At least four people were killed early today in an explosion inside the largest US military base in Afghanistan, NATO said, with the Taliban claiming responsibility for the major security breach.
	The explosion struck at dawn inside the heavily fortified Bagram Airfield north of Kabul, as the Taliban step up attacks on Western targets before the onset of winter, when fighting usually ebbs.
	The nationalities of those killed were not immediately known after the blast, which highlights a worsening security situation nearly two years after NATO formally ended its combat operations in Afghanistan.
	"An explosive device was detonated on Bagram Airfield resulting in multiple casualties. Four people have died in the attack and approximately 14 have been wounded," NATO said in a statement.
	"Response teams at Bagram continue to treat the wounded and investigate the incident."
	Waheed Sediqi, spokesman for the governor of Parwan province where Bagram is located, said the blast was caused by a .

Explosion kills 4 in largest US base in Afghanistan

PTI Automatic

Chinese coast guard vessels sailed into territorial waters around disputed islands in the East China Sea today, Japan's coast guard said, marking the second such incident in a week.
	The four ships entered the waters surrounding the island chain, controlled by Japan and known as Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in China, at around 10:30 am (0130 GMT) and left within two hours, according to the coast guard.
	A similar incident last Sunday prompted Tokyo to lodge a complaint with China's foreign ministry through its embassy in Beijing, saying the uninhabited islets are "an inherent territory of Japan".
	Japan has made dozens of protests through diplomatic channels this year over what it says have been more than 30 days of intrusions by Chinese vessels in the contested waters.
	The two countries have been locked in a long-running dispute over the islands, which are believed to harbour vast natural resources below their seabed, with China claiming them as its own.
	Beijing is also involved .

China ships sail near disputed islands: Japan

Myanmar is probing whether to resume construction on a controversial Chinese-backed dam, state media reported today, with promises to listen to fierce public opposition to the project.
	The fate of the USD 3.6 billion Myitsone dam in northern Kachin state has hung in the balance since it was abruptly halted by Myanmar in 2011 following protests over environmental and safety concerns.
	The hydropower project came to symbolise China's economic dominance in formerly junta-run Myanmar and now poses a delicate challenge to the country's new civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
	The veteran activist is eager to prevent renewed protests at home but also wants to maintain healthy ties with top investor Beijing, which has been lobbying her government to unfreeze the project.
	China also holds strong sway over ethnic rebel militias along the two countries' restive border and has a key role to play in peace talks that Suu Kyi is determined to make progress on.
	A commission advising Suu Kyi's ...

Myanmar probes controversial China-backed dam

President-elect Donald Trump, left, arrives with his son Barron, center, and wife Melania, to speak to an election night rally

Names of several Trump surrogates have been mentioned for top-level posts

Trump's children to be part of his White House transition team

A man set a woman on fire following an argument in a restaurant in Japan, local media reported today, in a rare act of violence in the country.
	The 52-year-old Iranian man was seen pouring liquid over his 36-year-old Filipina girlfriend before setting her alight at the eatery in Ibaraki prefecture, north of Tokyo, yesterday, reports cited police as saying.
	Workers at the restaurant called an ambulance, saying: "People are burning."
	The couple was taken to hospital with severe burns and both remain unconscious, public broadcaster NHK said.
	There were several customers inside the restaurant at the time of the incident, but no one else was injured, the reports said.
	Police are treating the case as attempted murder.
	The man and woman had been advised by police to stay away from each following a dispute involving their child, Kyodo News reported.

Woman set on fire in Japan restaurant: reports

An explosion struck the largest US military base in Afghanistan early today, causing some casualties, NATO said.
	No militant group has so far claimed responsibility for the blast, which occurs as the Taliban step up nationwide attacks before the onset of winter, when fighting usually ebbs.
	"We can confirm that there was an explosion at Bagram Airfield this morning just after 5:30 am (0100 GMT). There have been casualties," the military coalition said in a brief statement.
	"Our Force Protection and medical teams are responding to the situation," it added, without offering any other details.
	The explosion underscores a worsening security situation nearly two years after NATO formally ended its combat operations in Afghanistan.
	Bagram Airfield, close to Kabul, has frequently come under attack by Taliban insurgents.
	Last December, a motorcycle-riding Taliban suicide bomber killed six US soldiers near Afghanistan's largest US military base.
	It was one of the deadliest attacks on ...

