Japan's Sony said today its fiscal first half net profit dived as it was hit by a sharp rally in the yen and losses linked to the sale of its battery business.
	The electronics giant, which has been shedding assets as part of a broad restructuring, reported a 26 billion yen (USD 248 million) net profit in the six months through September, down nearly 78 per cent from a year ago.
	Revenue during the period fell more than 10 per cent to 3.3 trillion yen "primarily due to the impact of foreign exchange rates", Sony said.
	The company said sales in its mobile communications business slumped, while profitability in Sony's memory chip and components businesses also suffered.
	That partly offset strong demand for games on its hugely popular PlayStation 4 game console.
	Last month, Sony launched its new virtual reality headset, the PlayStation virtual reality (PSVR), in Japan and North America, joining Facebook, Samsung and Google in a market that analysts say could boost the global gaming ...

Sony H1 net profit dives on strong yen, unit sale

PTI Automatic

Ivory Coast striker Wilfried Bony ended a 10-month goal drought with a brace against former club Swansea City as Stoke City's revival continued with a 3-1 win in Monday's Premier League clash.
     Both goals for the 27-year-old Manchester City loanee were set up by another former Swansea favourite, Joe Allen, with Alfie Mawson also putting through his own net as Stoke claimed a third win on the bounce.
     "It is crazy that my first goals come against my ex-team, it is disappointing for them but that is how football happens," Bony told Sky Sports.
     "I have missed some chances but I knew the goals would come. Every game I push myself."
     Swansea, who had levelled in the first half through Wayne Routledge, have made their worst start to a Premier League season with just five points from 10 matches. It is also the first time they have gone nine games without a win.
     "There is no easy solution to getting confidence back," Swansea manager Bob Bradley told Sky Sports.
     ...

Bony back among the goals in Stoke win

Australia are pinning their hopes on wounded strike bowler Mitchell Starc and familiar home wickets as they look to halt a wretched run as their three-Test series against South Africa starts on Thursday.
     Starc will wear a knee pad to protect deep cuts on his left leg and his condition will be closely monitored by medical staff after he collided with training equipment in September, needing 30 stitches.
     He has been rushed back into action after Australia were routed 3-0 in Sri Lanka in July-August to lose their top Test ranking, and were then hammered 5-0 in a one-day series in South Africa to complete a miserable few months on the road.
     While the Proteas are missing their influential skipper AB de Villiers with an elbow injury, they have won their last two Test series in Australia, putting the hosts under added pressure ahead of the series opener in Perth.
     Much will depend on the potency of left-arm spearhead Starc and improved resolution from their under-fire ...

Wounded Starc leads Aussie hopes against Proteas

Australia is considering joint patrols with Indonesia in the disputed South China Sea, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said today, in a move set to irk Beijing.
	The possibility was raised by Jakarta during meetings between Bishop and Defence Minister Marise Payne and Indonesian officials including Defence Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu last week.
	"We have agreed to explore options to increase maritime cooperation and of course that would include coordinated activities in the South China Sea and the Sulu Sea," Bishop told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
	"This is all consistent with our policy of exercising our right of freedom of navigation and that's in accordance with international law."
	Ryacudu was cited by the Sydney Morning Herald as saying he had proposed a "peace patrol" with Australia.
	"There are no intentions to disrupt the relationship (with China). It is called a peace patrol, it brings peace. It is about protecting fish in each other's areas," he said.
	Beijing ...

Australia, Indonesia mull joint South China Sea patrols

The world's largest pan-Islamic body, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, said its Saudi chief has resigned, days after infuriating Egypt over a remark that mocked President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
	OIC Secretary-General Iyad Madani "has resigned for health reasons," the Jeddah-based organisation said in a statement yesterday, two days after Cairo condemned the comment that provoked outrage among Egyptians.
	"The OIC General Secretariat takes this chance to express its utmost appreciation and respect to all member states," the 57-member bloc said.
	The former Saudi minister made the comment last week after he mixed up Sisi's name with that of Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi at a conference.
	"Mr President Beji Caid al-Sisi. Essebsi sorry. This is a big mistake. I'm sure your fridge has more than water, your excellency," he told the Tunisian leader.
	He was referring to widely derided comments made by Sisi earlier last week in which he claimed that his fridge only had water in .

