Italian Prime Minister Renzi concedes 'extraordinarily

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US President-elect Donald Trump railed against China in a series of tweets, accusing the Asian giant of currency manipulation and flexing its military might in the South China Sea.
	"Did China ask us if it was OK to devalue their currency (making it hard for our companies to compete), heavily tax our products going into their country (the US doesn't tax them) or to build a massive military complex in the middle of the South China Sea? I don't think so!"
	It was not clear what prompted the last night's tweets, which came amid a controversy over a phone conversation Trump held with the leader of Taiwan, a self-ruled island Beijing considers part of its territory.

Trump tweets against China's currency, military policies

The US Army Corps of Engineers has announced it would deny plans for a controversial oil pipeline crossing in North Dakota, a major victory for Native Americans and environmentalists who had staged weeks of protests.
	The pipeline had been set to cross under the Missouri River and man-made Lake Oahe, which are drinking water sources for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.
	"It's clear that there's more work to do," Jo-Ellen Darcy, the US Army's assistant secretary for civil works, said in a statement yesterday.
	"The best way to complete that work responsibly and expeditiously is to explore alternate routes for the pipeline crossing.

US authorities deny route for controversial N Dakota pipeline

Italian voters have overwhelmingly rejected constitutional reform proposals on which Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has staked his political future, exit polls suggested.
	Polls for national broadcaster Rai and the La7 television channel both called the vote for the No camp by a margin of at least 54 per cent to 46 per cent for the Yes camp, and by an average of 56.7-43.3 per cent.
	The projected result was in line with what opinion polls had been indicating up until November 18, after which the media were banned from publishing survey results.
	Renzi, who had vowed to resign if he lost the vote, was due to make a statement at his Palazzo Chigi official residence around midnight.
	The defeat and Renzi's likely departure will plunge Italy in a new phase of political uncertainty and possible economic turmoil.
	Presuming Renzi does step down, President Sergio Mattarella will be charged with brokering the appointment of a new government to run Italy until the next general election, which has 

Renzi loses referendum on constitutional reform: exit polls

The death toll from a fire at a California warehouse where a rave party had been taking place rose to 30 today, authorities said.
	"We have confirmed that the count of the deceased at 30. That is an astronomical number," Sergeant Ray Kelly of the Alameda County Sheriff's Department told reporters.
	Authorities had only searched a small part of the two-story building, which was gutted and left unstable by the inferno late Friday night.
	"We are still not done... They are working and pulling this building apart and dissecting it. And so we're really starting to get deeper into the building. As we do that, we continue to find more victims," Kelly said.

Death toll from California warehouse fire rises to 30

Suspected Russian air strikes killed at least 46 people in opposition-held parts of Syria today, a monitor said, as government forces advanced in fierce clashes with rebels in east Aleppo.
	Syria's government is waging an offensive to recapture all of second city Aleppo, and it has so far captured more than 60 per cent of eastern districts that fell to rebels in 2012.
	In Idlib province, in northwest Syria, at least 26 civilians were killed in suspected Russian strikes on the town of Kafr Nabel, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said.
	An eyewitness told AFP warplanes hit several places in the town, including a market.
	The Observatory says it determines whose planes carry out raids according to their type, location, flight patterns and the munitions involved.
	The group said 18 people were also killed in suspected Russian strikes on the town of Maaret al-Numan, where an AFP photographer saw rescue workers and residents trying to pull survivors from rubble .

Raids kill dozens in Syria's Idlib, army advances in Aleppo

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier today said that the far-right defeat in Austria's presidential election was "a good omen" for Europe.
	"If the first results are confirmed this will be a good omen against populism in Europe," Steinmeier who is to become Germany's next president, at a news conference with his Greek counterpart, Nikos Kotzias, in Athens.
	Austria's Norbert Hofer conceded defeat today in his bid to become Europe's first far-right president, as projections showed he was lagging behind in a bitterly fought election re-run.
	Greens-backed independent Alexander Van der Bellen swept 53.3 per cent of the votes against 46.7 per cent for his rival from the anti-immigration Freedom Party (FPOe), according to public television projections.

