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 ..

Russia to expel US diplomats in tit-for-tat move

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Beijing has pledged to open up more economic sectors to foreign investment, an official statement said, as foreign chambers of commerce complain of a worsening business environment in the country.
	China will "unwaveringly insist on the opening-up policy" and "create fair competition environment by treating foreign and domestic funds as the same", the State Council, China's cabinet, said in a statement late yesterday after a meeting hosted by Premier Li Keqiang.
	Foreign direct investment in China is estimated to reach 785 billion yuan (now USD 113 billion) this year, China's Ministry of Commerce said Monday, lower than the total of USD 135.6 billion last year.
	The EU Chamber of Commerce in China has complained of an "unequal investment landscape" in the country and called for it to drop widescale prohibitions on foreign investment.
	China will allow foreign firms to operate fully-owned subsidiaries, rather than joint ventures, in sectors including rail transportation equipment and ..

China vows to open up economy as investment declines

The Philippine government blamed Islamic militants today for bomb attacks that left 52 people injured during the mainly Catholic nation's Christmas holidays.
	An explosion ripped through fight fans watching a boxing match in the central town of Hilongos late Wednesday, while six people were hurt in a roadside bomb attack on the southern island of Mindanao the same night.
	Police said 13 people were also injured in another blast outside a Catholic church during Christmas Eve mass on Mindanao on Saturday.
	"It looks like they are employing diversionary tactics elsewhere to ease military pressure on them," Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana told reporters.
	Two small Mindanao-based Islamic militant groups, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and the Maute group, are suspected of involvement in the blasts after they formed a tactical alliance and began sharing bomb-making technology, he added.
	The BIFF is a breakaway faction of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the country's .

Philippines blames Islamic militants over bombings

Russia's foreign ministry has requested President Vladimir Putin turf out 35 American diplomats from the country in a tit-for-tat response to a similar move by Washington, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday.
	"Russia's foreign ministry... Has requested that the Russian president approve declaring as personae non gratae 31 employees of the US embassy in Moscow and four diplomats from the US consulate in Saint Petersburg," Lavrov said in televised comments.

Russia moves to expel 35 US diplomats: Lavrov

Clashes erupted between Syrian government forces and opposition fighters in an area outside Damascus today, despite a nationwide truce that began at midnight, a monitor said.
	The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it was not clear who had started the clashes in the Wadi Barada region, adding that government helicopters were firing on the area.

Clashes erupt near Damascus despite Syria truce: monitor

Saudi Arabia has invited regional rival Iran to discuss a return of its nationals to next year's hajj after Iranians were excluded from the pilgrimage following a major diplomatic row, reports said today.
	The Al-Hayat daily reported that Riyadh's pilgrims minister Mohammed Bentin had opened discussions with more than 80 countries, including Iran, to work out the details of the 2017 hajj.
	"Iran's hajj delegation was invited to come to the kingdom" for preparations, the paper said.
	The Arab News daily said Riyadh would welcome pilgrims for hajj and the smaller umra rite "irrespective of their nationalities or sectarian affiliations, including Iranian pilgrims".
	More than 1.8 million faithful took part in this year's hajj, but Iranians stayed at home after tensions between Riyadh and Tehran boiled over following a deadly stampede during the 2015 pilgrimage.
	Iran says it lost 464 people in the crush outside Mecca.
	They were among more than 2,300 people killed in the worst ever ...

Saudi invites rival Iran for talks on hajj return

Disney has won a copyright dispute over a Chinese knock-off of its animated movie Cars, a China court said today, a rare victory for a foreign firm in a country famous for counterfeits.
	Bluemtv, which makes the Chinese cartoon The Autobots, and the film's publisher have been ordered to stop their infringement of Disney's copyrights, the Shanghai High People's Court said in a statement posted on the Twitter-like Weibo.
	The court also ordered the Chinese side to pay 1.35 million yuan (USD 194,600) to Disney including compensation and legal fees, a microscopic sum for a company that opened a USD 5.5-billion theme park in Shanghai in June.
	Produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Disney in 2006, the US film won the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film.
	The court said The Autobots, released last year, took the design of key characters from the Cars series, including Lightning McQueen in the first film and Francesco Bernoulli in the sequel, violating the ...

