Manhunt for Berlin suspect intensifies as anger grows

The twelfth victim, the hijacked truck's Polish driver, was found shot in the cab

Press Trust of India

Japan drafted in troops today  to help contain a rapidly spreading fire, fanned by strong winds, which engulfed dozens of buildings and forced the evacuation of hundreds of people from a northern city.
	Aerial footage broadcast live on Japanese TV showed massive orange flames and thick smoke spewing out of buildings in the city of Itoigawa in Niigata prefecture.
	Troops were on their way to the coastal city after Niigata Governor Ryuichi Yoneyam requested military aid, an official in the fire division of the prefectural government said.
	"At the moment, activities to put out the fire are still going on," he told AFP on the phone.
	"About 50 houses and buildings have been damaged," he said.
	The blaze started at 10:28 am at a Chinese restaurant, and a total of 17 fire trucks have been deployed in the area.
	The blaze spread quickly due to strong winds, according to public broadcaster NHK.
	"Sparks of fire flew around," a man in the neighbourhood told NHK.
	"That's why far away ...

Japan sends troops to fight massive fire

PTI Automatic

Indonesian police today announced plans to deploy some 155,000 personnel to secure the country during Christmas and New Year holidays, a day after police foiled plans for militant attacks.
	Police yesterday foiled plans by an IS-linked group for a Christmas-time suicide bombing after they discovered a cache of bombs in a house on the outskirts of Jakarta, killing three suspected militants in the process.
	Following the raids, national police chief Tito Karnavian said security would be boosted at churches, entertainment venues and public gatherings during the Christmas and New Year celebrations across the sprawling archipelago.
	"Police will beef up security after these (raids)", intensifying intelligence-gathering efforts and the monitoring of social media, national police spokesman Martinus Sitompul told AFP.
	Deployment of large security personnel at year-end celebrations is an annual exercise for police in the world's most populous Muslim country.
	The militants who were killed ...

Indonesia beefs up security after foiled Christmas plot

The death toll in Siberia from people drinking bath essence containing methanol rose to 71 today, the Russian health ministry said.
	A total of 117 people in the city of Irkutsk have suffered the effects of methanol poisoning since the weekend, "71 of whom have died," said health ministry spokeswoman Tatiana Lebedeva, quoted by the Interfax news agency.
	The toll is up from 62 yesterday.
	Authorities said the label on the hawthorn-flavoured bath essence clearly states that the liquid contains methanol, a toxic substance used in antifreeze.
	Impoverished drinkers in Russia often turn to cheap vodka substitutes such as perfumes and cleansers because they cost far less than legitimate alcoholic drinks.
	Such liquids usually contain drinkable ethanol, not methanol which is deadly even in small doses.
	Investigators have detained 12 people suspected of producing and selling the bath essence.
	Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday ordered the government to introduce tougher laws by ...

Death toll rises to 71 from toxic bath essence in Russia

A Palestinian man was killed during clashes with Israeli soldiers overnight as they arrived to demolish the home of the alleged perpetrator of a deadly attack on Israelis, the army said today.
	A spokeswoman said that during a confrontation "suspects threw improvised explosive devices at soldiers, who responded by opening fire, resulting in the death" of a Palestinian.
	The Palestinian health ministry identified the man killed as Ahmad al-Kharoubi, 19.
	The spokeswoman said Israeli soldiers were attempting to demolish the home of Misbah Abu Sbeih -- who went on a deadly shooting rampage in October -- in the east Jerusalem neighbourhood of Kufr Aqab.
	Sbeih was shot dead by security forces on October 9 after killing police officer Yosef Kirma, 29, while Israeli media identified the second victim as 60-year-old Israeli woman Levana Melihi.
	A wave of violence in the occupied West Bank, Jerusalem and Israel since October 2015 has killed 245 Palestinians, 36 Israelis, two Americans, a ...

Palestinian killed in east Jerusalem clashes: Israeli army

Cambodian officials have seized 1.5 tonnes of illegal ivory and animal parts hidden in a timber shipment from Mozambique that was destined for China, a wildlife charity and an official said today.
	The huge haul -- one of the largest seizures in Cambodia this year -- highlights the Southeast Asian nation's key role in a lucrative and ecologically disastrous illegal wildlife trade primarily fuelled by Chinese demand.
	According to Wildlife Alliance, a Cambodia-based conservation group which helps authorities track smugglers, customs officials made the bust while searching some shipping containers last Friday on the outskirts of Phnom Penh.
	Hidden behind rare timber logs, they found 1.3 tonnes of African elephant tusks, 10 cheetah skulls, 82 kilograms (180 pounds) of animal bones and 137 kilograms of pangolin scales.
	"This is a huge case with too many dead elephants. We should be seeking justice for these animals," Kdov Nuch, customs director at Kandal dry port where the interception .

