Allegations that Afghanistan's first vice president and his guards sexually assaulted a political rival while holding him captive in his private compound prompted calls today from the country's Western allies for a government investigation.
	Abdul Rashid Dostum, a former warlord who has a catalogue of war crimes attached to his name, is accused of ordering his guards to seize Ahmad Ishchi last month in northern Jowzjan province during a game of buzkashi, or polo with a carcass.
	Dostum allegedly kept Ishchi hostage in his private enclave for five days, where he was said to be tortured and sodomised.
	"He told me 'I will throw you under the horses and do buzkashi on you'," Ishchi, a former Jowzjan governor, told local Tolo television today.
	Dostum's office dismissed the comments as a conspiracy to defame him. But the United States joined a slew of Western governments to call for a thorough probe.
	"The unlawful detention and reported mistreatment of Mr Ishchi by the First Vice ...

Afghan vice president accused of sexually assaulting rival

PTI Automatic

Civilians and opposition fighters will start evacuating east Aleppo "within hours" under a deal with Syria's regime, a rebel official said today, as global outrage mounted over reports of atrocities including summary executions.
	Yasser al-Youssef from the political office of the key Nurredin al-Zinki group told AFP the deal with President Bashar al-Assad's regime was being "sponsored" by Russia and Turkey.
	"An agreement has been reached," Youssef said. "The first stage will be the evacuation of civilians and wounded, within hours, and afterwards fighters will leave with their light weapons."
	Those leaving will be allowed to travel to other rebel-held territory in the west of Aleppo province or neighbouring Idlib province, he said.
	A source in the powerful Ahrar al-Sham rebel group confirmed the deal and its details.
	There was no immediate confirmation from the regime, Ankara or Moscow.
	The UN and aid agencies have been pleading for a ceasefire to allow for the evacuation of tens 

Rebels say deal reached to evacuate Aleppo 'within hours'

The EU said today it would open no new areas in Turkey's membership talks in the "currently prevailing circumstances" because of concerns about its post-coup crackdown.
	Austria however refused to sign the statement because it wants a complete freeze of Turkey's long-stalled accession process, including negotiations that are currently underway.
	"Under the currently prevailing circumstances, no new chapters are considered for opening," said the statement by the European Union presidency, which is currently held by Slovakia.
	A "chapter" is a specific area of negotiations, whose issues range from human rights to economic cooperation.
	It comes despite a promise by Brussels in March to prepare to open new chapters in Turkey's long-stalled membership bid at an "accelerated pace" as part of a deal with Ankara to tackle the migration crisis.
	The EU opened one new chapter in June, but this brings the tally to only 16 out of the 35 required for Muslim-majority Turkey to join the 28-nation ..

EU says won't open new Turkey membership chapters

Brazil's Senate today approved a 20-year government spending freeze billed as the centerpiece of austerity reforms aimed at restoring economic health to the troubled Latin American giant.
	The upper house voted 53 to 16 to lock in the spending ceiling.
	Center-right President Michel Temer says tough measures are needed to get Brazil's finances back under control, but his austerity policies have prompted violent protests and were criticized last week by a UN expert as "a historic mistake."
	Police were out in force in the capital Brasilia to protect government buildings from demonstrators during the upper house vote. An expected protest had not materialized before the Senate rapidly wrapped up its debate.
	The vote means that the spending cap is now mandated by the constitution, serving as the central plank in Temer's bid to "transform" the broken economy, which is in deep recession.
	However, Temer is rapidly losing political clout as he and many of his senior allies fight to survive .

Brazil Senate approves 20-year spending freeze

Norway, which boasts the world's highest number of electric cars per capita, now has 100,000 such vehicles on the road, a trade body said today.
	The clean cars are already saving the Nordic country some 200,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year, and the plan is to boost their number to 400,000 over the next three years, the Electric Vehicle Association said.
	Generous state-funded measures, including tax breaks, free city tolls and free parking, have catapulted Norway to the top of the electric car league.
	With a population of 5.2 million, Norway has a total of 19 electric cars for every 1,000 inhabitants, with electric vehicles making up for almost 20 percent of new car registrations.
	By last year, Norway had the fourth largest fleet of electric cars in the world in absolute terms, after the United States, China and Japan, according to Transport and Environment, a European green transport lobby.
	"The present fleet cuts approximately 200,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually," the ..