Disney wins 'Cars' copyright suit in China

Final scores on the fifth
day of the first Test between South Africa and Sri Lanka at St George's Park on Friday.
	   South Africa 1st innings 286
	   Sri Lanka 1st innings 205
	   South Africa 2nd innings 406/6 declared
	   Sri Lanka 2nd innings
	   D Karunaratne run out (Duminy) 43
	   K Silva lbw b Rabada 48
	   K Perera c De Kock b Maharaj 6
	   K Mendis c De Kock b Rabada 58
	   A Mathews lbw b Abbott 59
	   D Chandimal c Rabada b Maharaj 8
	   D de Silva lbw b Abbott 22
	   R Herath c and b Philander 3
	   D Chameera c De Kock b Rabada 0
	   S Lakmal not out 19
	   N Pradeep b Maharaj 4
	   Extras (b-4, lb-3, nb-1, w-3) 11
	   Total (All out in 96.3 overs) 281
	   Fall of wickets: 1-87 (Karunaratne), 2-93 (Perera), 3-118 (Silva), 4-193 (Mendis), 5-225 (Chandimal), 6-246 (Mathews), 7-258 (De Silva), 8-258 (Herath), 9-274 (Chameera)
	   Bowling: Philander 22-5-65-1, Abbott 20-6-38-2 (2w), Rabada 21-4-77-3 (1nb, 1w), Maharaj 30.3-7-86-3, Duminy 3-0-8-0.

Port Elizabeth, Dec 30 (AFP) Final scores on the fifth

Russia moves to expel 35 US diplomats in tit-for-tat

China is the world's second-largest economy and has one of the fastest growth rates of any G20 nation, but its stock markets have been among the worst performing in the world this year.
	Starting with a botched attempt to reduce volatility that instead triggered a spectacular meltdown, Chinese bourses have spent the year struggling against feckless policymakers, massive capital flight and a languishing currency.
	The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index (SCI) closed today down 12.3 per cent for the year, compared to a rise of 0.4 for Japan's Nikkei 225, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index also rose 0.4 per cent.
	China was vying with debt-ridden Portugal for last place among the 40-plus countries tracked by Wall Street Journal's Market Data Center.
	It is a significantly worse performance than 2015's wild ride, when the SCI surged by 60 per cent in the first half before plunging by more than 40 per cent in under three months. Even so, it finished the year with an overall gain of 9.4 per ..

China stockmarkets among world's worst in 2016

Iran's foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif today welcomed a nationwide truce in Syria as a "major achievement" that could lead to renewed peace talks.
	On the deal brokered by Russia and Turkey - potentially a significant breakthrough in the nearly six-year conflict - Zarif said: "Ceasefire in Syria is a major achievement.
	"Let's build on it by tackling the roots of extremist terror," he posted on Twitter.
	Zarif spoke by telephone yesterday with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on the latest developments in Syria, where Iran has offered considerable military, financial and diplomatic aid to defend President Bashar al-Assad.
	"Both sides welcomed the nationwide ceasefire and emphasised the fight against terrorism, Islamic State (IS) and Al-Nusra groups and their allies," the official IRNA news agency said.
	Zarif and Lavrov agreed to "continue consultation and coordination within the framework of the tripartite agreement among Turkey, Iran and Russia to hold talks between the .

Iran's Zarif hails Syria truce as 'major achievement'

The Pakistani man wrongly arrested for the Berlin truck attack today said he had told German police he could not even drive and was now afraid for the safety of his family back home.
	Naveed Baloch, an asylum seeker from the troubled province of Balochistan, told the Guardian newspaper he had just left a friend's house and was crossing a street when he saw a police car approaching fast and picked up his pace.
	He said he was arrested and taken to a police station, where he was undressed and photographed.
	"When I resisted, they started slapping me," the 24-year-old, who has been living in a secret location provided by police since his release because he says he is afraid for his life, told the British daily.
	Baloch, who sought refuge in Germany as a member of a secular separatist movement in Balochistan, said he struggled to communicate because no translator could be found who could speak his native Balochi.
	"I calmly told them I cannot drive at all. Neither can I even start a ...

