The International Monetary Fund board is expected to meet shortly to discuss the implications of the surprise guilty verdict against IMF chief Christine Lagarde today in a French court.
	"The Executive Board has met on previous occasions to consider developments related to the legal proceedings in France. It is expected that the Board will meet again shortly to consider the most recent developments," fund spokesman Gerry Rice said in a statement.
	A French court found Lagarde guilty of negligence over a massive payout to a tycoon when she was finance minister, but she will not be fined or face prison.
	Lagarde was found to be at fault over her decision allowing a dispute over sale of the Adidas sports brand to Credit Lyonnais bank to be resolved by a private arbitration panel rather than through the courts, then failing to challenge the 404-million-euro (USD 422 million) award that followed.

IMF board set to meet shortly on Lagarde verdict: spokesman

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IMF head Christine Lagarde today was found guilty of negligence by a French court over a massive payout to a tycoon when she was finance minister, but will not be fined or face prison.
	Lagarde was found to be at fault for failing to challenge a 404-million-euro (USD 422 million) compensation payout to businessman Bernard Tapie over the sale of the Adidas sports brand to Credit Lyonnais bank.
	Lagarde, who was France's finance minister between 2007 and 2011, was not in the Paris court to hear the decision because she is in Washington, where the International Monetary Fund is based, her lawyer said.
	The 60-year-old was tried by the Court of Justice of the Republic, a tribunal staffed by judges and members of parliament that hears cases against French ministers accused of wrongdoing in office.
	In Washington, an IMF spokesman said the agency's board would meet shortly to discuss the verdict.

IMF's Lagarde found guilty of negligence by French court

IMF chief Christine Lagarde convicted by French court

With Russia's backing, the Security Council today voted to quickly deploy UN observers to Aleppo to monitor evacuations and report on the fate of civilians who remain in the besieged Syrian city.
	The council unanimously adopted a French-drafted resolution that marks the first show of unity in months among world powers grappling with the crisis in Syria.

UNSC unanimously backs sending observers to Aleppo

Five rebels, a South African peacekeeper and a policeman were killed today when militia fighters attacked the city of Butembo in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, UN and police sources said.
	The clashes between police and militia fighters, who attacked the prison in Butembo, a city of around one million people in troubled North Kivu province, came amid rising tension across the country as President Joseph Kabila's mandate runs out.
	"At around 6 am, the assailants, who were likely Mai-Mai fighters, launched an attack against the prison and other places," said the spokesman for the UN's MONUSCO peacekeeping force, Felix-Prosper Basse.
	Mai-Mai militia have staged several attacks in Butembo in recent months and though the reasons for their return appear unclear, some residents say they have heard some fighters claim they are seeking to oust Kabila.
	The country was due to hold a presidential election this year as Kabila's mandate ends December 20, but the authorities failed to ...

Seven dead, including S African peacekeeper, in Congo clash

A suspected leader of a newly-emerged militant group, the Hassam Movement, and a policeman were killed during a police raid in the Egyptian capital, the interior ministry said today.
	Security forces raided a group hideout, where members "held organisational meetings and made explosive devices to be used in a series of hostile operations", in the October 6 district of western Cairo.
	Hassam claimed responsibility for the December 11 bomb attack inside a Cairo church that killed 26 people and a December 9 bombing that killed six policemen in western Cairo.
	The ministry said its forces responded to gunfire from inside the apartment, while a police official said on condition of anonymity that the incident took place on Saturday.
	The group leader killed was named as Mohamed Abdel-Khaleq Farag Ali, but the ministry did not specify if any other suspects were involved in the exchange of gunfire.
	Hassam, in a statement circulated on social media, said one of its members was killed, ...

Egypt policeman, militant killed in Cairo raid: ministry

Etihad Airways has begun cutting jobs in a restructuring process to reduce cost as it faces tough competition and a weakened global economy, the Emirati carrier said today.
	A spokesman for the carrier owned by the government of oil-rich Abu Dhabi said the process had started, but declined to comment on how many jobs would be axed.
	The firm, which has 26,769 employees, said in a statement the restructuring would result in a "measured reduction of headcount in some parts of the business".
	It aimed "to reduce costs and improve productivity and revenue" in "an increasingly competitive landscape, against a backdrop of weakened global economic conditions", Etihad said.
	Oil-exporting Gulf countries have felt the economic pinch as their revenues nosedived after crude price tumbled from above USD 100 a barrel in early 2014.
	Launched in 2003, Etihad reported a 41 percent surge in its net profit last year, reaching USD 103 million on the back of rising passenger numbers and cargo ...

