German authorities have arrested two brothers on suspicion of planning an attack on a shopping centre in the western city of Oberhausen, police said today.
	The two men were aged 28 and 31 and originally from Kosovo, police said, with the country on edge after a jihadist drove a truck into a Christmas market in Berlin killing 12 people.

Two arrested in Germany over mall attack plot: police

PTI Automatic

More than half of young Brazilian women have shunned pregnancy due to Zika, which can cause birth defects, according to a research released today.
	In a national survey in June of more than 2,000 literate women in Brazil aged 18 to 39, 56 per cent said they had "avoided, or tried to avoid pregnancy" due to the virus, according to an article in the medical journal BMJ.
	More than a quarter of the women, however, reported that the Zika epidemic -- which has swept across the country since mid-2015 -- had not discouraged them from trying to have a child.
	Sixteen per cent said they had not been planning to get pregnant in any case.
	"The results provide an important first glimpse into how Zika has shaped pregnancy intentions among women in Brazil," said co-author Marcelo Medeiros, a professor at the University of Brasilia.
	While Zika causes only mild symptoms in most people, pregnant women with the virus risk giving birth to babies with microcephaly -- a crippling deformation that leads .

Brazilian women shun pregnancy due to Zika: survey

A prototype vaccine for Ebola may be "up to 100 per cent effective" in protecting against the deadly virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today.
	If all goes well, the vaccine could become available in 2018 under a fast-track approval process, it said.
	In a major clinical trial, nearly 6,000 people in Guinea were given the test vaccine last year, at the tail end of a lethal epidemic of Ebola.
	Not one of the 6,000 contracted the disease.
	But in a control group of volunteers that did not receive the vaccine, 23 Ebola cases occurred, researchers reported in The Lancet medical journal.
	"If we compare zero to 23, this strongly suggests that the vaccine is very effective, that it could be up to 100 percent effective," Marie-Paule Kieny, WHO's assistant director-general and lead author of the study, told AFP.
	Her team of three dozen researchers calculated a 90-per cent likelihood during a full-fledged epidemic that the vaccine, dubbed rVSV-ZEBOV, would work in more than 80 ...

Ebola vaccine may be 'up to 100% effective': WHO

The death toll in a fiery wave of blasts at Mexico's largest fireworks market has risen to 35, authorities have said as mourners held funerals for people killed in the tragedy.
	The toll rose as two females, a woman and a minor, died in the hospital, the government of the state of Mexico said yesterday.
	Of the 60 hurt in the explosions Tuesday in Tultepec outside Mexico City, some remain in critical condition.
	At the time of the blast the market was packed with customers buying pyrotechnics for traditional year-end festivities.
	Christmas and New Year parties in many Latin American countries often wrap up with a fireworks free-for-all.
	Funeral services were held Thursday for two women and a 12-year-old girl. Mariachi bands played ranchera music as people in the congregation wept openly.
	"It is a tragedy that will mark us forever as a town. Who knows if some day God will allow us to recover," said Yolanda Ruiz, a 48-year-old nurse holding a white balloon and white flowers.
	"This ..

Death toll rises to 35 in Mexico fireworks blasts

The Iraqi air force dropped four million letters over Mosul the US-led coalition has said, in a move aimed at providing "empathy and support" for residents of the Islamic State-held city.
	The air drop comes after the international Institute for War and Peace Reporting started a campaign called "Letters to Mosul" on October 17, the day Iraqi forces began their operation to recapture Mosul from IS jihadists.
	"The letters of empathy and support for Mosul residents were written by Iraqis from all over the country," the coalition said yesterday in a statement.
	"This initiative by the people of Iraq reassures the residents of Mosul, held hostage by ISIL (IS) for more than two years, that they have not been forgotten and that the rest of Iraq is standing with them, waiting to welcome them back in solidarity when ISIL is defeated."
	According to the coalition, the letters are based on 2,160 hand-written notes penned in the days since the Mosul offensive began.
	"To our dear people ... We ..

Iraqi air force drops 4 million letters on Mosul: coalition

The UN Security Council has delayed a contentious vote on a draft resolution demanding that Israel halt settlements as President-elect Donald Trump weighed in and said the United States should veto the measure.
	Egypt requested that the vote be postponed, one day after submitting the draft text to the council, a move that triggered immediate calls from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a US veto to block the resolution.
	A similar resolution was vetoed by the United States in 2011, and it remained unclear whether Washington would shift stance this time, possibly abstaining to allow the measure to pass, although without US support.
	"Israelis deeply appreciate one of the great pillars of the US-Israel alliance: the willingness over many years of the United States to stand up in the UN and veto anti-Israel resolutions," Netanyahu said.
	"I hope the US won't abandon this policy."
	Israel launched a frantic lobbying effort to pressure Egypt to drop the bid and reached out to ..

