Chancellor Angela Merkel has called on Germans to hold firm to democratic values in the face of jihadist terror, urging them to counter "murderers who are full of hate" with compassion and cohesion.
	In her New Year's address delivered yesterday, less than two weeks after a Tunisian suspect rammed a truck into a crowded Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 people, Merkel acknowledged it was "bitter and sickening" that the attack and others in July were carried out by asylum seekers.
	Nevertheless, she defended her decision in September 2015 to let in tens of thousands fleeing war from mostly Arab and Muslim nations.
	"When we look at the images of bombed out Aleppo in Syria, we have to say once again how important and right it was for us to have helped those who needed our protection to find their way here and to integrate," she said.
	Merkel said it was through such values of humanity and openness that Germany should face down those who espouse hate.
	"As we go on with our lives ...

Merkel urges Germany to face down terror with cohesion,

PTI Automatic

The Pentagon has said it believes that Islamic State chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is indeed alive, despite repeated efforts by the US-led coalition to take out the jihadist group leader.
	Baghdadi has kept a low profile, despite having declared himself the leader of a renewed Muslim caliphate, but last month released a defiant audio message urging his supporters to defend the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.
	It is not clear if he is in the besieged city, where he declared his caliphate in 2014 after the IS group seized territory covering much of eastern Syria and northern Iraq.
	"We do think Baghdadi is alive and is still leading ISIL and we are obviously doing everything we can to track his movements," Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook told CNN.
	"If we get the opportunity, we certainly would take advantage of any opportunity to deliver him the justice he deserves," he said.
	"We're doing everything we can. This is something we're spending a lot of time on."
	In mid-December, the United ...

US says Islamic State chief alive, still leading

Russia has submitted a draft resolution to the UN Security Council supporting the ceasefire it helped broker in Syria as well as planned peace talks in Kazakhstan.
	Moscow drew up the text yesterday endorsing the plan it spearheaded with the help of Turkey and Iran for a nationwide ceasefire.
	The truce went into effect at midnight and appeared to be mainly holding Friday despite reports of sporadic clashes near Damascus.
	The deal calls for subsequent negotiations in late January in the Kazakh capital Astana, Russia's UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin told reporters.
	The council held closed-door consultations on the text yesterday.
	Russia later amended the draft at the request of several member states.
	While Churkin voiced hope that the council could vote Saturday "and adopt it unanimously," diplomats said they were skeptical that such a vote would take place.
	The ceasefire deal calls for negotiations over a political solution to end the conflict that has killed more than 310,000 ...

Russia pushes UN Council resolution endorsing Syria peace plan

DR Congo's government and the opposition are "on the verge" of concluding an accord to end a political crisis over President Joseph Kabila's refusal to quit power, the influential Catholic Church has said.
	Kabila's second and final five-year term ended on December 20, but he has shown no intention of leaving office soon, sparking violent protests that have left at least 40 people dead, according to the United Nations.
	The informal talks between the foes, mediated by the Catholic Church since December 8, resumed on yesterday after a Christmas break.
	The two sides "are on the verge of concluding an accord," said Marcel Utembi, president of the Congo National Episcopal Conference (CENCO), who had pushed for a deal earlier.
	"The various delegates have reached agreement on the points where divergences lay," he said, adding that the pact "is set to be signed tomorrow morning".
	The working document for the deal, seen by AFP, envisages a "political transition" with fresh presidential ...

DR Congo rivals 'on the verge' of signing crisis deal:mediator

US President-elect Donald Trump has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin for not quickly hitting back at Washington for the punitive measures imposed over alleged interference in the November election.
	"Great move on delay (by V. Putin) - I always knew he was very smart!" Trump tweeted yesterday.
	Earlier, the Russian leader ruled out any immediate tit-for-tat expulsions of American officials in the row over what Washington says were "efforts to harm US interests" in connection with the November 8 election won by the Republican.
	Putin's own foreign ministry had recommended that he eject 35 American officials to counterbalance US President Barack Obama's move on Thursday to expel 35 Russian intelligence operatives and shut down two Russian compounds in the US.
	Trump, who succeeds Obama on January 20, has repeatedly praised Putin and made a number of cabinet picks of people with ties to Russia.
	The FBI and CIA have concluded that Russian intelligence agencies oversaw the hacking 

Trump praises Putin for holding off on reprisals against US

US President-elect Donald Trump today praised Russian President Vladimir Putin for not reacting immediately to Washington's move to punish it over alleged election-related interference.
	"Great move on delay (by V. Putin) - I always knew he was very smart!" Trump tweeted.
	Earlier, the Russian leader ruled out any immediate tit-for-tat expulsions of American officials in the row over what Washington says were "efforts to harm US interests" in connection with the November 8 election won by the Republican.
	Putin's own foreign ministry had recommended that he eject 35 American officials to counterbalance US President Barack Obama's move yesterday to expel 35 Russian intelligence operatives and shut down two Russian compounds in the US.