Islamic bloc says chief quits after mocking Egypt president

Canada will start welcoming a minimum of 300,000 immigrants annually in 2017 in order to ease economic pressures linked to an aging population, Immigration Minister John McCallum has announced.
	The figure, which is in line with this year's unusually high intake number, however, falls far short of expectations after a report last week proposed a 50 per cent increase to 450,000 immigrants annually.
	That amount would have set Canada on a path to tripling its population by the century's end.
	"In 2016, we jumped to 300,000 largely as a consequence of our special actions on Syrian refugees," McCallum said yesterday.
	"What I am announcing today is that for 2017 we will make that 300,000 permanent and it will become the foundation for future growth in immigration," he said, adding that this rate is "40,000 above the historic norm."
	More than half of the newcomers will be job seekers and investors admitted under an economic class.
	The remainder of the newcomers will include spouses, ...

Canada sets 300,000 annual immigration target

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad today congratulated his new Lebanese counterpart Michel Aoun on his election, hoping it would contribute to "reinforcing stability" in Lebanon, state news agency SANA said.
	Lebanese lawmakers earlier today elected the 81-year-old ex-army chief, who promised to protect the country from spillover from the five-year war in neighbouring Syria.
	In a phone call, "Assad congratulated General Michel Aoun on his election," SANA said, hoping it would "contribute to reinforcing stability in Lebanon and to bringing about a better future for the Lebanese people".
	Earlier, after taking the presidential oath, Aoun said: "Lebanon is still treading through a minefield, but it has been spared the fires burning across the region."
	Aoun was once in the vanguard of opposition to Syria's regime before an about-face that saw him join forces with Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite movement that has backed Assad's regime in the war.
	More than a million Syrian refugees have ..

Syria's Assad congratulates Lebanon's new president

Bank of England governor Mark Carney today put an end to speculation over his future by announcing he would extend his contract for one year to 2019 to help secure an "orderly transition" to Brexit.
	The Canadian will not take up his option to leave in 2018, but has declined to serve the full eight-year term that would have seen him stay on at the central bank until 2021.
	"I would be honoured to extend my time of service as governor for an additional year to the end of June 2019," he wrote in a letter to finance minister Philip Hammond.
	"By taking my term in office beyond the expected period of the Article 50 process, this should help contribute to securing an orderly transition to the UK's new relationship with Europe."
	Prime Minister Theresa May is expected to trigger Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty by the end of March, starting a two-year exit process that would see Britain leave the European Union by early 2019.
	Carney has been strongly criticised by members of May's ...

Bank of England boss Carney to stay until 2019

Scoreboard at close on the third day of the first Test between Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka today:
	Sri Lanka first innings 536 all out (K. Perera 110, U. Tharanga 110, K. Silva 94, G. Cremer 4-142)
	   Zimbabwe first innings
	   T. Mawoyo c Gunaratne b Lakmal           45
	   B. Chari lbw b Herath                     5
	   H. Masakadza c Karunaratne b Lakmal      33
	   C. Ervine lbw b D. Perera                12
	   S. Williams c Gunaratne b Herath         10
	   M. Waller lbw b D. Perera                22
	   P. Moor c D. Perera b Kumara             79
	   G. Cremer not out                       102
	   D. Tiripano lbw b Mendis                 46
	   C. Mumba b Herath                         1
	   C. Mpofu b Lakmal                         2
	   Extras (4b, 4lb, 7w, 1nb)                16
	   Total (all out, 107.4 overs)            373
	   Fall of wickets: 1-21 (Chari), 2-92 (Mawoyo), 3-92 (Masakadza), 4-111 (Williams), 5-134 (Ervine), 6-139 (Waller), 7-271 (Moor), 8-363 (Tiripano), 9-366 

Cricket: Zimbabwe v Sri Lanka scoreboard - 2nd update

The world's shortest flight, a tiny hop between two remote British islands, celebrated today taking its millionth passenger on the route.
	The 1.7-mile (2.7-kilometre) flight between Westray and Papa Westray in the Orkney Islands, off mainland Scotland's northeast coast, holds the Guinness World Record as the shortest scheduled service.
	The flight, in an eight-seater Britten Norman Islander aircraft, officially takes two minutes but with favourable winds it can be done in 47 seconds.
	It is part of a service route that leaves Orkney's main town Kirkwall and stops off around the archipelago.
	Scottish regional airline Loganair has operated the route since 1967 and today honoured veteran passenger Anne Rendall, presenting her with a bouquet of flowers.
	The Royal Bank of Scotland flying banker has flown more than 10,000 trips on the service, visiting island communities and tending to their banking requirements.
	"The route is a jewel in our network and known across the world," said ...