Etihad Airways cuts jobs to reduce cost

Indonesia's police chief vowed today to crack down on any vigilantes trying to enforce Islamic rulings before Christmas, saying religious edicts do not amount to law in the world's largest Muslim-majority nation.
	His remarks came as religious hardliners attempted to stop retail workers from wearing Santa hats inside malls, saying the festive garb is un-Islamic.
	Indonesia's highest Islamic council issued a fatwa -- or religious edict -- making it sinful for businesses to force their Muslim staff to wear Christmas attire.
	The ruling inspired dozens of hardliners to rally outside malls in Indonesia's second-largest city Surabaya at the weekend, earning a sharp rebuke from police chief Tito Karnavian.
	"I have ordered my officers to arrest those doing sweeps in an anarchic fashion, because it is a violation of the law," he told reporters.
	He also reprimanded two police units caught passing on the ruling to their officers, telling them fatwas "are not a reference for positive ...

Indonesian police vow crackdown on Islamic vigilantes

Israeli tanks fired shells at a Hamas post in the Gaza Strip today after troops were shot at on the border with the Palestinian territory, the army said.
	Shots were fired towards Israeli soldiers by the fence along the largely closed border by unknown assailants, the army said in a statement.
	"In response, tanks targeted a Hamas post."
	Sources close to the Hamas-run interior ministry said the tanks targeted an observation tower near the Al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza.
	No casualties were reported on either side.
	Israel holds Hamas responsible for all violence from the territory and often responds with air or tank strikes.
	However smaller Islamist groups have sometimes claimed responsibility for attacks, including rocket fire.
	Israel and Hamas have observed a tense ceasefire since the end of their last conflict in August 2014. Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza have fought three wars since 2008.
	In a separate statement, the Israeli army said it raided an illegal ...

Israeli tanks strike Gaza base after border shooting

Andy Murray was voted the BBC Sports Personality of the Year for a record third time despite his wife telling him she was voting for one of his rivals.
     The 29-year-old Murray capped a memorable year in which he claimed his second Wimbledon and Olympic titles, deposed Novak Djokovic as world number one and became a father for the first time.
     He beat two-time Olympic triathlon champion Alistair Brownlee and Olympic show jumping gold medallist Nick Skelton in the public vote with the results announced at a ceremony in Birmingham.
     "Actually, I've got a bone to pick with my wife (Kim) because about an hour ago she told me she'd voted for Nick Skelton. Not smart from her with Christmas coming up," said Murray who was presented with his trophy at his Miami training base by former world heavyweight boxing champion Lennox Lewis.
     Murray, who also won the award in 2013 and 2015, added: "I'd like to thank everyone who voted -- I really appreciate your support.
     "Also I'd ..

That's wife as Murray wins third BBC award

The European Union today extended for another six months damaging economic sanctions against Russia over its intervention in Ukraine.
	EU leaders decided at a summit last week to roll over the sanctions first imposed in 2014 and the European Council, which groups the 28 member states, confirmed the decision today.
	"The Council prolonged the economic sanctions targeting specific sectors of the Russian economy until 31 July 2017," said the statement from the council.
	The sanctions target the financial, energy, and defence sectors and items that could be used for both industrial and military means.
	German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande said last week they wanted the sanctions extended because Moscow was not living up to its Ukraine truce commitments.
	They said there had been no progress in implementing the Minsk ceasefire accords which they helped broker between Ukraine and Russia, and so there was no option but to keep the measures in place.
	The ...

EU extends sanctions against Russia for six months

Philippine Catholic leaders and rights groups today condemned as "barbaric" President Rodrigo Duterte's plan to restore the death penalty and execute "five or six" criminals daily.
	Duterte, 71, has made reviving the death penalty in the mainly Catholic nation his top legislative priority as part of a brutal war on crime that has killed 5,300 people.
	"There was death penalty before but nothing happened. Return that to me and I would do it every day: five or six (criminals). That's for real," Duterte said on Saturday.
	An official at the influential Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines said the Church "totally opposed" Duterte's plan.
	"The Philippines will be viewed as very barbaric," Father Jerome Secillano, executive secretary at its public affairs office, told AFP.
	"It's going to make the Philippines the capital of death penalty in the world."
	The Philippines abolished the death penalty in 2006 following fierce opposition to the penalty from the Catholic Church, the ..