Trump praises 'very smart' Putin for holding off on reprisals

China will ban all domestic ivory trade and processing by the end of 2017, state media reported today, in a move hailed by activists as a "game changer" for African elephants.
	African ivory is highly sought after in China where it is seen as a status symbol and prices for a kilo (2.2 pounds) can reach as much as USD 1,100.
	"China will gradually stop the processing and sales of ivories for commercial purposes by the end of 2017," the official Xinhua news agency said, citing a government statement.
	The announcement follows Beijing's move in March to widen a ban on imports of all ivory and ivory products acquired before 1975 after pressure to restrict a trade that sees thousands of elephants slaughtered every year.
	Xinhua said the complete ban would affect "34 processing enterprises and 143 designated trading venues, with dozens to be closed by the end of March 2017".
	"This is great news that will shut down the world's largest market for elephant ivory," Aili Kang, executive ...

China to ban ivory trade by end of 2017: media

An Istanbul court today charged a prize-winning journalist with "terror propaganda" over a series of social media postings and articles, state media reported, as fears grow over freedom of expression in Turkey.
	Ahmet Sik was detained a day earlier over tweets about the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), proscribed as a "terror organisation" by Turkey, the European Union and the United States.
	He was also remanded in custody over articles for the Cumhuriyet opposition daily that criticised the Turkish secret services, state-run news agency Anadolu said.
	Award-winning Sik is one of the country's best-known journalists and previously was in jail between 2011 and 2012.
	Anadolu reported Sik was also accused of making propaganda for the ultra-leftist Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C) and the group led by US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen blamed for the July 15 failed coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
	Gulen's movement is referred to by Turkish ...

Turkey charges journalist with 'terror propaganda': report

Thirty-nine people have now died after drinking home-made liquor mixed with aftershave on Christmas Eve in central Pakistan, officials said today, including two out of the four suspects accused of creating the toxic brew.
	Police and hospital officials added 23 of the 121 people sickened in the incident, which happened in the town of Toba Tek Singh, some 340 kilometres south of Islamabad, are still in hospital.
	"So far 39 people have died after consuming toxic liquor," senior police official Atif Imran, who is investigating the case, told AFP. Most of the dead were Christians.
	Imran added that two of the four suspects accused of preparing the mix had died while the other two were had been charged with murder and terrorism related offences.
	Though legal breweries exist in Pakistan, alcohol sales and consumption are banned for Muslims and tightly regulated for minorities and foreigners.
	While wealthy Pakistanis buy foreign alcohol on the black market at heavily inflated prices, the .

Death toll from Pakistan toxic liquor incident rises to 39

China's State Grid Corporation is set to build a USD 1.5-billion power line across Pakistan to enable the transmission of 4,000 megawatts of electricity from the country's north to south, the government said today.
	Pakistani and Chinese officials signed an investment agreement in Beijing yesterday to build the country's first high-voltage, direct current (HVDC) line, according to a government statement.
	The power transmission line would link the national grid between the southern Pakistani town of Matiari and easternmost city of Lahore, some 1,000 kilometres apart.
	Pakistan has been struggling to provide enough power to its nearly 200 million citizens for years, and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has vowed to solve the crisis by 2018.
	Sharif inaugurated Pakistan's fourth nuclear power plant on Wednesday, a joint collaboration with China that adds 340 megawatts to the national grid as part of the government's efforts to end a growth-sapping energy deficit.
	The energy sector has ...

China to build USD 1.5 billion power line across Pakistan

Portugal plans to extradite to Italy a former CIA agent convicted over the 2003 abduction of a radical Egyptian imam, a case that highlighted the controversial US secret rendition programme.
	Sabrina de Sousa, arrested at Lisbon airport in October 2015 under a European warrant, said today that the extradition procedure was due to start "after January 3".
	De Sousa and 23 others were convicted in absentia by an Italian court in 2009 over the kidnapping of Abu Omar from a Milan street in an operation allegedly led jointly by the CIA and the Italian intelligence services.
	The trial took place under intense scrutiny because it was the first time anyone had been brought to justice over the extraordinary renditions by the US and its allies after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
	Omar, who had been given political asylum in Italy in 2001, claimed he was tortured after being flown to Egypt via Germany.
	De Sousa, 60, told AFP that Portugal's decision to proceed with extradition had been ...

Portugal to extradite CIA agent over Milan imam abduction

Most world stocks markets were set to finish 2016 in positive territory despite shock votes in Britain and the United States, but the outlook for 2017 is clouded by looming European elections and Brexit.
	This year witnessed a wave of anti-establishment populism, which saw Britain vote to leave the EU and maverick billionaire businessman Donald Trump elected as US president.
	Both unexpected outcomes sparked a brief tumble on global equity markets -- but many have since staged a stunning recovery to finish 2016 in the black.
	London's FTSE 100 has gained 14.3 percent over the year, while Frankfurt's DAX 30 added about 6.7 percent and the Paris CAC 40 won 4.6 percent.
	Since Brexit, London's FTSE 100 blue-chip index has soared to end the year in record-breaking form, as the British economy shrugged off the impact of the impending divorce from the EU.
	In a half-day of trading today, the FTSE 100 set a new intraday and closing high of 7,142.83 points.
	Prime Minister Theresa May has ...

