A seven-year-old Syrian girl whose Twitter account from Aleppo gained international attention has fled her home amid heavy fighting, but she and her family are safe for now, her father said today.
	With her mother's help, Bana al-Abed had been posting heart-rending tweets in English on life in the besieged eastern districts of Syria's Aleppo.
	But as Syrian government forces edged closer to their home in recent days, the Abed family fled and the Twitter updates slowed.
	"Our house was damaged in bombardment," her father Ghassan said by phone from east Aleppo, two-thirds of which has been seized by advancing government forces.
	"The army got really close to our neighbourhood. We fled to another part of east Aleppo and the family is doing well," he said, adding that "the internet connection is very weak here."
	Since late September, Bana and her mother Fatemah have garnered more than 211,000 followers by tweeting regular updates on battered Aleppo.
	Pictures of massive white columns of .

Aleppo 'Twitter girl' safe after family flees army advance

PTI Automatic

Germany's public broadcaster ARD came under fire today, accused of having ignored a rape-murder case in which an Afghan refugee is the top suspect for fear of fuelling anti-migrant sentiment.
	The top-ranking evening news programme, Tagesschau, had on Saturday decided not to report on the arrest of the 17-year-old Afghan asylum seeker over the alleged killing of a 19-year-old medical student named as Maria L.
	Responding to a wave of online criticism, ARD chief news editor Kai Gniffke said that the national edition of the programme reports "very rarely on individual criminal cases" and focuses mainly on "events of societal, national or international relevance".
	But the programme found itself at the centre of a social media storm, widely accused as deliberately ignoring the crime in an effort to be "politically correct" and because it cast a negative light on the government's liberal migrant policy.
	Chancellor Angela Merkel has earned both respect and harsh criticism for her ...

German public TV takes fire for silence on rape-murder case

Philippine police murdered a town mayor while he was helpless in a jail cell, justice department investigators said today, contradicting claims by the accused and President Rodrigo Duterte that he was killed in a gun battle.
	The accusations by the National Bureau of Investigation deepened concerns that police were carrying out summary executions as part of Duterte's controversial war on crime, which has claimed more than 5,100 lives in just over five months.
	The NBI, equivalent to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the United States, said police shot dead mayor Rolando Espinosa and his cellmate Raul Yap, as they were defenceless in a provincial jail cell last month.
	"After conducting an exhaustive investigation of the incidents surrounding the killing of Mayor Espinosa and Yap, the NBI concluded that the testimonies of several witnesses had disputed the claim of an alleged shootout between the (police) operatives and inmates Mayor Espinosa and Raul Yap but (was) a 'rub out'," ..

Philippine police murdered mayor: investigators

European Commission Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said today that a deal on Britain's exit from the EU must be in place by October 2018.
	"Time will be short. It is clear that the period of actual negotiations will be shorter than two years," Barnier said in his first press conference since taking up the post.
	He said that if Britain triggers the two-year divorce process as expected in March 2017 then an agreement would be needed by October of the following year in order to get through the European Parliament in time for March 2019.
	Barnier, who has visited 18 EU countries and aims to hold talks in all 27 apart from Britain by the end of January, said the union was prepared for British Prime Minister Theresa May to send the so-called Article 50 divorce notification.
	"The European Union is ready to receive the notification," Barnier said.
	"Keep calm and negotiate."
	He added: "It's up to the British to say what relations they want and up to the 27 to define their future ...

EU's Barnier says Brexit deal needed by Oct 2018

David Warner slammed his sixth one-day century of the year to lead Australia to a crushing 116-run victory to reclaim the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy series off New Zealand here today.
     Warner smashed 119 off 115 balls to propel the Australians to an imposing 378 for five after being sent into bat and then bowled out the Black Caps for 262 off 47.2 overs at the bat-friendly Manuka Oval.
     New Zealand had to win in Canberra to keep alive their hopes of retaining the trophy after losing by 68 runs in the opening game in Sydney on Sunday.
     Warner led the way in Australia's third-highest ODI total and was supported by skipper Steve Smith's 72 off 76 balls and Travis Head's 57 from 32 balls, while Mitchell Marsh bludgeoned seven sixes in a unbeaten 76 off just 40 balls.
     The Black Caps had a go at Australia's hefty total and were 177 for three when Jimmy Neesham fell in the 31st over for 74 and ended a 125-run stand with skipper Kane Williamson.
     Williamson was dismissed nine 

Warner century as Australia reclaim series over N. Zealand

Russian President Vladimir Putin today signed off on a broad-ranging plan aimed at bolstering the country's defences against cyberattacks from abroad and cracking down on perceived foreign influence.
	The Kremlin's new "information security doctrine" comes as attention has focused on the rise in state-sponsored hacking after the US blamed Moscow for cyberattacks aimed at influencing last month's presidential election.
	The document -- an update of the country's last policy from 2000  -- details a raft of threats that the Kremlin is worried about, from foreign hacking and negative media coverage abroad to the "erosion of traditional Russian spiritual and moral values".
	The vague plan offers few concrete steps but does set out the general aims of the new policy including bolstering the military's propaganda output and ratcheting up controls over the internet in Russia.
	Over the past few years the Kremlin has increasingly pulled up the drawbridge as ties with the West have plunged to ..