Austrian vote result 'good omen against populism in Europe':

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country was moving towards allowing trade with Russia, China and Iran to be conducted in local currencies, as he continues his efforts to strengthen the falling lira.
	"If we buy something from them, we will use their money, if they buy something from us, they will use our currency," he said, ahead of a trip by Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim to Russia for meetings on Tuesday.
	Erdogan -- who previously said discussions were underway with Moscow, Beijing and Tehran on the issue -- added that instructions related to this proposal had been given to the central bank.
	Erdogan repeated a call for Turks to convert the euros, dollars and other foreign currency "under their pillows" into Turkish lira during a speech in the central city of Kayseri.
	"Our Turkish lira is blessed," he told a cheering, flag-waving crowd after opening a museum in the city named after his predecessor and long-time friend Abdullah Gul.
	Ankara hopes such ...

Erdogan wants trade with Russia, China in local currencies

Austria's Norbert Hofer conceded defeat today in his bid to become Europe's first far-right president, as projections showed he was lagging behind in a bitterly fought election re-run.
	Greens-backed independent Alexander Van der Bellen swept 53.3 per cent of the votes against 46.7 per cent for his rival from the anti-immigration Freedom Party (FPOe), according to public television projections.
	Hofer's likely defeat will see EU leaders breathe a sigh of relief in the wake of the anti-establishment tide sweeping many countries following the Brexit vote and Donald Trump's shock election triumph in the US.
	"I am incredibly sad that it didn't work," the 45-year-old Hofer said in a message on Facebook.
	"I congratulate Alexander Van der Bellen on his success and call on all Austrians to stick together and work together."
	The official result of the marathon election, which lasted nearly a year, is not expected before tomorrow when postal votes will be tallied.
	But the Freedom Party ...

Austrian far-right admits defeat in presidential race

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas's Fatah party announced election results to its ruling bodies today that saw the 81-year-old sideline rivals but also provided few clues to his eventual successor.
	The vote for both the party's central committee and its parliament, known as the revolutionary council, came after Abbas opponents were excluded from the election.
	Beginning on Tuesday, some 1,400 delegates met in Ramallah for Fatah's first congress since 2009 and to vote in the elections.
	At the congress's opening, Abbas was re-elected head of the party.
	Following Yasser Arafat's death in 2004, the ageing leader has been in charge of Fatah, the Palestine Liberation Organisation and the Palestinian Authority.
	A number of those seen as opposing him were not invited to the gathering, and one of his main rivals, Mohammed Dahlan, was replaced on the central committee.
	Dahlan is currently in exile in the United Arab Emirates and Abbas reportedly resisted pressure from Arab nations to ...

Fatah vote sees Palestinian leader sideline rivals

The death toll from a blaze that gutted a California warehouse during a rave party has climbed to 24 and is expected to rise, officials said today.
	"Thus far, with about 20 per cent of the building searched we have located 24 deceased victims of this fire," Sergeant Ray Kelly of the Alameda County Sheriff's Department told reporters.
	Authorities have said they fear the death toll could climb to 40 as they search the remnants of the converted two-story warehouse located near San Francisco in the city of Oakland.
	The building had been used by artists as a living and work space but had no license for such use, officials said, nor for the electronic dance party under way when the blaze broke out late Friday.
	Authorities had previously said that nine people had died in the fire, whose cause is still unknown.
	Only three families of people missing in the blaze have so far been notified of the death of a loved one due to the arduous identification process, Kelly said.
	Firefighters ...

California warehouse fire death toll climbs to 24

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls today hailed the victory of a Greens-backed candidate over the far-right contender in Austria's presidential election as a blow for populism in Europe.
	"Great win by Alexander Van der Bellen in Austria. Populism is not Europe's fate," Valls, who is expected to run for president in next year's election, tweeted after Van der Bellen's rival Norbert Hofer conceded defeat.
	The outcome of the Austrian election is being closely watched in France, where far-right leader Marine Le Pen is riding high in polls five months before the French begin voting for Francois Hollande's successor.
	Le Pen was among the first to react.
	"Congratulations to the FPOe which fought bravely. The next elections will be theirs," she wrote on Twitter, referring to Hofer's anti-immigration Freedom Party (FPOe), an ally of her National Front.
	Hollande last week announced he would not seek re-election, paving the way for Valls to throw his hat in the ring for the Socialist ...

