Syria's government pounded rebel-held Aleppo with air strikes and artillery fire today, killing 27 people and prompting Washington to condemn the "heinous actions" of Damascus and its ally Russia.
	UN officials said they were "appalled" by the escalating violence and urged access to east Aleppo, where more than 250,000 people have been under siege for nearly four months.
	Since it began on Tuesday, the assault on the rebel-held east of Aleppo has damaged hospitals, forced schools to close, and killed nearly 100 civilians, according to a monitor.
	An AFP correspondent described relentless bombardment with air strikes, mortar rounds and barrel bombs slamming into residential neighbourhoods where residents cowered at home.
	"It is a catastrophic day in besieged Aleppo with unprecedented bombardment with every type of weapon," a member of the White Helmets rescue group said in a video posted on the organisation's Facebook page.
	US National Security Advisor Susan Rice said Washington ...

US slams 'heinous' attacks on rebel-held Aleppo

PTI Automatic

Three paramilitary soldiers and a policeman were killed when gunmen opened fire in Pakistan's southwestern city of Quetta today, officials said, in the latest outbreak of violence in restive Baluchistan province.
	"Three paramilitary soldiers and one policeman have been killed while a passerby has been injured in an attack on the paramilitary troops," local police official Syed Zahid Hussain told AFP.
	The incident was also confirmed by a spokesman from the local paramilitary force.
	The shooting was claimed by the Al-Alami faction of the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) group, according to a statement released by a spokesman.
	Last month, the outfit said it worked with the Islamic State group to execute a massive night raid on a police college that killed 61 people, the deadliest assault on a security installation in Pakistan's history.
	Mineral-rich Balochistan province, of which Quetta is capital, has been plagued for decades by a separatist insurgency and sectarian killings.
	In August, a .

Four dead in militant attack in southwest Pakistan: officials

US National Security Advisor Susan Rice condemned "heinous" bombings of hospitals in rebel-held eastern Aleppo today, warning the regime and its Russian backers saying they are responsible for immediate and long-term consequences.
	"The United States condemns in the strongest terms these horrific attacks against medical infrastructure and humanitarian aid workers. There is no excuse for these heinous actions," Rice said in a statement.
	"The Syrian regime and its allies, Russia in particular, bears responsibility for the immediate and long-term consequences these actions have caused in Syria and beyond."
	Her comments come as intense government air strikes and artillery fire killed at least 27 people in Aleppo, where hospitals have been destroyed and schools have been forced to close.
	An AFP correspondent on the ground described relentless bombardment with air strikes, mortar rounds and barrel bombs slamming into residential neighbourhoods in the east of the battered second ...

White House warns Syria, Russia on 'heinous' Aleppo bombings

Yemen rebels and loyalist forces battled today around third city Taez even as a 48-hour ceasefire announced by a Saudi-led coalition fighting the insurgents began following US pressure.
	A few hours after the ceasefire took effect at midday (0900 GMT), fighting still raged around the flashpoint southwestern city, where violence has killed dozens this week, despite clashes subsiding on several fronts.
	Clashes were heaviest in the town of Salo, southeast of Taez, military sources said, reporting casualties on both sides.
	Inside Taez itself, rebel rocket fired into a residential district killed one civilian and wounded two, the sources added.
	Intermittent fighting was also reported in Nahm near the capital Sanaa, in Shabwa in the south and Sarwah to the east.
	The ceasefire comes after a push by US Secretary of State John Kerry who this week met rebel representatives in Oman and also urged the government to come on board.
	At first the government, which has deep reservations about a ..

Heavy fighting in Yemen despite new ceasefire

Top UN officials today said they were "appalled" by escalating violence in Syria, and urged immediate access to Aleppo, where government forces are waging a ferocious assault to retake rebel-held districts.
	"The United Nations is extremely saddened and appalled by the recent escalation in fighting in several parts of Syria," the UN's humanitarian coordinator for Syria Ali al-Za'atari and regional humanitarian coordinator Kevin Kennedy said.
	In a statement, they called on "all parties to cease indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure".
	The comments came as government bombardment rocked rebel-held east Aleppo, where more than 250,000 people are living under regime siege.
	The bombardment, which began on Tuesday, has killed nearly 100 people, according to a monitor, and forced hospitals and schools to close.
	Za'atari, the most senior UN official based in Damascus, and Kennedy said the organisation had a plan to provide east Aleppo with assistance.
	"The UN has .

