Senior US, Japanese and South Korean officials with special responsibility for the North Korean nuclear issue held talks today, at a time of political flux and policy uncertainty in Washington and Seoul.
	"We shared the view that it is more important than ever to keep close cooperation among the three countries," South Korea's nuclear envoy Kim Hong-Kyun told reporters after the meeting in Seoul.
	The three envoys get together regularly in each other's capitals and one of their main aims is to shape and maintain a consensus on how best to deal with the growing nuclear weapons threat from Pyongyang.
	It's a consensus that is looking particularly frail at the moment.
	The trio's meeting in Seoul on Tuesday was the first since the eruption of a major political scandal in South Korea that resulted in parliament voting last week to impeach President Park Geun-Hye.
	Park took a hard line with North Korea and was a staunch ally of Washington's policy of "strategic patience" -- essentially a .

Envoys discuss N Korea amid political flux in US, S Korea

PTI Automatic

China's industrial output and retail sales growth both accelerated in November, government data showed today, in a sign of stabilisation for the world's second-largest economy.
	Industrial output rose 6.2 per cent in the month, ahead of both October's figures and economists' predictions of 6.1 per cent in a Bloomberg News survey.
	Retail sales rose 10.8 per cent on-year in nominal terms, up from 10.0 per cent in October, while fixed-asset investment, a gauge of infrastructure spending, rose 8.3 per cent in the first 11 months of the year, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said.
	"Economic development was steady and sound in November," the NBS said in a statement, noting that supply-side structural reform, stimulus policies, and improved factory efficiency contributed to the results.
	Total retail sales reached 3.1 trillion yuan (USD 450 billion) in the month.
	China is a key driver of the world economy but its expansion has slowed significantly from the double-digit years of the 

China industrial output and retail sales accelerate in Nov

Britain's skeleton Olympic gold medallist Lizzie Yarnold would be backed by the British Olympic Association (BOA) were she to boycott the 2017 skeleton and bobsleigh world championships in Russia over doping in the country.
     It comes a day after Latvia's skeleton team said they were boycotting the championships, to be held February 13-26 in Sochi, because Russia had "stolen the Olympic spirit in 2014".
     Yarnold, who won Olympic gold in 2014 in Sochi, told the BBC in October she may opt out of the world championships because of concerns over doping.
     Her fears will have been deepened after Canadian law professor Richard McLaren last week published the second part of his report into state-sponsored doping across Russian sports, including at the Sochi Games.
     "For any governing body or athlete who took that stance, we'd support them entirely," new BOA chairman Hugh Robertson told the BBC on Monday of the prospect of more countries snubbing sports events in protest at ...

British Olympic chief would support Russian worlds boycott

Australia will host England at the Adelaide Oval in the first day-night Ashes Test during the 2017-18 series, building on the success of the concept, Cricket Australia announced Tuesday.
     The series between the arch-rivals opens at the Gabba in Brisbane from November 23 before heading to Adelaide then Perth. Melbourne hosts the traditional Boxing Day Test with Sydney rounding it off.
     England will also play five one-day internationals between January 14-28. Adelaide hosted the first-ever Test under lights using a pink ball last year and it was a roaring success, with record attendances for the clash against New Zealand.
     Buoyed by the public reaction, the same venue was used for a day-night Test against South Africa last month, while Australia face Pakistan under lights in the first Test at Brisbane this week.
     "We're really excited to announce that Adelaide will play host to the first ever day-night Ashes Test," said Cricket Australia chief executive James ...

First day-night Ashes Test set for Adelaide

Greece does not need more austerity at this time, and in fact spending cuts have gone too far already, two senior International Monetary Fund officials have said.
	If the eurozone country sticks to its agreement with the European Union to increase its budget surplus to 3.5 per cent, contrary to the IMF's recommendation, then it cannot blame the fund if it must impose more austerity to do so, the officials said in a blog post yesterday.
	IMF chief economist Maurice Obstfeld, and European Department Director Poul Thomsen, who has been heavily involved with the negotiations with Greece, used the blog to defend the IMF against misinformation they say "turns the truth upside down."
	After days of demonstrations in Greece over new budget cuts, the officials said, "The IMF is being criticised for demanding more fiscal austerity, in particular for making this a condition for urgently needed debt relief."
	But in fact, "The IMF is not demanding more austerity," they said. "We have not changed .

