An alleged Islamic State jihadist accused of scoping out potential targets for an attack in Berlin, including the Brandenburg Gate and Reichstag building, went on trial in Germany today.
	It was the country's first trial of a suspected IS militant deployed to Germany from Syria during the chaotic 2015 refugee influx -- in contrast to "lone wolf" attacks or plots by extremists who were radicalised elsewhere.
	The defendant, identified only as 19-year-old Syrian national Shaas al-Mohammad, allegedly fought with the Islamist militia in his war-torn homeland for two years before arriving in Germany as a refugee in August 2015.
	Dressed in a blue pullover and a black cap, Mohammad hid his face behind a folder as he took his seat in the courtroom. Two police trucks were parked outside the entrance, with officers armed with machine guns guarding the proceedings.
	Mohammad was standing trial at a special state security court in Berlin on charges of membership of a foreign terrorist ...

Suspected IS scout for Berlin attack sites goes on trial

PTI Automatic

Turkey today warned that planned Syrian peace talks co-sponsored by Russia were at risk, calling on the Damascus regime of President Bashar al-Assad to halt violations of a ceasefire.
	Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Iran, the main backer of Assad along with Russia, must put pressure on allied Shiite militias to abide by the truce that is to form the basis for a ceasefire.
	If the truce is properly observed, he said the peace talks would start on January 23 in Kazakhstan's capital Astana under the auspices of Turkey and Russia.
	"If we do not stop the increasing violations, the Astana process could fail. After the ceasefire, we see violations," Cavusoglu told the state-run Anadolu news agency in an interview.
	"When we look at who commits these violations, it is Hezbollah, in particular Shiite groups and the regime," he added, referring to the powerful Lebanese Shiite movement supporting Damascus.
	Last month, a process sponsored by regime ally Russia and rebel backer Turkey ...

Turkey warns Syria talks at risk over truce violations

A high-ranking city official in China burst into a government meeting today and shot the mayor and city party secretary before killing himself, state media reported.
	Suspect Chen Zhongshu, 54, was secretary of the land bureau in Panzhihua, a city of 1.2 million in the southwestern province of Sichuan, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
	The attack occurred during a meeting of the municipal party committee and high-level city government cadres at the Panzhihua convention and exhibition centre, it said.
	The gunman fired a series of shots, injuring city party chief Zhang Yan and mayor Li Jianqin before fleeing, Xinhua reported, without giving any details of motive or background to the incident.
	The two men were hospitalised, but their injuries were not life-threatening.
	The suspect killed himself after the attack and was found on the building's second floor, Xinhua said.
	Gun violence is rare in China, as private citizens are generally banned from owning firearms.
	Chinese ...

Chinese official shoots 2, kills self at party meeting:reports

A commission probing violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state today denied security forces have carried out a genocidal campaign against the Rohingya, days after a video emerged showing police beating civilians from the Muslim minority.
	Tens of thousands of Rohingya -- a group loathed by many among Myanmar's Buddhist majority -- have fled a military operation in the northwestern state, launched after deadly attacks on police posts in October.
	Dozens have died in the crackdown, while escapees now in neighbouring Bangladesh have claimed they suffered rape, arson, murder and torture at the hands of police or soldiers.
	Myanmar's government, led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, has said the allegations are invented and has resisted mounting international pressure to protect the minority.
	A state-appointed commission set up to investigate the violence released its interim report today, dismissing claims troops and police have embarked on a campaign to force the Rohingya out of the ...

Myanmar commission plays down abuse against Rohingya

An Iraqi attack helicopter crashed today south of the Mosul battlefield, killing all four crew members, security officials said.
	"During an army aviation mission this morning, an aircraft crashed due to a technical failure," the Joint Operations Command coordinating the fight against the Islamic State jihadist group said in a statement.
	An official in the JOC said the entire crew was killed in the crash.
	"The crew of four -- two pilots and two technicians -- was killed," a captain in Iraq's army aviation told AFP.
	"They were heading to Qayyarah on a routine mission," he said, referring to an area that has been the main military hub south of Mosul since the launch on October 17 of an operation to retake the city from IS.
	The helicopter was a Russian-made Mi-35 gunship, he said.
	He said that the intensity of the war on IS recently meant that the necessary maintenance work on such helicopters was not always satisfactory.
	"There is a lot of strain on these aircraft, that have ust ..