Casualties as explosion hits largest US base in Afghanistan

Scoreboard at tea on the first day
of the second Test between Australia and South Africa at Bellerive Oval in Hobart today.
     Australia first innings
     J Burns     lbw b Abbott            1
     D Warner    c de Kock b Philander   1
     U Khawaja   c Amla b Philander      4
     S Smith      not out               48
     A Voges    c de Kock b Philander    0
     C Ferguson   run out (sub-Vilas)    3
     P Nevill     lbw b Rabada           3
     J Mennie     b Philander           10
     M Starc     c Duminy b Abbott       4
     J Hazlewood   c Amla b Abbott       8
     N Lyon      c de Kock b Philander   2
     Extras (lb-1)                       1
     Total (all out, 32.5 overs)        85
     Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-2, 3-8, 4-8, 5-17, 6-31, 7-59, 8-66, 9-76, 10-85
     Bowling: Philander 10.1-5-21-5, Abbott 12.4-3-41-3, Rabada 6-0-20-1, Maharaj 4-2-2-0
     South Africa first innings
     S Cook       batting               23
     D Elgar      batting               17
  

Hobart, Nov 12 (AFP) Scoreboard at tea on the first day

Australia's hopes of preventing South Africa from winning a third consecutive series Down Under suffered a major setback after recording their lowest total against the Proteas at home in Hobart today.
     Steve Smith's hapless team were demolished for just 85, with Vernon Philander snaring five for 21 as South Africa seized control on just the opening day of the second Test.
     At tea, the Proteas strengthened their hold with an unbroken stand of 43 with Stephen Cook on 23 and Perth centurion Dean Elgar not out at 17.
     The capitulation revisited the nightmares of their miserable 47 in Cape Town in 2011 and England's demolition for 60 at Trent Bridge last year.
     Only skipper Smith provided any backbone in his unbeaten knock of 48 as the Australians failed to back up their talk of rebounding from their comprehensive 177-run thrashing by the Proteas in the Perth series opener.
     South Africa are on the verge of emulating the intimidating West Indies teams of the 1980s-1990s 

Philander the destroyer as nightmares return for Aussies

Casualties as explosion hits largest US base in

A minute's silence was held at the Stade de France to mark the first anniversary of the Paris terror attacks.
     A capacity crowd of 80,000 at the national stadium fell silent yesterday prior to kick-off in France's 2018 World Cup qualifier against Sweden, almost exactly a year on from the attacks which killed 130 people and injured many more on Friday November 13, 2015.
     France were playing Germany at the same stadium in a friendly that night when three suicide bombers blew themselves up immediately outside the ground.
     A 63-year-old man, Manuel Dias, was killed by one of the explosions at the beginning of a night of terror around the French capital.
     French president Francois Hollande was in attendance for the Sweden game, played on a national holiday to mark the day that ended the First World War in 1918.

Stade de France falls silent for terror victims

The election of Donald Trump as President of the United States would not impact any decision the country may make to bid for the 2026 World Cup, US Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati said.
     The US is considered favourite to host the tournament with the bidding process expected to get under way next year.
     Mexico and Canada, also from the CONCACAF region, have also expressed interest in hosting and the possibility of a joint bid or even one featuring all three nations is also an option, said Gulati.
     Gulati enjoyed a close relationship with former President Bill Clinton and with Barack Obama's administration but he said he looked forward to cooperating with Trump.
     "He's the president of the United States on January 20 and we'll work with him, as will be true for people around the world," Gulati told a small group of reporters.
     "Now, how that relationship works with other world leaders and how that impacts US foreign policy or the views of the US remains to ..