Millionth passenger on world's shortest flight route

The White House today opted for caution in reacting to FBI Director James Comey's bombshell decision to announce further investigation of Hillary Clinton's email days before the 2016 presidential election.
	Spokesman Josh Earnest said he would "neither defend nor criticise" Comey, who has been blasted by Democrats since Friday.
	Earnest described him as a "man of integrity" but also pointed to norms that "limit public discussion of facts that are collected in the context" of ongoing investigations.
	"The president believes that it's important for those norms and traditions and guidelines to be followed," the spokesman said.

W. House refuses to criticize or defend FBI over Clinton mails

The UN envoy for Yemen said today he will return to the region for talks on reaching a peace deal in the coming weeks, even though both sides have rejected his proposals.
	"The ball is in the court of the Yemeni parties," Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed told the Security Council.
	"What are the parties waiting for to sign a political agreement? Have they not understood that there are no winners in wars?"
	The envoy has presented a roadmap to the Huthi rebels and their allies and the Yemeni government to end 18 months of war that has left nearly 7,000 dead, mostly civilians, and brought the country to its knees.
	The proposals call for the appointment of a new vice president and the formation of a national unity government that will oversee a transition leading to elections.
	Under the plan, the Huthis would withdraw from Sanaa, Hodeida and Taez and hand over their weapons in a process carried out in parallel with the new political arrangements.
	One of the poorest countries in the Arab ...

UN envoy seeks Yemen peace deal in coming weeks

Pakistan today accused India of killing four civilians and wounding six others in cross-border fire, amid heightened tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals.
	The incident occurred near the border dividing Jammu and Kashmir from Pakistan's Punjab province, Pakistani officials said.
	"At least four people including a woman were killed and six others were injured when Indian troops opened fire across the border in Nakyal sector," local official Zeeshan Nisar told AFP.
	Nakyal lies on the Line of Control.
	He said the cross-border firing started at 8:00 am and continued through Monday with no break.
	Adnan Khursheed, another local official, confirmed the firing and casualties.

Indian cross-border fire kills four civilians: Pakistan

Boko Haram killed nine people, including five soldiers, over the weekend in an ambush on Nigerian troops in Nigeria's northeast, the army's spokesman said.
	In a statement distributed late yesterday, Nigerian army spokesman Colonel Sani Usman said the jihadists attacked as the troops were carrying out "clearance operations" in Boko Haram's fiefdom, Borno state, on Saturday.
	"Five soldiers, three vigilantes and one civilian... Lost their lives during the ambush, while 19 soldiers and 1 civilian," were injured, Usman said.
	"The bodies of the late soldiers and civilians have been evacuated to Maiduguri, while the injured are receiving commensurate medical care and are in stable condition."
	The Islamic State (IS) claimed the attack in a statement, saying it killed nine people in the southern part of Borno state.
	Boko Haram aligned with IS in March 2015, yet there are signs that the Islamist group has since split into rival factions.
	The ongoing attacks highlight how Boko Haram ...

Nine killed in Boko Haram ambush in Nigeria: army

An ally of China's President Xi Jinping has been appointed as Beijing's acting mayor as the ruling Communist party reshuffles officials before a key congress next year.
	Cai Qi will replace Wang Anshun who has resigned as mayor of China's capital, the official Xinhua news agency said today, citing the city's rubber-stamp legislature.
	The careers of Cai and Xi have overlapped, with both serving in the provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang. The South China Morning Post newspaper described Cai as a "close ally" of the president.
	The party at its congress next year is expected to replace most members of its top decision-making body, the politburo standing committee.
	Analysts say Xi and other top officials are jockeying to have allies promoted to key positions within the party and government in an opaque process of backroom bargaining.
	The party last week declared Xi the "core" of its leadership, elevating his already powerful status as its general secretary.
	Xi has sought to centralise ...

Ally of China's President Xi made Beijing mayor

Nepal has successfully drained part of a giant glacial lake near Mount Everest, averting risk of a disastrous flood that could have threatened thousands of lives, officials said today.
	Scientists say climate change is causing Himalayan glaciers to melt at an alarming rate, creating huge glacial lakes which could burst their banks and devastate mountain communities.
	Imja Tsho, located at an altitude of 5,010 metres (16,437 feet), just 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) south of the world's highest peak, is the fastest-growing glacial lake in Nepal.
	The Himalayan nation was devastated by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake last year, raising alarm about about the risks of flash flooding from glacial lakes.
	"Draining the lake was on the priority of the government because of its high risk. We have successfully mitigated a disaster right now," Top Bahadur Khatri, the project manager of the Community Based Flood and Glacial Lake Outburst Risk Reduction Project, told AFP.
	Khatri said that the lake, ...