Iraq helicopter gunship crash kills four

Floods in two northeast Malaysian states have now forced almost 23,000 people from their homes and extra relief centres have been opened, rescue officials said today.
	Seasonal flooding hits Malaysia's east coast states every year and regularly results in mass evacuations.
	The latest round has forced authorities to evacuate 10,038 residents from Kelantan and 12,910 people from neighbouring Terengganu, officials said.
	Heavy rain in the past five days has also caused 101 schools to be closed. Many roads are impassable and train services to some destinations in Kelantan have been suspended.
	But no deaths have so far been reported in the two states.
	Che Adam Abdul Rahman, civil department force chief in Terengganu, told AFP the number of evacuees rose sharply to 12,910 from 4,352 the previous day.
	They are being housed in 139 relief centres that provide food, drinks and medical aid, he said.
	"It is still raining heavily. Some 30 village roads are closed and water levels at some ...

Malaysia floods force 23,000 to leave homes

The chief prosecutor of Tehran has revealed that there are as many as 70 spies serving sentences in the Iranian capital's prisons, far more than what had been estimated.
	The 70 convicts had "offered intelligence to enemies in various fields including atomic, military, political, social and cultural," Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi said, quoted by the Mizan Online news website.
	Dolatabadi did not name the countries alleged to have recruited the spies.
	Only a handful of cases of people charged with espionage had been made public in the Islamic republic prior to his comments, which were published late Tuesday.
	Among them are two Iranian-American dual nationals.
	In October, business consultant Siamak Namazi and his 80-year-old father Baquer were given 10 years in prison for "espionage and collaboration with the American government".
	The father, a former employee of the UN children's fund UNICEF, was arrested when he returned to Iran to seek Siamak's release, a few months after his ...

70 spies doing time in Tehran jails: prosecutor

Turkish authorities have identified the gunman responsible for the attack on an elite nightclub that killed 39 people, including two Indians, celebrating New Year, the foreign minister said today.
	"The identity of the person responsible for the Istanbul attack has been established," Mevlut Cavusoglu told Anadolu news agency during a televised interview.
	He did not name the attacker or give any further details.
	The assailant stormed the popular Reina nightclub on the Bosphorus and sprayed 120 bullets at terrified partygoers celebrating the start of 2017 on Sunday.
	Of the 39 dead, 27 were foreigners including citizens from Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Iraq, Tunisia and Morocco.
	The Islamic State group claimed the massacre on Monday, the first time it has produced such a claim for a mass attack in Turkey.
	Since escaping from the club, the gunman has been on the run although authorities previously said they were seeking a suspected jihadist from Central Asia, reportedly ...

Turkey has identified Istanbul nightclub attacker

France has moved to suspend sales of a vitamin D medication following the death of a 10-day-old baby in December who had being given the supplement, health officials said today.
	The decision was taken as a precaution by France's ANSM agency that oversees the safety of medicines and health products, Health Minister Marisol Touraine said in a statement.
	The move comes after a newborn baby died on December 21 after being administered Uvesterol D, which is prescribed for Vitamin D deficiency among young children.
	ANSM has previously issued warnings about how the supplement is administered, following cases of illness especially among premature babies and newborns under one month.

France moves to suspend Vitamin D supplement after baby dies

Julian Assange

Assange also revealed that Russian govt was not part of the WikiLeaks hacked material during the US elections

WikiLeaks urges leaks of departing Obama White House docs

Press Trust of India

Scoreboard after the second day of
the third Test between Australia and Pakistan at the Sydney Cricket Ground today:
     Australia first innings (365 for 3 overnight)
     M Renshaw    b Imran                  184
     D Warner     c Sarfraz b Riaz         113
     U Khawaja    c Sarfraz b Riaz          13
     S Smith      c Sarfraz b Shah          24
     P Handscomb  hit wicket b Riaz        110
     H Cartwright b Imran                   37
     M Wade       c Babar b Azhar           29
     M Starc      c sub b Azhar             16
     S O'Keefe    not out                    0
     Extras (b5, lb1, w2, nb4)              12
     Total (8 wickets dec, 135 overs)      538
     Fall of wickets: 1-151, 2-203, 3-244, 4-386, 5-477, 6-516, 7-532, 8-538
     Bowling: Amir 24-2-83-0, Imran 27-4-111-2, Riaz 28-4-89-3, Shah 40-2-167-1, Azhar 14-0-70-2, Shafiq 2-0-12-0
     Pakistan first innings
     A Ali       batting                    58
     S Khan      c Renshaw b Hazlewood       4
  