Trump vote won't affect US World Cup bid decision - official

England shrugged aside the potential ramifications of sanctions over poppy emblems with a 3-0 Wembley win over Scotland to bring a 2018 World Cup berth a step closer.
     A trio of headers from Liverpool pair Daniel Sturridge and Adam Lallana and Chelsea's Gary Cahill saw interim coach Gareth Southgate's side cruise home, the win consolidating England's leadership of Group F as they made it 10 points from four games.
     For Southgate, who replaced newspaper sting victim Sam Allardyce following an opening away success in Slovakia, the three points were a welcome boost after a nervous draw in their previous outing in Slovenia, aiding his chances of taking the post full time.
     Slovenia stayed in touch just two points behind the leaders after edging Malta 1-0 away while Slovakia are two points further back after whipping Lithuania 4-0.
     The Scots meanwhile now trail England by six points, their hopes of snatching a place in the finals in Russia seemingly at an end as coach ...

England sweep Scots away, France hit back to win

Scoreboard at lunch on the first day
of the second Test between Australia and South Africa at Bellerive Oval in Hobart today.
     Australia first innings
     J Burns     lbw b Abbott            1
     D Warner    c de Kock b Philander   1
     U Khawaja   c Amla b Philander      4
     S Smith      batting               20
     A Voges    c de Kock b Philander    0
     C Ferguson   run out                3
     P Nevill     lbw b Rabada           3
     J Mennie     batting               10
     Extras (lb-1)                       1
     Total (6 wickets, 25 overs)        43
     Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-2, 3-8, 4-8, 5-17, 6-31
     Bowling: Philander 6.2-5-3-3, Abbott 8.4-2-17-1, Rabada 6-0-20-1, Maharaj 4-2-2-0.

Hobart, Nov 12 (AFP) Scoreboard at lunch on the first day

Australia were fighting to avoid one of their lowest first innings in a home Test after a disastrous opening morning facing the South African bowlers in the second Test in Hobart today.
     The Australians reached lunch at 43 for six after being sent in to bat on a juicy strip with skipper Steve Smith fighting a lone hand on 20 and Test newcomer Joe Mennie on 10.
     Australia just managed to scrape past their lowest-ever first innings total of 42 in a home Test made against England in 1888.
     Vernon Philander was South Africa's destroyer with the figures of three for three before he was forced from the field with a shoulder injury after a mid-pitch collision with Smith while making a leg before wicket appeal.
     Australia began disastrously with David Warner guilty of needlessly chasing a wide ball and edging to a jubilant Quinton de Kock in Philander's opening over.
     It was an irresponsible shot from the Australian vice-captain and things only got worse in Kyle Abbott's ..

Aussie innings in tatters in Philander-led rampage

Facebook accidently declared live users dead, acknowledging after fixing the problem that it had committed a "terrible error."
	"For a brief period, a message meant for memorialised profiles was mistakenly posted to other accounts," a Facebook spokesperson told AFP.
	"This was a terrible error that we have now fixed."
	Media reports indicated that some two million errant memorials were posted on profile pages. The social network yesterday apologized and said it work as quickly as possible to correct the problem.
	"Damn. I should have used Facebook Live to show how I was Facebook Dead," Search Engine Land editor Danny Sullivan said in a message fired off at Twitter.
	Facebook Live feature lets people broadcast video in real-time at the leading social network.
	Even very-much-alive  Facebook co-founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg was memorialised in a message at his profile page expressing hope people who loved him would take comfort in posts people shared in tribute to his ...

Facebook mistakenly declares live users dead

A strong 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit eastern Japan today, the US Geological Survey said, but there were no immediate reports of damage.
	The quake, at a depth of 44 kilometres, struck shortly after 6:42 am local time near the northeast coast of the main Honshu island, some 350 kilometres from Tokyo.
	No tsunami warning was issued.
	Japan sits at the junction of four tectonic plates and experiences a number of relatively violent quakes every year, but rigid building codes and their strict enforcement mean even strong tremors often do little damage.
	A massive undersea quake however that hit in March 2011 sent a tsunami barrelling into Japan's northeast coast, leaving more than 18,000 people dead or missing, and sending three reactors into meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant.
	In April, two strong earthquakes hit southern Japan's Kumamoto prefecture followed by more than 1,700 aftershocks, leaving at least 50 dead and causing widespread damage.

