Mali's president said today he could let Burkina Faso forces pursue jihadist fighters when they flee across the border into his country, days after militants massacred 12 Burkinabe soldiers.
	Around 40 fighters attacked a base some 30 kilometres from the Burkina-Mali border on Friday in what local authorities called the biggest ever jihadist attack on the army.
	It was the second direct strike against the Burkina army since jihadist militants surfaced in the country in early 2015, mostly staging attacks in the north near the borders of Mali and Niger.
	Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita stopped off in Ouagadougou on his way home from a summit in Nigeria to show his support for Burkina Faso after Friday's attack.
	"There can be no question of people coming to kill with impunity in Burkina and then finding safe refuge in Mali -- certainly not," Keita told reporters as he stood alongside Burkina President Roch Marc Christian Kabore.
	"So this will be one of the things we will look ..

Mali may let Burkina troops chase jihadists into its territory

PTI Automatic

The Eiffel Tower reopened to the public today after a labour strike closed the Paris landmark for five days.
	Members of the 300-strong workforce voted today to resume their duties following a dispute over management's decision-making and maintenance work, the CGT union said.
	Unions and management are to sign a memorandum of understanding, the union said, without disclosing its contents.
	During the Christmas rush as many as 20,000 people a day ascend the tower.
	Among the projects that workers are concerned about are a major paint-stripping and repainting job to repair flaking areas of the 117-year-old tower which unions say poses health risks because of lead in the old paint.

Eiffel Tower reopens after five-day strike

Police in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka today stopped thousands of Islamists from marching to the border with Myanmar to protest at a crackdown on the Rohingya Muslim minority in that country.
	The military campaign in Myanmar's western state of Rakhine has sent 27,000 Rohingya fleeing into Bangladesh, with survivors recounting horrific stories of mass murder, gang rape and torture at the hands of troops.
	Buddhist-majority Myanmar has long discriminated against the stateless Rohingya and the recent crisis has galvanised protests in Muslim countries around the region.
	Thousands of Muslims belonging to the Islami Andolan Bangladesh party gathered in front of Dhaka's Baitul Mukarram national mosque, chanting slogans and carrying placards denouncing Myanmar's Nobel laureate and de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
	Local police chief Rafiqul Islam told AFP that at least 6,000 people had arrived for the march towards the southeastern border.
	"But it came to a halt as we mutually discussed .

Bangladesh stops pro-Rohingya protest march to border

A rash shot from key batsman Younis Khan opened the door for Australia to push on for victory on the rain-delayed fourth day of the day-night first Test at the Gabba on Sunday.
	   The 39-year-old veteran had kept the Australian bowlers at bay and loomed as his team's last major hope after the dismissals of Azhar Ali and skipper Misbah-Ul-Haq.
	   But the 112-Test campaigner fell to an ill-judged reverse sweep off spinner Nathan Lyon, the ball ballooning off the back of his bat for Steve Smith to take an easy catch nearing the dinner break.
	   At the interval, the Australians were five wickets away from victory in the series opener with the tourists at 203 for five.
	   Asad Shafiq was on 13 with first-innings topscorer Sarfraz Ahmed not out at 17.
	   Australia have yet to lose at the Gabba in 27 Tests stretching back to 1988.
	   Pakistan's hopes of salvaging the Test had hinged largely on the ability of their elder statesmen Younis and Misbah to occupy the crease.
	   But Misbah ..

Younis falls as Aussies close in on Gabba victory

A suicide bomber from the Islamic State group killed at least 40 Yemeni soldiers in Aden today, the latest in a string of deadly attacks against recruits in the country's second city.
	Military officials and medics said many others were wounded in the attack that targeted a crowd of servicemen who had gathered to collect their salaries near a base in northeastern Aden.
	"The number of those killed has exceeded 40 with some 50 others wounded," Aden health chief, Abdel Nasser al-Wali, told AFP, adding that the death toll was likely to mount due to "critical cases."
	Medics had initially given a toll of 30 dead.
	The attack was carried out by a suicide bomber who blended in among soldiers crowding outside the house of the head of special security forces in Aden, Colonel Nasser Sarea, in Al-Arish district, near Al-Sawlaban base.
	Sarea said the bomber "took advantage of the gathering and detonated his explosives among them".
	Images from the blast scene showed blood stains and scattered ..

