The president of the breakaway Turkish Cypriot region of northern Cyprus said today that a referendum on reunifying the island could be held in the summer if talks next month went to plan.
	Mustafa Akinci and President Nicos Anastasiades of the internationally-recognised Greek Cypriot Republic of Cyprus are due to meet in Switzerland in January, in a bid to give new momentum to the process.
	"If everything goes well and there is no accident on the way, then a referendum could be on the agenda in the summer months," Akinci told reporters in Nicosia.
	He said there are some 100 issues to deal with in the Cyprus negotiations but the most sensitive amount to just 8-10 issues, including land, property and security.
	Anastasiades and Akinci agreed to resume the talks for the reunification of the divided Mediterranean island after negotiations broke down in Switzerland last month.
	Akinci confirmed he would hold one-on-one talks with Anastasiades before being joined on January 12 by the ...

Turkish Cypriot leader says referendum possible in 2017

PTI Automatic

At least 28 Huthi insurgents and 12 Yemeni soldiers were killed today in the southern province of Shabwa as government forces pushed to capture a rebel enclave, military officials said.
	The fighting flared when forces loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi attacked rebels in Bayhan district, on the border between Shabwa and Marib provinces.
	Bayhan is the only part of Shabwa province still controlled by the Iran-backed rebels after government forces supported by the Saudi-led Arab coalition last year expelled them from five southern provinces.
	"The death toll of the Huthis has reached 28 while 12 soldiers of the legitimate forces were killed," a military official said.
	Military officials said government forces backed by coalition warplanes drove the rebels out of several positions in the area, adding that 14 insurgents were also captured.
	The Yemen conflict has killed some 7,000 people since the Saudi-led intervention in March 2015, according to the United Nations.
	The ...

40 killed in Yemen anti-rebel offensive: army

About 400 peace activists were marching today from the outskirts of Berlin towards the devastated Syrian city of Aleppo, heading down the refugee trail in reverse.
	Organised by Polish journalist and blogger Anna Alboth, the "Civil March for Aleppo" aims to build political pressure to help civilians caught up in the Syrian conflict.
	Carrying white flags and hiking backpacks and wearing outdoor gear against the cold and wet December weather, the marchers had on Monday left from the centre of the German capital.
	Alboth told Germany's left-leaning Tageszeitung daily that only a core group of 30 activists planned to walk all the way, adding that she expected they may be blocked at the Turkish border.
	"The true purpose of the march is that the civilians in Syria get access to humanitarian aid," she said. "We are marching to build pressure."
	The starting point was the disused airfield of the Nazi-era Tempelhof airport, which during the Cold War became the hub for the Berlin airlift and .

'Civil march for Aleppo' leaves Berlin

Dhananjaya de Silva kept Sri Lanka's hopes alive with a defiant innings on the second day of the first Test against South Africa at St George's Park on Tuesday.
	   De Silva made 43 not out as Sri Lanka struggled to 181 for seven - still 105 runs behind South Africa's first innings total of 286 - before bad light ended play.
	   South African new ball bowlers Vernon Philander and Kyle Abbott put the Sri Lankan batsmen under pressure in seam-friendly conditions, with the first three wickets falling for 22 runs.
	   It looked as though a full-scale collapse was possible but Sri Lankan captain Angelo Mathews made a solid 39 before De Silva came out to bat at number seven and played an impressive innings, with assistance from Dinesh Chandimal and Rangana Herath.
	   It was not a wholly impressive performance by the South African bowlers. Philander and Abbott both bowled well, taking three for 35 and two for 49 respectively, but rising star Kagiso Rabada had an off day.
	   Rabada ...

De Silva defies South African pace attack

An Arab Israeli lawmaker was placed under house arrest today over accusations he smuggled mobile phones to Palestinian prisoners, a case that has drawn outrage from the country's right-wing politicians.
	Basel Ghattas of the Joint List, a coalition of Arab Israeli parties, appeared before a court in Rishon Lezion near Tel Aviv and was ordered to remain under house arrest for 10 days as the investigation continues, police said.
	He has been barred from leaving Israel and cannot visit security detainees in prison for the next 180 days, according to police.
	The 60-year-old was arrested on Thursday after being questioned about the accusations, which he denies. He has waived his parliamentary immunity, allowing the investigation to proceed.
	Israeli media have reported that 12 mobile phones were found on two separate prisoners in searches after Ghattas visited.
	One of the prisoners is serving time for the kidnapping and murder of an Israeli soldier in 1984, news site Ynet reported.
	Arab 