Greece doesn't need more austerity, cuts went too far: IMF

The world's smallest countries are highly vulnerable to climate change and should work to adapt as sea levels rise and storms grow more frequent, according to an IMF report released today.
	However, the needs of such states -- those with the lowest populations and least land mass -- are underfunded by as much as USD 1 billion annually, the International Monetary Fund report said, calling on both the fund and smaller member states to help prepare for life on a warmer, more disaster-prone planet.
	Unlike larger countries that can absorb catastrophic damages from natural disasters more easily, small states are more likely to see entire populations and economies affected, said IMF Assistant Director for strategy and policy Peter Allum -- who coordinated the project -- during a call with reporters.
	"This magnifies the size of the disaster relative to the size of the economy and its resource base," he said.
	The study examined 34 developing IMF member countries with populations of fewer ...

IMF: small countries most vulnerable to warming climate

At least 21 civilians including five children were killed today in air strikes targeting the Islamic State group's Syrian de facto capital of Raqa, a monitor said.
	The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights was not able to determine who carried out the raids, but the city has been targeted regularly by aircraft of the US-led coalition and sometimes by regime warplanes.
	"The death toll could increase as some people are gravely wounded and others have gone missing," said the Britain-based monitor, which relies on a large network of sources inside Syria for its information.
	A US-backed Arab-Kurdish alliance last month launched an assault to retake Raqa city from the jihadist group.
	In the central province of Hama, meanwhile, at least 53 civilians including 16 children were killed earlier today in air strikes targeting areas also under IS control.
	Today's raids come a day after IS recaptured all of the desert city of Palmyra, sparking new concerns about the remaining ancient treasures ..

Air strikes on Syria's Raqa kill 21 civilians: monitor

Egypt said today it had arrested four people suspected of involvement in a devastating bombing of a Cairo Coptic church, as grief-stricken mourners gathered for the funeral of the dead.
	The health ministry said 25 people had been killed in the bombing at the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Church yesterday.
	It was the deadliest attack in recent memory on the Christian minority, who make up about 10 percent of Egypt's population.
	President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, speaking at the funeral, said the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber who had been identified as 22-year-old Mahmoud Shafik Mohamed Mostafa.
	One of the four people arrested was a woman, Sisi said, and authorities were looking for two other suspects he did not identify.
	Most of the victims were women, authorities have said.
	The attack occurred during Sunday service at the church adjacent to Saint Mark's Cathedral, the seat of Coptic Pope Tawadros II.
	There has been no claim of responsibility for the bombing, but Coptic ..

Egypt arrests four over deadly church blast

A Turkish fighter jet crashed near an airport in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir today, the military said, but the pilot was able to safely eject from the plane.
	The cause of the crash was not immediately known but the government said an investigation had been launched.
	The F-16 warplane was on its way to an air base in Diyarbakir during a training mission when it fell in a village nearby, the armed forces said on its website.
	Before the crash, the pilot escaped using the ejector seat, the military added.
	The armed forces said the pilot was in "good health" after the crash at 7.30 PM (1630 GMT).
	The warplane crashed five kilometres (3.1 miles) from the air base next to the airport, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus told reporters in Ankara late today.
	He said the cause would be known "shortly" after an investigation but did not want to speculate.
	Diyarbakir is Turkey's biggest Kurdish-majority city and has seen regular clashes between Kurdish militants and security ...

Turkish warplane crashes near airport in southeast

Cristiano Ronaldo was named winner of the Ballon d'Or today for the fourth time, organisers France Football said, capping a terrific year for the Real Madrid star.
	The 31-year-old Portuguese, who won the Champions League with Real and European Championships with Portugal in recent months, inherits the title of the best player in the world from his long-time Barcelona rival Lionel Messi.

Football: Ronaldo wins fourth Ballon d'Or crown

President Barack Obama's White House today took aim at Donald Trump's recent comments on Taiwan, saying the long-standing alliance should not be used as a "bargaining chip" with Beijing.
	After the president-elect suggested the United States could jettison its "One China policy" -- a diplomatic maneuver allowing Washington to do business with Beijing and its rivals in Taipei -- if China does not "make a deal," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the island should not be used as "leverage.