Norway revs electric cars to 100,000 units

British oil giant BP faces safety shortfalls at its operations that could spark serious accidents, according to a leaked internal report published today by Greenpeace.
	The confidential document alleged BP had weaknesses in the way it manages critical information and incident reporting at its refineries and oil rigs, thereby increasing the risk of accidents, according to Greenpeace.
	The environmental campaign group added that two of BP's failures had almost sparked fatal incidents that were together still costing it USD 180 million per year.
	The leaked study was carried out in August 2015 and was based on interviews with 150 personnel across nine BP sites around the world.
	The report found there were around 500 recent incidents, of which 75 were directly linked to poor information.
	The list of errors ranges from missing blueprints to wrongly-installed anti-blowout devices.
	BP has experienced "repeated near-misses" as a result of those errors, with at least one serious incident at 

Leaked BP report reveals safety lapses: Greenpeace

Turkey will intensify talks with Russia for a ceasefire to end the "humanitarian tragedy" in Aleppo, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said today, as Ankara accused Syria of violating international law.
	The announcement came as the UN accused forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of executing dozens of civilians in the former rebel stronghold of Aleppo.
	"Today, tomorrow, everyday, we will intensify our talks with Russia and other countries so we can find a solution to this humanitarian tragedy," Cavusoglu said at a press conference with his Czech counterpart in Ankara.
	"Our efforts continue in particular for civilians to be able to leave and for a ceasefire."
	Asked about possible Aleppo talks with Moscow on Wednesday, Cavusoglu said Turkish officials often met with their Russian counterparts, insisting it was "not a special meeting".
	Shortly after, the Turkish foreign ministry issued a statement in which it said it was "horrified and outraged by the massacre of ...

Turkey to step up Russia talks on Aleppo ceasefire

EU member states agreed to beef up trade rules against cheap imports today as they wage an ongoing battle over China's stronger trade status at the Word Trade Organization.
	After three years of negotiations, the 28 nations voted to give Europe greater leeway to fight cheap imports of raw materials in a move that is sure to deepen a growing trade feud with China.
	"This is a major breakthrough," said Peter Ziga, the trade minister from Slovakia, which holds the European Union's six-month rotating presidency.
	"Europe cannot be naive and has to defend its interests, especially in case of dumping," he added.
	The changes came despite the opposition of Britain and Sweden, which claimed that the measures would hurt the auto sector and open a dangerous road towards protectionism.
	Those fears have grown since the election of President-elect Donald Trump on a mandate to curb open international trade in the United States, the world's biggest economy.
	Steelmakers were especially keen for the 

EU agrees tougher trade rules amid China row

A coalition air strike in Syria killed three Islamic State leaders involved in plotting foreign attacks, including two men involved in facilitating last year's attacks in Paris, the Pentagon said today.
	"The three were working together to plot and facilitate attacks against Western targets at the time of the strike," said Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook. He said the three were killed in a December 4 air strike in Raqa, an IS stronghold in Syria.

Syria strike kills 3 IS operatives, involved in Paris attacks

An Afghan boy who became an internet sensation after pictures of him wearing an improvised Lionel Messi football shirt went viral finally got to meet his superstar idol today.
     Murtaza Ahmadi met the Barcelona forward in Doha, where the Spanish league champions are due to play a friendly match against Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli later.
     Six-year-old Murtaza, from the rural Ghazni province southwest of Kabul, is also due to walk out onto the pitch with the Argentinian at Doha's Al-Gharrafa stadium.
     "The image the world wanted to see," tweeted Qatar's 2022 World Cup organisers, who brought the pair together.
     "The six year old boy who dreamed of meeting his hero, #Messi, finally comes true."
     A delighted Murtaza said: "I'm very happy to have met my hero. It is a dream for me," according to a statement released by Qatar's Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, the committee overseeing organisation of the 2022 tournament.
     Murtaza became a worldwide online hit .

