International doping sleuth Richard McLaren is to release a new report Friday on performance-enhancing drugs in Russian sport that will pile more pressure on Russia and the Olympic movement.
     While the contents of the investigation have been kept under wraps, International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach acknowledged Thursday that McLaren's new work would pose an "immediate challenge" to global sports.
     Russia has consistently rejected McLaren's earlier accusations of "state-sponsored" doping.
     But the IOC has already acted to extend provisional sanctions against Russia and the World Anti-Doping Agency has warned that it is a long way off rejoining the body.
     McLaren's first report, released in July, led to more than 110 Russian athletes being banned from the Rio Olympics but also caused a major rift between the IOC and WADA.
     The international agency had wanted all Russian competitors excluded from the Games.
     The first report said there was a ...

Russia to feel new heat from McLaren doping inquiry

PTI Automatic

The UN envoy for Syria has said that political talks to end the nearly six-year war should resume soon.
	Staffan de Mistura told reporters yesterday following a closed-door meeting of the Security Council that "now is the time to actually look seriously at the possible renewal of political discussions."
	The envoy raised the possibility of a return to the negotiating table as Russia announced that the Syrian army was halting military operations in order to evacuate civilians from Aleppo.
	Backed by Russia, Syrian forces have captured about 85 percent of eastern Aleppo after three weeks of heavy fighting to seize one of the last opposition strongholds.
	"Military victories are not a victory for peace, because peace needs to be won separately," De Mistura said.
	Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said he hoped talks could resume before UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon leaves office on December 31.
	"Time is short. It would be important to revive the talks before Mr Ban's term expires, in 

UN envoy says Syria peace talks should restart

Thousands of Greek trade unionists demonstrated against planned new cuts demanded by international creditors in a general strike that shut down several key sectors.
	According to police, some 15,000 people took part in separate union protests in Athens and another 5,000 in Thessaloniki yesterday.
	Civil servants, bank staff, merchant seamen, railway workers and state-employed doctors were among professionals taking part in the 24-hour stoppage against the measures, which are scheduled to be approved by lawmakers at the weekend.
	The country's international creditors -- fellow EU states and the International Monetary Fund -- want Greece to overhaul its labour legislation to make crippling strikes less likely while also facilitating layoffs.
	Official data yesterday showed persistently high unemployment figures at 23.1 per cent in September, with an increase of some 60,500 jobs compared to a year earlier.
	Unions say hidden unemployment is far higher.
	A new budget containing around one 

Thousands demonstrate in Greece over new budget cuts

A major 7.7-magnitude quake struck today off the Solomon Islands triggering severe shaking and a tsunami warning, but there were no reports of any serious damage, officials said.
	The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre initially said there could be possible "widespread, hazardous" tsunami waves, forcing villagers to flee to higher ground.
	But within three hours the warning was downgraded after the threat passed without major incident.
	The epicentre of the quake, which hit at 4:38 AM, was located 68 kilometres (42 miles) west of Kirakira, a provincial capital in the Solomon Islands, at a depth of 48 kilometres, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.
	Electricity supplies were cut in some areas and there were reports of thatched houses collapsing.
	Donald Tehimae, an officer at the Kirakira police station, said most of the damage appeared to be superficial.
	"Some houses have been damaged but no one was hurt. At the police station a lot of documents in the storeroom fell down," he ...

Solomons escape serious damage after powerful 7.7 quake

A US Marine Corps pilot whose F/A-18 crashed into the Pacific Ocean has been confirmed dead, a US official said.
	Japanese rescuers yesterday said they had found the missing pilot, whose plane crashed off the coast of Japan on Wednesday, but they would not say if he was alive.
	Marine Corps spokeswoman Captain Sarah Burns said the pilot had been "pronounced deceased," and she identified him as Captain Jake Frederick.
	"Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of the pilot. The cause of the crash is still unknown," Burns said.
	Earlier yesterday, Japanese and US rescuers said they had expanded their search following the accident, which happened some 90 kilometres off the coast of southwestern Kochi prefecture.
	Japan dispatched four ships and eight planes to assist in the rescue operation, it said.
	Another jet was also flying on the same mission, Japan's defence ministry said.
	The crashed plane was assigned to the US Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, one of the main ..