Man wrongly arrested for Berlin attack fears for family:report

Romania's president today named social-democrat Sorin Grindeanu as the nation's new prime minister, bringing to a close weeks of uncertainty since the left won a parliamentary vote on December 11.
	The centre-right president Klaus Iohannis signed the official decree naming Grindeanu, a 43-year-old former communications minister, as the new premier.
	Grindeanu now faces a confidence vote in parliament on his programme and cabinet nominees.
	The nomination sought to put an end to a political crisis sparked when Iohannis rejected a previous candidate who would have been the country's first female and first Muslim prime minister.
	The president offered no reasons for his rejection of Sevil Shhaideh, initially put forward by the Social Democrats (PSD), but there was speculation that it was due to her Syrian husband's background.
	Sources close to the president had indicated yesterday that Grindeanu was considered a "better solution."
	He is seen in Romania as a "disciplined soldier" within 

Romania gets new PM, ending political turmoil

Croatia today announced the discovery of a highly contagious strain of bird flu in poultry at a small family farm on the country's northern border with Hungary.
	The H5N8 strain of bird flu, detected at a farm in the village of Kriznica on the Drava river, killed all 15 chickens and ducks raised there, an agriculture ministry statement said.
	The village is home to 22 small farms raising poultry, it said.
	But as it is located between the Drava and the border, there is no risk that the virus will spread, the ministry added.
	Precautionary measures were nonetheless brought in.
	"A ban on the movement of people, animals and vehicles was introduced in the area of infection," the statement said.
	All poultry in the village will be culled later on today.
	The H5N8 strain can spread quickly in affected farms, often leading to the culling of thousands of birds.
	Since October, the strain has been detected in 14 other European countries including Britain, France and Germany.
	Hungary has had .

Croatia reports bird flu in farm poultry

The world's highest bridge has opened to traffic in China, connecting two provinces in the mountainous southwest and reducing travel times by as much as three-quarters, local authorities said today.
	   The Beipanjiang Bridge soars 565 metres (1,854 feet) above a river and connects the two mountainous provinces of Yunnan and Guizhou, the Guizhou provincial transport department said in a statement on its official website.
	   The bridge cut travel times between Xuanwei in Yunnan to Shuicheng in Guizhou from more than four hours to around one, a truck driver surnamed Duan was quoted by the official news agency Xinhua as saying after the bridge opened Thursday.
	   It was "very convenient for people who want to travel between these two places", he added.
	   The 1,341-metre span cost over 1 billion yuan (USD 144 million) to build, according to local newspaper Guizhou Daily.
	   It overtook the Si Du River Bridge in the central province of Hubei to become the world's highest bridge, a ...

World's highest bridge opens in China

The British government has said peace between Israel and the Palestinians cannot be brokered by focusing solely on settlement construction, following a stern warning over the practice by US Secretary of State John Kerry.
	   British Prime Minister Theresa May's spokesperson said Britain supports a two-state solution and believes the construction of settlements on Palestinian lands is illegal.
	   "But we are also clear that the settlements are far from the only problem in this conflict.
	   "In particular, the people of Israel deserve to live free from the threat of terrorism, with which they have had to cope for too long," the spokesperson said in a statement.
	   The comments from Downing Street come a day after Kerry issued a stern warning to Israel in which he said building settlements threatens the country's future as a democracy.
	   Kerry accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government of allowing Israel to slide towards a "perpetual occupation."
	   Without referring to 

UK criticises focus on Israel settlements after Kerry speech

A Palestinian woman was shot and wounded after approaching an Israeli security checkpoint near Jerusalem with a knife, Israeli police said.
	The 35-year-old approached the crossing point in Qalandia, between Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank, in a lane designated for vehicles despite repeated calls from guards to stop, a statement said.
	She was wounded when security forces opened fire, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said, adding that her injuries were not thought to be life-threatening.
	Since October 2015, 246 Palestinians, 36 Israelis, two Americans, a Jordanian, an Eritrean and a Sudanese have been killed in a wave of violence, according to an AFP count.
	Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to Israeli authorities.
	Others were shot dead during protests or clashes, while some died in Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip.