Cambodia seizes huge haul of ivory and animal parts

The Philippines independent human rights watchdog said today it will investigate President Rodrigo Duterte's admission he killed three criminals years ago, after the United Nation's rights chief called for a murder probe.
	Duterte, who is waging an anti-drugs war that has left thousands dead, said last week that he helped police kill three suspected kidnappers early in the first of his several terms as mayor of the southern city of Davao.
	UN rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said Tuesday that Duterte's killings, by his own admission, "clearly constitute murder" and Philippine judicial authorities must launch an investigation.
	Commission on Human Rights chief Jose Gascon said he has formed a team of investigators to look into the matter, even as Duterte's spokesman Ernesto Abella dismissed the UN call as mere "opinion".
	"Law enforcement agencies... Must investigate as a matter of course any information that suggests that a crime may have been committed with the view to ensuring ...

Philippines rights body to probe Duterte killing boast

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's cabinet today approved Japan's biggest annual defence budget in the face of North Korea's nuclear and missile threats and a territorial row with China.
	The Cabinet approved 5.13 trillion yen ($43.6 billion) in defence spending for the fiscal year starting in April, up 1.4 per cent from the initial budget for the current fiscal year.
	It marks the fifth straight annual increase and reflects the hawkish Abe's attempt to build up Japan's military, which since World War II has been constitutionally limited to self defence.
	Abe, who is pushing revisions to the constitution, strongly backed new security laws that took effect this year making it possible for Japanese troops fight abroad for the first time since the end of the war.
	Japan is on constant alert against neighbouring North Korea which has conducted two underground nuclear tests and more than 20 missile launches this year.
	Under the new budget, the ministry aims to beef up Japan's ballistic missile ..

Japan cabinet approves biggest defence budget

Tokyo Olympics organisers unveiled a smaller budget of up to USD 17 billion after coming under pressure to cut ballooning costs.
	The figure, down from last month's pledge to cap expenditure at USD 17.78 billion, follows warnings that the bill for the 2020 Games could soar as high as USD 30 billion.
	Organising committee chief executive Toshiro Muto yesterday said the entire Games budget will be between 1.6 trillion and 1.8 trillion yen, which he put at USD 15-16.8 billion.
     Under the latest exchange rate, the same yen figure is worth USD 13.6-15.3 billion. This year's Rio Games cost USD 12 billion, while London 2012 came USD 13.7 billion under the exchange rate of the time.
	Yeterday's figure, the most complete budget yet for Tokyo 2020, comes after officials scrambled to slash the costs of building some Olympic venues.
	It was revealed at talks between the Games' organisers, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Tokyo and national governments, who are meeting ...

Tokyo 2020 slashes budget to $17 billion

Chelsea coach Steve Holland has been appointed as the assistant to England manager Gareth Southgate, the Football Association has announced.
	Holland, 46, will combine his duties as assistant first-team coach at Chelsea with his England role until the end of the season, before linking up with the FA on a full-time basis.
	"I am delighted to have Steve as my assistant manager," Southgate said in a statement yesterday.
     "We have worked very closely for three years and I have the utmost respect for the way he works, his professionalism and the detail of his preparation."
	Southgate added Holland to his coaching staff when he was in charge of England's Under-21s in 2013. He thanked Chelsea for agreeing to let Holland leave.
	Currently top of their 2018 World Cup qualifying group, England play Germany in a friendly in their next match on March 22.

Holland appointed England assistant manager

Alviro Petersen, a veteran of 36 Test matches, became the highest-profile South African cricketer to be banned for corruption since former captain Hansie Cronje in 2000.
     Former opening batsman Petersen, 36, was banned for two years yesterday after agreeing a plea bargain with Cricket South Africa (CSA).
	He is the sixth player to be banned following a corruption scandal which led to former international player Gulam Bodi being banned for 20 years for attempting to fix matches in South Africa's domestic Twenty20 competition during the 2014/15 season.
	More players could yet be charged. A statement by CSA announcing Petersen's ban said investigations were continuing.
	Petersen admitted several breaches of CSA's anti-corruption code -- four charges of failing to disclose details of an approach to engage in corrupt conduct; four charges of failing to disclose full details of evidence involving another player, four charges of failing to provide accurate and complete information to ...

