Deaths linked to violence in Pakistan decreased significantly in 2016, dropping 45 per cent compared with the previous year, a report released today said.
	Some 2,610 people lost their lives due to violence during the period compared with 4,647 in 2015, according to research by the Islamabad-based think tank, the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS).
	"There was nearly a 45 per cent reduction in the number of violence-related fatalities in 2016, which continued the trend of reduction from 2014," the report said.
	"In fact, since 2014, there has been an overall reduction of nearly 66 per cent.
	It added that December was the least violent month for the country during the year.
	Pakistan's army launched an operation in June 2014 to wipe out militant bases in northwestern tribal areas and bring an end to a bloody insurgency that has cost thousands of civilian lives since 2004.
	It has involved a series of military offensives as well as concerted efforts to block the militants' 

Pakistan violence drops significantly in 2016: report

PTI Automatic

Funerals were being held across the Middle East today for victims of the Istanbul nightclub shooting, many of them young party-goers whose lives were cut tragically short by the attack.
	A total of 39 people were killed in the assault claimed by the Islamic State group, most of them foreigners and many nationals of Arab countries.
	From Lebanon, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iraq, Tunisia, Morocco and Libya, the victims had travelled to Istanbul to spend New Year's Eve at the exclusive Reina club on the shores of the Bosphorus.
	Their bodies have now been flying home, many arriving at airports draped in their national flags, to be met by grieving relatives.
	In Lebanon, there has been widespread shock and mourning over the deaths of the three Lebanese killed.
	Rita Shami was a 26-year-old student. Elias Wardini, also 26, was a personal trainer. Haykal Musallem was a 36-year-old physical trainer with the Tadamon Zouk basketball team whose wife managed to survive the attack.
	The bodies 

Across Middle East, final goodbyes to Istanbul dead

Kyrgyzstan is investigating whether one of its citizens was involved in the New Year's attack at an Istanbul nightclub that left 39 dead, the central Asian country's intelligence services have said.
	"The National Security Committee (GKNB) is looking into the possible involvement of a citizen of Kyrgyzstan in the attack in Istanbul," said Rakhat Soulaimov, spokesman for the intelligence service, adding that investigators have been in touch with their Turkish counterparts.
	He later added that the authorities had detained and questioned a 28-year-old Kyrgyz national, Lakhe Machrapov, upon his return from Turkey after Turkish media reported he was a possible suspect in the attack.
	"Members of the GKNB transferred him to a regional bureau where he was questioned. The details will be released later," Soulaimov told AFP.
	Speaking to Kyrgyz media, Machrapov denied any involvement in the attack, explaining that he arrived in Istanbul on January 1 "on business" before leaving today after ...

Kyrgyzstan probing whether citizen involved in Istanbul attack

Israel's parliament advanced a bill today that would allow a court to order internet sites such as Facebook to remove material considered "incitement", which authorities say contributes to Palestinian violence.
	Government watchdogs have expressed concern that the law could be abused and harm free speech.
	The bill was passed in its first reading and requires two more before becoming law, said a statement from Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, one of its sponsors.
	Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, who also sponsored the legislation, called it "essential to provide the tools to act immediately to remove content that can lead to terrorist acts and murder".
	The legislation, known as the "Facebook bill" in Israel, would allow the government to petition a court to have online material it considers incitement removed.
	It would also apply to major sites such as YouTube and Google.
	Material would be removed in cases where it poses "a real risk to the security of a person, the public or .

Israel advances bill to remove online 'incitement'

Hong Kong's former leader Donald Tsang, who ended his term in disgrace after accepting favours from tycoons, pleaded not guilty to bribery charges today at his high-profile corruption trial.
	Tsang, 72, held the leadership post of chief executive for seven years from 2005 and is the highest-ranking Hong Kong official to face a corruption trial.
	The case is set to send shockwaves through a city that has earned a reputation as one of the world's most open and transparent markets.
	Wearing his customary suit and bow-tie, a somber-looking Tsang arrived hand-in-hand with his wife at the city's High Court over an hour before the hearing was scheduled to begin yesterday morning.
	He pleaded "not guilty" to three charges of misconduct and bribery. Each charge carries a maximum jail sentence of seven years.
	The charges pertain to the period when Tsang was chief executive.
	He is accused of failing to disclose his plans to lease a luxury penthouse in the neighbouring city of Shenzhen from a ..

