US forces may have committed war crimes in Afghanistan from 2003-2004 by torturing prisoners in what appeared to be a deliberate policy, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has said.
	Unveiling the results of a lengthy initial probe into atrocities in Afghanistan, prosecutor Fatou Bensouda yesterday said she would decide "imminently" whether to ask to launch a full-blown investigation -- and take the world's only permanent war crimes court into uncharted territory.
	She stressed that the Taliban militia and the affiliated Haqqani network, Afghan government forces and US troops as well as the CIA all appeared to have carried out war crimes since the Islamic militia was ousted by a US-led invasion in 2001.
	And she blamed the Taliban and its allies for the deaths of some 17,000 civilians since 2007 to December 2015 in a brutal insurgency with "numerous attacks" on schools, hospitals and mosques.
	But for the first time, Bensouda highlighted allegations of "war ...

US may have committed war crimes in Afghanistan: ICC

PTI Automatic

A first group of 127 UN peacekeepers has returned to a camp on the Syrian-held side of the Golan Heights, two years after withdrawing amid clashes with Al-Qaeda-linked Syrian rebels.
	UN spokesman Farhan Haq yesterday said more troops from the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) would return to camp Faouar this week and that both governments in Israel and Syria supported the move.
	"The total number of troops that deployed to Camp Faouar this morning is 127 and more are expected to join in a week," said Haq.
	"For now... They will perform as many of the mandated tasks as they can, security conditions permitting," he added.
	The UNDOF monitors a 1974 ceasefire between Israel and Syria on the Golan Heights.
	Hundreds of UN troops withdrew from the Syrian-held side of the Golan to the Israeli-occupied sector in September 2014 after Al-Qaeda-linked rebels kidnapped dozens of peacekeepers.
	In late August 2014, rebels on the Syrian side including Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front ...

UN peacekeepers return to Syrian side of Golan

Over sixty swimmers were evacuated after being stung by swarms of jellyfish during an aquatic marathon on the Brazilian coast, the Santos civil defence has confirmed.
	Rainy weather favoured the presence of a greater than usual number of jellyfish in the Canal de Bertioga, which is open at both ends to the Atlantic Ocean.
	"We think that the jellyfish were dragged towards the canal because of the rain. The swimmers were vomiting, trembling and suffered burns," Civil Defence Director in Santos, Plinio Aguiar said yesterday.
	"Thirty other athletes pulled out of the race when they saw the suffering of others," he added.
	Dr Camila Perucchi, who treated some of the victims, said that the bites "were on their arms, legs and faces" and that some participants had suffered allergic reactions.
	The 24km marathon has taken place annually for the past 40 years, and this year 247 men and women were registered to compete.

Swimming: Sixty evacuated after mass jellyfish attack

Russia's economy is still flatlining after more than two years of crisis, figures have shown, with Moscow hoping to end 2016 on the mend but with longer-term prospects looking gloomy.
	State statistics agency Rosstat said yesterday the economy contracted by 0.4 per cent year-on-year in the third quarter, confirming estimates by the economy ministry.
	While little to cheer about in itself, the figure is less than the 1.2 and 0.6 per cent contraction seen in the first and second quarters respectively, suggesting the economy has been stabilising over the summer.
	The longest crisis since President Vladimir Putin took power 16 years ago - sparked in late 2014 by falling oil prices and Western sanctions over Moscow's actions in Ukraine - appears to be gradually relenting.
	The recession has been accompanied by a surge in prices and has hit Russians' spending power hard, especially for the poorest.
	Economy Minister Alexei Ulyukayev last week predicted that fourth-quarter figures would be ..

Recession-hit Russia hoping for growth by end-2016

Governments around the world have stepped up efforts to block or censor social media and messaging applications, in a new blow to internet freedom, a watchdog group said today.
	The Freedom on the Net report by the activist group Freedom House said online freedom declined in 2016 for a sixth consecutive year amid new restrictions on messaging platforms such as WhatsApp in addition to social networks.
	"Popular social media sites like Facebook and Twitter have been subject to growing censorship for several years, but governments are now increasingly going after messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram," said Sanja Kelly, director of the study.
	Messaging apps have become increasingly popular tools for activists, and many of them can offer encrypted communications which make it more difficult for the users to be monitored, the report noted.
	"The key reason for the block of these apps is preventing users from disseminating news during periods of unrest," Kelly said.
	The report said 34 