Afghan bag shirt boy meets his idol Messi

Workers at the Eiffel Tower concerned over an upcoming paint job at the famous landmark went on strike today, the third stoppage at the monument in six months.
	Unions representing the 300 workers said they called the strike over the "deliberate absence of transparency" on key decisions relating to the functioning of the tower.
	A spokesman for the hard-left CGT union Denis Vavassori said employees were particularly worried about a paint stripping operation planned ahead of a new paint job in 2017.
	"The monument is in an obvious state of disrepair," he said, warning of the "health risks" to staff from what he called a "botched" operation.
	The strike left crowds of disappointed visitors who had to make do with admiring the the 324-metre tower from the ground.
	The tower's operator SETE confirmed the latest closure was caused by a labour dispute.
	"Discussions are taking place between management and workers' representatives," SETE said, adding it regretted the inconvenience to ...

Eiffel Tower shut by third strike of 2016

Brazil's Senate was to vote today on a 20-year government spending freeze billed as the centerpiece of austerity reforms that have provoked violent protests.
	Police were preparing a big operation in the capital Brasilia to protect government buildings from demonstrators during the upper house vote.
	The spending cap would be locked into the constitution and is the central plank in proposals by center-right President Michel Temer to get Brazil's finances back under control and attract investors who fled because of Brazil's ongoing recession.
	However, Temer is rapidly losing political clout as he and many of his senior allies fight to survive a slew of corruption allegations.
	Brazilians battered by nearly 12 per cent unemployment and stubbornly high inflation are increasingly angry over the scandals and hostile to the austerity measures.
	A poll published today showed that 60 per cent of Brazilians oppose the spending ceiling. Only 24 per cent are in favor, the Datafolha poll ...

Brazil Senate to vote on austerity amid protests

The Kremlin today lauded the "good" ties between President Vladimir Putin and US President-elect Donald Trump's pick for secretary of state, ExxonMobil chief Rex Tillerson.
	"Russian representatives and not just the president have good, businesslike relations with Tillerson. He is a very solid figure," Putin's top foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov told journalists, adding that Tillerson was "very professional in his field".

Putin has good, businesslike relations with Tillerson: Kremlin

IMF boss Christine Lagarde faced a grilling on the second day of her trial today over the "colossal" damages authorised for a French tycoon  while she was French finance minister.
	Presiding judge Martine Ract Madoux forced the head of the International Monetary Fund on the defensive as she questioned why 45 million euros (USD 48 million) had been paid to Bernard Tapie in personal damages.
	These so-called "moral damages" -- to compensate for his emotional and physical suffering -- were part of a 404 million euro settlement with Tapie in 2008 over a case he brought against the state.
	"The heart of this case are the moral damages of 45 million euros, even though... Moral damages for the death of a child are between 30,000 and 50,000 euros. Ultimately, it's a colossal figure," said Ract Madoux.
	When Lagarde suggested that her questioning the figure would not have altered the case, the judge replied that the figure was like a "punch in the stomach" that should have made her ...

Lagarde grilled over 'colossal' payout in French trial

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande today said they favour extending EU sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine conflict, ahead of a Brussels summit that will discuss the issue.
	Merkel said that -- given grave shortcomings in the Ukraine peace process, which has been marred by regular ceasefire violations -- "it will be necessary to extend sanctions against Russia once more".
	Hollande, speaking at a joint Berlin press conference with Merkel, agreed there had been insufficient progress in implementing the Minsk peace agreement.
	"Since there hasn't been an effort made, no progress, and the same blockages remain, I, like the chancellor, am in favour of extending sanctions," he said.
	Neither the Ukrainian government nor the pro-Russian rebels waging an insurgency in the country's east have fully implemented the agreements -- designed to bring an end to a conflict that has claimed 10,000 lives since 2014 -- and low-level fighting continues.
	In ...

Merkel, Hollande want to extend Russia sanctions over Ukraine

No Israeli officials will meet Sweden's foreign minister during her trip to the region, a spokesman said today, after she called for a probe into the killings of Palestinian assailants.
	Erik Wirkensjo, spokesman for Swedish foreign minister Margot Wallstrom, told AFP she had wanted to meet both Israeli and Palestinian officials during her visit from Thursday to Saturday.
	"This time it was not possible to visit Israel," Wirkensjo said.
	Asked why there were no meetings planned, he said such questions must be "asked to the Israelis".
	Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon blamed "schedule problems" and declined to provide further details.
	Earlier, Wallstrom told Swedish news agency TT: "I would have gladly seen myself travel to Israel as well, but unfortunately they do not welcome it."
	There is no international airport in the Palestinian territories. Wirkensjo declined to comment on whether Wallstrom would fly to an Israeli airport and then travel to the occupied West .