Hong Kong former leader pleads not guilty over corruption

Around 2,000 Shiite Muslims in western Afghanistan staged a protest today against growing sectarian attacks by Islamic State, as the government warned that the group had expanded its foothold into 11 provinces.
	Chanting "Death to the enemies of Afghanistan!" and "Death to Daesh!", the Arabic acronym for IS, the protesters in the city of Herat marched on the governor's office, carrying pictures of Shiites killed in recent attacks.
	"Daesh attacks on our mosques are increasing everyday. They want to create a rift between Shiites and Sunnis," Qurban Ali, a 40-year-old demonstrator, told AFP.
	"This is a dangerous trend and we want the government to protect us."
	The rise of IS has raised the spectre of sectarian discord in Afghanistan, something that the Sunni-majority country has largely been spared despite decades of war.
	Until a few months ago IS was largely confined to the eastern province of Nangarhar bordering Pakistan, where it is notorious for brutality including beheadings ...

Hundreds of Afghan Shiites protest at IS killings

Turkish authorities today intensified efforts to identify and detain a suspected jihadist who killed 39 people, including two Indians, at an Istanbul nightclub, and who reportedly fought in Syria alongside Islamic State jihadists.
	Police released pictures of the suspect who went on the rampage at the plush Reina nightclub on New Year's night, spraying some 120 bullets at terrified guests before slipping away into the night.
	So far, 16 people are being held over the attack, including two foreigners detained by Turkish police at Istanbul's main airport. But the killer remains on the run.
	Of the 39 dead, 27 were foreigners, mainly from Arab countries, with coffins repatriated overnight to countries including Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.
	The Islamic State (IS) group yesterday claimed the massacre, the first time it has clearly stated being behind a major attack in Turkey.
	The suspect -- who has not been named but was reportedly from Central Asia -- was staying in a rented flat in Konya .

Wanted Istanbul attacker 'fought for IS in Syria'

SpaceX says it has determined the cause of a launchpad explosion that destroyed a satellite in September and is ready to start launches again as early as Sunday.
	An unmanned SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket exploded September 1 in Cape Canaveral, destroying a satellite that Facebook planned to use to beam high-speed internet to Africa.
	That marked a setback for the California-based private space firm and its founder Elon Musk, who wants to revolutionize the launch industry by making rocket components reusable.
	In a statement Monday, SpaceX said it had traced the problem to a pressure vessel in the second-stage liquid oxygen tank. It said it will change the way it fuels for now, and in the future will redesign its pressure vessels.
	SpaceX said it hopes to launch 10 Iridium NEXT communications satellites from a base in California on Sunday.
	The Federal Aviation Administration has to approve the conclusions of the SpaceX investigation of the September failure.
	That accident - the second of ..

SpaceX ready to launch again

The first reprint of Adolf Hitler's "Mein Kampf" in Germany since World War II has proved a surprise bestseller, heading for its sixth print run, its publisher said today.
	The Institute of Contemporary History of Munich (IfZ) said around 85,000 copies of the new annotated version of the Nazi leader's anti-Semitic manifesto had flown off the shelves since its release last January.
	However the respected institute said that far from promoting far-right ideology, the publication had enriched a debate on the renewed rise of "authoritarian political views" in contemporary Western society.
	It had initially planned to print only 4,000 copies but boosted production immediately based on intense demand. The sixth print run will hit bookstores in late January.
	The two-volume work had figured on the non-fiction bestseller list in weekly magazine Der Spiegel over much of the last year, and even topped the list for two weeks in April.
	The institute also organised a successful series of ...

Hitler's 'Mein Kampf' becomes German bestseller: publisher

Turkish authorities today detained two foreign nationals at Istanbul's main airport suspected of links to the attack on a nightclub claimed by Islamic State jihadists that left 39 dead, the Dogan news agency said.
	The pair were detained on entering Ataturk International Airport and have been taken to Istanbul police headquarters for questioning, it added.

Turkey detains two foreigners over nightclub attack: report

A nationwide collapse of the US customs service computer system left thousands of passengers lined up at airports awaiting clearance to officially enter the country, the authorities and US media said.
	"Customs and Border Protection has nationwide outage. Expect delays in passenger processing until the system is restored," Fort Lauderdale's airport, a major hub for the United States and Caribbean, said on Twitter.
	A Customs and Border Protection department spokesman told NBC News that there had been a disruption at several airports and was "taking immediate action to address the technology disruption."
	After a few hours of trouble, the glitch was fixed.
	"All airports are back on line after a temporary outage of CPB's processing systems. No indication the disruption was malicious in nature," Customs said on Twitter.
	But that was not enough for the thousands of tired and cranky passengers who arrived at US gates but then were lined up, in travel limbo, unable to clear customs.
	An ..

