Nine years ago Donald Trump shaved off her husband's hair after a wrestling match on live television. The president-elect nominated wrestling tycoon Linda McMahon to his cabinet.
	The perhaps most bizarre backstory to any of Trump's nominations so far underscores his astonishing rise from braggadocious billionaire on the celebrity circuit to the White House, taking charge on January 20 of the world's most powerful democracy.
	The incoming Republican president yesterday announced that he had nominated McMahon to serve as head of the Small Business Administration, a cabinet-level position. McMahon met with Trump in New York last week.
	Trump, who has promised to slash corporate tax rates and roll back regulations in an attempt to drive economic growth, called his new pick "one of the country's top female executives."
	"She helped grow WWE from a modest 13-person operation to a publicly traded global enterprise with more than 800 employees in offices worldwide," he said in a statement ...

Trump taps wrestling tycoon to head small-business agency

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A New Zealand lawmaker who has led UN aid efforts worldwide is to be named UN mission chief in South Sudan, one of the world's toughest peacekeeping jobs, diplomats said.
	UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has sent a letter informing the Security Council of his intention to appoint David Shearer as the UN envoy to South Sudan and head of UNMISS, succeeding Ellen Margrethe Loj of Denmark.
	Shearer, a 59-year-old member of New Zealand's parliament, served as UN deputy envoy in Iraq from 2007 to 2009, following UN assignments in Afghanistan, Lebanon, Israel, Rwanda, Liberia and the Balkans.
	Council members have until tomorrow midday to raise objections, but diplomats expect the appointment to be approved.
	The United Nations has some 14,000 peacekeepers in South Sudan, where a civil war has been raging since December 2013.
	The peacekeepers have come under heavy criticism for failing to protect civilians, including women who were raped by government soldiers in Jubly, not far from the ...

New Zealander to head UN mission in South Sudan

John Glenn, who made history twice as the first American to orbit the Earth and the first senior citizen to venture into space, has been hospitalised, a spokesman at the Ohio State University college bearing his name said.
	No details were offered on Glenn's illness or condition, but spokesman Hank Wilson of the John Glenn College of Public Affairs told AFP yesterday that the former astronaut had been admitted more than a week ago to the university's James Cancer Hospital.
	"I caution that even though Sen. Glenn is at The James that does not necessarily mean he has cancer," Wilson said.
	A hospital spokeswoman contradicted Wilson's account, saying Glenn was not listed in the cancer hospital's patient directory.
	Glenn is 95 years old and has been in declining health, undergoing heart-valve replacement surgery in 2014 and suffering a stroke, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer which broke the story of his hospitalisation.
	The former astronaut served as a Democratic senator from ...

American space legend John Glenn hospitalised in Ohio

An air strike in the jihadist-held western Iraqi town of Al-Qaim, near the Syrian border, has killed and wounded dozens of civilians, the parliament speaker said.
	Speaker Salim al-Juburi yesterday condemned in a statement the air strike "that targeted a market area for civilians and resulted in the death and injury of dozens of them."
	He said he "holds the government responsible for such mistakes" and demanded the immediate launch of an investigation into the alleged strike.
	If confirmed, the blunder would be one of the worst cases of civilians being killed in strikes in Iraq since the start of the air campaign against the Islamic State group in 2014.
	Officials in Anbar, the western province in which Al-Qaim is located, said dozens were killed in the afternoon strike, although AFP could not reach sources in the town to confirm the casualty toll.
	A spokesman for the provincial council of Anbar claimed the strike was carried out by an Iraqi aircraft in the afternoon and demanded a .

Dozens killed and wounded in west Iraq air strike: speaker

Matteo Renzi bowed out as Italian prime minister today with a combination of jokes, regrets and a strong hint that he wants to lead his party into an early election battle.
	Forced to quit after a crushing referendum defeat, Renzi formally submitted his resignation to President Sergio Mattarella today evening.
	The presidential palace said political consultations on forming a caretaker government would begin tomorrow at 6 pm.
	Before handing back the keys to his Palazzo Chigi residence, the 41-year-old chaired a meeting of the executive of his Democratic Party (PD).
	"We are not afraid of anything or anybody, if other parties want to go to the polls .... The PD is not afraid of democracy or elections," Renzi said, in reference to opposition clamour for a nationwide vote due in early 2018 to be brought forward by up to a year.
	Ironically, Renzi's rule came to an end with his government winning a vote of confidence in the Senate, the parliamentary chamber he tried to emasculate with a .