French PM hails Austria result as blow for European populists

Austria's Norbert Hofer conceded defeat today in his bid to become Europe's first far-right president, as projections showed he was lagging behind in a bitterly fought election re-run.
	Greens-backed independent Alexander Van der Bellen swept 53.3 per cent of the votes against 46.7 per cent for his rival from the anti-immigration Freedom Party (FPOe), according to public television projections.
	Hofer's likely defeat will see EU leaders breathe a sigh of relief in the wake of the anti-establishment tide sweeping many countries following the Brexit vote and Donald Trump's shock election triumph in the US.
	"I am incredibly sad that it didn't work. I would have liked to watch over our Austria," the 45-year-old Hofer said in a message on Facebook.
	"I congratulate Alexander Van der Bellen on his success and call on all Austrians to stick together and work together."
	The official result of the marathon election, which lasted nearly a year, is not expected before tomorrow when postal ...

Austrian far-right concedes defeat in presidential race

Brazilians marched across the country today, protesting against corrupt politicians and what they said were attempts by Congress to shut down a huge anti-graft probe.
	Dressed overwhelmingly in the green and yellow national colors, thousands of demonstrators filled a beachside avenue in Rio's posh Copacabana, while several thousand gathered outside Congress in the capital Brasilia.
	Another protest was due in the country's financial powerhouse Sao Paulo, as well as in scores of smaller cities, according to organizers.
	The peaceful crowds expressed support for Operation Car Wash, a probe that has uncovered mass embezzlement by politicians and top executives at state oil company Petrobras and other businesses.
	"Car Wash -- protected by the people," read one placard in Rio carried by a man wrapped in the Brazilian flag.
	Demonstrators were furious at a vote earlier this week by the lower house of Congress -- where many deputies are themselves suspects in criminal probes -- to weaken a .

Brazilians take to streets against corruption

China has scuppered attempts by world trade heavyweights to eliminate or reduce tariffs on a list of environmentally friendly products, the European Union said today.
	A list of around 300 "green" products had been prepared by the US and EU to be presented at WTO talks today in Geneva for the 18 participants -- including Japan, Australia, South Korea, Singapore and Turkey -- to discuss.
	But to the surprise of all present, China submitted its own list of products, EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem said, thus derailing talks.
	"They took away many of our priorities," Malmstroem, who deplored the Chinese move, told journalists.
	"The Chinese list had commonalities with the original list but there were lots of differences -- too many to absorb them.
	"It would have been very helpful if they had engaged earlier in this sort of specifics because, of course, they came out with a list that surprised everybody."
	Talks on the Environmental Goods Agreement began in July 2014, based on a 

EU accuses China of wrecking 'green' goods deal

The head of Austria's far-right Freedom Party (FPOe) today ruled out launching a legal challenge against the defeat of the party's candidate Norbert Hofer in the presidential election.
	"This time clearly there are no complaints... Today we can be sure that citizens' votes were properly handled," Heinz-Christian Strache said on public television.
	In May, the FPOe successfully challenged Hofer's defeat and secured a re-run.

Austrian far-right head rules out election challenge

A plane originally intended for Tunisia's toppled president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali has been sold to Turkish Airlines, Tunisair said today, six years after it was grounded following his ouster.
	The Turkish firm bought the Airbus A340 for 181 million dinars (USD 78 million), Tunisair spokeswoman Amal Bourguiba said, without giving a date for the sale.
	The A340 had arrived in the French airport of Bordeaux in the autumn of 2010 to be equipped for Ben Ali's use, but a popular uprising in Tunisia toppled the dictator early the next year.
	Tunisair, in a statement later today, said it had obtained a good price, compared with the 250 million dinars paid in 2009 to order the plane, and said it would save on the parking costs in Bordeaux.
	According to French daily Sud-Ouest, Ben Ali -- who now lives in exile in Saudi Arabia -- only used the plane once to test it before it was outfitted.
	Tunisair put the plane on the market in January 2012, saying it had been outfitted with a living room ..