US Marine pilot dead after Japan fighter crash

Syria's army today halted its attacks in Aleppo to allow for trapped civilians to be evacuated, Russia's foreign minister announced, after advancing regime forces cornered rebels in the city.
	"I can tell you that today combat operations by the Syrian army have been halted in eastern Aleppo because there is a large operation underway to evacuate civilians," said Sergei Lavrov, who held talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry in the German city of Hamburg.
	"There is going to be to a column of 8,000 evacuees" travelling five kilometres, added Lavrov, attending a meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
	In Washington, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said that Lavrov's announcement was "an indication that something positive could happen".
	There was no immediate reaction from Damascus, but the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group, confirmed that the fighting had eased.
	Air strikes halted and artillery fire was far less ...

Russia say Syria army ends Aleppo attacks as rebels cornered

At least 50,000 Islamic State jihadists have been killed by the US-led coalition since it began operations in Iraq and Syria in late 2014, a senior US military official said today.
	"I am not into morbid counts but that kind of volume matters, that kind of impact on the enemy," the official said, calling the 50,000 number a "conservative estimate.

At least 50,000 IS fighters killed in Iraq, Syria since 2014:

The International Criminal Court will hold a public hearing next April to probe whether South Africa failed its duty in refusing to arrest Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, the court said today.
	The announcement follows a dispute last year when Bashir attended an African Union summit in Johannesburg despite facing an ICC arrest warrant over alleged war crimes and genocide.
	The Hague-based court's Pre-Trial Chamber is "convening a public hearing on April 7, 2017, for the purposes of a determination... On the compliance by South Africa with the Court's request" to arrest and surrender Bashir, it said in a statement.
	Judges invited submissions by the court's chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, South Africa and the United Nations on the issue, it added.
	Pretoria refused to arrest Bashir when he attended the continent-wide summit in mid-2015, claiming that he had immunity as the head of an AU member state.
	South Africa is a signatory to the Rome Statute of the world war crimes court ...

ICC to probe S Africa's refusal to arrest Bashir

President Sergio Mattarella today began consultations aimed at averting a political crisis in Italy triggered by the resignation of Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.
	Renzi formally resigned yesterday after losing a crucial referendum on constitutional changes on Sunday, bringing an end to the two years, 289 days reign of Italy's youngest premier.
	Mattarella will try to form a cross-party coalition caretaker government to avoid being forced to call early elections -- those are currently scheduled for February 2018.
	The president met Senate president Pietro Grasso, Chamber of Deputies president Laura Boldrini and former head of state Giorgio Napolitano in the first of 48 hours of consultations that began at 6pm.
	Mattarella will continue his task tomorrow with the smallest parties in parliament, with 41-year-old Renzi's Democratic Party (PD) last to be questioned.
	The president will then likely announce a decision on Monday.
	Although Renzi had hinted in his resignation speech yesterday .

Italy president starts quest to form caretaker govmt

McDonald's will move fiscal headquarters for the majority of its non-US operations to Britain, it said today, following an EU crackdown on tax deals struck by multinationals including the fast-food giant.
	McDonald's is establishing a new Britain-based holding company to cover royalties from most licensing agreements outside the United States, shifting its tax base from Luxembourg.
	The profits will be subject to British tax, McDonald's said in a statement that was immediately welcomed by the British government, which is under pressure to preserve economic stability as the country prepares to leave the European Union.
	Prime Minister Theresa May has pledged to cut corporation tax to 17 per cent by 2020 from the current 20 per cent, prompting warnings by commentators in continental Europe that Britain is planning to become a "tax haven" post-Brexit.
	"We welcome continued investment from companies around the world into the UK, particularly where that's securing growth and increasing ...

