Japan's defence minister went to a controversial war shrine in Tokyo today, media reports said, the day after accompanying Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on a highly symbolic visit to Pearl Harbor.
	The shrine honours millions of mostly Japanese war dead and has been criticised by countries such as China and South Korea which suffered under Japan's colonialism and aggression in the first half of the 20th century.
	Tomomi Inada, Abe's hawkish new defence chief, visited Yasukuni for the first time since taking the key cabinet post in August, according to national broadcaster NHK, the Asahi Shimbun and Jiji Press.
	The timing of the visit is likely to prove highly contentious coming so soon after Abe's pilgrimage with President Barack Obama to the site of Japan's December 7, 1941 attack on a US navy base in Hawaii that drew the US into World War II.
	Defence ministry officials could not be reached for immediate comment.
	Abe and Obama paid homage to the more than 2,400 Americans killed in ...

Japan defence minister visits Yasukuni war shrine: Media

PTI Automatic

Film legend Debbie Reynolds died after suffering a stroke, a day after the death of her movie star daughter Carrie Fisher, US media reported.
	"She wanted to be with Carrie," her son Todd Fisher was quoted as telling industry weekly Variety yesterday, hours after the 84-year-old collapsed at his Beverly Hills home and was rushed to hospital.

Carrie Fisher's mother Debbie Reynolds dead at 84: reports

Film legend Debbie Reynolds was rushed to hospital after suffering a possible stroke, a day after the death of her movie star daughter Carrie Fisher, emergency services and US media said.
	A spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Fire Department told AFP yesterday paramedics responded to a request for medical aid at the Beverly Hills home of Todd Fisher, Reynolds's son, just after 1:00 pm (local time).
	The spokeswoman would not confirm it was the 84-year-old icon but said "an adult female patient in fair to serious condition" had been transported to the nearby Cedars-Sinai hospital.
	Reynolds "just suffered a medical emergency, which we're told is a possible stroke," reported celebrity news portal TMZ, adding that she had been distraught since Fisher's death following a heart attack.
	Fisher, catapulted to worldwide stardom as rebel warrior Princess Leia in the original "Star Wars" trilogy, was pronounced dead in Los Angeles on Tuesday, four days after collapsing on a transatlantic ...

Debbie Reynolds rushed to hospital: paramedics

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said today he was ready to resume peace efforts with Israel if it stopped settlement building, reacting to a major speech by US Secretary of State John Kerry.
	"The minute the Israeli government agrees to cease all settlement activities... And agrees to implement the signed agreements on the basis of mutual reciprocity, the Palestinian leadership stands ready to resume permanent status negotiations on the basis of international law and relevant international legality resolutions... Under a specified timeframe," he said in a statement.
	Kerry's speech included sharp criticism of Israeli settlement building and came after last week's UN Security Council resolution calling for an end to such activity.
	The United States abstained at the Security Council, allowing the resolution to pass 14-0.
	Washington and others say continued settlement building is steadily eroding the possibility of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
	Israeli ..

Palestinians can talk peace if settlements halt: Abbas

Israel's national archive today announced the launch of an online database of 200,000 documents aimed at putting to rest decades-old allegations of a racket in stolen babies.
	Since a wave of Yemenite Jewish emigration to the newly created state of Israel in around 1950, Yemenite activists have charged that hundreds of babies declared dead by doctors were actually abducted for adoption by European Jewish couples.
	They say the babies went missing from camps set up to host Yemenites along with Jews arriving from other Arab countries in the early 1950s.
	Doctors at the camps told them their children had died, but refused to hand over the bodies or death certificates.
	Activists and family members believe up to several thousand babies were taken in the years after Israel was founded in 1948, mainly from Jewish Yemenite families, but also from immigrants of other Arab or Balkan nations.
	Official inquiries have found that most of the missing babies had died, pointing out the poor ...