40 Yemeni soldiers dead in IS-claimed bombing

Buses began entering the last rebel-held parts of Aleppo today to resume the evacuation of Syrian civilians and rebels, official media reported.
	The operation had been suspended on Friday, a day after thousands of people had begun leaving the rebel enclave under a deal allowing the regime to take full control of the city.
	Buses started entering several neighbourhoods on Sunday under the supervision of the Red Crescent and the International Committee of the Red Cross "to bring the remaining terrorists and their families out," state news agency SANA said, referring to the rebels.
	The main obstacle to the resumption of the operation had been a disagreement over the number of people to be evacuated in parallel from two Shiite villages, Fuaa and Kafraya, under rebel siege in northwestern Syria.
	A rebel representative told AFP today that a new agreement had been reached under which the evacuations would take place in two phases.
	"In a first step, half of the people besieged in Aleppo ..

Buses enter Aleppo to resume evacuations: state media

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg today defended the alliance's decision to refrain from stepping into the war in Syria, saying doing so would only make matters worse.
	All 28 NATO members belong to the US-led coalition battling the Islamic State group but they are not directly involved in the Syrian conflict.
	"We are experiencing in Syria a horrible human catastrophe. Sometimes it is right to deploy militarily -- such as in Afghanistan," Stoltenberg told Bild am Sonntag.
	"But sometimes the costs of a military operation is higher than its benefit. Looking at Syria, NATO partners came to the conclusion that a military deployment would only make a terrible situation worse," he said.
	"We would risk turning it into a bigger regional conflict. Or more innocent people could die. A military deployment is not always the solution," he warned.
	The West has come under fire from some quarters over its failure to halt the carnage in Syria.
	Trapped civilians and rebels in besieged Aleppo were today .

NATO chief defends decision to stay out of Syrian war

A suicide bomber killed at least 30 Yemeni soldiers in Aden today, the latest in a string of deadly bomb attacks against recruits in the war-torn country's second city.
	Military officials and medics said many others were wounded in the attack that targeted a crowd of soldiers gathered to collect their salaries near a base in northeastern Aden.
	The attacker immersed himself among the soldiers crowding outside the house of the head of special security forces in Aden, Colonel Nasser Sarea, in Al-Arish district, near Al-Sawlaban base.
	Sarea said the bomber "took advantage of the gathering and detonated his explosives among them, killing 30 soldiers and wounding several others".
	Images from the blast scene showed blood stains and scattered shoes across the sandy ground.
	The attack comes eight days after a similar bombing at Al-Sawlaban claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group killed 48 soldiers and wounded 29 others.
	Yemeni authorities have for months pressed a campaign against ...

At least 30 soldiers dead in Yemen suicide blast

A suicide bomber killed at least 40 Yemeni soldiers in Aden today, the latest in a string of deadly bomb attacks against recruits in the war-torn country's second city.
	Military officials and medics said many others were wounded in the attack that targeted a crowd of servicemen gathered to collect their salaries near a base in northeastern Aden.
	"The number of those killed has exceeded 40 with some 50 others wounded," Aden health chief, Abdel Nasser al-Wali, told AFP, adding that the death toll is likely to mount due to "critical cases."
	Medics had initially given a toll of 30 dead.
	The attack was carried out by a suicide bomber who immersed himself among soldiers crowding outside the house of the head of special security forces in Aden, Colonel Nasser Sarea, in Al-Arish district, near Al-Sawlaban base.
	Sarea said the bomber "took advantage of the gathering and detonated his explosives among them".
	Images from the blast scene showed blood stains and scattered shoes across the ...

At least 40 soldiers dead in Yemen suicide blast

With protests rocking his unpopular government, embattled President Nicolas Maduro delayed until January 2 taking Venezuela's highest denomination bill out of circulation.
	The 100 bolivar bills would temporarily remain legal tender, Maduro said yesterday, but the borders with Colombia and Brazil will remain closed to hit what he claims are "mafias" hoarding Venezuelan cash abroad in a US-backed plot to destabilise the country.
	"You can calmly continue to use the 100 bill for your purchases and your activities," Maduro said at a meeting with officials broadcast on state television.
	The bill is worth about 15 US cents at the highest official rate, and until recently accounted for 77 per cent of the cash in circulation in Venezuela.
	Venezuela has the world's highest inflation rate, set to hit 475 per cent this year according to the IMF.
	The government is trying to introduce new bills in denominations up to 200 times higher than the old ones, but the plan derailed when Maduro banned .