McDonald's moves non-US tax HQ to Britain from Luxembourg

A British lawmaker today recounted during a parliamentary debate on violence against women how she had been raped as a 14-year-old.
	Scottish National Party MP Michelle Thomson told colleagues she was attacked by an acquaintance following a youth event, as the House of Commons marked the UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
	"It was early evening. He told me he wanted to show me something in a wooded area and at that point, I must admit, I was alarmed," recalled the SNP member.
	"I did have a warning bell -- but I overrode that warning bell because I knew him and therefore there was a level of trust in place.
	"It was mercifully quick and I remember first of all feeling surprise, then fear, then horror as I realised I quite simply couldn't escape," she added.
	Too afraid to tell her parents, the attack left the MP feeling "spoiled and impure", she told the house.
	However, 37-years on, Thomson said she now saw herself as "a survivor" and "not a ...

UK lawmaker recounts rape ordeal at 14 to parliament

A major 7.7-magnitude quake struck today off the Solomon Islands, raising the threat of "widespread, hazardous" tsunami waves, officials said.
	The US Geological Survey said some casualties and damage were possible from the quake, while the Pacific Tsunami Warning centre said some coasts in the Solomons, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Nauru, New Caledonia, Tuvalu and Kosrae could be affected within the next three hours.
	The epicentre of the quake, which hit at 4:38 am (local time) was located 68 kilometres west of Kirakira, a provincial capital in the Solomon Islands, at a depth of 48 kilometres.

7.7-magnitude quake hits off Solomon Islands, tsunami threat

The Syrian army has halted its attacks on Syria's Aleppo to allow for the evacuation of civilians, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said today.
	"I can tell you that today, combat operations by the Syrian army have been halted in eastern Aleppo because there is a large operation underway to evacuate civilians," he said in Munich, Germany, cited by Russian news agencies.

'Russian FM announces halt in Syrian strikes on Aleppo'

Islamic State group jihadists killed at least 34 members of Syrian government forces today in an assault on regime positions in the central province of Homs, a monitor said.
	The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported that 22 civilians were killed in air strikes on IS-held areas in northern Syria.
	IS launched simultaneous attacks near the Mahr and Shaar oil and gas fields and elsewhere in the desert in eastern Homs, said the Britain-based monitoring group, which earlier gave a death toll of 26 among pro-regime forces.
	"IS was able to take control of seven checkpoints and other positions held by government forces, who were forced to withdraw amid fierce clashes," Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said.
	IS once held several key towns in Homs, including ancient Palmyra, but has been driven from all but the desert in the east of the province.
	It now regularly attacks isolated army positions in the area, as well as oilfields under government control.
	Some northern ...

IS kills 34 Syria regime fighters in Homs: monitor

Major 7.7-magnitude quake hits off Solomon islands,

President-elect Donald Trump today announced fossil fuel industry ally Scott Pruitt, a global warming skeptic, as his pick to head the Environmental Protection Agency, signalling America's commitment to battle climate change could be in jeopardy.
	It was Trump's latest step to fill out his all-important cabinet in the weeks before the maverick billionaire takes the helm of the planet's largest economy, with observers worldwide on tenterhooks over how he will conduct policy on climate, national security, trade and immigration.
	The Republican's victory shocked the US establishment and alarmed many who are waiting to see if the political novice follows through on a slew of threats to tear up free trade agreements, abandon treaties and punish American companies that offshore jobs.
	A day earlier Trump selected Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, a political ally whose relations with Chinese President Xi Jinping go back three decades, as ambassador to Beijing, likely reassuring the Asian giant .