Israeli Arab MP under house arrest in jail phones case

Belgium has prevented six attacks over the past two years, a senior police official said today, with the country still a prominent target for jihadist assaults.
	"I can announce... That over two years, since November 2014 precisely, we have been able to foil at least six attacks," Eric Jacobs, head of judicial police in Brussels, said in an interview with the daily La Derniere Heure, without offering further details.
	Jacobs said Belgium has been fighting terrorism for 20 years but with population growing in the Belgian capital, the number of groups has multiplied.
	"There are more than 200 nationalities in the capital. There is not only Daesh (an acronym for Islamic State). There are other radical movements," he said.
	In January 2015, Belgian police dismantled a cell in Verviers in the east of the country which was later seen as the rough beginnings of the jihadist group that attacked Paris in November that year.
	And on March 22, IS-linked attackers struck Brussels airport and the .

Six attacks foiled in Belgium since November 2014: police

Turkey today said it had no confirmation of a video published by Islamic State (IS) jihadists purportedly showing the burning to death of two Turkish troops captured in Syria.
	After users in Turkey reported problems using social media in the wake of the release of the video, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said it was essential that internet-based media showed responsibility in the face of "vile" terror groups.
	Turkey has for four months pressed an incursion against IS jihadists inside Syria in support of pro-Ankara fighters. But they have faced stiffening resistance in the battle to take the Syrian town of Al Bab, taking increasing casualties.
	Islamic State jihadists last week circulated a video purportedly showing two Turkish soldiers captured by the extremists in Syria being burned alive.
	"There is still no clear information from our armed forces or defence ministry to confirm these video images," Kurtulmus told reporters in Ankara in televised comments.
	"If there is ...

Turkey says no confirmation of IS 'burned soldiers' claim

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has approved a law to set up a council headed by his appointees that oversees the media and ensures compliance with "national security" requirements.
	The law, passed by parliament and published in the official gazette yesterday, mandates the council to investigate media funding and fine or revoke permits of those deemed in violation.
	The council will be composed of a head picked by Sisi and 12 members recommended by parliament and other institutions, and also approved by the president.
	The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists has accused Egypt of placing restrictions on media and being a "leading jailer of journalists".
	The law says the council would guarantee the right of citizens "to enjoy a free and honest media".
	But it also tasks the council with "guaranteeing the compliance of media institutions to the requirements of national security".
	Sisi has dismissed criticisms of media restrictions in Egypt, but he regularly ...

Egypt sets up govt-picked council to oversee media

A Saudi man has been jailed for one year for calling for an end to the Muslim kingdom's guardianship system that gives men wide controls over women, local media said today.
	The man, who was also fined 30,000 riyals (USD 8,000) by a court in the eastern city of Dammam, was convicted of "inciting to end guardianship of women" in statements he posted on Twitter and in public posters, the Okaz daily said.
	He was arrested while putting up posters in mosques in Al-Hasa district calling for an end to the globally unique system that subjects women in the ultra-conservative kingdom to male control.
	During questioning, police found out that the man was also behind a wide online campaign to end the guardianship, the paper said.
	The defendant admitted pinning up the posters in several mosques, saying he solely launched an "awareness campaign" after finding that some "female relatives were facing injustice at the hands of their families," the daily said.
	Thousands of Saudis signed in ...

Saudi jailed for call to end male control over women

A Turkish court has put a broadcast ban on reporting of the investigation into last week's murder of the Russian ambassador to Ankara Andrei Karlov, state media said today.
	A Turkish policeman opened fire on Karlov while he was delivering a speech at the opening of a photography exhibition, in an assassination that stunned Russia and Turkey.
	An Ankara court agreed to a request by prosecutors for a ban on broadcasting images of the assassination -- which was caught on film -- as well as the investigation itself, the state-run Anadolu news agency said.
	This includes news concerning witnesses, victims or suspects in the murder.
	The ruling said such news could be prejudicial to the investigation and to national security. The ban will last for the duration of the investigation.
	It was not clear what had prompted the ban one week after the December 19 murder but it came one day after the daily Hurriyet published a detailed interview with the sister of the murderer Mevlut Mert ...

Turkey puts broadcast ban on Russia envoy's killing

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un is planning a "prime time" nuclear weapons push in 2017 to take advantage of leadership transitions in South Korea and the United States, a high-ranking defector said today.
	In his first press conference since fleeing his post as North Korea's deputy ambassador to Britain in August, Thae Yong-Ho said Kim had issued a directive at a rare ruling party congress in May to "complete" nuclear development by the end of next year.
	"With South Korea holding presidential elections and the US undergoing an administration transition, the North sees 2017 as the prime time for nuclear development," Thae told local reporters.
	"That's based on a calculation that the US and South Korea will not be able to take physical, military measures because they are tied up with domestic politics," he added.
	North Korea carried out two nuclear tests in 2016 and numerous missile launches in pursuit of its ultimate goal of a deterrent capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to ...