Nepal drains risky glacial lake near Everest

Construction has begun on a USD 7 billion dollar Universal Studios theme park in Beijing, state media said today, as the studio looks to challenge Disney in China's booming leisure market.
	The complex is due to open in 2020 and has secured investment of 50 billion yuan (USD 7.4 billion), the official Xinhua news agency said.
	China is promoting consumer-driven growth and theme parks are being built in the country faster than anywhere else in the world, with more than 300 projects reportedly funded in recent years.
	Mainland China's first Disneyland opened this June in the commercial hub of Shanghai at a cost of $5.5 billion.
	Another US giant, DreamWorks Animation, is cooperating on an entertainment district in Shanghai.
	Last year 21 theme parks opened, according to state-run media, and the National Business Daily newspaper said another 20 are under construction.
	Box office receipts in China are booming, with Universal films such as Harry Potter and Transformers big hits among ...

Universal Studios theme park breaks ground in China: report

China's newest warplane, the J-20 stealth fighter, will make its first public flight at the Zhuhai Air Show, its manufacturer announced today, as Beijing flexes its long-range military muscles.
	The J-20, "which military enthusiasts at home and abroad have watched closely", will make its first public flight demonstration, said Tan Ruisong, the president of China's state aerospace company AVIC.
	China trailed the world in aerospace technology 20 years ago, he told a press conference, but was now at the leading edge.
	Swift, stealthy, and armed with long-range missiles, the new J-20s represent a leap forward in China's ability to project power in Asia and compete in capabilities with the United States.
	Beijing is seeking to modernise and upgrade its military both to protect its borders and project power into regions such as the South China Sea, a resource-rich waterway where it has disputes with several neighbours.
	China's only international aerospace exhibition, held biennially in ...

Chinese stealth fighter to shed cloak of secrecy

Human Rights Watch today accused Nigerian officials of sexually exploiting women and girls living in camps for victims of Boko Haram in the war-torn northeast.
	HRW said in July it documented 43 cases of women and girls in seven internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in Maiduguri, the epicentre of the seven-year Islamist insurgency, who had been abused by camp leaders, policemen and soldiers.
	"It is bad enough that these women and girls are not getting much-needed support for the horrific trauma they suffered at the hands of Boko Haram," said Mausi Segun, senior Nigeria researcher at HRW.
	"It is disgraceful and outrageous that people who should protect these women and girls are attacking and abusing them," she added.
	Nigerian President Muhummadu Buhari said in a statement he was "worried and shocked" by the report and directed police to "immediately commence investigations into the issue."
	"The welfare of these most vulnerable of Nigerian citizens has been a priority of his ...

Nigerian officials 'sexually abusing Boko Haram victims'

South Africa's top prosecutor today dropped fraud charges against Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan and his co-accused, in a case that has exposed tensions in ruling ANC party and government.
	The bombshell charges earlier this month had driven a wedge between rival camps in the ruling African National Congress, rattled the markets and led to a fall in the value of the rand.
	"I have directed the summons to be withdrawn with immediate effect," Shaun Abrahams told journalists, saying the charges against him would be difficult to prove.
	The move came a day after Abrahams' spokesman had rubbished a report saying the prosecutor had decided to drop the charges, describing it as "absolute hogwash".
	Gordhan, a respected ANC veteran, had been due to appear in court on Wednesday on charges dating back to 2010 over a colleague's retirement package.
	Announcing the decision, Abrahams said he did not believe Gordhan intended to break the law.
	"I foresee difficulties to prove knowledge of ...

S.Africa prosecutor drops fraud case against minister

Nearly half of Russians fear that Moscow's bombing campaign in Syria could spark World War III, a poll showed today.
	Moscow, an ally of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad,  has been staging bombing raids in Syria since September 2015.
	Forty-eight percent of Russians were concerned that "heightened tensions in relations between Russia and the West could grow into World War III," according to a poll conducted by independent pollster Levada Centre last week.
	That figure was up from 29 percent in July this year.
	Moscow's air strikes have negatively affected the way Russia is perceived internationally, 32 percent said, up from 16 percent in November.
	Nevertheless, 52 percent of Russians said they back Moscow's air strikes, while 26 percent said they opposed them.
	Asked whether Russia should continue "intervening in what is going on in Syria," 49 percent said yes, while 28 percent said no.
	Western powers and rights groups have accused Syrian and Russian forces of carrying out ...

AFP

AFP

Page 1358 - Afp