UN 'appalled' by Syria violence, urges Aleppo access

Chinese President Xi Jinping urged Asia-Pacific leaders today to get on board with Beijing-backed free trade agreements, after Donald Trump's election win spelled the likely demise of a US-backed deal.
	Trump's shock victory has cast uncertainty on the future of Washington's key trade initiative in the Pacific Rim, the arduously negotiated, 12-country Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP.
	The brash billionaire campaigned against the accord, which has not yet been ratified in Congress, as a "terrible deal" that would "rape" the United States by sending American jobs to countries with cheaper labor.
	In a Pacific region hungry for trade, that has left even longtime US allies like Australia and Japan looking to China to fill the void.
	Beijing, which was excluded from TPP, is pushing two alternatives: the 21-member Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP) and a 16-member Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which notably includes India but not the United States.
	Xi urged 

Xi pushes China-backed trade deals to fill US void

Iran is optimistic that OPEC can reach an agreement to cut production and improve prices, Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh said today after meeting the cartel's chief, Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo.
	"There is a high possibility of OPEC's petroleum and energy ministers reaching an agreement at the November meeting," Zanganeh said, quoted by the ministry's Shana news website.
	"Member and non-member countries are trying to reach a comprehensive agreement at the summit, and the information Secretary General Barkindo gave me today is promising.
	"I think we will have a better situation in the future," he added.
	In September, the 14 members of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries agreed at an informal Algiers meeting to cut output, hoping to boost prices that have been severely depressed since 2014.
	Details of the deal, supposed to bring in non-OPEC producers including Russia, are expected to be worked out at a formal OPEC meeting in Vienna on November 30.
	Iran, which has the ...

Iran optimistic ahead of OPEC meeting: Minister

Former Malaysian leader Mahathir Mohamad called for a sustained push to topple scandal-plagued Prime Minister Najib Razak as thousands rallied today to demand the premier's resignation over the 1MDB corruption saga.
	Malaysians clad in the yellow of the reformist Bersih campaign flooded Kuala Lumpur for the second time in 15 months to vent anger over allegations that billions of dollars were looted from state investment fund 1MDB, Najib's brainchild.
	Speaking to a crowd of at least 20,000 under the shadow of the capital's giant Petronas Towers twin skyscrapers, Mahathir, 91, accused Najib of stealing public money and said Malaysia was "controlled by thieves".
	"Time has come for us to topple this cruel regime. Najib is no longer suitable to be the prime minister. He is abusing the law," Mahathir said.
	Malaysia has been seized since last year by the 1MDB scandal, which has sparked investigations in several countries.
	Najib, 63, and 1MDB deny wrongdoing.
	But the US Justice ...

Malaysia's Mahathir joins calls to oust 'thief' PM

Substitute Olivier Giroud converted Arsenal's first effort on target in the 89th minute to rescue a smash-and-grab 1-1 draw for Arsene Wenger's side at Manchester United on Saturday.
     Juan Mata's 69th-minute strike looked to have earned Jose Mourinho's United a much-needed win, only for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to tee up his fellow substitute Giroud for a last-gasp leveller.
     The result preserved Arsenal's six-point lead over 6th place United, but left United falling even further behind the table leaders.
     Arsenal remain without a league win at Old Trafford in 10 years and Wenger has still not beaten Mourinho in the league in 12 attempts.
     But this was a draw that will have felt like a win for the Frenchman, particularly after Mourinho provocatively cited his 12-year wait for a league title in the build-up to the game. Giroud's goal, only his fourth of the season, extended Arsenal's unbeaten run to 17 games in all competitions and left United with just two wins from ...

Giroud sucker-punch earns Arsenal draw at Man Utd

Shai Hope hit his maiden one-day international century but the West Indies could only stutter to a dramatic tie in a triangular series clash with Zimbabwe in Bulawayo on Saturday.
     With Hope scoring 101 in just his second ODI the West Indies were well on track to overhaul the hosts' 257 all out, until his dismissal sparked a late collapse.
     The tourists went into the final over needing just four runs to win off seamer Donald Tiripano, but lost three wickets -- two of them to run-outs -- to finish on 257 for eight.
     "We should have won the game, but that's cricket," said West Indies captain Jason Holder.
     "It's important for the guys to learn from this occasion. As a young team we just need to think a bit more when we get into these tight positions."
     The game was set up by two dominant partnerships for the third wicket, with Craig Ervine and Sikandar Raza Butt putting on 144 for Zimbabwe before Hope and Kraigg Brathwaite's 162-run stand for the West Indies.
     ...