Ex-South Africa batsman Petersen banned for two years

Scandal-plagued Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht and petrochemical affiliate Braskem have agreed to pay a record USD 3.5 billion to settle a vast international bribery case, US officials have said.
	Odebrecht, a key player in the Petrobras corruption scandal gripping Brazil, agreed to a fine of USD 4.5 billion but said it was only able to pay USD 2.6 billion, the US Justice Department said in a statement. Braskem, meanwhile, will pay USD 957 million.
	The fines are to be paid to Brazilian, Swiss and US authorities, the department said, calling it "the largest-ever global foreign bribery resolution."
	It is the latest in a string of terrible headlines for Odebrecht, which Brazilian investigators say was one of the ringleaders of a scheme to plunder billions of dollars from state oil company Petrobras.
	Revelation of the scandal has rocked Brazil's political and business establishment to its foundations, with ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva facing trial and current ...

Brazil's Odebrecht, Braskem pay record fine in bribery case

The UN General Assembly has agreed to set up a panel to gather evidence on war crimes in Syria, taking a first step toward prosecuting those responsible for atrocities in the nearly six-year war.
	A resolution on establishing the investigative mechanism was adopted yesterday in the 193-nation assembly by a vote of 105 to 15, with 52 abstentions.
	The panel will work closely with the UN Commission of Inquiry which has submitted several reports detailing atrocities committed during the war that has killed more than 310,000 people.
	Civil society groups have also been compiling documents, lists of witnesses and video footage that could one day be used in a court of law.
	The measure prepared by Liechtenstein was co-sponsored by 58 countries including the United States, France, Britain, Italy and Germany as well as regional powers Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
	Addressing the assembly, Liechtenstein's Ambassador Christina Wenaweser said the resolution would address the Security ...

UN votes to set up panel to prepare Syria war crimes cases

Taiwan's president, Tsai Ing-wen, is to visit Guatemala next month amid US-China tensions spurred by US president-elect Donald's Trump speaking by telephone with the Asian leader and threating to snub Beijing's "One China" policy.
	Guatemala's foreign ministry confirmed the visit, to take place January 11-12, just a week before Trump takes office on January 20.
	The Central American country is among just 21 nations in the world that defy China's stance to recognise Taiwan as a sovereign country. It said Tsai's visit was to "strengthen ties of friendship and cooperation."
	Her trip was also to take in Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua.
	China views Taiwan as a renegade province and fiercely opposes diplomatic recognition of it as a country.
	Beijing has asked the United States to prevent Tsai flying through US airspace on her way to Central America. Some reports suggest she could stop in New York to speak with Trump's entourage.
	Washington's adherence to the "One China" policy has ..

Taiwan president to make CentrAm visit amid US-China tensions

A UN aid convoy that was bombed while en route to the besieged city of Aleppo in September came under an air attack, a UN inquiry has concluded, but it was unable to identify the perpetrators.
	The board of inquiry found that "while the incident was caused by an air attack, it was not possible to identify the perpetrator or perpetrators," said a summary of the findings released yesterday.
	The convoy was "subject to an attack from the air, using multiple types of munitions deployed from more than one aircraft and aircraft type," the inquiry found.
	The munitions used during the 30-minute assault may have included missiles, rockets and small bombs, it added.
	At least 10 people were killed and 22 injured in the September 19 attack at Urem al-Kubra, near the northern city of Aleppo, as a fragile ceasefire agreed to by the United States and Russia collapsed.
	The board rejected allegations that the attack could have been carried out by direct fire or a ground assault in the rebel-held ...

UN inquiry unable to ID perpetrators of Syria aid convoy

The United States has denied an Israeli claim that US-supplied armoured vehicles seen being operated by Hezbollah in Syria had been given to the Islamist militia by Lebanon's official army.
	Last month, footage emerged of Hezbollah fighters operating M113 armored personnel carriers in Syria, where the militia -- blacklisted by Washington as a terrorist organization -- is fighting in support of Bashar al-Assad's regime.
	Yesterday, a senior Israeli military official speaking on condition of anonymity said Israel believes these vehicles were drawn from stocks supplied by Washington to the Lebanese Armed Forces.
	But, in Washington, State Department spokesman John Kirby said US officials have investigated and do not believe that Lebanon has violated its agreement not to transfer on US-supplied equipment.
	"When this allegation was raised in November, the Department of Defense did a structural analysis of the armored personnel carriers in question at that time and concluded that these ...