Israel opens database on 'stolen' Yemeni babies

The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, an international election and war monitor, said today it had become the latest global institution to suffer a "major" cyber attack.
	The Vienna-based OSCE has its origins in the Cold War but after 1991 it expanded and now has 57 member states including the United States, Russia and Ukraine.
	It currently has 700 monitors focused on the conflict in eastern Ukraine and is also active in observing elections and tracking media freedom.
	OSCE spokeswoman Mersiha Causevic Podzic told AFP in an email that it "became aware of a major information security incident" in early November.
	The attack "compromised the confidentiality" of the organisation's IT network and put "its integrity at risk", although it was still able to operate, she said.
	According to French daily Le Monde, which first reported the incident, a Western intelligence agency believes that Russian hackers group APT28 was behind the attack.
	This group, also known as Pawn 

OSCE victim of 'major' cyber attack

Former world No 1 Ana Ivanovic today announced her retirement from tennis.
	The 29-year-old Serbian held the top spot for 12 weeks in 2008, the season when she claimed her sole Grand Slam success by winning the French Open.

Tennis: Former world No 1 Ana Ivanovic retires

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today called a major speech by US Secretary of State John Kerry on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict "skewed against Israel".
	"Like the Security Council resolution that Secretary Kerry advanced in the UN, his speech tonight was skewed against Israel," a statement from Netanyahu's office said.
	"For over an hour, Kerry obsessively dealt with settlements and barely touched upon the root of the conflict -- Palestinian opposition to a Jewish state in any boundaries.

Kerry speech 'skewed against Israel': Netanyahu

A woman who killed her abusive husband and became a symbol of the suffering of France's domestic violence victims walked free from prison today after receiving a presidential pardon.
	President Francois Hollande granted the pardon because he "considered that (Jacqueline) Sauvage's place was no longer in prison but with her family," the president's office said in a statement earlier.
	Sauvage, 69, was serving a 10-year sentence at a jail southeast of Paris for shooting her husband Norbert Marot dead a day after their son hanged himself in 2012.
	A police source said a car seen leaving the prison was carrying Sauvage and three family members. Hordes of journalists were on hand, but the car did not stop.
	Sauvage's daughter Carole Marot told French radio earlier that she was on her way to the prison. "I'm crying, it's wonderful," she said. "Endless thanks to the president."
	One of her lawyers, Nathalie Tomasini, said today she was "overcome by joy and emotion" over the pardon.
	The ...

French abuse victim who killed husband freed after pardon

US Secretary of State John Kerry insisted today that Israel and a future Palestine should live as two states based on the territory they held before the 1967 Six Day War.
	Kerry, in a major speech on the frozen Middle East peace process, said "equivalent swaps" of land could happen to modify the border, but only by mutual consent.
	Jerusalem, he argued, should be recognised as the capital of both states and those countries that do not recognize Israel as a Jewish state should do so.
	"It is up to Israelis and Palestinians to make the difficult choices for peace but we can all help," he said, laying out the United States recommendations for reviving the peace effort.

Kerry urges Israel, Palestinians to agree on 1967 lines with

Another 900 migrants have been rescued from stricken boats off Libya, Italy's coastguard said today, three days before the end of what is already a record year for arrivals at the country's southern ports.
	Most of the latest batch of migrants were picked up overnight from two wooden boats travelling together and around 40 people were rescued from another boat at dawn.
	Around 400 were rescued by the Aquarius, a rescue boat operated by charity SOS Mediterranee, which said the migrants it had taken on board included Eritreans, Bangladeshis, Pakistanis, Somalians and Syrians.
	According to the Italian Interior Ministry, some 180,300 migrants had been registered this year at Italian ports prior to the latest rescues. This compares with a previous annual record of 170,100, recorded in 2014.
	UN bodies say more than 5,000 people have died trying to cross the Mediterranean, most of them on the Libya-Italy route. The Libyan Red Cross said today that 11 drowned bodies had been found on ...

Italy says another 900 migrants rescued in Med

Two mortar rounds were fired at the Russian embassy in Damascus today, the foreign ministry in Moscow said, adding that no casualties or damage had been caused.
	"From 1:00 pm to 1:19 pm Moscow time (1000 GMT to 1019 GMT), the Russian embassy was bombarded by terrorists. One mortar, which luckily didn't explode, landed in the courtyard inside the embassy premises," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
	"The second mortar landed in the neighbourhood" near the embassy, the statement said, adding that deminers intervened to defuse the explosives.
	"We consider this new act of provocation by extremists seeking to derail the peace process in Syria, to be a confirmation of their intention to continue to sow terror and violence" in the war-torn nation, the ministry added.
	The Russian embassy in central Damascus has been the frequent target of rebel fire ever since war erupted in 2011.
	In May 2015, a man was killed when mortar rounds landed near the embassy complex.
	Moscow has been a .