Tunisia ex-dictator's plane sold years after ouster

Chinese state media said today that US President-elect Donald Trump's "inexperience" led him to accept a phone call from Taiwan's leader but warned that any breach of the One China policy would "destroy" Sino-US relations.
	The call "exposed nothing but (Trump's) and his transition team's inexperience in dealing with foreign affairs", said an editorial in the English-language China Daily newspaper, adding there was "no need to over-interpret" it.
	But it hinted at the possible economic impact of any breakdown in ties, saying that China held $1.19 trillion in US treasury bonds and had bilateral trade worth $558 billion with the country last year.
	"If Trump wants to overstep the One China principle, he will destroy Sino-US ties," it said.
	Trump's call with Tsai Ing-wen Friday broke with decades of US foreign policy precedent, raising questions on whether it marked a deliberate pivot away from Washington's official "One China" stance.
	Washington cut formal diplomatic relations with ...

Chinese media blame Trump 'inexperience' over Taiwan call

A humble rail worker who shot to fame for pulling a suicidal man off train tracks was honoured by Bangladesh authorities today, as footage of his heroism went viral.
	Railway lineman Billal Hossain Mazumder, 50, put his life on the line last month by dragging 34-year-old Mohammad Mamun out of harm's way as a train approached.
	"I hoisted the red flag to signal the driver to stop the train, but within an instance, I realised it would be too late," Mazumder said.
	"I knew I might die but I also knew if I didn't try to save him, a young stranger's face would haunt me for the rest of my life," Mazumder told AFP.
	CCTV Footage of the entire incident went viral on social media with hundreds of Bangladeshis, many from abroad, applauding Mazumder for his heroic act.
	The father of four, who earns less than USD 100 a month, said he did not have time to consider his own welfare when he jumped on the tracks to save Mamun.
	"I would do it again... Life is precious. No one should commit suicide ...

Bangladesh honours humble rail hero after daring rescue

Austria's Freedom Party conceded defeat today in its bid to elect Europe's first far-right president, as projections showed its candidate Norbert Hofer lagging behind in a bitterly fought election re-run.
	Greens-backed independent Alexander Van der Bellen, 72, swept 53.6 per cent of the votes, while his rival of the anti-immigration Freedom Party (FPOe) received 46.4 per cent, projections showed.
	The official result of the marathon presidential election, which lasted nearly a year, is not expected before tomorrow, but the party conceded defeat within minutes of the poll projections being released, shortly after voting ended.
	"I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Mr Van der Bellen," FPOe chief strategist Herbert Kickl told Austrian media.
	The outcome deals a crushing blow to Hofer who already narrowly lost to Van der Bellen in a first runoff in May, which was then annulled over ballot counting breaches.
	His defeat will also see EU leaders breathe a sigh of relief .

Austria far-right concedes in presidential race

Two women died of hypothermia during an operation to rescue more than 730 migrants off the Libyan coast, the Italian coast guard and medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres said today.
	The women were found unconscious in a large dinghy in the Mediterranean that was partly deflated and taking on water.
	"Devastatingly..., two women died of hypothermia despite huge efforts from the #Aquarius team. We are heartbroken, again," said MSF on Twitter, referring to the Aquarius rescue boat chartered by themselves and another charity, SOS Mediterranee.
	Five large inflatable dinghies and five smaller boats were rescued during the operation which took place over a 24-hour period yesterday to today.
	Among those rescued were several families with young children from Aleppo, Syria's war-torn second city.
	The rescued migrants were en route to Italy today.
	Italy has already seen more than 173,000 migrants arrive on its shores this year, up 12 per cent on the 2015 total and outstripping the ...

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