Criticizing Trump, WH says Taiwan 'not a bargaining chip'

The White House today threw its support behind a Congressional investigation into Russian meddling in the US election, saying lawmakers had a "special responsibility" to investigate such an explosive issue.
	"We have long supported the principle of congressional review of this matter," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest, saying one was "certainly warranted."
	Dismissing President-elect Donald Trump's doubts about Moscow's role, Earnest added: "You didn't need a security clearance to figure out who benefited from malicious Russian cyber activity.

White House backs Congress probe of election hacking

Italy's new Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni unveiled his cabinet team today ahead of an official swearing-in ceremony, keeping the line-up largely unchanged to ensure political stability in the eurozone's third largest economy.
	Gentiloni, 62, was asked by President Sergio Mattarella yesterday to form a new centre-left government that will guide Italy to elections due by February 2018, following the resignation of outgoing Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.
	Gentiloni tapped Angelino Alfano -- a former protege of ex-prime minister Silvio Berlusconi -- to take over his role as foreign minister.
	Pier Carlo Padoan stays on as finance minister in a move likely to reassure the markets that the eurozone's third largest economy can deal with a budding crisis in the banking sector.
	Alfano's post as interior minister under Renzi went to Domenico Marco Minniti, who was the state secretary with responsibility for the security services in the outgoing administration.
	The swearing-in ceremony was set .

Italy's Gentiloni unveils new cabinet

EU regulators today fined Japanese electronics giants Sony, Panasonic and Sanyo a total of 166 million euros (USD 176 million) for colluding on prices for rechargeable batteries.
	The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, said the three companies "coordinated prices and exchanged sensitive information" between 2004 and 2007 on rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.
	South Korea's Samsung also participated in the cartel, but was not fined as it had revealed the existence of the cartel to the commission.
	"Millions of Europeans use laptops, mobile phones and power tools that run on rechargeable lithium-ion batteries," the EU's competition chief Margrethe Vestager said in a statement.
	"Today's decision sanctions four rechargeable battery producers whose collusion affected the prices of a number of goods sold to European consumers," she added.
	All the companies had agreed to their responsibility in the case and had accepted the fines, the commission said.
	Sanyo, which is now owned .

EU fines Sony, Panasonic for rechargeable battery cartel

Police in the Saudi capital said today they had arrested a woman for taking off her veil in public and posting pictures of her daring action on Twitter.
	Police spokesman Fawaz al-Maiman did not name the woman, but several websites identified her as Malak al-Shehri, who triggered a huge backlash on social media after posing without the hijab in a main Riyadh street last month.
	Maiman said in a statement that the police in the ultra-conservative kingdom acted in line with their duty to monitor "violations of general morals".
	He said the women posted a tweet of herself standing next to a popular Riyadh cafe but without wearing the Islamic headscarf that is required in Saudi society.
	The woman, in her 20s, was taken to prison, he said, also accusing her of "speaking openly about prohibited relations with (non-related) men".
	"Riyadh police stress that the action of this woman violates the laws applied in this country," Maiman said, urging the public to "adhere to the teachings of ...

Saudi police arrest woman for removing veil on Twitter

The EU today imposed sanctions against seven top DR Congo security officials for their role in deadly clashes with protesters against President Joseph Kabila.
	Kinshasa immediately slammed the move as an "illegal" throw-back to imperial days, warning it would take unspecified action against them.
	More than 50 people died in the September violence and European Union foreign ministers had made clear in October they would go ahead with sanctions if Kabila showed no sign of leaving office when his term ends on December 19.
	Ministers decided "to impose restrictive measures against the seven individuals who hold positions of authority in the chain of command over the Congolese security forces which have exercised a disproportionate use of force," a statement said.
	The steps include travel bans and asset freezes.
	The seven include two Kabila allies -- army commander Major General Gabriel Amisi Kumba and former inspector of police General John Numbi -- who have previously been sanctioned .