Online freedom hit by pressure on social media, apps

Israeli husbands who refuse to grant a Jewish religious divorce to their wives can now be indicted and face stiff prison sentences, the justice ministry said today.
	After years of rabbinate control of religious divorces, the ministry said the judiciary was going to get involved in order to "liberate" women.
	Hundreds or even thousands of women in Israel have been prevented from rebuilding their lives as they require the permission of their husbands to get a divorce.
	In Israel, only a rabbinical court can seal a marriage or divorce, as civil marriage does not exist.
	The ministry issued an order for the civil judiciary to prosecute men who refuse to grant permission for divorce -- through what is known as a "get" -- after a rabbinical court orders it.
	The directive also applies to women.
	Without a "get", a woman is known in Hebrew as "agunot" and remains bound to her husband and unable to remarry.
	There are currently 131 such women in Israel for an average of 11,000 divorces of ...

Israeli men who refuse divorce could face jail

Skygazers took to high-rise buildings, tourist landmarks and beaches worldwide today to catch a glimpse of the closest "supermoon" to Earth in almost seven decades.
	The unusually big and bright moon happens when the Earth's satellite rock is full at the same time as, or very near, perigee -- its closest point to our planet on its monthly ellipsis-shaped orbit.
	At a distance of 356,509 kilometres (221,524 miles), this is the closest it has been to Earth since 1948, creating what NASA described as "an extra-supermoon".
	The phenomenon was visible first in Asia, sending astronomy enthusiasts and photographers flocking to the best viewing spots, hoping the chronic pollution that blights many of the region's cities would not spoil the fun.
	Sydney's eastern Bronte suburb became an unexpected magnet as thousands of people armed with picnic mats and cameras packed its small beach after a Facebook invite went viral.
	Loud cheers went up among the crowd as the moon made brief appearances ...

World looks up to gaze at extra bright 'supermoon'

National Security Advisor Susan Rice admitted today that passing a landmark trans-Pacific trade agreement is now a "challenge," but it remains in the US strategic interest.
	President Barack Obama has championed the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), but President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to scrap it, saying it would cost American jobs.
	"TPP is obviously a challenge at this stage," Rice told AFP, warning that a failure to pass the deal would leave a vacuum.
	"Trade is not going to stop, it will continue, we'll be part of it but we won't be as able to shape the framework to serve our values and our interests," she said.
	"That leaves a vacuum for countries like China and others to fill -- that is not in our interest."
	America's treaty allies should expect the United States to continue to uphold mutual defence obligations, Rice said in her first public comments after Trump's election win.
	"The weight of this office, and the weight of American global leadership, and the .

US NSA says TPP 'a challenge' but still in US interest

EU ministers approved a common defence plan today despite sharp differences over how far it should go, as Donald Trump's election win stoked fears about Washington's commitment to European security.
	Trump's campaign threat to think twice about defending NATO allies unless they up their defence spending has driven calls for the European Union to press ahead on its own, despite objections from Britain.
	EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini insisted the plans -- to boost the bloc's ability to respond to external conflicts, help partner countries build their defence capabilities and protect EU citizens -- would not undermine NATO.
	"It's not about a European army, it's not about creating a new European Union SHAPE-style headquarters," Mogherini said after talks with foreign and defence ministers in Brussels, referring to NATO's own military HQ.
	Britain has long opposed any such moves as undermining NATO, but after its shock June Brexit vote, France and Germany jumped in with plans 

EU backs defence plan after Trump win fuelled fears

Donald Trump's capture of the White House should serve as warning to policymakers responding to similar populism in Europe, European Economic and Financial Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici said today.
	"We need to turn this painful awakening into a political wake-up call," Moscovici said in an address at Harvard University, adding that discontented voters on both sides of the Atlantic now distrusted the state institutions built to serve them.
	Moscovici said that income inequality and flagging economic growth, terrorist attacks and war in the Middle East had undermined the value of Europe in many voters' eyes, while the gulf separating them from political elites had widened.
	"We have a huge lesson to learn from last week's election here in the US. The fact is that a growing part of our populations can no longer relate to the existing systems," he said.
	"These people consider themselves the losers of globalisation. We should not misunderstand the meaning of their vote. Even if ..

Trump a 'wake-up call,' Europe's Moscovici says

A French electronic rock group thought their name, Trumps, was an ace choice when they launched on the musical scene in 2014.
	But the election of Donald Trump to the White House has given the band a mighty headache -- and the monicker which they liked so much has been ditched.
	In an announcement on Facebook, Trumps said they want to avoid any association with the controversial tycoon and are open to suggestions from fans for a new name.
	Their lead singer, who goes under the stage name of Jim, said the Trumps' image problem began when the US election campaign built up steam.
	"We don't feel like being associated with this guy," he told AFP on today.
	"We have no connection with him, and we don't want to be seen pushing anything political."
	Witty fans have suggested the group be renamed "The Hillarys" or "The LePens", a reference to defeated Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton and France's far-right leader Marine Le Pen.
	But according to local radio station France Bleu Poitou, the ..