N. Korea plans nuclear push in 2017: top defector

French art experts today lambasted South Korean state prosecutors for declaring a "fake" painting to be genuine despite its own scientific findings that supported the artist's disavowal of the work.
	The painting "Beautiful Woman" by one of South Korea's most renowned artists, Chun Kyung-Ja, has been the focus of a bizarre and decades-long dispute over its authenticity.
	Before her death last year at the age of 91, Chun had repeatedly insisted that the 1971 portrait owned by the country's National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) was not one of hers.
	"Parents can recognise their children. That is not my painting," she insisted.
	The museum is adamant that it is genuine, and in April a prosecutorial investigation was launched after one of Chun's daughters filed a complaint. She accused former and current MMCA officials of hurting the artist's reputation by promoting the painting as authentic.
	State prosecutors last week found in favour of the museum, citing forensic ...

French art experts blast Seoul over 'fake' painting

Preliminary investigations have confirmed that a plane that crashed in the Colombian mountains last month killing 71 people including most of a Brazilian football team was out of fuel, officials said.
     The LaMia airlines charter flight crashed just outside Medellin on November 28, virtually wiping out the Chapecoense Real football club as they traveled to the biggest match in their history.
     Freddy Bonilla, the head of Colombia's civil aviation authority, said investigations indicated the British Aerospace 146 jet had run out of fuel.
     That has been the leading theory on the crash ever since a harrowing recording emerged of the pilot radioing the control tower to report a fuel emergency.
     The pilots "were aware of the fuel limitations they had at the time. It was neither adequate nor sufficient," Bonilla told a press conference.
     However, they did not sound the alarm until several minutes before the crash, he said.
     The plane was overweight by about 500 ...

Colombia confirms crashed plane was out of fuel

Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said today he will aim to quickly restore the country's signature Red Army Choir, which lost most of its singers in the weekend's military plane crash.
	Sixty-four members, including the conductor Valery Khalilov and most singers of the Alexandrov Ensemble, also known as the Red Army Choir internationally, died when their Syria-bound plane went down in the Black Sea near the resort city of Sochi.
	Shoigu said that he will do what is necessary "so that we can restore the troupe in the nearest future, as much as we could, hold auditions, pick the best people, so that they continue the traditions that the Alexandrov Ensemble is known for."
	To entice the best musical talent to join the army's official choir, Shoigu said he will soon order the allocation of 70 flats to the ensemble, which would be offered to new members.
	He added that a military music school will be named after conductor Khalilov, calling him a "legend" who revived the army's ...

Russia to rebuild Red Army Choir: defence minister

A huge crowd turned out to celebrate the 15th birthday of Rubi Ibarra, a small-town Mexican girl -- though fewer than the 1.3 million people who said they were coming after the invitation went viral online.
	Girls' 15th birthday parties are often a huge affair in Latin America, when families pull out all the stops to welcome them to womanhood.
	But Rubi's "quinceanera" party took the phenomenon to a whole new level, after the invite became an offbeat internet sensation.
	"We found out through social media and we said 'Let's go. Everyone is invited? Let's go," said Tania Rodriguez, who traveled five hours by car to attend the party held in a large field in Villa de Guadalupe, in San Luis Potosi state.
	"With all the coverage on her, Rubi felt like part of the family," added her husband, Gonzalo Torres, before heading off in search of "more beer."
	About 10,000 partygoers of all ages came to see Rubi, who danced the night away in a flouncy, floral princess gown with a dramatic red ...

Huge crowd joins Mexican teen's party after invite goes viral

Romania's president today rejected the left-wing Social Democrats' candidate for prime minister, Sevil Shhaideh, who would have been the EU's country first female and Muslim premier.
	"I have properly analysed the arguments for and against and I have decided not to accept this proposal," Klaus Iohannis told reporters in a televised statement.
	"I call on the PSD coalition to make another proposal," he said. He gave no reasons for his rejection of Shhaideh, who is from Romania's small Turkish minority.
	The PSD had put forward Shhaideh, 52, after its thumping election victory on December 11 when it won 45 percent of the vote.
	The leader of the PSD, Liviu Dragnea, had withdrawn his bid to become prime minister because he is serving two-year suspended sentence for electoral fraud.
	Shhaideh's political experience is limited, having served as development minister for six months before the previous PSD-led government resigned in late 2015.
	This and her personal closeness to Dragnea -- he 