Trump taps fossil fuel ally as environment chief

The UN human rights chief today slammed a bill in Israel that would legalise some 4,000 settler homes in the occupied West Bank, saying it would clearly violate international law.
	Israeli lawmakers voted yesterday to advance the bill, which would retroactively legalise settler homes built on private Palestinian land.
	"I strongly urge lawmakers to reconsider their support for this bill, which if enacted, would have far-reaching consequences and would seriously damage the reputation of Israel around the world," said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein.
	He pointed out that "in enabling the use of land privately-owned by Palestinians for Israeli settlements without the owners' consent, this legislation would violate international law.
	"Israel as the occupying power, must respect the private property of Palestinians, regardless of whether or not compensation is provided," he said in a statement.
	Some 400,000 Israeli settlers currently live in the West Bank, ...

Israeli bill to legalise settler homes 'unequivocally

Veteran British rocker Mick Jagger was today celebrating becoming a father again aged 73, his publicist said, as his Rolling Stones band look set to top the album charts for the first time in two decades.
	The singer's 30-year-old ballerina partner Melanie Hamrick gave birth to a son in New York today, according to a statement released on behalf the singer.
	Jagger's new son is some two and a half years younger than the singer's great-granddaughter, who was born in May 2014.
	"Melanie Hamrick and Mick Jagger's son was born today in New York and they are both delighted," said publicist Bernard Doherty.
	"Mick was at the hospital for the arrival. Mother and baby are doing well and we request that the media respect their privacy at this time."
	Jagger already has seven children ranging in age from 17 to 46 from four previous relationships: Karis, Jade, Elizabeth, James, Georgia, Gabriel and Lucas.
	He has five grandchildren and, since May 2014, a great-grandchild after his granddaughter .

Rolling Stone Mick Jagger father again at 73

Civil rights activist Viola Desmond, often described as "Canada's Rosa Parks," has been chosen to be the first Canadian woman to appear on a bank note, officials announced today.
	Desmond's portrait will appear on Canada's 10-dollar bill starting in 2018, replacing the nation's first prime minister John A Macdonald.
	Desmond, who died in 1965, was a business woman and beautician who challenged racial segregation at a Nova Scotia movie theater in 1946.
	She was jailed, convicted and fined for refusing to leave a lower level whites-only area of the theatre in New Glasgow in Canada's eastern Maritimes region and sit with other blacks in the balcony.
	In 2010, she was posthumously pardoned.
	"It's a big day to have a woman on a bank note, and it's a really big day to have my sister on a bank note," Viola's sister Wanda Robson told a press conference.
	Finance Minister Bill Morneau and Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz announced her selection for the 10-dollar bill.
	The bank notes are 

Civil rights activist to be first Canadian woman on bill

A 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck today off the US west coast north of San Francisco, but no major tsunami threat was expected, seismologists said.
	The US Geological Survey said there was "a low likelihood of casualties and damage" from the quake.
	The epicenter of the quake, which hit at 6:49 am (local time) was located 157 kilometers west of Ferndale, California at a depth of 6.2 miles (10 kilometers), USGS said.
	"Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are highly resistant to earthquake shaking, though some vulnerable structures exist," it said, putting the likelihood of fatalities at low.
	The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said no Pacific-wide tsunami threat was expected from the event, and there was no specific threat to Hawaii.

Strong quake strikes off northern California,no tsunami threat

International banks have stepped up their enquiries and talks about switching operations from London to Paris following Britain's vote for Brexit, according to a senior official at France's markets regulator.
	"Large international banks... Have already undertaken real due diligences and we have received a lot of practical questions regarding the way they are going to be managed from our perspective, with their relationship with the French regulators," Benoit de Juvigny, secretary general at the AMF, said in an interview with BBC television late yestersday.
	He stressed however that the enquiries remained "informal" at this stage, as did similar steps being taken by consultants and lawyers.
	Other financial centres said to be in the running include Amsterdam, Dublin, Frankfurt and Luxembourg.
	Powerful lobby group the British Bankers' Association (BBA) has warned that international lenders with operations in the UK are ready to transfer some of their activities out of the country from .

AFP

AFP

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