Italy's Renzi resigns, hints at early election

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said a victory for his army in the battered second city of Aleppo would be a "huge step" towards ending the country's five-year civil war.
	In an interview with Syrian daily Al-Watan to be published tomorrow, an early copy of which was seen by AFP, Assad said defeating beleaguered rebels in Aleppo would not put an end to Syria's conflict.
	"It's true that Aleppo will be a win for us, but let's be realistic - it won't mean the end of the war in Syria," Assad said.
	"But it will be a huge step towards this end," he said.
	In a blistering three-week offensive, Syrian government forces have seized about 80 per cent of east Aleppo, a stronghold for rebel groups since 2012.
	Increasingly cornered in a pocket of territory in the city's southeast, opposition factions today called for an "immediate five-day humanitarian ceasefire".
	When asked about the possibility of a truce in Aleppo, Assad said, "it's practically non-existent, of course."
	"The Americans in .

Assad says Aleppo win 'huge step' towards end of war

The Kremlin today said that Russia had finalised a deal to privatise 19.5 per cent of state-owned oil giant Rosneft.
	Rosneft chief Igor Sechin informed President Vladimir Putin "about the completion of a privatisation deal of 19.5 per cent of shares of the largest Russian oil company Rosneft," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
	He added that its investors were the Glencore Consortium and Qatar's sovereign fund and that the move would contribute 10.5 billion euros to the budget.
	The move comes as oil prices have soared to more than USD 50 a barrel after OPEC members last week hammered out a deal to cut oil output for the first time in eight years.
	"The transaction was made on an upward trend in oil prices and reflects on the value of the company," Putin said in a meeting with Sechin broadcast on state television. "In that sense this is a good time."
	Putin stressed that the controlling stake in the company would remain in the hands of the Russian government, which ...

Russia privatises 19.5 percent of oil giant Rosneft: Kremlin

The UN Security Council will discuss human rights violations in North Korea on Friday despite opposition from China, Pyongyang's ally, diplomats said.
	Beijing is expected to call for a procedural vote to block the meeting on North Korea - accused by a UN inquiry of committing atrocities unparalleled in the modern world - for the third consecutive year.
	Nine council members - Britain, France, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Spain, Ukraine, the United States and Uruguay - requested the meeting, saying in a letter this week that they required information on the situation in North Korea "and its implications for international peace and security."
	Beijing maintains that the regime's rights abuses do not pose a risk to global security, and that the issue should be taken up by the UN Human Rights Council.
	China failed to stop the meeting last year, although Russia, Angola and Venezuela also voted in favor of dropping North Korea's rights abuses from the council agenda.
	The council has ...

UN Security Council to discuss North Korea rights abuses

Around a third of the estimated 5,000 European jihadists who went to Syria and Iraq have returned to Europe, and some may have orders to attack, an EU report warned today.
	Up to 2,500 fighters from Europe remained on the battlefield but their massive return in the short term seemed unlikely, according to the report seen by AFP.
	Belgium expressed concern last month that jihadists were increasingly returning to Europe as US-backed coalition forces drive the Islamic State (IS) group from territory in Syria and Iraq.
	The report said between 15 to 20 per cent of the Europeans have died on the battlefield, around 30 to 35 per cent have returned and 50 per cent remain in the battle theatre, which amounted to between 2,000 and 2,500 Europeans.
	As many as 1,750 may have returned, based on the percentages listed in the report which EU counter-terrorism coordinator Gilles de Kerchove will present to EU interior ministers on Friday.
	The report said there were two types of "foreign terrorist .

Around 1,500 European jihadists return from Mideast: report

Naughty, not nice: Slovak police on today arrested a man dressed as Santa Claus for stealing cash and gold jewellery from a 91-year-old woman.
	Officers also detained two sidekicks in angel and devil costumes - the jolly man in the red suit's sisters - over the theft, local police spokeswoman Maria Linkesova told AFP.
	Joined by the man's three-year-old son, the trio pretended to be well-wishers after ringing the elderly woman's doorbell in the western town of Skalica.
	"The old lady gave them five euros for the good wishes. The man dressed as Santa Claus then asked for a cup of tea for the child," said Linkesova.
	While she was busy with that, the sister in the angel costume swiped jewellery and 45 euros from the house.
	But before they could escape, a neighbour happened to drop by and called the police, sensing something was up.
	Two of the thieves have prior convictions. The devil-outfitted crook has a clean record.