UN Security Council delays vote on Israeli settlements

Nine US air strikes have killed 28 "terrorists" in Yemen since late September, the Pentagon has said.
	The US military's Central Command said the strikes yesterday targeted Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) operatives between September 23 and December 13.
	"AQAP is a foreign terrorist organization with a history of attacks against the United States and its allies," US military spokesman Major Josh Jacques said in a statement.
	Those attacks included "the Christmas Day 2009 attempted bombing of a commercial airliner in the US, and the January 2015 Charlie Hebdo office massacre in Paris," he added.
	The so-called "underwear bomber" Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab tried to blow up a US airliner on Christmas Day 2009 with explosives stuffed down his pants.
	Officials did not provide the names of any of those killed in the strikes.
	AQAP and the Islamic State group have exploited a power vacuum created by a conflict between the government and Shiite Huthi rebels to expand their presence ..

Recent US strikes killed 28 'terrorists' in Yemen: officials

The UN Security Council will vote today on whether to impose an arms embargo and sanctions on South Sudan, but diplomats said they expected the measure to fail.
	The council will meet at 9:30 AM (1430 GMT) to decide on the US-drafted resolution calling for a one-year ban on weapons sales to the war-torn country.
	The United States, backed by Britain and France, has argued that cutting off the arms flow was urgently needed following UN warnings that the country faced the risk of mass atrocities.
	Diplomats however said the measure fell short of the nine votes needed for adoption in the 15-member council.
	Russia, China, Japan, Malaysia, Venezuela and more importantly the three African council members -- Angola, Egypt and Senegal-- have all expressed serious reservations.
	Under the proposed resolution, South Sudan's rebel leader Riek Machar, army chief Paul Malong and Information Minister Michael Makuei would be put on a sanctions blacklist, subjected to an assets freeze and a global ..

Security Council to vote on South Sudan arms embargo

An Islamic State-inspired Christmas Day terror plot targeting central Melbourne with explosives has been foiled after raids across the city resulted in seven arrests, police said today.
	Victoria Police chief commissioner Graham Ashton alleged those detained planned to attack high-profile locations including Melbourne's iconic train station, Federation Square and St Paul's Cathedral.
	"Over the last fortnight... We have had to conduct a criminal investigation relating to the formation of what we believe was a terrorist plot," he told a press conference .
	"We believe that there was an intention to conduct what we call a multi-mode attack, possibly on Christmas Day.
	"The attack that we will allege was being planned, we believe was going to involve an explosive event, the use of explosives, and we gathered evidence to support that."
	Of the seven arrested today morning, five remain in custody.
	Ashton said four of them were Australian-born, of Lebanese background, with the fifth an ...

Christmas Day terror plot foiled in Australia: police

British Airways cabin crew have suspended a two-day strike planned over Christmas, labour union Unite announced after securing a new deal with the airline.
	Almost 2,000 British Airways cabin crew, or more than one in seven, were due to walk out on Christmas Day and December 26 (Boxing Day) in a dispute over pay.
	Talks between the airline and Unite began on Monday and the union's general secretary, Len McCluskey, said after four days British Airways had presented a new offer.
	"It will be for our members now to decide if British Airways has done enough to meet their concerns," he said in a statement.
	"I want to pay tribute to our cabin crew members who have been determined to achieve a negotiated settlement. Their commitment to secure a better deal for all of their colleagues is something we should all admire."
	British Airways' offer remains confidential until a postal ballot on the deal by cabin crew, which could take more than a week, a Unite spokesman told AFP.
	"We welcome the .

British Airways cabin crew suspend Christmas strike

Volkswagen has said it had reached an agreement in principle with owners of 3.0-liter cars affected by its emissions cheating scandal.
	The announcement yesterday follows this month's USD 1 billion settlement with US authorities for the roughly 80,000 vehicles in the 3.0 liter category, involving the buyback, repair or cancellation of leases for the affected vehicles and helping the company inch closer toward putting the scandal behind it.
	In a statement, the company said it reached an agreement and that US District Judge Charles Breyer had ordered settlement approval documents be filed with the court by the end of January.
	Elizabeth Cabraser, lead counsel for the plaintiffs in the class-action suit, said in a statement that owners would receive "substantial compensation in addition to an emission modification or buyback, depending on the generation of vehicle."
	Volkswagen admitted last year it had installed software in as many as 11 million vehicles sold worldwide to circumvent ...