Romanian president rejects left's PM candidate

Japan began killing some 90,000 chickens today to contain another outbreak of a highly contagious strain of avian flu, officials said.
	The new drive means more than a million farm birds will have been killed in seven mass culls this season as officials work to prevent the spread of the virulent H5 strain, which has been detected at several farms across the country.
	Kumamoto prefecture in southwestern Japan started slaughtering some 93,000 farm birds Tuesday after confirming the H5 strain was found in the town of Nankan, officials said.
	"The cull is expected to be completed within 24 hours," a prefectural official told AFP, adding nearly 400 officials had been dispatched to handle the operation.
	Japan's first outbreak of avian flu this winter hit in November, which led to the killing of some 18,000 ducks in northern Aomori prefecture.
	Several more outbreaks have since hit throughout Japan, from the northern main island of Hokkaido to Kyushu in the southwest.
	When the cull is ...

Japan culling 90,000 more birds for avian flu

The main black box of the Syria-bound Russian military plane that crashed into the Black Sea with 92 people onboard has been found in a massive ongoing search operation, authorities said today.
	"The main black box was found at 5:42 am Moscow time (0812 IST) 1,600 metres from the shore at a depth of 17 metres," the defence ministry said in a statement, adding that the device would be sent to the Moscow region to be deciphered by experts.
	The Tu-154 jet, whose passengers included more than 60 members of the internationally renowned Red Army Choir, was heading to Russia's military airbase in Syria when it went down off the coast of the resort city of Sochi shortly after take-off on Sunday.
	Investigators have yet to confirm the cause of the crash, but officials have said that an act of terror was not being considered as a possible explanation.
	The finding of the black box comes as searchers are scrambling to recover bodies and remaining debris from the aircraft in an operation ...

Main black box of crashed Russian plane found in Black Sea

Israel's foreign ministry said today the country was "reducing" ties with nations that voted for last week's UN Security Council resolution demanding a halt to settlement building in Palestinian territory.
	Refuting reports that ties had been suspended, foreign ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said in a message to journalists that Israel was "temporarily reducing" visits and work with embassies, without providing further details.
	Deputy foreign minister Tzipi Hotovely said Tuesday she was concerned that Israel would miss opportunities to explain its position by cancelling visits, but that she supported making clear "you can't take Israel for granted."
	Countries should not be able to "make pilgrimages to Israel to learn about fighting terror, cyber-defence and agricultural technologies, and in the UN do whatever you want," she told army radio.
	Israeli media have reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who also serves as foreign minister, has asked officials to visit the .

Israel says 'reducing' ties with nations over UN vote

Scoreboard at the close on the
second day of the second cricket Test between Australia and Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground today:
	Pakistan first innings (142-4 overnight):
	S Aslam c Smith b Lyon 9
	A Ali not out 139
	B Azam c Smith b Hazlewood 23
	Y Khan b Bird 21
	Misbah-ul-Haq c Maddinson b Bird 11
	A Shafiq c Smith b Bird 50
	S Ahmed  c Renshaw b Hazlewood 10
	M Amir not out  28
	Extras: (B-4, LB-9, W-5, NB-1) 19
	Total: (for 6 wickets in 101.2 overs) 310
	Fall of wickets: 1-18, 2-60, 3-111, 4-125, 5-240, 6-268
     Bowling: Starc 23.2-6-77-0, Hazlewood 26-11-33-2, Bird 29-5-91-3, Lyon 17-1-69-1, Smith 3-0-9-0, Maddinson 3-0-18-0.

Melbourne, Dec 27 (AFP) Scoreboard at the close on the

Opening batsman Azhar Ali led the way as Pakistan consolidated their first innings on a rain-hit second day of the second cricket Test against Australia here today.
	Only 50.3 overs were possible on the day after 50.5 overs were bowled on Monday's opening day as rain again curtailed play.
	At the close after rain forced an early finish, the tourists were 310 for six with Azhar providing the foundations.
     Azhar was unbeaten on 139 with Mohammad Amir hitting a breezy 28 off 23 balls with six fours trying to lift the scoring rate after the dismissals of Asad Shafiq and Sarfraz Ahmed.
	Azhar, playing in his 56th Test, raised his 12th Test century and third against Australia with two runs behind the wicket to fine leg.
	Azhar's hundred came off 218 balls in 338 minutes and consolidated his position as Pakistan's leading runscorer this calendar year.
	At the close Azhar had scored 1089 runs for the fifth highest aggregate for the year.
	The last Pakistan opener to carry his bat through .

AFP

AFP

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