Putin approves new cyber-security doctrine

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said today it was a "disgrace" that the international community had been unable to alleviate the suffering in Syria's besieged city of Aleppo.
	"Aleppo is a disgrace," she said in a speech to her conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, slamming Russian and Iranian support for the bombardment by Bashar al-Assad's regime.
	"It is a disgrace that we have been unable to establish humanitarian corridors, but we must continue to fight for it."
	Merkel said she was shocked to see tens of thousands of Germans hitting the streets to demonstrate against free trade deals but virtually no protests against the bloodletting in Syria.
	"There is something wrong there," she said.
	Merkel added that the world needed a coordinated international fight against the "asymmetrical threat of Islamist terrorism".
	"But instead, Syria is succumbing to a vicious civil war in which Russia and Iran are backing the Assad regime in its brutal course of action against its 

Merkel says situation in Aleppo is a 'disgrace' for West

Up to 40 lawmakers from British Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservative party could back a motion in parliament demanding she publish her plan for Brexit before starting negotiations, it emerged today.
	The rebellion might be enough to push the opposition motion through the 650-seat House of Commons tomorrow, in a symbolic blow against May's refusal to provide a "running commentary" on her strategy for withdrawing from the European Union.
	The government is currently fighting a legal challenge at the Supreme Court to stop parliament having the final say on a decision to trigger Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty, which would begin formal exit negotiations.
	Brexit supporters fear that MPs, who were overwhelmingly in favour of staying in the EU in the June referendum, might seek to delay the process or soften the terms of the break.
	The motion by the opposition Labour party "calls on the prime minister to commit to publishing the government's plan for leaving the EU before Article 

British PM faces Tory rebellion over Brexit plans

A German court today ruled that energy suppliers can claim compensation over the country's nuclear power phaseout in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster, dealing a blow to one of Chancellor Angela Merkel's flagship policies.
	Judges did not agree with power plant operators that the shutdown ordered by lawmakers in 2011 amounted to an "expropriation" of their assets, but said the government should agree a deal to compensate the firms by June 2018.
	"It was permissible for lawmakers to take the accident in Fukushima as a prompt to speed up exiting nuclear energy to protect the health of people and the environment," senior judge Ferdinand Kirchhof told the court in Karlsruhe.
	But although the phase-out decision itself was legal, the court found, the firms have a right to "appropriate" compensation from the government, which is not provided for in the law as it stands.
	The judges did not specify how much the compensation should be, but media reports said the plaintiffs -- German ...

Court backs damage claims over German nuclear exit

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will outline her battle strategy today to counter a wave of populism that has consumed key allies abroad, as she launches into campaign mode for next year's elections.
	Merkel, who has led Germany for 11 years, last month confirmed she would run for a fourth term but acknowledged that the election would be "more difficult" than any other she has contested.
	Party faithful from her centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) gathering for a two-day annual congress in the western city of Essen are expected to overwhelmingly re-elect Merkel as party chief, rallying behind her bid to stay in power.
	During the last party vote in 2014, Merkel garnered 96.7 per cent of support and this week's ballot will be closely scrutinised for any sign of dissent.
	"I'm counting on an honest result," she told public broadcaster ARD, as national media suggested that any score below 90 per cent would be a slap in the face.
	Crucially, she will also be grilled on how she ..

Merkel draws up battle lines ahead of 2017 election bid

Indonesia has extended legal protection for its wetlands and peat bogs by expanding a ban on the conversion of these carbon-rich swamps into plantations.
	The move, if properly enforced, could drastically reduce Indonesia's sizeable carbon footprint and prevent a repeat of the annual forest fires that plague the region, conservationists say.
	A moratorium on new conversions of certain peatland areas has been in place since 2011 in Indonesia.
	But this latest revision -- signed into law by President Joko Widodo, and issued yesterday -- clarifies and expands the law, ensuring that all peatlands are covered and that companies must restore areas they have degraded.
	"We want to avoid any misinterpretation of the existing regulation, which gives the impression that land-clearing is still allowed," environment ministry spokesman Djati Witjaksono Hadi told AFP Tuesday.
	Peatlands take thousands of years to form as layers of dense wet plant material compact into dense carbon stores.
	When ...