Volkswagen reaches emissions agreement with 3-liter car owners

The army has said it has retaken full control of Syria's devastated second city Aleppo, scoring its biggest victory against opposition forces since the civil war erupted in 2011.
	The announcement came yesterday after a landmark evacuation deal that put an end to a ferocious month-long offensive waged on east Aleppo by government forces and allied militia.
	An army statement said the general command "announces the return of security to Aleppo after its release from terrorism and terrorists, and the departure of those who stayed there".
	A rebel official spoke of a "great loss" for the revolt against President Bashar al-Assad.
	"On the political level, this is a great loss," Yasser al-Youssef of the Nureddin al-Zinki rebel group told AFP.
	"For the revolution, it is a period of retreat and a difficult turning point."
	Referring to Assad's closest allies, Ahmed Qorra Ali of the Ahrar al-Sham rebel group said: "Aleppo is now under the occupation of Russia and Iran."
	The army ...

Aleppo retaken in major boost for Assad

A scathing US Congressional report released today branded intelligence leaker Edward Snowden a "serial exaggerator and fabricator" and said he has had continual contact with Russian intelligence services.
	   The partially redacted report, released by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, portrays Snowden as a disgruntled government contractor rather than a legitimate whistleblower.
	   The former National Security Agency contractor leaked thousands of classified documents to the press in 2013, revealing the vast scope of US surveillance of private data that was put in place after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
	   According to the report, Snowden swiped about 1.5 million documents and those he leaked to the press were "merely the tip of the iceberg."
	   "Most of the material he stole had nothing to do with Americans' privacy, and its compromise has been of great value to America's adversaries and those who mean to do America harm," Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff 

Snowden a 'fabricator' in contact with Russian intel: report

Sombre but determined not to be cowed, visitors today flocked to a Berlin Christmas market as it reopened three days after being struck by a deadly truck assault that shocked Germany.
	New concrete barriers and police with automatic rifles shielded the rustic wooden stalls selling mulled wine, grilled sausages and festive decorations, where on Monday a suspected jihadist attacker took 12 lives.
	"After an attack like this, it's nice to see that people stay strong and carry on," said one of the visitors, David Ulbricht, a 24-year-old event manager.
	As leaden skies darkened, a steady crowd stopped by the market, with thousands of people passing through over the afternoon. Stall owners, some teary-eyed, could be seen embracing on their first day back at work since the tragedy.
	No music played and lights were kept discreet as a sign of respect for those killed and wounded at the market, which reopened as a manhunt continued for the top suspect, rejected Tunisian asylum seeker Anis Amri, 

In show of defiance, Berlin Christmas market reopens

A German association that strives to promote the use of Goethe's language today said it had sold its shares in Volkswagen in protest at the car maker's decision to make English its official language.
	   "The words Volkswagen and the German language sadly no longer go together," Walter Kraemer of the German Language Foundation said in a statement.
	   "I am dismayed at how thoughtless our elites are giving up their own language and culture," he added.
	   Volkswagen last week announced it was switching the group's business language from German to English, saying the change would help it recruit the best and brightest in the industry.
	   According to the Handelsblatt financial daily, the German Language Foundation bought 200 Volkswagen shares at 100 euros (USD 104) a piece last year, and sold them on Wednesday for 137 euros each -- netting a tidy profit of 7,400 euros.
	   A global auto giant, Volkswagen was founded in 1937 in the northern German city of Wolfsburg and still has its ...

English only? Nein, danke: German linguists sell VW shares

France today inaugurated the world's first "solar highway", a road paved with solar panels providing enough energy to power the streetlights of the small Normandy town of Tourouvre.
	The one-kilometre "Wattway" covered with 2,800 square metres (30,000 square feet) of resin-coated solar panels was hooked up to the local power grid as Environment Minister Segolene Royal looked on.
	"This new use of solar energy takes advantage of large swathes of road infrastructure already in use...To produce electricity without taking up new real estate," Royal said in a statement.
	The minister announced a four-year "plan for the national deployment of solar highways" with initial projects in western Brittany and southern Marseille.
	An average of 2,000 cars use the road in Tourouvre each day, testing the resistance of the panels for the project carried out by French civil engineering firm Colas, a subsidiary of construction giant Bouygues.
	The idea, which is also under exploration in Germany, the ..