Mortar fire targets Russian embassy in Damascus

London stocks closed at a record high today on the back of a Santa Rally in subdued trade after a long Christmas holiday, while Wall Street retreated from record highs.
	The British capital's benchmark FTSE 100 index of top blue-chip firms won 0.5 per cent from last Friday as traders returned from a four-day holiday weekend, closing at a record high of 7,106.08 points, beating the previous record of 7,103.98 set in April 2015.
	The "Santa Rally bullishness appears to remain firm on hopes of an OPEC-led production cut and Trump stimulus," Accendo Markets analyst Mike van Dulken told AFP, with rising oil prices boosting a number of FTSE 100 stocks.
	The record close came as US stocks have also been setting new highs following the US election victory of Donald Trump sparking hopes of additional spending and tax cuts, with the Dow having flirted with the 20,000 level in recent weeks.
	Rising commodity prices have also boosted mining companies on the FTSE.
	"The FTSE 100 is the star ...

'Santa Rally' gifts record close to London stocks

Madrid's city hall announced today it had ordered half of most private cars off the roads to fight a particularly bad bout of pollution, a first in Spain.
	From tomorrow, between 0530 GMT and 2000 GMT, "vehicles with even-number registration plates will be allowed to drive around on even-number days and cars with odd-number registration plates on odd-number days," it said in a statement.
	The measure, which will be re-evaluated on a daily basis depending on pollution levels, is a first in Spain.
	It is activated when levels of harmful nitrogen dioxide in the atmosphere go above 200 microgrammes per cubic metre in at least two measuring stations for two days running, and if the air is unlikely to clear imminently.
	There are exceptions to the ban, such as for mopeds, hybrid cars, those carrying three people or more or used by disabled people.
	Buses, taxis and emergency vehicles are also exempt.
	"It's not about traffic restrictions but about the important issue of public health," ...

In Spain first, Madrid bans half of cars to fight smog

Kuwait is set to begin importing up to 200 million cubic feet of gas daily from neighbouring Iraq, oil ministers from the two Arab nations said after talks on today.
	Cited by Kuwait News Agency KUNA, Iraqi Oil Minister Jabbar al-Luaibi said the project "will see the light very soon".
	Kuwaiti Oil Minister Essam al-Marzouk said the quantities have been agreed and the start date will be determined after technical committees fix prices and shipping methods.
	Marzouk said an initial 50 million cubic feet daily will rise gradually to 200 million cubic feet a day.
	OPEC member Kuwait is rich in crude oil but poor in gas resources, and has imported gas for years during the summer months to meet demand.
	Luaibi said they also discussed production from border oilfields and agreed to form a committee and appoint a consultant.
	The Iraqi minister said without elaborating that the two nations do not have any differences.
	Kuwait and Iraq had agreed in August 2010 "in principle" on a deal to ...

Kuwait to start importing gas from Iraq: ministers

US President-elect Donald Trump today accused Barack Obama of making "inflammatory" statements and complicating the impending transfer of power -- the latest salvo in an escalating war of words with the current commander-in-chief.
	The unorthodox personal and public criticism of a sitting president comes less than a month before the 70-year-old Trump -- who defeated Obama's preferred successor Hillary Clinton in November's presidential election -- takes office.
	"Doing my best to disregard the many inflammatory President O statements and roadblocks," Trump wrote on Twitter.
	"Thought it was going to be a smooth transition - NOT!"
	The social media jab is the latest from the 70-year-old real estate mogul aimed at Obama, in what has become a most unconventional transition between the outgoing Democrat and the incoming Republican leader.
	Obama said in an interview released earlier this week that he could have been re-elected for a third term if he had been eligible and that the nation ..

Trump slams 'inflammatory' Obama on Twitter

Stephen Cook hit a century as South Africa took control on the third day of the first Test against Sri Lanka at St George's Park.
     South Africa were 351 for five at the close, an overall lead of 432 on a ground where no team has successfully chased more than 271 in the fourth innings.
	In contrast to the first two days, when seam bowlers held sway, South Africa scored freely against a lacklustre bowling attack on a pitch which seemed to have flattened out.
	Cook made 117 to lead a powerful batting performance by the hosts.
	He shared century partnerships with Dean Elgar (52) and Hashim Amla (48). Cook and Elgar put on 116 for the first wicket, their second three-figure opening stand of the match. Then Cook and Amla added 105 for the second wicket off only 118 balls as the Sri Lankan bowlers and fielders wilted.
	After two interruptions for rain, the playing hours were changed and South Africa scored 182 runs off 40 overs in an extended post-lunch period. They added another 131 off 