'Santa' and his little helpers caught stealing in Slovakia

Matteo Renzi bowed out as Italian Prime Minister today with a combination of jokes, regrets and a strong hint that he wants to lead his party into an early election battle.
	Forced to quit after a crushing referendum defeat, Renzi was to formally tender his resignation to President Sergio Matterella on today evening.
	Prior to handing back the keys to his Palazzo Chigi residence, the 41-year-old chaired a meeting of the executive of his Democratic Party (PD).
	"We are not afraid of anything or anybody, if other parties want to go to the polls .... The PD is not afraid of democracy or elections," Renzi said in a reference to an opposition clamour for a nationwide vote due in early 2018 to be brought forward by up to a year.
	Ironically, Renzi's rule came to an end with his government winning a vote of confidence in the Senate, the parliamentary chamber he tried to emasculate via a referendum in which he suffered a crushing defeat on Sunday.
	The confidence vote curtailed prolonged ...

Italy's Renzi ready for election as steps down with jokes,

President-elect Donald Trump has picked Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, who has longstanding ties to China's president, to serve as ambassador to Beijing, a spokesman confirmed today.
	Trump announced his selection of Branstad -- an early supporter of the Republican billionaire during his campaign -- at a fundraising breakfast in New York today, Jason Miller told reporters.
	The transition team said the governor had accepted the position, chosen for his experience in public policy, expertise on trade issues and "tremendous understanding of China and Chinese people."
	Branstad has "considerable public policy experience," a "great grasp" of trade and agriculture issues, and "very much impressed the president-elect," Miller told reporters.
	"It is very clear that Governor Branstad is someone who will represent our country well on the world stage and we couldn't be prouder of this selection," he added.
	Bloomberg first reported news of the nomination last evening, citing anonymous people ...

Trump taps China-friendly governor for ambassador to Beijing

Chancellor Angela Merkel insisted today that Germany's record refugee influx last year had not led to a surge in violent crime, despite a rash of headline-grabbing cases.
	Asked about the rape-murder of a German student allegedly committed by a teenage Afghan asylum seeker and the recent arrest of a 31-year-old Iraqi asylum seeker over the sexual assaults of two Chinese students, Merkel urged Germans to stick to the known facts.
	"These are terrible isolated incidents," Merkel told rolling news channel NTV on the sidelines of her CDU party's annual conference in the western city of Essen.
	She called for "tough sentencing" in such cases but said she had faith in "the response of Germany's rule of law", adding that general suspicion of refugees was not called for.
	"We have looked closely at the crime rate among refugees and the picture is varied. That is also the right answer: that you have to differentiate," she said.
	"The fact that some people want to exploit that is something we ..

Merkel urges Germans to stick to facts on refugee crime

Egyptian police today arrested prominent activist and rights lawyer Azza Soliman after banning her from travel, a relative and a security official said.
	Soliman, who founded the Center for Egyptian Women's Legal Assistance, was arrested at home and taken for questioning, a relative who requested anonymity said.
	A security official confirmed the arrest.
	The reason for her arrest was not immediately clear but activists said it may be related to an ongoing probe into civil society groups that has sparked alarm from the United Nations and rights groups.
	Amnesty International said in a statement that Soliman's arrest was a "clear sign that Egyptian authorities are intensifying the crackdown on human rights activists."
	The move came months after an Egyptian court froze the assets of five other human rights defenders and three non-governmental organisations for allegedly receiving illicit foreign funds.
	"This is a new development," said lawyer Gamal Eid, one of the activists whose ...

Prominent Egyptian activist detained

Turkey's Foreign Ministry summoned Germany's ambassador over the "wrongful" treatment of a senior Turkish MP at Cologne airport, diplomatic sources said today, the latest in a series of disputes between Berlin and Ankara.
	Deputy speaker of the Turkish parliament Ayse Nur Bahcekapili was stopped by police at the German airport on Monday and made to wait, she told state-run news agency Anadolu.
	The Justice and Development Party (AKP) lawmaker claimed the officers tried to detain her and said it seemed she was suspected of entering the country illegally because of a temporary travel document she had, Anadolu reported.
	The Hurriyet daily said police at the airport believed there was "a problem" with the document given after she had lost her passport.
	German ambassador Martin Erdmann was summoned to the ministry in Ankara where the deputy undersecretary "shared our discomfort" at what happened, diplomatic sources said.
	Earlier today, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hit out at ..

Turkey summons German envoy over MP treatment: source

FIFA president Gianni Infantino wants to expand the World Cup finals to 48 teams featuring 16 groups of three starting with the 2026 tournament, a source within world football's governing body told AFP today.
     Infantino, who had until now proposed a 48-team event but with a traditional 32 countries advancing to the finals, will submit his latest proposal at a FIFA Council meeting in Zurich on January 9-10.
     A letter outlining the new format was due to be sent to the members of the FIFA Council today, the source said, adding that the format was "preferred by president Infantino."
     Under the new format, the source said, "every qualified team would play at least two group matches. The top two in each group would then go through to the last 32."
     The FIFA Council will vote on several proposals at their January meeting: whether to maintain the current World Cup format of 32 teams, extend it to 40 teams or go to 48 teams.
     Infantino, formerly Michel Platini's right-hand .