Venezuela delays removing currency bills amid protests

Iran discussed its plans for nuclear-powered ships with UN nuclear chief Yukiyo Amano today, saying it would present details within three months, local media reported.
	Amano did not comment on the plans to produce nuclear-powered engines, but said Iran had so far met all of its commitments under last year's nuclear deal with world powers.
	"We discussed the nuclear-powered engines in detail," said Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, adding that he and Amano talked about the most controversial point -- the level of uranium-enrichment required for the ships.
	"This is not a simple matter that can be decided quickly. We have three months to review it," he told reporters.
	"Normally, the enrichment for such engines is between five per cent and 90 per cent. It depends on the type of engine and the time and goal we want to reach," said Salehi.
	Iran's President Hassan Rouhani last week announced the plans for nuclear-powered ships in response to news that the ...

Iran discuss nuclear ships plan with IAEA chief

Eight Chinese nationals have been charged with smuggling drugs using a large commercial vessel, Australian police said today, after their boat was seized off the country's coast.
	Ten crew members, all Chinese men, were arrested after navy personnel boarded the 50-metre boat on December 12 and brought it to a port in Hobart in the southern island state of Tasmania four days later.
	Eight of them were "charged with 'attempt to import a commercial quantity of border controlled drug'" and appeared in Hobart Magistrates Court Sunday, a Tasmania Police spokeswoman told AFP. The other two were yet to be charged, she added.
	The Australian Border Force said Friday the vessel was boarded after it was spotted behaving suspiciously by an aerial patrol and tracked as it moved down nation's west coast, across the Great Australian Bight and towards the coastline of Tasmania.
	The alleged type and amount of drugs on board were yet to be being determined as the boat was still being searched.
	The ...

Eight Chinese charged over Australia drug smuggling

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's admission that he used a powerful painkiller has prompted concern about his health, with lawmakers urging him today to undergo a medical examination and disclose the results.
	Duterte on Monday revealed that he used to take fentanyl, often prescribed for cancer pain and other chronic ailments, because of a spinal injury from previous motorcycle accidents.
	He however said his doctor made him stop using it on learning he was "abusing the drug" by using more than the prescribed patches.
	The firebrand leader has attracted controversy over his war against suspected users of illegal drugs, which has claimed thousands of lives, and his incendiary language against the United States and the United Nations.
	Lawmakers said Duterte's  remarks revived speculation about his health, including rumours during the election campaign that he suffered from cancer -- a claim Duterte repeatedly denied.
	"To end this speculation, it would be better if his physician ..

Duterte painkiller use draws concern in Philippines

Four armed "bandits" were killed and two wounded in a shootout following an attack on police in the capital of Russia's Chechnya region, strongman leader Ramzan Kadyrov said.
	Regional boss Kadyrov said a "group of armed people" attacked a police officer and stole his car in the capital Grozny late yesterday.
	A shootout erupted as law enforcement agencies apprehended the assailants after putting into action a security plan to lock down the city, Kadyrov told Russian news agencies.
	"The bandits were neutralised by return fire. Two were taken to hospital and four were destroyed," he said late yesterday, adding that no police officers were killed.
	No more details were given on the motives of the alleged attackers.
	Russia fought two brutal separatist wars over the past two decades in Chechnya but the region has been largely pacified under Kadyrov's iron-fisted rule.
	A dwindling group of Islamist insurgents are still fighting the authorities in Chechnya and across the volatile North ..

Four attackers killed in Chechen capital: region's leader

Saudi Arabia's largest telecommunications firm STC plans to buy a 10 per cent stake in car booking firm Careem, the company said today.
	Careem is a competitor of US-based Uber, a smartphone app that connects passengers and drivers.
	In a notice to the Saudi stock exchange, Saudi Telecom Co said the proposed stake is worth USD 100 million, to be funded by STC's "internal financial resources."
	The investment is the latest high-profile Saudi venture since Riyadh in April announced its Vision 2030 plan to diversify the oil-dependent economy and broaden its investment base.
	"This move is in line with the company strategy to invest in the innovative digital world," STC said, adding it would "enhance communication via mobile within the transport system."
	Uber announced in June that Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund would inject USD 3.5 billion to help the app's global expansion.
	Its rival Careem was founded in 2012 and has operations in 47 cities across the Middle East, North ...