French rock band changes name after Trump victory

Rescuers in New Zealand were scrambling today to evacuate up to 1,000 tourists stranded by a 7.8 earthquake that has caused "utter devastation" on the coast of the South Island.
	A navy ship was steaming towards the seaside town of Kaikoura, which bore the brunt of the quake that claimed two lives when it struck yesterday.
	Huge landslides have cut road and rail links to the town, where police say water is running low, power is intermittent and hundreds of people are staying in evacuation shelters.
	It has a population of 2,000, bolstered by an extra 600-1,000 tourists attracted by the area's popular whale-watching cruises.
	Officials said they were ramping up efforts to rescue the visitors, who are mostly international backpackers.
	Four military helicopters will begin ferrying them in small groups to Christchurch today and a C-103 Hercules is on standby to drop supplies to the stricken town.
	State broadcaster Radio New Zealand reported up to 50 civilian helicopters would also be ...

Evacuations planned for quake-hit New Zealand town

A court in western France cleared the way today for work to begin on an airport vehemently opposed by local residents and environmentalists defending precious moors and woodland.
	Socialist Prime Minister Manuel Valls hailed the ruling following years of legal battles and sometimes violent protests over the plan, saying it "proves once more that the project is perfectly legal and complies with current regulations."
	But an umbrella grouping of activists vowed that they would "not allow any work or evictions to begin" for the Notre-Dame-des-Landes airport, which will be a second facility serving the western city of Nantes.
	Yannick Jadot, a former Greenpeace activist who is the green party EELV's candidate in France's presidential elections next year, slammed the ruling, calling the project "absurd and destructive".
	Between 200 and 300 activists are camped at the site some 20 kilometres north of Nantes in a protest that dates to 1965 when the project, now projected to cost nearly one .

French court green-lights controversial Nantes airport

Argentina will cull 100,000 beavers which are devastating southern woodlands by gnawing down huge trees, officials said today.
	The plague of big-toothed rodents has struck in the Tierra del Fuego province, a far southern region known as "the End of the World."
	"They can cut down a small tree in a few hours and a big one in days. We are talking about trees that are 100 or 150 years old and they do not grow back," said the region's conservation chief Erio Curto.
	"They cut down trees on the riverbank so the water overflows and floods everything," he told reporters.
	He said Argentine authorities had signed an agreement to exterminate the beavers with neighboring Chile. The surrounding Patagonia region spans the border of the two countries.
	Experts in the provincial government said it could take as long as 10 to 15 years to cull all the beavers.
	The cull is backed by the United Nations and environmental groups.
	Experts will catch the beavers in traps and then bash them on the head ..

Argentina to exterminate 100,000 ravenous beavers

A stainless steel Patek Philippe watch has sold for a record USD 11 million (10.2 million euros) in Geneva, an auction house said today.
	The piece from the Swiss company's 1518 series sold on Saturday for 11,002,000 Swiss francs following a 13-minute bidding war, according to a statement from Phillips, a leading watch auction firm based in London.
	When Patek Philippe introduced the 1518 series in 1941, they were the first-ever perpetual calendar chronographs, meaning they were the first timepieces that had both a stop-watch function as well as a calendar designed to keep track of dates for centuries, with leap years factored in.
	The piece sold on Saturday was made in 1943, Phillips said, calling its sale price "a new world record for any wristwatch at auction", which more than tripped the pre-sale estimate.
	Neither the buyer, nor the seller were identified.
	A total of 177 watches were sold over weekend in the Swiss city, fetching USD 27.5 million collectively.

Patek Philippe watch fetches record USD 11 mn at auction

US Secretary of State John Kerry held talks today with officials in Oman on efforts to end Yemen's 19-month conflict, state media in Muscat said.
	Kerry and Oman's Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi discussed the "peaceful and humanitarian role played by the sultanate in Yemen," ONA state news agency reported.
	Kerry later met with Oman's ruler Sultan Qaboos with whom he discussed "regional and international developments," ONA said.
	The visit to Oman is one of Kerry's last trips as secretary of state before President Barack Obama's administration steps down in January.
	The US chief diplomat has been pushing for a settlement in Yemen, where a deadly conflict between Iran-backed rebels and the government escalated after a Saudi-led coalition intervened on behalf of the government in March 2015.
	Oman, one of the few Arab states to have good relations with Iran, has used its links to mediate peace talks between the insurgents and the  UN-recognised government of President Abedrabbo ...