Infantino backs 48-team World Cup with 16 groups

Atletico Nacional will play through their grief over the Chapecoense plane tragedy when they tackle the Club World Cup in Japan -- just days after their Copa Sudamericana final opponents were wiped out.
     FIFA's global club showpiece, which will also feature Cristiano Ronaldo's Real Madrid, begins this week under the shadow of the air crash that sent football into mourning.
     It promises to be an emotional tournament for Colombia's Nacional, who were due to play Chapocoense for the Copa Sudamericana title before the plane carrying the Brazilian team crashed en route to the final.
     "Pain overwhelms our hearts and invades our thinking in mourning," Nacional wrote on their website. All but three Chapocoense players died in the crash, which killed 71 people.
     In tribute, the Copa Libertadores champions successfully lobbied South American football officials to award the Copa Sudamericana to the stricken team.
     "For our part, and forever, Chapecoense are champions of the ..

Plane tragedy overshadows Club World Cup

Masooma Hasani would be pelted with rocks whenever she went skiing, a sport considered unbecoming for girls in conservative Afghan society, but an unlikely ally helped change local attitudes: mullahs advocating women's rights.
	Skidding down the snow-blanketed slopes of Bamiyan, in central Afghanistan, 18-year-old Hasani for years suffered hostility and abuse from passing men unaccustomed to unveiled women dressed in figure-hugging ski suits.
	"'Girls don't have the right to do sports. Girls are born to learn household chores such as cooking and cleaning.' That's what people would say," Hasani told a rapt audience during a Kabul University event today marking Human Rights Day.
	"People would beat up my brothers and say our family was shameless to allow girls to ski. It made me cry."
	Hasani, diminutive but feisty, stood her ground. But what really helped her were Friday sermons of Bamiyan's religious leaders who command respect and influence in local communities.
	As part of a project 

Afghan female skier fights taboos - with aid of mullahs

Ten Turkish fans were treated in hospital, two for stab wounds, after clashes broke out surrounding a Champions League qualifier between Besiktas and Dinamo Kiev, police said today.
     The violence late Tuesday cast a fresh spotlight on concerns for fans' safety in Kiev as the Ukrainian capital prepares to host the 2018 Champions League final.
     A police statement said two Turkish fans were stabbed while eight suffered less serious injuries during clashes that began on Kiev's main avenue Khreshchatyk before the game and lasted for nine hours.
     The match ended with Dinamo thrashing their rivals 6-0.
     The result means that the Turks progress to the Europa League as third-place finishers in Group B while Kiev finish bottom of the group and are out of the competition despite the win.
     At the match an AFP reporter saw Turkish fans ripping off seats and throwing them at Dinamo supporters while the police tried to keep the two groups apart.
     A spokeswoman for the Kiev ...

10 Turkish fans hurt after Ukraine match

The sale of Italian giants AC Milan has been pushed back three months to March after a request by the Chinese consortium which is taking over the seven-time European champions.
     Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi and Sino-Europe Sports (SES) had agreed a date of December 13 for the conclusion of a deal that valued the club at 740 million euros (then $825.4 million) and will see Milan join city rivals Inter in falling under Chinese ownership.
     On Wednesday SES and Berlusconi's holding company Fininvest agreed on a new date of March 3 following a request by the Chinese consortium, which has already made a first down payment of 100m euros to buy the Serie A giants.
     Another instalment of 100m will be paid to Fininvest by December 12, according to a joint statement released by the parties, with the conclusion of the deal set for March 3.
     A statement issued by Fininvest said: "Fininvest and Sino-Europe Sports have added an agreement which foresees the conclusion of the sale of .

AC Milan sale to Chinese put off to March - club

Spanish prosecutors have brought tax fraud charges against three former Real Madrid players, Xabi Alonso, Ricardo Carvalho and Angel di Maria and opened investigations into two other players, a prosecution source confirmed today.
     None of the cases are related to the "Football Leaks" scandal, which has accused a host of Madrid players, including three-time World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo, of hiding income from image rights in tax havens in recent days.
     Prosecution sources said the Spanish inland revenue has not provided them with any details over Ronaldo's tax dealings.
     Ronaldo has strongly denied any wrongdoing via his representatives Gestifute.
     In February prosecutors presented charges on three counts of tax fraud amounting to three million euros ($3.2 million) against Bayern Munich midfielder Alonso between 2009 and 2011.
     Argentine winger Di Maria is now at French champions Paris Saint-Germain, whilst 38-year-old veteran Carvalho was released by ..

AFP

AFP

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