Cook hits century as South Africa dominate

US Secretary of State John Kerry warned today that Israel's settlement building in the West Bank threatens both hope for peace with the Palestinians and the country's own future as a democracy.
	In a major speech setting out his vision of a solution to the conflict, Kerry warned Israel was on a course leading to a "perpetual occupation" of Palestinian-owned land.
	"Today, there are a similar number of Jews and Palestinians living between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea," he told an audience of diplomats in Washington.
	"They have a choice. They can choose to live together in one state, or they can separate into two states," he said.
	"But here is a fundamental reality: if the choice is one state, Israel can either be Jewish or democratic -- it cannot be both --and it won't ever really be at peace."
	Explaining the US decision last week not to veto a UN Security Council vote to condemn Israeli settlement building, Kerry said: "The vote in the UN was about preserving the ...

Settlement programme threatens Israel's future: Kerry

Plans to hold a mass in memory of a suspected mafia boss have sparked a scandal in Italy, with a parish priest planning to appeal to Pope Francis after authorities banned the ceremony.
	"Sinners deserve God's mercy," Father Michele delle Foglie told several newspapers today.
	After a request from the family of Rocco Sollecito, 67, who was shot dead in Canada earlier this year, the priest had planned to celebrate a mass in his memory as is the custom in Italy.
	Sollecito, who hailed from the town of Grumo Appula outside of Bari in southern Italy, later emigrated to Canada and was suspected of being one of the senior bosses of a mafia organisation in Quebec.
	The police chief in Bari ordered the mass to be cancelled over public safety concerns, while the local bishop also prohibited the ceremony, calling it a "grave scandal".
	Delle Foglie said he would appeal to the pope, but during a visit to the region in 2014 Francis excommunicated members of the mafia, which he called "the ...

Italy, church cross over mass for mafia boss

Scores at close of play on the third day of the first Test between South Africa and Sri Lanka at St George's Park.
     South Africa, first innings, 286
     Sri Lanka, first innings (overnight 181-7)
	Karunaratne b Abbott 5
	Silva lbw b Philander 16
	Perera c De Kock b Philander 7
	Mendis c De Kock b Abbott 0
	Mathews c Elgar b Rabada 39
	Chandimal lbw b Philander 28
	De Silva c De Kock b Philander 43
	Herath lbw b Maharaj 24
	Chameera c Amla b Abbott 19
	Lakmal c Abbott b Philander 4
	Pradeep not out 8
	Extras: (lb-4, nb-3, w-5) 12
     Total: (64.5 overs) 205
	Fall of wickets: 1-10, 2-19, 3-22, 4-61, 5-94, 6-121, 7-157, 8-181, 9-185
     Bowling: Philander 20-7-45-5, Abbott 21.5-4-63-3, Rabada 13-3-63-1, Maharaj 10-3-30-1
     South Africa, second innings
	Cook c Chandimal b Chameera 117
	Elgar c Mathews b Lakmal 52
	Amla lbw b Pradeep 48
	Duminy c Mathews b De Silva 25
     Du Plessis not out 41
	Bavuma c Mendis b De Silva 8
	De Kock not out 42
	Extras: (b-5, lb-1, nb-9, w3) 18
   

Port Elizabeth, Dec 28 (AFP) Scores at close of play on the third day of the first Test between South Africa and Sri Lanka at St George's Park.

Spanish authorities said today they had arrested two suspected jihadists in Madrid and found bullets and weapon magazines while conducting raids linked to the detentions.
	According to the Europa Press news agency, the magazines were of the type used for assault rifles such as the AK-47, but a police spokeswoman was unable to confirm this when contacted by AFP.
	The interior ministry said the two men were Spanish and had been detained for "glorifying terrorism," without giving any further details.
	The arrests come as Spain strengthens security during the holiday season.
	Authorities in Madrid are taking unprecedented measures for New Year's Eve, when thousands gather in the central Puerta del Sol square for traditional celebrations that see Spaniards swallow 12 grapes for each stroke of midnight.
	All those entering the square will be searched.
	Bollards will be used on nearby roads alongside police vans to guard against truck attacks like those that hit Nice in France in July, and ..

AFP

AFP

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