6.2 quake hits eastern Japan: USGS

US president-elect Donald Trump and French President Francois Hollande vowed in a telephone call today to try "clarify positions" on potentially thorny issues including climate change, French presidential sources said.
	In a first call lasting 7-8 minutes the two leaders discussed the fight against terrorism, the battle against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, the conflict in eastern Ukraine and the Paris climate accord, a French presidential source told AFP.
	The two men expressed a "desire to work together," the source added.
	Climate change denier Trump has caused alarm in France by pledging to withdraw from the landmark deal to tackle global warming struck in Paris in December 2015.
	 The French also took a dim view of Trump's claim that the terror attacks that left 130 people dead in Paris a year ago this week might have been avoided if the country had looser gun laws.
	But in their talks Hollande and Trump sought common ground, emphasising the friendship between their .

Hollande, Trump agree to try 'clarify positions'

A bomb blast in Turkey's Kurdish-majority southeast has killed a local government official and wounded at least two other people, authorities said today.
	The explosion, which state-run Anadolu news agency blamed on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), tore through the area near a government building in the town of Derik yesterday.
	The PKK, which has waged a bloody insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984, has resumed attacks on security forces since a fragile ceasefire broke down last year.
	The fatality was named as Muhammet Fatih Safiturk, 35, who had served as sub-prefect as well as mayor of Derik.
	He had been tasked by the government with running the area as part of a vast effort to replace local authorities suspected of PKK ties.
	He "was martyred early Friday by wounds sustained in a PKK terrorist attack on his office a day earlier," provincial authorities said in a statement.
	After the attack, security forces apprehended 20 people in the area and they were ...

Blast kills govt official in southeast Turkey

Crowds cheered today night as a group of Indonesian transgender women showed off glittering gowns in a beauty pageant held almost entirely in secret to avoid unwanted attention from hardliners in the Muslim-majority nation.
	Twenty-eight-year-old Pie Nabh Tappii won the title of Miss Transgender Indonesia, facing off competition from 18 other contestants.
	"I am happy, but I want to cry as well... I didn't expect this," Tappii told AFP after being crowned.
	In addition to the crown, Tappii's prizes included 10 million rupiah ($745) and a two-metre (six and a half-foot) high trophy.
	The pageant in Jakarta was kept mostly under wraps, with just a handful of media invited as organisers warned cheering supporters not to share images of the event on social media as it unfolded, fearing the wrath of religious radicals.
	Hardliners in the world's most populous Muslim-majority country have grown increasingly bold in recent years.
	They have halted a festival focusing on women's issues and ...

A secret beauty pageant for Indonesia's transgender women

President Barack Obama will meet key European allies and China's Xi Jinping during an upcoming three-country overseas trip, the White House said today, hoping to reassure partners after Donald Trump's shock election.
	Obama is expected to meet the leaders of Britain, France and Germany during a visit to Berlin and will hold a bilateral meeting with China's leader on the margins of an Asia-Pacific summit in Lima, Peru, said top Obama advisor Ben Rhodes.
	Trump's election has thrown delicately balanced geopolitics into flux.
	During the long election campaign, he called into question long-standing alliances, global agreements on climate and Iran's nuclear program, and appeared to side with Russia on key policy issues.
	"We expect the election will be the primary topic on everyone's minds, wherever we go," said Rhodes.
	The White House wants to stress that through previous administrations, Republican and Democratic presidents have held fast to alliances with allies in Europe, Japan and ..

Obama to meet Xi, European allies next week: W.House

Turkey today detained the board chairman of opposition daily Cumhuriyet, according to the paper, which has been the target of an intensifying crackdown since July's failed coup.
	Akin Atalay was taken into custody at Istanbul's airport after arriving from Germany, said Cumhuriyet, which also saw nine of its staff arrested last week amid swelling concern over media freedom in Turkey.
	The paper has in recent years taken a strong line against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP).
	Atalay was targeted by a warrant that was part of a probe into "terrorist activities", and ushered into a police vehicle waiting for him on the tarmac.
	Some 35,000 people have been arrested and tens of thousands more have lost their jobs -- including military officers, judges, teachers, civil servants and journalists -- in a sweeping crackdown in the wake of the failed July bid to oust Erdogan.
	Since the coup attempt, over 100 journalists have been ...

AFP

AFP

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