Israel officials snub Swedish minister after row

New Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni confirmed Tuesday that his government was prepared to come to the aid of the country's third largest bank if private rescue efforts fail.
	"The government is ready to intervene to guarantee the stability of the (banking) institutions," Gentiloni said in a statement to parliament outlining his fledgling administration's priorities.
	He added: "We have to guarantee the stability of the banks and citizens' savings."
	Gentiloni's statement confirmed earlier signals from the government that it stands ready to help recapitalise the troubled Monte dei Paschi di Siena bank (BMPS), should it fail to raise enough money from private investors to complete a badly needed strengthening of its balance sheet.
	The bank, seen as being in danger of failing if it is not recapitalised, needs to raise five billion euros (USD 5.29 billion) to avoid a state-subsidised rescue.
	If that happens there are fears retail savers might suffer losses with EU rules ...

New Italy PM says ready to intervene to save banks

Four African heads of state were due in The Gambia today morning with a mission to persuade President Yahya Jammeh to leave office after his defeat at the ballot box.
	Jammeh's party has vowed to challenge the December 1 vote result in court, leading to an avalanche of international condemnation and multitude of calls for him to cede power to opponent Adama Barrow, who was officially declared the winner.
	Jammeh is expected to meet Nigeria's Muhammadu Buhari, Liberian leader Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Sierra Leone's Ernest Bai Koroma and Ghana's outgoing President John Mahama this morning.
	The heavyweight delegation of west Africa's biggest hitters, who have significant ties to The Gambia, will be joined by United Nations West Africa envoy Mohamed Ibn Chambas.
	The African leaders will then hold separate talks with Barrow, several sources told AFP.
	Banjul-based diplomats say Buhari in particular has long been annoyed by Jammeh's provocative behaviour and disdain for protocol.
	Up until .

African leaders set for showdown with Gambia's Jammeh

Syria's war has killed just more than 312,000 people since it began in March 2011, over 90,000 of them civilians, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said today.
	The Britain-based group said it had recorded the deaths of 312,001 people since the war began with anti-government protests, including nearly 16,000 children.
	The toll includes more than 53,000 rebels and nearly 110,000 pro-regime fighters, among them over 60,000 Syrian soldiers, but also tens of thousands of Syrian militiamen, members of Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah movement and other foreign fighters.
	The group said nearly 55,000 jihadists had also been killed in the fighting, most of them from the Islamic State group or former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front, but also from smaller groups.
	The Observatory said it had also recorded the deaths of 3,683 people it had not been able to identify.
	Syria's conflict began with anti-government protests but spiralled into a brutal civil war after a government ...

Death toll in Syria war rises to 312,000: monitor

The European Union today wrestled with a rift over Turkey's EU membership bid after Austria led calls for the accession process to be halted over Ankara's post-coup crackdown.
	Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has lashed out at EU reluctance to revive membership talks and threatened to cancel a March deal which has curbed the mass influx of refugees and migrants into the 28-nation bloc.
	Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, said ministers would try to close the gap during talks in Brussels on Tuesday.
	"This is definitely the most problematic point," Lajcak told reporters when asked about Austria's call to freeze the membership bid.
	"The positions are quite diverse. So the goal for today would be to find a common platform to arrive at a compromise," Lajcak said.
	Austria's top diplomat Sebastian Kurz warned that Vienna could block the conclusions that ministers must agree unanimously today to proceed with the accessions ...

EU struggles with split over Turkey membership bid

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani today ordered the country's scientists to start work on nuclear-powered ships in response to the expected renewal of sanctions by the United States.
	In letters read out on state television, Rouhani criticised the US move as a breach of last year's nuclear accord and told Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation to start work on "planning the design and production of nuclear fuel and reactors for maritime transport."
	The president said he had also ordered the foreign ministry to prepare a legal complaint to the international committee that oversees the nuclear accord.
	Under the deal signed in July 2015, world powers agreed to lift international sanctions in exchange for curbs to Iran's nuclear programme.
	But US lawmakers recently voted to renew 10-year-old sanctions legislation against Iran related not just to nuclear issues, but also ballistic missile-testing and human rights.
	President Barack Obama is expected to sign the measure into law in the coming ..

AFP

AFP

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