Zimbabwe salvage tie in thriller with West Indies

Barack Obama faced tough questions today about Donald Trump's victory on the last foreign visit of his presidency, to a summit of Pacific leaders that has been upended by the US election and concerns about China's rise.
	The US President and other top world leaders, including China's Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin, are in Lima, Peru for an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit whose agenda has been hijacked by the Republican billionaire's shock election win last week.
	Obama will today meet leaders of the 12 countries negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, a vast US-led trade accord that Trump opposes and now faces an uncertain future.
	Although the White House admits the chances of passing the deal are slim, Obama will urge leaders to give the new president time to formulate his policy.
	From Obama down, officials have stressed that the election has not changed US economic and strategic interests, and that Trump may yet recalibrate his views.
	But there .

Obama faces tough questions about Trump on last foreign trip

Vice President-elect Mike Pence was booed at a performance of the award-winning Broadway musical "Hamilton," whose "alarmed and anxious" cast made an unusual call for Donald Trump's incoming administration to work on behalf of all Americans.
	The president-elect later complained that the cast had been rude to Pence and harassed him during the late yesterday performance. "This should not happen!" Trump tweeted.
	The wildly popular hit musical, which won 11 Tony Awards in June, follows young colonial rebels who became America's founding fathers, celebrating diversity and immigrants' contribution to the nation.
	The show's lead actor, Javier Munoz, is openly gay, HIV positive and a cancer survivor.
	Activists worry that the Trump's administration will be hostile to gay rights.
	Brandon Victor Dixon, who plays former vice president Aaron Burr, read a statement to Pence during the curtain call that echoed some of the main concerns critics have voiced since the Republican firebrand won the .

'Hamilton' cast asks Pence to work for 'all of us'

Bangladesh coast guards prevented 125 Rohingya Muslims from entering its territory as the group attempted to escape violent unrest in neighbouring Myanmar.
	Authorities patrolling the Naf River, which separates Bangladesh's southeastern border from western Myanmar, pushed back a group of Rohingya trying to enter the country late yesterday, local Coast Guard official Nafiur Rahman told AFP.
	"There were 125 Myanmar nationals in seven wooden boats. They included 61 women and 36 children. We resisted them from entering our water territory," Rahman told AFP.
	He added that all of the passengers were Rohingya who tried to enter Bangladesh amid an uptick of violent clashes in neighbouring Myanmar's Rakhine state.
	Another coast guard officer said he saw two bodies floating in the Naf River during a patrol.
	Up to 30,000 people have been displaced by violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state, half of which occurred during the last week when dozens of people died in clashes with the military, the ..

Bangladesh stops 125 Rohingya from crossing border

At least 27 civilians were killed in regime air strikes, barrel bomb attacks and artillery fire on the rebel-held side of Syria's Aleppo city today, a monitor said.
	The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported massive bombardment across the eastern side of the battered city, five days into a renewed government assault on opposition-held districts.
	"There's barely a neighbourhood that has been spared in the east," said Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman.
	The deaths brought the civilian toll in five days of regime bombardment of eastern Aleppo to at least 92, according to the Observatory which said however that many of the wounded were in serious condition.
	Aleppo has been divided since mid-2012 between rebel control in the east and government control in the west, and the opposition side has been surrounded by the regime for nearly four months.
	The siege has created food and fuel shortages in the east, and the renewed bombardment has damaged or destroyed multiple medical ...

Regime bombardment kills 27 civilians in Aleppo: monitor

At least 15 people are missing after a speedboat collided with a Vietnamese cargo vessel today and capsized in the Java Sea, according to an official.
	The passenger boat was ferrying 27 people some 50 kilometre off the coast of Tuban, a small town in East Java, when it collided with a ship transporting tapioca starch from Vietnam.
	All 22 Vietnamese crew members aboard the cargo vessel were safe but the speedboat carrying mostly Indonesian fishermen sunk after the collision.
	"Twelve people have been rescued alive while 15 others are still missing," Frans Supriadi, a spokesman for the local disaster agency, told AFP.
	A rescue team has been deployed by boat and helicopter to search for the missing.
	Supriadi said the spot where the accident happened was along a busy trade route and witnesses suspected the speedboat driver was sleepy and failed to notice the Vietnamese ship.
	The Indonesian archipelago of more than 17,000 islands is heavily dependent on boat transport, but safety ...

15 missing in Indonesia boat accident: official

Ten people died when an overcrowded ferry on the Ugandan side of Lake Albert capsized in strong winds, local police said.
	The vessel, with 21 people onboard, was taking passengers from Buliisa to Kagoya, farther south, when the accident happened overnight Thursday, Buliisa police spokesman Julius Hakiza told AFP.
	"We managed to rescue 11 people. The rest drowned," he said. The 10 fatalities comprised six women and four men.
	Accidents are frequent on the lake, which is shared by Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo.
	In March 2014, 210 Congolese refugees drowned when the boat they were travelling in capsized.

