I mean, John McEnroe. Good on him. Great career. Good on him."
     Kyrgios was also dismissive of the booing, saying: ...

Kyrgios booed off court in new 'tanking' row

Louis van Gaal says he is not definitely done with football just yet, after appearing to suggest earlier this week that he was retiring from the game at 65.
     The Dutchman, who was sacked by Manchester United last year after an uninspiring stint at Old Trafford, had told popular daily tabloid De Telegraaf: "I don't believe I'll return to work."
     But less than a day later van Gaal rowed back on that, telling Spanish radio overnight Tuesday-Wednesday that nothing was final and his future "depends on offers" at the end of what he has called a sabbatical.
     "I am not retiring," van Gaal, whose decorated coaching career included two spells at Barcelona and with the Dutch national side, told Cadena Ser radio.
     "I took a sabbatical year and then maybe I will decide whether or not to retire. There is a strong possibility that I will retire, but it's not final."
     Van Gaal revealed that he had received an offer from La Liga crisis club Valencia.
     "It was about a month ago, 

Me retire? Not so fast, says van Gaal

Russia is the main threat to the "liberal" world order, US Vice President Joe Biden told the Davos elite today, in his final speech before leaving office.
	Biden used the big stage of the World Economic Forum in the posh Swiss resort to warn of threats posed by the Kremlin two days before Donald Trump's administration takes over in Washington.
	Though he also mentioned China and threats from the Middle East, his attack on Vladimir Putin's Russia was a direct warning to Trump, who is accused of cosying up to the Russian president.
	"The greatest threat ... Springs from the external actors who equate their success on fracturing the liberal international order," Biden said.
	"I'm not going to mince words, this movement is principally led by Russia," added the 74-year-old, who used the Davos forum to promote his signature campaign against cancer.
	Biden laid down his assessment a day after China's President Xi Jinping gave a landmark speech at Davos that stressed his commitment to ...

Biden hits Putin's Russia in final address as VP

Iraqi forces have fully retaken east Mosul from the Islamic State group, a top commander today said, three months after a huge offensive against the jihadist bastion was launched.
	Elite forces have in recent days entered the last neighbourhoods on the eastern side of Mosul, on the left bank of the Tigris River that runs through the city.
	Speaking at a press conference in Bartalla, a town east of Mosul, Staff General Talib al-Sheghati, who heads the Counter-Terrorism Service, announced "the liberation... Of the left bank".
	Sheghati added however that while the east of the city could be considered under government control, some work remained to be done to flush out the last holdout jihadists.
	The "important lines and important areas are finished," he said, adding that "there is only a bit of the northern (front) remaining."
	Today's announcement marks the end of a phase in the operation launched on October 17 to retake Mosul, Iraq's second city and the last major urban stronghold IS 

Top Iraq commander announces 'liberation' of east Mosul

A suicide bombing today on a camp grouping former rebels and pro-government militia in troubled northern Mali left 40 people dead, UN and local sources said.
	The president's office ordered three days of national mourning following the attack, the worst in the country in recent years.
	A member of the UN peacekeeping mission MINUSMA, who asked not to be identified, initially put the death toll at 37 but hospital sources later told AFP that 40 people had been killed and 60 hurt.
	The camp is located in Gao, a former bastion for Malian rebels and Islamist fighters who together seized control of much of the country's vast arid north in early 2012.
	It was set up under a 2015 peace deal signed between the government and various militia and rebel groups following a French-led international military intervention that was launched in 2013 but which is still in place.
	The attack occurred as former rebels in the Tuareg-led CMA movement and ex members of a pro-government militia prepared to go 

AFP

AFP

Page 1198 - Afp