Duterte executions plan is barbaric: Philippine critics

Apple today launched a legal challenge against a landmark EU decision that the tech giant pay billions in back-taxes to Ireland, claiming the EU has ignored the law.
	The European Commission, the EU executive arm, in August ordered iPhone maker Apple to reimburse a record 13 billion euros (USD 14 billion) in unpaid taxes in Ireland.
	The EU, led by its competition chief Margrethe Vestager, accused Ireland of handing Apple a secret tax deal that allowed the iPhone maker to enjoy almost zero tax on all its sales worldwide for more than a decade.
	The deal was in breach of the EU's state aid rules, argued Vestager, a former Danish finance minister, who has made clamping down on tax deals a priority.
	"It's been clear since the start of this case there was a pre-determined outcome," a spokeswoman for Apple told AFP, confirming the appeal.
	"The Commission took unilateral action and retroactively changed the rules, disregarding decades of Irish tax law, US tax law, as well as global ...

Apple appeals landmark EU tax ruling

A 101-year-old British man was sentenced to 13 years in prison today after being convicted of a string of historic sex crimes against children.
	Former lorry driver Ralph Clarke was found guilty last week of 21 offences related to the abuse of two girls and one boy between 1974 and 1983.
	"You present as a fragile old man. However, what was plain to see was that, despite your guilty pleas, you have no remorse whatsoever," judge Richard Bond said as he gave his ruling in Birmingham, central England.
	Clarke is believed to be Britain's oldest prison inmate and his defence lawyer Darron Whitehead said the term would in effect be a "life sentence", asking the judge to consider Clarke's age and health.
	Prosecutor Claire Nicholls said Clarke had used "fear and intimidation" to control his victims.
	"He took full advantage of their young age and the situation in order to carry out his crimes.
	"For over 40 years Clarke thought that he had got away with his crimes. Due to the courage of the .

Centenarian British paedophile sentenced to 13 years

Australia named an unchanged 12-man squad today for the Boxing Day Test after their Gabba fright against Pakistan.
     The Australians, who prevailed by 39 runs over the tourists in a final-day thriller in Brisbane, kept paceman Chadd Sayers in their squad for the second of the three-Test series at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
     Selectors said experienced batsman Shaun Marsh was not considered for the Melbourne Test as he recovers from a finger injury.
     "He will be assessed by a specialist this week and will hopefully be given the all clear to return to unrestricted training," interim chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns said.
     He said selectors will assess the players over the next 24 hours and may yet call for reinforcements if required.
     "We have the option to add to the squad depending on how the bowling unit pulls up after getting through a lot of overs in Brisbane," Hohns said.
     He added: "These players have performed extremely well in earning back-to-back ...

Australia unchanged for second Pakistan Test

At least six people were killed in an eruption of communal violence at the weekend between herders and farmers in central Nigeria, police said today.
	The violence was sparked on Saturday after the body of a herder, who had been robbed of his motorcycle, was found in a village in eastern Taraba state, the region's police commissioner Yunana Yakubu Babas said.
	"The kinsmen of the deceased attacked the (farmers) with guns whom they accused of the killing," he told AFP.
	The violence has forced hundreds of residents to flee their homes, according to local media reports, which also gave higher death tolls.
	Fulani herders had accused members of the Tiv farming community of banditry resulting in loss of life and earnings, Babas said.
	"Calm has been restored and we have been holding reconciliatory meetings between the Fulani and Tiv community leaders on how to bring an end to such incidents in the area," he added.
	Deadly violence between herders and farmers is common in Nigeria, ...