EU slaps DR Congo officials with sanctions over violence

Lockheed Martin today vowed to answer US President-elect Donald Trump's questions about the cost of the F-35 stealth fighter, calling the planes "great value" for the United States.
	"It's an amazing programme," Jeff Babione, Lockheed's programme manager for the F-35s, told journalists in Israel where two of the planes were due to land.
	"It's great value and I look forward to any questions that the President-elect may have."
	Babione was responding to Trump's labelling of the cost of the aircraft as "out of control".
	The US aerospace company has a USD 1.5-trillion contract through 2070 for the latest generation of the fighter jets, at a cost of about USD 100 million each.
	"The F-35 program and cost is out of control. Billions of dollars can and will be saved on military (and other) purchases after January 20th," Trump said on Twitter, referring to the date he takes office.
	His tweet coincided with Defence Secretary Ash Carter's visit to Israel to celebrate delivery of the ...

Lockheed says F-35s 'great value', will answer Trump questions

French police today arrested 11 people suspected of helping to arm the Islamist radical who crushed 86 people to death with a truck in Nice, sources close to the investigation said.
	Ten suspects, including one or more Albanians, were arrested in various parts of Nice and another was detained in the western city of Nantes, the sources said.
	The arrests come five months after Tunisian extremist Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel ploughed a 19-tonne truck into a crowd on the Nice seafront, further traumatising a country reeling from a series of jihadist attacks.
	The victims from 19 different countries were watching a fireworks display on the Bastille Day public holiday. Over 400 people were injured.
	The 11 people arrested today are believed to have been in contact with three people, including two Albanians, arrested on July 6 and charged with supplying Bouhlel with an assault rifle and a pistol.
	Bouhlel used the pistol in a firefight with police who shot him dead at the scene, ending his ...

11 arrested in France over Nice massacre

The US government today sanctioned two senior Democratic Republic of Congo officials for human rights violations and targeting the opposition in the resource-rich African nation, a week before the president's mandate is set to end.
	The US Treasury announced it was targeting Deputy Prime Minister Evariste Boshab, also the nation's interior and security minister, and Kalev Mutond, head of the national intelligence agency, for actions to "undermine democratic processes."
	The sanctions freeze any US assets held by the two officials and prohibit any American citizen or company from doing any business with them.
	"The Congolese government continues to undermine democratic processes in the DRC and repress the political rights and freedoms of the Congolese people, putting the long-term stability and prosperity of the country at risk," Adam Szubin, acting Treasury under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a statement.
	He said the sanctions are "intended to alter the .

US sanctions top DR Congo officials for suppressing opposition

President-elect Donald Trump today blasted the F-35 stealth fighter, saying the cost is too high for the aircraft, said to be the most expensive military weapon systems in history.
	"The F-35 program and cost is out of control. Billions of dollars can and will be saved on military (and other) purchases after January 20th," Trump said on Twitter, as Defense Secretary Ash Carter was in Israel to celebrate delivery of the country's first two of the Lockheed Martin fighters.
	The US aerospace company has a USD 1.5 trillion contract through 2070 for the latest generation of the fighter jets, at a cost of about USD 100 million each.
	The US Air Force declared the fighter "battle ready," in August, after reports of cost overruns and delays.
	Lockeed Martin stock was down 2.5 percent in pre-market trading.
	Trump has frequently turned to Twitter to vent his outrage from anything from critiques of Saturday Night Live, a weekly comedy-variety television show, to attacking Boeing for the cost of 

Trump blasts F-35 fighter jet program cost as 'out of control'

Qatar today formally announced the end of its controversial "kafala" system, arguably the biggest ever labour reform undertaken by the 2022 football World Cup host nation.
	In a long-expected announcement, Labour Minister Issa bin Saad al-Jafali al-Nuaimi said the "kafala" rules would be abolished from tomorrow, December 13.
	He said a contract-based system to govern the gas-rich Gulf emirate's 2.1 million foreign workers would take its place.
	Under "kafala", all foreign workers working in Qatar currently require a local sponsor, in the form of an individual or company, and need their permission to switch jobs or leave the country.
	The system was compared to modern-day slavery, and left vulnerable workers with little protection and open to abuse, critics said.
	"The new law is the latest step towards improving and protecting the rights of every expatriate worker in Qatar," Nuaimi said.
	"It replaces the kafala system with a modernised, contract-based system that safeguards workers' .

AFP

AFP

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