US Customs computer collapse leaves travellers waiting

Myanmar police today said they had arrested three people over the murder of a local journalist known for his investigations into illegal logging and brothels.
	Eleven Media reporter Soe Moe Tun's battered body was found last month on the side of a road in Monywa, northwest of Mandalay.
	Myanmar ended official censorship in 2012 after the military junta ceded power, but journalists still face intimidation for investigating controversial topics.
	At least four reporters have been killed with impunity in Myanmar since 1999, according to the New York-based Committee for the Protection of Journalists.
	Local media sources said Soe Moe Tun had reported on the mining industry, illegal logging and the growth of karaoke lounges fronting for brothels before his death.
	Thein Swe Myint, an officer from Monywa police station, said authorities had arrested three suspects after questioning some 40 people over the murder.
	"First we arrested two people from a local KTV (karaoke) operator and we have 

Myanmar police arrest three over reporter murder

Mozambican rebel leader Afonso Dhlakama announced today a two-month ceasefire in the rumbling conflict between Renamo and the government, extending a week-long truce in a move welcomed by the president.
	The clashes between the Frelimo government and Renamo, an armed insurgent group and also an elected opposition party, have revived the spectre of Mozambique's civil war that ended more than 20 years ago.
	"There have been some minor incidents, but the seven-day truce went well, so I announce the extension of the truce for 60 days, until March 4," Dhlakama said in a telephone press conference.
	"The truce is intended to build an atmosphere conducive to advancing talks in Maputo, in an atmosphere of peace and tranquility for both sides."
	Dhlakama, who lives in hiding in the Gorongosa mountains, said Renamo forces would not attack government troops or positions.
	Last year saw a sharp escalation in violence, and more than 15,000 people have been forced to flee to government-run camps, ..

Mozambique rebel leader announces 2-month ceasefire

A former official of China's Food and Drug Administration has been jailed for taking bribes from vaccine manufacturers, reports said today, in a case with echoes of a major scandal that rocked the Asian country last year.
	Yin Hongzhang, the former deputy director of the administration's drug testing centre, received a 10-year sentence and was fined 500,000 yuan for taking bribes to help vaccine manufacturers gain approval for their drugs, China's Legal Evening News newspaper said.
	His wife and son earlier received prison sentences for participating in the scheme and accepting property and bribes worth 3.56 million yuan (USD 510,000), including ivory products worth 180,000 yuan, it said.
	Yin was taken into custody in April 2015 and charged with taking payouts in relation to four biotech firms' efforts to obtain government permits for a variety of vaccines, including for SARS and avian flu.
	The sentence follows the March revelation of a massive vaccine scandal that enraged the ...

Chinese official sentenced 10 years in vaccine scandal

The gunman who killed 39 people at an Istanbul nightclub had fought in Syria for Islamic State jihadists, a report said today, as Turkish authorities intensified their hunt for the attacker.
	Police released pictures of the suspect who went on the rampage at the plush Reina nightclub on New Year's night, spraying some 120 bullets at terrified guests before slipping away into the night.
	Of the 39 dead, 27 were foreigners, mainly from Arab countries, with coffins repatriated overnight to countries including Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.
	The Islamic State group yesterday claimed the massacre, the first time it has clearly stated being behind a major attack in Turkey.
	The government said yesterday that eight people had been detained but media reports said the number had increased to 12 after new detentions in the Anatolian city of Konya.
	The Dogan news agency said they included a woman suspected of being his wife but gave no further details.
	The Hurriyet daily said the attacker showed ...

Istanbul attacker 'fought for IS in Syria'

South Korea said today that US president-elect Donald Trump had sent a "clear warning" to North Korea with a tweet dismissing Pyongyang's ballistic missile claims.
	"North Korea just stated that it is in the final stages of developing a nuclear weapon capable of reaching parts of the US," Trump tweeted. "It won't happen!"
	Trump's tweet came a day after North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un appeared to try to pressure the incoming president by announcing his country is in the "final stages" of developing an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
	Kim also said his country had significantly bolstered its nuclear arsenal last year.
	Washington has repeatedly vowed that it would never accept North Korea as a nuclear-armed nation, but Trump has not previously clearly stated his policy on the isolated Stalinist state.
	"President-elect Trump's message is significant since it is his first mention of North Korea's nuclear programme and can be seen as a clear warning," South Korean foreign ...