In first, road paved with solar panels powers French town

Iran's national carrier Iran Air today completed an order for 100 Airbus planes with a list price of around USD 20 billion (19 billion euros) as the Islamic Republic opens up to the West.
	The order follows a commitment inked in January when President Hassan Rouhani visited Paris in the wake of a deal between Western powers and Iran over its nuclear programme.
	The jets will bolster Iran's ageing passenger fleet with the addition of 46 A320 planes for medium-haul routes, 38 long-haul A330s and 16 A350s, the European aircraft-maker said in a statement.
	The deal does not include any of Airbus' flagship A380 airliners, the largest passenger plane in the world.
	Although up to 12 were earmarked in the initial agreement, Tehran's international airport is not currently equipped for such planes, a source close to the deal told AFP.
	Iran Air's CEO Farhad Parvaresh said the deal was "an important step towards a stronger international presence in civil aviation".
	He added: "We hope this ...

Iran completes huge deal for 100 Airbus planes

At least 29 civilians including eight children were killed today in Turkish air strikes on an Islamic State group bastion in northern Syria, a monitoring group said.
	The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strikes were carried out on the flashpoint town of Al-Bab, which Turkish forces have been seeking to capture for weeks in the biggest test of a four-month incursion into Syria.
	The raids came a day after 14 Turkish soldiers were killed by jihadists around Al-Bab, in the country's biggest loss of the campaign so far.
	Turkish troops entered Syria on August 24 in support of pro-Ankara Syrian rebels, with the aim of ousting IS jihadists as well as Kurdish militia from the border area.
	Turkish forces regularly carry out air strikes in support of the ground operation in Syria but officials insist the utmost is done to avoid any civilian casualties.
	Defence Minister Fikri Isik told the parliament today that 1,005 IS jihadists and 299 fighters affiliated to the Kurdish ...

29 killed in Turkish strikes on IS bastion: monitor

Mortar fire and car bombs killed more than 30 people including aid workers near Mosul today as Iraqi forces battled to seize the city from the Islamic State group.
	   A triple car bombing on a market killed at least 23 people in Gogjali, a few kilometres east of Mosul, the army said.
	   Gogjali was retaken by pro-government forces on November 1, two weeks into a massive operation to oust IS jihadists from their last stronghold in Iraq.
	   Since launching the operation against IS on October 17, Iraq's elite counter-terrorism service has advanced into Mosul from the east, but progress has since slowed.
	   "A terrorist attack in the form of three car bombs at a market in Gogjali killed 15 civilians and eight police," a coordination centre for the forces battling IS said in a statement.
	   IS said three of its suicide bombers carried out the attack.
	   Mortar fire also killed 11 people including four aid workers as civilians gathered to receive assistance in Mosul city, the United ..

Attacks near IS-held Mosul in Iraq kill 34

Dozens of garment factories in Bangladesh shut down today as a workers' strike escalated, in a move that could hit supplies to top Western retailers during the busy holiday season.
	The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) closed 55 factories in a suburb on the outskirts of Dhaka, association president Siddikur Rahman said, after police arrested at least seven people who were leading the strike.
	"Those (factories) will remain closed until the government says it is safe to reopen them," Rahman told AFP.
	Workers went on strike nine days ago to protest the firing of 121 colleagues and soon added a pay hike to their list of demands.
	The protest escalated earlier this week when police fired rubber pellets, injuring 10 demonstrators according to labour leader Taslima Akhter.
	Several hundred policemen have since been deployed in the industrial zone, home to the factories which supply leading Western retailers such as GAP, Zara and H&M.
	The workers want ...

Dozens of Bangladesh factories close as workers strike

A Chinese consortium is set to acquire a 40 per cent stake in Pakistan's main bourse, the country's stock exchange said today.
	   At least 17 entities had expressed an interest in the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), whose benchmark stock index was one of the best performing indices worldwide in 2016.
	   The deal is estimated to be worth about USD 84 million, according to an official who requested anonymity.
	   The PSX is currently owned by more than 300 Pakistani brokers.
	   "The bid submitted by Chinese Consortium @ Rs 28 per share emerged as the highest and acceptable under the relevant regulations," the PSX said in a statement.
	   The consortium comprises three Chinese exchanges -- China Financial Futures Exchange Company Limited, the Shanghai Stock Exchange, the Shenzhen Stock Exchange and two local financial institutions -- Pak-China Investment Company Limited and Habib Bank Limited.
	   "The Divestment Committee will now issue the Letter of Acceptance to the above ...

AFP

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