World markets end volatile year in the black

Russia reserves the "right" to retaliate to US sanctions over hacking, but will watch the policy moves of Donald Trump who enters the White House next month, President Vladimir Putin said today.
	"Reserving the right to retaliatory measures, we... Will be planning our next steps in restoring the US-Russian relations based on the policies pursued by the administration of president Donald Trump," Putin said in a statement released by the Kremlin.

Putin 'reserves right' to retaliate, to look at Trump policies

A post-mortem examination on the body of late pop icon George Michael, who died on Christmas Day after a chart-topping career and years of drug-taking, has proved "inconclusive", police said today.
	"The cause of death is inconclusive and further tests will now be carried out. The result of these tests are unlikely to be known for several weeks," according to a police statement.

Post-mortem on pop icon George Michael 'inconclusive': police

Post-mortem on pop icon George Michael 'inconclusive':

A nationwide ceasefire was holding across most of Syria today but clashes near Damascus underlined the fragility of the deal brokered by Turkey and Russia.
	The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said government and rebel forces were fighting in the Wadi Barada area, where opposition fighters have cut water supplies to the capital.
	A resident confirmed the sound of shelling in the area this morning.
	Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said it was unclear who had started the clashes, with both sides blaming the other.
	Syria's government had been shelling the area before the truce began at midnight as it pushes rebels there to accept a "reconciliation deal" and leave the area.
	Among the forces present there is former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front, previously known as Al-Nusra Front, which Syria's government says is excluded from the ceasefire.
	Opposition figures however say the truce applies to all opposition-held territory, even where Fateh al-Sham is ...

Syria truce begins, but clashes erupt near Damascus

President Vladimir Putin said today that Moscow would not expel any US diplomats, a surprise decision after Washington turfed out Russian diplomats over alleged interference in the US election.
	"We will not create problems for American diplomats. We will not expel anyone," Putin said in a statement released by the Kremlin, also inviting children of US diplomats to a holiday party in the Kremlin.
	Indicating that the ball was in the court of the next US administration, Putin said however that Moscow reserved the right to retaliate after Washington's decision to expel 35 diplomats, who have 72 hours to leave the country.
	"According to international practice, Russia has all the grounds for a comparable response," Putin announced, following a statement by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov which suggested a tit-for-tat response was in the works.
	"Reserving the right to retaliatory measures, we... Will be planning our next steps in restoring US-Russian relations based on the policies ...

Putin says Russia will not expel US diplomats

Putin 'reserves right' to retaliate,will look at Trump olicies

Nigeria has recently trumpeted a major victory in its battle against Boko Haram, claiming that its army has routed the jihadists from their forest bastion, but the war against them is far from over.
	After years of devastating battles and a recent surge in attacks, the fear in Nigeria is that Boko Haram will simply decamp from the Sambisa forest enclave to other areas nearby.
	Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari announced on Christmas Eve that a months-long campaign had led to the "final crushing of Boko Haram terrorists in their last enclave in Sambisa Forest".
	The Nigerian military said troops were chasing fleeing Boko Haram militants, claiming that the fight against the jihadists was in its final stages.
	But yesterday, Boko Haram's elusive leader Abubakar Shekau appeared in a video to dispute the government's claim.
	"We are safe. We have not been flushed out of anywhere," Shekau said in the 25-minute video, flanked by masked armed fighters.
	As access to the conflict zones is ...

War not over after Boko Haram ousted from forest bastion

Suspected Berlin truck attacker Anis Amri considered heading to Rome before finally plumping for Milan where police shot him dead, Italian media reported today.
	The Corriere della Sera daily said that security cameras at Turin station had twice recorded the 24-year-old searching for trains either to Rome or Milan.
	"In the end, he chose a regional train for Lombardy because at that late hour, there was no train going to the capital," said the paper, adding that this showed he had "no precise travel plan."
	Several papers also reported that when he arrived in Milan in the early hours of December 23, Amri asked a passer-by where he could catch a train or bus for "Rome, Naples or the south."
	Sesto San Giovanni, the town north of Milan where Amri was eventually shot, is the starting point for international coaches to Spain, Morocco, Albania or southern Italy.
	Local Rome daily Il Messaggero said it was "not a coincidence" that he was eyeing the capital as that city was where he ...

Berlin truck attacker 'considered going to Rome'

Russia today moved to expel 35 US diplomats in a tit-for-tat response after President Barack Obama unleashed a barrage of punishment against Moscow over alleged election interference.
	Obama's broadside over cyberattacks sent ties between Russia and the United States -- already at their worst since the Cold War -- to a fresh low less than a month ahead of President-elect Donald Trump taking charge.
	The outgoing US leader yesterday gave 35 alleged Russian "intelligence operatives" based at the country's embassy in Washington and consulate in San Francisco 72 hours to leave the country, and hit Russia's military and domestic intelligence agencies with sanctions.
	"We of course cannot leave these stunts unanswered. Reciprocity is the law in diplomacy and international relations," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in a televised statement, dismissing the US allegations as "groundless".
	Lavrov said his ministry had asked President Vladimir Putin to declare 31 employees at the ..

AFP

AFP

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