S Korea calls Trump's tweet 'clear warning' to North

Emergency services in Malaysia deployed boats and trucks today as thousands of villagers were stranded after four days of heavy rain caused flooding in east coast states, officials said.
	Floods in Terengganu and Kelantan states forced authorities to shut down dozens of schools and roads to villages have been cut off.
	The east coast regularly experiences tropical storms and heavy showers during the monsoon.
	In the last two days in oil-rich Terengganu over a thousand people have been evacuated from their homes, and rescue officials predict the numbers will rise.
	Che Adam Abdul Rahman, civil department force chief in Terengganu, told AFP that 700 rescue officers have been deployed in the state to carry out search and rescue operations.
	Many of the rural roads are impassable, he said.
	"We have now deployed boats and trucks to evacuate the villagers to relief centres, and with continuous rain we expect the number of flood evacuees to rise," Che Adam warned.
	In neighbouring Kelantan, 

Floods hit Malaysia, thousands evacuated

Germany's interior minister today outlined plans for an overhaul of the country's security apparatus, seeking greater federal powers on domestic intelligence and the enforcement of migrant expulsions in the wake of the Berlin truck attack.
	The minister, Thomas de Maiziere, also called for wider oversight for federal police as well as for a crisis management centre to be set up.
	"We don't have federal jurisdiction to deal with national catastrophes. The jurisdiction for the fight against international terrorism is fragmented," he wrote in a guest column for the daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
	"The federal police's scope of action is restricted to railway stations, airports and border controls," he wrote, stressing that "it is time" to reexamine Germany's security set-up.
	After Tunisian suspect Anis Amri allegedly rammed a truck into a crowded Christmas market on December 19, it swiftly emerged that the asylum seeker had slipped through the net of security services.
	Amri had .

Germany plans security overhaul after Berlin attack

Nigeria has urged "urgent" diplomatic action after one of its citizens died in a violent confrontation with South African police, in what they called a "barbaric" and "extra-judicial" killing.
	The incident involves Nigerian man Victor Tochukwu Nnadi, who was allegedly choked as he lay handcuffed on a main street on Thursday.
	Photos and film footage taken by witnesses show a prone body with a swollen face and blood coming from his mouth.
	"The barbaric behaviour of the perpetrators is not only unacceptable, but also calls for urgent attention by diplomatic authorities in Nigeria and South Africa," said Abike Dabiri-Erewa, a senior aide to the president on foreign affairs and the Nigerian diaspora.
	"While appealing to Nigerians to avoid crimes, the extra-judicial killing of Nigerians is... Unacceptable," she said.
	South African police said Nnadi resisted arrest on suspicion of drug dealing and died after swallowing a dose of heroin that he was trying to sell.
	A group representing ..

Nigeria attacks S Africa police after 'barbaric' death

A Chinese transgender man declared victory today after a court ruled he had been illegally fired in the country's first such unfair dismissal case, even though it cleared the company of discrimination.
	The plaintiff, who was born a woman but identifies as a man and generally wears men's clothing, was sacked after seven days working for a health centre in the southwestern province of Guizhou, reports said.
	The Guiyang Yunyan district people's court ordered the company to pay the man, known as Mr C, 843 yuan (USD 121) in salary as well as compensation of 1,500 yuan, Chinese outlet The Paper reported.
	But the court decided last month there was a lack of evidence he was dismissed because of discrimination against transgender people, it said.
	Mr C told AFP today that he was "quite happy" with the result. "It is the first case in China where a sexual minority wins," he said. "It is also a piece of good news for the community."
	But the ruling that discrimination was not involved showed .

Chinese transgender man wins the first illegal dismissal case

A Vietnamese man has had scissors removed from his abdomen which were left behind during surgery 18 years ago, after reporting a stomachache that was nearly two decades in the making.
	Ma Van Nhat, now 54, underwent surgery in 1998 after a car accident and only recently discovered that doctors had left an unwelcome gift behind when they closed him up.
	Doctors discovered the 15-centimetre scissors near his colon after a recent ultrasound.
	He had a three-hour operation at the weekend to remove the scissors, according to Ngo Trung Thang, deputy head of general affairs at Gang Thep Thai Nguyen hospital, 80 kilometres north of Hanoi.
	"He is recovering well," Thang told AFP today.
	Nhat had spent nearly two decades "eating, drinking and having a pretty normal life", according to Suc Khoe va Doi Song news site, the official mouthpiece of Vietnam's health ministry.
	The ultrasound that discovered the scissors only came about after Nhat reported stomach pains.
	Officials said they were ...

AFP

AFP

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