Melbourne, Jan 4 (AFP) Scoreboard after the second day of

Azhar Ali and Younis Khan kept Pakistan afloat after rookie Peter Handscomb made it three centurions in Australia's big first innings declaration at the third Sydney Test today.
     The tourists, who have already lost the series after defeats in Brisbane and Melbourne, made a rocky start after Steve Smith called a halt at 538 for eight leaving seven overs for Pakistan to negotiate before tea.
     They lost debutant Sharjeel Khan and Babar Azam in one Josh Hazlewood over before the interval with just six runs on the board.
     But the in-form Azhar and 114-Test veteran Younis steadied the ship with a century stand and took the tourists to stumps at 126 for two.
     Azhar, who scored an unbeaten 205 in last week's Melbourne Test, was on 58 with 39-year-old Younis providing support on 64 to trail Australia by 412 runs.
     Azhar had an escape nearing stumps on 51 when David Warner could not hold a sharp one-handed catch at leg-slip off Nathan Lyon.
     Azhar was eight runs short of 

Azhar, Younis lead Pakistan fightback after Aussies declare

Pakistan were in early trouble after Australia called a halt to their massive first innings at 538 for eight on the second day of the third Test in Sydney today.
     At tea, Pakistan were 16 for two with debutant Sharjeel Khan and Babar Azam dismissed in one Josh Hazlewood over.
     Hazlewood had Sharjeel caught by Matt Renshaw at slip for four and four balls later Babar was leg before wicket for nought.
     Younis Khan had yet to score and Azhar Ali was on 12 at the interval.
     Peter Handscomb joined in the Australian run spree as the third centurion before skipper Steve Smith declared.
     It was Handscomb's second century in just four Tests to join David Warner (113) and Renshaw (184) in another huge Australia innings against the beleaguered tourists.
     Handscomb was out in bizarre circumstances when he went back deep in his crease to cut Wahab Riaz only for his bat to dislodge the leg-bail and he was given out hit wicket for 110.
     Handscomb, brought into the ...

Pakistan in trouble after Australia declare

US mass murderer Charles Manson is "seriously ill" in hospital after being transferred from prison for undisclosed medical condition, according to media reports.
	The 82-year-old was moved from Corcoran State Prison in Kings County, California, to a hospital 60 miles (100 kilometers) to the south in Bakersfield, according to celebrity news portal TMZ.
	A state corrections official refused to comment on the reports and would confirm only that Manson had not died, but the Los Angeles Times cited an unnamed source who said Manson was "seriously ill," without elaborating.
	Manson headed an apocalyptic cult that committed murders in upscale, mostly white neighborhoods of Los Angeles in order to blame the crimes on African Americans, in the hope of sparking what he termed a "Helter Skelter" race war.
	He has been in prison for more than four decades after the 1969 killings, which included the brutal murder of director Roman Polanski's actress wife, Sharon Tate, who was heavily pregnant.
	He 

US mass murderer Manson 'seriously ill' in hospital: media

Peter Handscomb posted his fourth half-century in four Tests as Australia pressed on after the loss of young opener Matthew Renshaw in the third Test against Pakistan today.
     Handscomb, brought into the Australian team with Renshaw in a shake-up after the Hobart Test debacle against South Africa in November, was working towards his second Test century on the second day.
     At lunch, Australia had progressed from their overnight 365 for three to 454 for four with Handscomb on 83 and debutant Hilton Cartwright looking solid on 25.
     The home side added 89 runs in the first session off 29 overs under sunny skies.
     Renshaw's epic knock ended inside the first half-hour when he played paceman Imran Khan on to his stumps for 184.
     The 20-year-old rookie's first century in his fourth Test came off 293 balls with 20 fours in 413 minutes.
     He shared in a 142-run stand with fellow newcomer Handscomb, who raised his fourth 50 off 109 balls.
     Zimbabwe-born Cartwright, ...