Saudi phone giant to buy 10% of Careem ride app

Myanmar soldiers have seized an important outpost from a powerful rebel faction during a recent bout of intense fighting, state media and insurgents confirmed today -- a fresh blow for the country's struggling peace process.
	Fighting has blighted Myanmar's border regions for decades, pitting various ethnic minority groups seeking autonomy or independence against the country's notoriously abusive military.
	Since winning landmark elections a year ago, de facto civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi has made forging a lasting peace deal a cornerstone of her administration.
	But her time in office has witnessed some of the fiercest fighting in years break out between some rebel groups and the country's military, a force that under a junta-era constitution she has almost no control over.
	The latest fighting erupted between Myanmar's military and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), one of the country's strongest rebel groups based in northern Kachin state.
	Myanmar's military, backed by jets ..

Myanmar army takes outpost from powerful rebel group

Scoreboard at tea on the fourth
day of the day-night first Test between Australia and Pakistan at the Gabba today.
     Australia first innings 429 (S. Smith 130, P. Handscomb 105; W. Riaz 4-89, M. Amir 4-97
     Pakistan first innings 142 (S. Ahmed 59 not out, J. Hazlewood 3-22, J. Bird 3-23, M. Starc 3-63)
     Australia second innings 202 for 5 declared (U. Khawaja 74, S. Smith 63, Rahat Ali 2-40)
     Pakistan second innings (70 for 2 overnight)
     S. Aslam   c Renshaw b Starc             15
     A. Ali     not out                       61
     B. Azam    c Smith b Lyon                14
     Y. Khan    not out                       40
     Extras (LB-1)                             1
     Total (For 2 wickets in 56.2 overs)     131
     Fall of wickets: 1-31, 2-54.
     Bowling: Starc 13-4-38-1, Hazlewood 18.2-10-21-0, Bird 13-4-39-0, Lyon 10-2-26-1, Maddinson 2-0-6-0.

Brisbane, Dec 18 (AFP) Scoreboard at tea on the fourth

Younis Khan and Azhar Ali batted through the first session as Pakistan stonewalled Australia's push for victory on the fourth day of the day-night first Test at the Gabba today.
     The pair got through the opening two hours of play as a storm sent the players from the field just before tea.
     At the interval, Pakistan -- chasing an improbable 490 runs to win over two days -- were 131 for two.
     Azhar was unbeaten on 61 with veteran Younis not out on 40.
     Younis took 20 balls to get off the mark with a streaky shot through the slips cordon to the boundary.
     But a reverse sweep off spinner Nathan Lyon to the unguarded boundary to get to 23 showed he was gaining in confidence after a watchful start.
     Azhar could have been caught off his glove when on 48 as he attempted a sweep off Lyon, but the ball hit wicketkeeper Matthew Wade's wrist and bounced away to safety.
     Azhar reached his painstaking half-century off 146 balls in 233 minutes.
     Australia have yet to .

Younis, Azhar stonewall Aussies as storm hits Gabba

A 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck off the Solomon Islands today, the US Geological Survey said, the third strong tremor off the Pacific nation in less than two weeks.
	The quake hit at 4.46 PM (1116 IST) at a depth of 39 kilometres about 83 kilometres west-northwest of Kirakira, the USGS added.
	On December 10 a 6.9-magnitude quake struck off Kirakira. The previous day a 7.7-magnitude tremor triggered severe shaking and a tsunami warning, although there were no reports of serious damage.

Third strong quake in two weeks hits off Solomon Islands

6.0-magnitude earthquake hits off Solomon Islands: USGS

Israeli soldiers shot dead a Palestinian teenager today during a confrontation in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian officials said.
	Security officials said that troops entered the village of Beit Rima, near Ramallah, after midnight and were confronted by stone-throwing youths.
	The Palestinian health ministry said that Ahmed Hazem Atta, 19, was killed in the ensuing army fire.

AFP

AFP

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