US denies Lebanese army APCs given to Hezbollah

Britain's defence ministry has lost more than 700 laptops and computers over 18 months, according to latest figures.
	A total of 759 laptops and computers were lost and an additional 32 were stolen between the May 2015 election and October 2016, records released by the Press Association show.
	A further 328 CDs, DVDs and USBs were lost by the defence ministry over the same period, according to the data requested under Britain's Freedom of Information Act.
	The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said information security is "a top priority" and all incidents of missing equipment are "thoroughly investigated".
	"The MoD promotes a culture where security is the responsibility of all staff and personnel are required to report all security incidents. This can result in figures appearing higher than comparable organisations," a spokeswoman said.
	Overall at least 1,000 government laptops, computers and USBs have been reported lost or stolen since May 2015.
	The Department of Work and Pensions ...

Britain's ministry of defence loses hundreds of laptops

The Gambia's top court has said it was adjourning until January 10 a case filed by strongman Yahya Jammeh, who is seeking to annul the results of the country's presidential elections.
	The Supreme Court, presided by Nigerian-born Chief Justice Emmanuel Fagbenle, ordered the adjournment because the chief defendant -- the country's Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) -- had not been summonsed to attend.
	Jammeh, in power for 22 years, was defeated by opposition candidate Adama Barrow in the December 1 poll.
	Barrow's inauguration is due to take place on January 19.
	Jammeh initially accepted the result but then reversed position a week later, stoking international concerns about the future of the tiny west African country.
	His complaint to the court is about alleged irregularities in the ballot count by the IEC and charges that in one region his supporters were intimidated.
	Jammeh's lawyer, Edward Gomez, informed the court that the IEC had not been served with a summons by Jammeh, .

Gambia's top court adjourns election case until Jan 10

A burning van has hit the headquarters of an Australian Christian lobby group, with the organisation's head saying the group had received death threats this year.
	The incident yesterday comes days after a truck drove into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 people in an attack claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group.
	Australian police refused to confirm whether the Wednesday night collision in Canberra was terror-related.
	Australian Christian Lobby's managing director Lyle Shelton tweeted pictures of the burnt-out white vehicle and said he was "shocked that this could happen in Australia".
	"A vehicle has rammed our office in Canberra and exploded. All staff are safe. I do not know the condition of the driver. Prayers appreciated," he said.
	Media reports said the vehicle was carrying gas bottles, although police would not confirm this.
	"ACT policing responded to an incident last night where a vehicle collided with a building," Australian Capital Territory Police told ...

Burning van rams Australian Christian Lobby office

Mexico worked to identify charred bodies left by an explosion that killed at least 32 people at its biggest fireworks market, as authorities investigated what caused the multi-colored salvo of destruction.
	Rescue workers were still searching for bodies -- or survivors -- in the smoldering wreckage of the San Pablito market in the Mexico City suburb of Tultepec.
	Dazed family members wandered outside the tightly guarded blast site, seeking information on their relatives.
	Concepcion Hernandez said she had no news from her mother, 65, and brother, 29, since the Tuesday afternoon explosion.
	"They came to buy fireworks for their store. It was their first time here," she said through tears.
	"We don't know anything."
	Another family was looking for two missing children whose mother and grandmother were killed in the explosion.
	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 ..

Mexico probes deadly fireworks blast

Nigerian troops have rescued 1,880 civilians from a Boko Haram redoubt in the restive northeast in the past week and arrested hundreds of insurgents, a military commander has said.
	The Sambisa forest, covering about 1,300 square kilometres , is a stronghold of the notorious jihadist group, who kidnapped more than 200 schoolgirls in 2014.
	"During our operations in the period 14 - 21 December 2016, a total of 1,880 civilians were rescued from Boko Haram enclaves," Major-general Leo Irabor said in a statement after a news conference in the northeastern city of Maiduguri yesterday .
	He said the operation was part of a military campaign launched last year to clear the area of the jihadists.
	Irabor added: "564 Boko Haram terrorists were arrested while 19 others surrendered to our troops. Also, seven suspected kidnappers and 37 foreigners were equally arrested."
	He said several Boko Haram fighters were killed and a cache of arms and ammunitions was discovered.
	Boko Haram seeks to ...

AFP

AFP

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