Handscomb cruises after Renshaw falls for 184

World athletics chief Sebastian Coe threw his support today behind a new team event spearheaded by Usain Bolt, saying the sport needed "brave, bold ideas" to stay relevant.
     Nine-time Olympic champion Bolt will headline the inaugural Nitro Athletics in Melbourne next month, captaining the 'All-Stars' in the competition.
     The meet will feature six teams -- including Australia, China, Japan, England and New Zealand -- and feature non-traditional events such as middle-distance and hurdles relays in an attempt to broaden athletics' appeal.
     IAAF president Coe said the new-look format across three days was exactly what the sport needed to keep fans interested.
     "Athletics, in its traditional form, remains the cornerstone of the Olympic Games," he said in a statement released by the event organisers.
     "And our world championships remain an incredibly strong and attractive event.
     "However we need innovation and more opportunities for our athletes to interact with ...

Coe says sport must innovate, backs new Bolt event

President-elect Donald Trump said he will hold a press conference on January 11, during which he has previously indicated he would unveil plans to avoid any conflict of interest between the White House and his business dealings.
	Trump has not held a press conference since July, and his announcement gave just the latest date set for the much-delayed event previously due to take place December 15. He was elected in November.
	In a tweet, Trump said: "I will be having a general news conference on JANUARY ELEVENTH in N.Y.C. Thank you."
	Precedent has seen American presidents-elect field numerous press conferences during the transition to power to discuss matters such as their choices to fill their cabinet and policy plans for the incoming administration.
	Instead Trump has relied largely on rallies, photo ops, select interviews and -- in unprecedented fashion -- on tweets.
	He has largely snubbed thus far the tradition that the presidential news conference has become.
	His methods of ...

Trump to hold press conference on January 11

The world athletics body said that it has been sent the names of 200 Russians by international doping investigators who will be checked if they apply to compete as neutral competitors this year.
     The International Association of Athletics Federations said it had been given the names by investigators working for Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren, who has alleged there was a "state-sponsored" doping system in Russia.
     As the list of names emerged, IAAF president Sebastian Coe decried a system which he said had "let down" Russian athletes.
     Russia has been suspended from international competition since 2015 and the IAAF said it had sent new criteria to the Russian federation for athletes to take part in international competition as neutrals.
     Taking part as neutrals may be the only way for Russians to take part in the world athletics championships in London in August.
     "One of the criteria requires athletes to show they are not directly implicated in any way (knowingly .

IAAF says 200 Russians named in doping report

A shallow 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Fiji, the US Geological Survey said, but there were no reports of damage and a tsunami warning was lifted.
	The quake hit at a depth of 15 kilometres (9.3 miles) some 221 kilometres from Nadi and 283 kilometres from the Fijian capital Suva yesterday and was followed by two smaller aftershocks.
	The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre initially said hazardous waves were possible within 300 kilometres of the epicentre, but later reported the threat had passed.
	Geoscience Australia said structural damage from shaking was possible only within an estimated 110 kilometre radius, well away from the nearest land.
	Residents in Nadi on the western side of the main Fijian island of Viti Levu said they felt a slight shake but there were no reports of damage.
	"It was 200 kilometres off the coast which was a saving grace in terms of shaking and damage," Geoscience Australia seismologist Jonathan Bathgate told AFP.
	The area lies on the ...

Tsunami threat passes after 7.2-magnitude quake off Fiji

Turkey's parliament has approved a government-backed motion to extend by another three months the state of emergency imposed in the wake of the July 15 failed coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
	The state of emergency -- which has seen tens of thousands lose their jobs or be arrested on suspicion of links to the putsch -- had already been prolonged once before and was due to expire on January 19.
	Ankara argues the state of emergency is needed to eradicate the influence in Turkish institutions of the US-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen, who it blames for the failed coup. Gulen denies the charges.
	However, the state of emergency -- which is now set to last at least nine months -- has troubled the European Union which fears it has been used for a broad crackdown against Erdogan critics and not just suspected coup plotters.
	According to the latest figures published by the state-run Anadolu news agency, over 41,000 people have been arrested over suspected links to Gulen .

Turkey parliament approves extending emergency by 3 months

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly at UN Headquarters.

He rejected the resolution at the time as a shameful blow against Israel

AFP

AFP

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