Kerry in Oman for Yemen peace talks

European stocks climbed today and the dollar surged to multi-month highs, with traders shrugging off concerns over the Trump presidency and weak Chinese economic data.
	In foreign exchange, the euro struck a 11-month low at USD 1.0709, while the dollar reached also a five-month peak versus the yen.
	"European shares are trading higher... Despite disappointing Chinese industrial production and retail sales data," said Markus Huber, a trader at City of London Markets.
	"It appears that the fact that president-elect Trump might not be quite as radical and confrontational as some had feared and therefore generally less uncertainty making the rounds is pushing stocks higher for now."
	Equities around the world have seen volatile trading since the tycoon's shock election win last week, with his pledge of big-spending measures and tax cuts leading to predictions of a surge in inflation and higher borrowing costs.
	The prospect of better and safer returns in the US has also led to an exodus ..

European stocks, dollar push higher tracking Trump

Skygazers took to high-rise buildings, observatories and beaches today to get a glimpse of the closest "supermoon" to Earth in almost seven decades, and snap dramatic pictures.
	The unusually big and bright moon appeared at its most impressive as night fell over Asia, but astronomy enthusiasts will be able to see Earth's satellite loom large anywhere in the world shortly after sunset.
	The phenomenon happens when the moon is full at the same time as, or very near, perigee -- its closest point to Earth on an elliptical, monthly orbit.
	It was the closest to Earth since 1948 at a distance of 356,509 kilometres, creating what NASA described as "an extra-supermoon".
	Skygazers and photographers headed to the best viewing spots in Asia, where the phenomenon was visible first, hoping that cloudy skies and the perennial pollution that blights many of the region's cities would not spoil the fun.
	The eastern Sydney suburb of Bronte became an unexpected viewing spot as thousands of people ...

Skygazers gawp at extra bright 'supermoon'

Palestinian leaders today denounced an Israeli bill to legalise several thousand Jewish homes in the occupied West Bank, vowing to take up the issue at the UN Security Council.
	They also sharply criticised a separate bill that would limit the volume of calls to prayers at mosques in Israel and Jerusalem, a measure government watchdogs have called a threat to freedom of religion and a provocation.
	A committee of Israeli ministers adopted the two bills on yesterday, though they must still be approved by parliament.
	The settler bill had been pushed forward by Education Minister Naftali Bennett of the hardline Jewish Home party.
	Bennett last week called for an end to the idea of a Palestinian state after Donald's Trump's presidential election win in the United States.
	"The recent Israeli measures are going to lead to catastrophe in the region," said Nabil Abu Rudeina, spokesman for Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.
	"The Palestinian leadership will turn to the UN Security Council ..

Palestinians condemn Israel bill to legalise settler homes

The global drive to stave off disastrous global warming will continue regardless of who heads the US administration, Washington's top climate envoy said today on the election of climate change denier Donald Trump.
	"Heads of state can and will change, but I am confident that we can and we will sustain a durable international effort to counter climate change," US special envoy for climate change Jonathan Pershing told journalists on the sidelines of a UN climate conference in Marrakesh.
	Before he was elected president last week, Trump called climate change a "hoax" and threatened to "cancel" the hard-fought Paris Agreement concluded in the French capital last December to limit global warming.
	Pershing said the "shape and thrust" of the new administration should become clearer in the coming weeks, adding that, "I cannot speak for the President-elect's team or to their outlook on international climate policy."
	"What I do know, however, is that... Parties are deeply invested in seeing .

Climate momentum will continue: US envoy on Trump vote

Russia's defence ministry said today that a fighter jet crashed while attempting to land on the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean off Syria, but the pilot survived.
	In a statement to Russian news agencies, the defence ministry said the MiG-29K fighter crashed due to a "technical fault" a few kilometres from the carrier.
	The pilot ejected and was recovered and taken aboard the ship. "The pilot's health is in no danger. The pilot is ready to carry out missions," the ministry said, quoted by Interfax news agency.
	The defence ministry did not say when the incident occurred, but said the plane was taking part in training flights. It stressed that flights were still going ahead from the aircraft carrier despite the accident.
	"The flights of aircraft from the carrier are continuing in accordance with the set tasks," it said.
	The Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier arrived in the eastern Mediterranean off the Syrian coast as part of a flotilla of ships sent to ...

AFP

AFP

Page 1327 - Afp