Ten dead in Uganda ferry accident

An original drawing from "Explorers on the Moon", widely regarded as one of the two best Tintin adventures, sold for a record 1.55 million euros at a Paris auction today, auction house Artcurial announced.
	The 50 cm X 35 cm drawing in Chinese ink by the Belgian cartoonist known as Herge shows the boy reporter, his dog Snowy and crusty sailor Captain Haddock wearing spacesuits and walking on the moon while looking at Earth.
	It had been expected to sell for between 700,000 and 900,000 euros (USD 741,00 and USD 952,000).
	Artcurial's comics expert Eric Leroy described the "Explorers on the Moon" as "a key moment in the history of comic book art... It has become mythic for many lovers and collectors of comic strips.
	"It is one of the most important from Herge's postwar period, on the same level as 'Tintin in Tibet' and 'The Castafiore Emerald'," he added.
	The 1954 book is viewed as one of Herge's masterpieces.
	Today's sale was a record for a single cartoon drawing.
	Herge already ...

Tintin drawing sells for record 1.55 mn euros in Paris

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi praised US President-elect Donald Trump and said he expected greater engagement in the Middle East from his administration, in an interview with Portuguese media.
	The former Egyptian army chief had strained relations with outgoing President Barack Obama's administration, which had temporarily suspended military aid after Sisi toppled his elected predecessor in 2013.
	"Personally I respect and appreciate" Trump, Sisi said according to an English translation of his remarks to Portuguese news agency LUSA published today.
	"I believe that President-elect Trump will be more rigorously engaged with the issues of the region," he said.
	"As a matter of fact President-elect Trump has shown deep and great understanding of what is taking place in the region as a whole and what is taking place in Egypt," he added.
	"That is why I am looking forward, and I am expecting more support and more reinforcement of our bilateral relations".
	Trump's ...

Sisi praises Trump, expects more US engagement in region

An Egyptian court today sentenced the head of the journalists' union and two members to two years in prison for "harbouring fugitives", allowing them to pay bail pending an appeal.
	Journalists Syndicate president Yahiya Kallash, Gamal Abd el-Rahim and Khaled Elbalshy were charged in May with sheltering two journalists wanted over protests against the transfer of two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia.
	The court set bail at 10,000 Egyptian pounds (USD 615, 580 euros), a court official said.
	Their arrest following a May 1 police raid on the union building to detain two reporters from an opposition website drew condemnation from rights groups.
	The European Union said the indictment of the journalists' syndicate members was "a worrying development".
	"It reflects broader limitations on freedom of expression and press freedom in Egypt," an EU spokesperson said at the time.
	Rights activists accuse President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi of running an ultra-authoritarian regime that has violently ..

Egypt sentences journalist union head to two years' jail

Barack Obama begins the final foreign visit of his eight-year presidency Saturday in Peru, facing tough questions from assembled Pacific leaders about Donald Trump's election victory.
	Obama is in Lima for an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit that is likely to focus heavily on Trump's shock victory.
	Today, he will meet leaders of the 12-country Trans- Pacific Partnership, or TPP, which Trump has opposed and now faces an uncertain future.
	White House officials admit the chances of passing the deal are slim, but Obama will urge leaders to give the new president time to formulate policy.
	From Obama down, officials have stressed that US economic and strategic interests have not changed as a result of the election, and Trump may yet recalibrate his views.
	"It's only been 10 days since the election," said US Trade Representative Michael Froman.
	He warned of "serious" strategic and economic costs if the United States walks away from the deal, designed to be a cornerstone ..

Obama faces tough questions on Trump on last foreign trip

Seven construction workers from Tajikistan died in western Siberia today when the shipping container they used as a home at a building site caught fire, officials said.
	"Seven people died, while three were poisoned by the fumes and hospitalised," the emergencies ministry's branch in the oil-rich Tyumen region said.
	The suspected cause was a short-circuit in an electric heater, used to warm the container which was lined with wood and insulation to keep out the cold, Russia's Investigative Committee said.
	Regional prosecutors said all victims were citizens of Tajikistan, an impoverished ex-Soviet Central Asian country from which many people seek low-paid labour jobs in Russia.
	The container was located at a construction site for a poultry farm.
	In January at least 12 migrants from Central Asia, including three children, were killed when a fire at a sewing workship in Moscow caused its roof to collapse.
	In August, 16 people, mostly women from Kyrgyzstan, were killed in a fire at a .

AFP

AFP

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