Indonesia expands protection for peatlands, climate

Scoreboard of the second
Chappell-Hadlee Trophy One-day International between Australia and New Zealand at Manuka Oval today.
     Australia:
     D Warner   c Williamson b de Grandhomme 119
     A Finch    b Santner                     19
     S Smith    c Santner b Southee           72
     T Head     c Munro b Southee             57
     M Marsh    not out                       76
     M Wade     b Boult                       11
     G Bailey   not out                        0
     Extras: (LB-11, W-10, NB-3)              24
     Total: (For 5 wkts, 50 overs)           378
     Fall of wickets: 1-68, 2-213, 3-248, 4-319, 5-357.
     Bowling: Henry 10-0-91-0, Boult 10-0-80-1, Santner 10-0-47-1, Southee 10-0-63-2, De Grandhomme 9-0-74-1, Neesham 1-0-12-0.

Canberra, Dec 6 (AFP) Scoreboard of the second

Authorities ratcheted up security on the Los Angeles metro following a tip from overseas about an impending bomb attack today against a station in the sprawling rail network.
	The threat was relayed by an anonymous man who called a public safety line run by an unidentified foreign government, which then passed on the information to a Federal Bureau of Investigation terrorism task force, said Deirdre Fike, assistant director in charge of the FBI's office in Los Angeles.
	The target of the threatened attack was metro's Universal City station -- located near the Universal Studios theme park -- where the caller who spoke English said an explosive device would go off today, Fike told reporters at a hastily organized press conference with local authorities.
	Officials said they were working to determine the credibility of the threat described as "very specific."
	"The threat is imminent and it's related to tomorrow" and concerned an off-ramp at the station, Los Angeles police chief Charlie .

Increased security on Los Angeles metro after bomb threat

David Warner hit his sixth one-day century of the year to lead Australia to an imposing 378 for five after being sent into bat by New Zealand in the second Chappell-Hadlee Trophy game here today.
     Warner smashed 119 off 115 balls to lead a bevy of big scores by the Australians at the bat-friendly Manuka Oval.
     The Black Caps must win to keep alive their hopes of retaining the trophy after losing by 68 runs in Sydney on Sunday.
     But New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson's gamble to send the Australians into bat back-fired spectacularly when the home side feasted on a perfect batting wicket.
     Skipper Steve Smith hit 72 off 76 balls, newcomer Travis Head plundered 57 off 32 balls and Mitchell Marsh bludgeoned seven sixes in a unbeaten 76 off just 40 balls to give the Black Caps a hefty target to chase down under lights in the evening session.
     The pugnacious Warner raised his 10th ODI century off 101 balls to continue his outstanding form with the white ball.
     It ...

Warner century lifts Australia to 378-5 against NZ

Poland's Supreme Court today began examining a fresh bid to extradite Oscar-winning director Roman Polanski to the United States, where he faces sentencing over a decades-old case of statutory rape.
	The 83-year-old French-Polish national, who currently lives in France, did not attend the hearing where his lawyers will testify in his place, local media reported.
	Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro had appealed to the court in May to overturn a 2015 ruling against extraditing Polanski, saying no one should be above the law.
	The move appears to be part of what the rightwing Law and Justice (PiS) government, which took office a year ago, touts as a moral revolution in strongly Catholic Poland.
	The Supreme Court could reject the appeal, definitively ending Poland's part in the 1977 case that continues in the United States, or could send it back to a lower court.
	That court could then rule to extradite, but Polish police would only be able to fly Polanski back to the United States if he ..

Poland Supreme Court mulls Polanski extradition to US

South Korea today said it was expanding a cull of chickens and ducks to try to contain a damaging bird flu outbreak.
	The H5N6 virus was first confirmed on November 18 at a farm in central South Korea and has since spread to farms around the country, with the total number of cases now standing at 28.
	The agriculture ministry said in a statement that it has culled more than 4.4 million birds and would slaughter another 2.7 million.
	Health authorities agreed to issue a so-called "standstill" order to restrict workers at poultry farms from moving around the country if the virus continues to spread, the ministry said in a statement.
	There have been no cases of human infections from H5N6 in South Korea, although between 2014 and April 2016, the virus killed six people in China, according to the South's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
	The World Health Organization warned earlier this year that the strain "has caused severe infection in humans" but added "until now human ...