Six killed in Nigeria communal violence: police

China has charged 10 people over a power plant collapse that killed 74 last month, state media reported today, after first detaining 13 in the immediate aftermath of the accident.
	A platform more than 70 metres high in a cooling tower at the Ganneng Fengcheng power station in the central province of Jiangxi crashed to the ground in late November, killing 74 people and injuring another two.
	The cooling tower was part of a 7.67 billion yuan (USD 1.1 billion) expansion plan for the coal-fired power station.
	Prosecutors charged nine people, including the expansion project's director Deng Yongchao and its quality control head Yang Yunfei, with "dereliction of duty", Jiancha Daily, the newspaper managed by the Supreme People's Procuratorate -- the national prosecuting authority -- reported on Monday.
	They "hold major responsibility for the occurrence of the accident", the report said.
	Prosecutors also charged another person with bribery in relation to the accident.
	The company had ...

China charges 10 in power plant collapse killed 74

Jordanian police said today they found suicide belts and other explosives in the hideout of suspected Islamic State group jihadists behind an attack that killed 10 people, including a Canadian tourist.
	Another 34 people were wounded in Sunday's shooting spree, including a second Canadian. Four gunmen were shot dead by police during the course of a siege lasting several hours.
	The attack took place in Karak, a tourist destination known for one of the region's biggest Crusader castles, around 120 kilometres south of the capital Amman.
	Police said they suspected IS jihadists were behind the attack.
	"The four dead militants are Jordanian members of a terrorist cell suspected of belonging to IS," a security source told AFP.
	It was unclear whether any militants were still at large.
	Prime Minister Hani al-Malki, who was addressing parliament at the time of the shootings, had spoken of as many as 10 gunmen.
	Jordan is a leading member of the US-led coalition fighting IS jihadists in ...

Jordan police find suicide belts after deadly attack

Several strong earthquakes rattled Ecuador's northwestern coast in the pre-dawn hours of today, leaving some areas without power but with no reports of casualties.
	The South American nation is still recovering from a devastating 7.8-magnitude quake that killed 673 people in April and left some 6,000 injured.
	That quake flattened homes and buildings up and down a long stretch of Ecuador's northwestern Pacific coast, reducing picturesque resort towns to rubble. Hardest hit was the city and province of Esmeraldas.
	"5 quakes over magnitude 4 in Esmeraldas," President Rafael Correa wrote early Monday on his Twitter account.
	He added: "zones without electricity. Damage is being evaluated. Classes suspended in the province. Have courage!"
	The strongest early Monday quake was centered near the tourist resort of Atacames, in Esmeralda province, and struck at 0700 GMT.
	Ecuador's Geophysical Institute initially said the quake was of magnitude 5.9, but later downgraded it to 5.8.
	The US ...

Strong quakes rattle coastal Ecuador

Sri Lanka has banned the import of cinnamon substitutes in a bid to safeguard the reputation of its legendary spice "Ceylon cinnamon," a government minister said today.
	Primary industries minister Daya Gamage said the cabinet had ratified his proposal to outlaw the import of a cheaper variety known as "cassia cinnamon."
	He said he took the step after several container loads of the fake cinnamon that had been imported from Madagascar were found.
	"Cassia looks similar to the real thing, but it is inferior in quality and cheaper than Ceylon cinnamon," the minister said in a statement. "When it is re-exported as real cinnamon, it damages our reputation."
	The aromatic spice -- used in both savoury dishes and desserts -- was native to Sri Lanka. Dutch invaders grew it on a commercial scale in the 17th century for export.
	The commodity which brought in over $150 million in the first 10 months of this year is known by the country's colonial era name "Ceylon."
	Sri Lanka's cinnamon ...

Sri Lanka bans fake cinnamon to protect spice image

Norway and China announced today the resumption of diplomatic relations, six years after Beijing froze ties with Oslo over the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to a Chinese dissident.
	The Nobel Peace Prize in October 2010 to human rights activist Liu Xiaobo -- imprisoned in his own country by authorities who consider him a "criminal" -- had angered the Chinese regime so much that it suspended its ties with Norway.
	During a surprise visit to Beijing by Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende on Monday, the two nations issued a joint declaration announcing the thaw in their ties.
	"The Norwegian government reiterates its commitment to the one-China policy, fully respects China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, attaches high importance to China's core interests and major concerns, will not support actions that undermine them, and will do its best to avoid any future damage to the bilateral relations," the statement said.
	Human rights issues were not mentioned in the two-page ..

AFP

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