Israeli guards shoot knife-wielding Palestinian woman

A fragile calm was holding across Syria today after a truce brokered by Russia and Turkey came into effect, a potentially major breakthrough after nearly six years of conflict.
	There were reports of isolated violence, including clashes in central Hama province between government forces and jihadist factions, a monitor said.
	The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said there were casualties among regime forces in the clashes after midnight with jihadists near the town of Mahardeh.
	The fighters were believed to be from a faction that did not sign the ceasefire announced yesterday by Russian President Vladimir Putin, and confirmed by Syria's army and mainstream opposition bodies.
	The Observatory reported other minor violations, including the firing of a single missile by regime forces in southern Daraa province, but said the truce was largely holding.
	"There have not been any large violations," said Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman.
	"From midnight until 8:00 am (0600GMT) ...

Syria truce holding despite isolated violence

The court tasked with validating the impeachment of South Korean President Park Geun-Hye said today that she would not be required to appear for questioning.
	But the Constitutional Court said Park's close friend Choi Soon-Sil, the media-dubbed "Rasputin" at the centre of the corruption scandal that triggered the president's downfall, must submit for questioning on January 10.
	The National Assembly, which passed a motion to impeach Park earlier this month, had asked the court to summon Park and question her directly.
	"The request ... Is rejected," the court said.
	The court has 180 days to consider parliament's impeachment motion and its president Park Han-Chul said in a New Year message that it would seek to make a decision "at an early date".
	If the impeachment is confirmed, a presidential election will have to be held within 60 days.
	Park is accused of colluding with Choi to strong-arm companies into handing over tens of millions of dollars to dubious foundations which Choi ...

Impeached S Korea president spared court appearance

The Marshall Islands have been plunged into an Internet blackout, angering businessmen as repairs are made to the country's submarine fibre-optic cable.
	The National Telecommunications Authority in Majuro has shifted all phone and Internet communications from the cable to satellites, reducing the available bandwith by 97 per cent.
	Since the repair work began on Wednesday, Internet access has been limited to email only for the 53,000 residents in the western Pacific nation.
	All social media sites have been closed, except for selected business customers, and it is impossible to stream movies and videos.
	"It gives us a new evaluation of what the Internet means to us," said Jerry Kramer, the chief executive of Pacific International, the Marshall's largest construction company.
	"They (the NTA) are sharing bandwidth with customers and doing their best in this situation," he added, saying it made life difficult when trying to submit large volume documents for construction projects.
	The 

Marshall Islands in Internet blackout

Mitchell Starc spearheaded Australia to a stunning final day innings victory over Pakistan to claim the series in Melbourne on Friday.
     The fast bowler smashed 84 off 91 balls with a record seven sixes and then captured four wickets for 36 to lead Australia to a resounding innings and 18-run victory over the hapless tourists.
     Skipper Steve Smith set the ball rolling for a dramatic victory when he declared Australia's first innings at 624 for eight just before lunch.
     That gave Australia a 181-run lead and a minimum of 70 overs to bowl out Pakistan. In the end the Australians needed only 53.2 overs to pull off an emphatic victory and with their 39-run win in the first Gabba Test to clinch the three-Test series.
     While Smith was named man-of-the-match for his unbeaten 165, it was Starc who put his stamp on the game with his sensational effort with bat and ball.
     Starc clubbed seven sixes, the most in an innings in a Melbourne Test, and was severe on Yasir Shah, ...

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