S Korea expands cull to contain bird flu

A police officer and a youth were hospitalised today after Hamas forces clashed with hardline Islamists in the Gaza Strip, a medical source and witnesses said.
	Both men suffered bullet wounds during an attempt by Gaza security forces to arrest two men from a Salafist group, followers of an ultra-conservative form of Islam, a witness said.
	The young man, believed to be a Salafist, was in serious condition, while the policeman's condition was not life threatening, the medical source said.
	The witness said a grenade was thrown at security forces raiding a house in Al-Fukhari in the southern Gaza Strip, sparking clashes.
	Hamas, which rules Gaza, is an Islamist party but is frequently criticised by more conservative Islamists, including hardliners who sympathise with the Islamic State group.
	The hardliners sporadically fire rockets at Israel, prompting retaliation against Hamas targets.
	Israel holds Hamas responsible for all rocket fire from Gaza, regardless of who launches it.
	In ..

Two wounded as Hamas clashes with Gaza hardliners: medic

Amazon has unveiled a new kind of retail store, with no cashiers.
	Customers at the concept store in Amazon's hometown of Seattle, Washington, can fill their shopping carts and walk out - with the costs automatically tallied up and billed to their accounts with the US online giant.
	Amazon Go, which is being tested with Amazon employees and will open to the public next year, is a "checkout-free shopping experience made possible by the same types of technologies used in self-driving cars: computer vision, sensor fusion and deep learning," its webpage said.
	"Our Just Walk Out technology automatically detects when products are taken from or returned to the shelves and keeps track of them in a virtual cart. When you're done shopping, you can just leave the store. Shortly after, we'll charge your Amazon account and send you a receipt."
	The 1,800-square-foot (170-square-meter) store is selling a variety of food products, including bread, cheeses and ready-to-eat meals, as well as Amazon ..

Amazon testing cashier-free retail store

South Korea's most powerful tycoons, including de facto Samsung chief Lee Jae-Yong, stammered and squirmed today under a verbal assault from a parliamentary committee probing a corruption scandal that has riveted the nation.
	Millions watched in astonishment as the televised hearing showed the heads of the country's eight largest conglomerates being publicly harangued over donations their companies made to dubious foundations controlled by Choi Soo-Sil, a close friend of President Park Geun-Hye.
	"Do you know anything?" one legislator chided Lee as he repeatedly claimed ignorance of who in Samsung authorised cash transfers to a foundation in Germany that funded the equestrian training of Choi's daughter.
	"Do you think you're doing a good job as the head of a global company like Samsung by saying that you don't know?" the legislator demanded.
	The vice-chairman of Samsung Electronics and de facto head of the entire Samsung Group looked deeply uncomfortable as he sought to bat away ...

S Korean industry titans harangued in scandal probe

A pair of lions painted in rainbow stripes displayed outside HSBC's main office in Hong Kong have been slammed by anti-gay groups as activists in the city call for more progress on equal rights.
	Two plain bronze lions named Stephen and Stitt usually sit outside the office in the city's Central business district and have been joined by a pair of multi-coloured replicas as part of the bank's "Celebrate Pride, Celebrate Unity" campaign in support of the LGBT community.
	The new statues were decorated by local artist Michael Lam and will be on display throughout December.
	"Having a workforce that reflects the diversity of our millions of customers in Hong Kong and which draws on a wide range of perspectives makes us better able to serve the whole community," HSBC spokesman Adam Harper told AFP.
	But the lions have sparked a backlash from conservative sections of Hong Kong society with some groups launching a joint petition against the artworks, calling them "disgusting".
	The petition ..

HSBC's rainbow lion statues spark row in Hong Kong

Police began torching about a tonne of illegal drugs in Jakarta today, as Indonesian President Joko Widodo defended his tough war on narcotics.
	Authorities wheeled out giant furnaces to incinerate some of the massive haul on display, including nearly half a tonne of methamphetamine, 190,000 ecstasy tablets and 420 kilogrammes (926 pounds) of marijuana.
	Widodo and other top officials, wearing protective gloves and masks, inspected the drugs before tossing bags of pills into the incinerator.
	Indonesia has tough drugs laws but Widodo has made combating narcotics a top priority since taking office in late 2014, resuming the execution of traffickers after an unofficial hiatus.
	Eighteen convicted drug smugglers - including 15 foreigners - have been sent to the firing squad in Indonesia under his administration.
	Widodo has defended his hardline stance, claiming Indonesia faces a "drugs emergency" and must act to protect the next generation.
	"Every year 15,000 Indonesian youth die ...

AFP

AFP

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