A Texas woman accused of helping her teenage son flee the US in violation of his probation for killing four people while driving drunk arrived back in the US today after being deported from Mexico, news reports said.
	Tonya Couch, whose son Ethan remained in custody in Mexico, was in the custody of US Marshals as she got off a flight in Los Angeles, NBC News, CNN and other US news outlets reported.
	The two were arrested on Monday night in the Pacific resort of Puerto Vallarta.
	The younger Couch has filed an appeal to block his deportation.
	His deadly accident occurred in 2013. He got probation instead of jail time for killing four people while driving drunk in Forth Worth near Dallas at the age of 16.
	The light sentence triggered outrage, not least after a defense witness testified at his trial that Couch's affluent upbringing left him unable to distinguish between right and wrong.

Mother of 'affluenza' teen arrives back in US

PTI Automatic

Paris hotels, usually crammed with New Year revellers, have seen New Year reservations plunge 30 per cent in the wake of the November 13 attacks, the head of the regional hotel union said today.
	"Reservations are down 30 to 40 per cent this year on previous years," said Evelyne Maes, president of the Umih union for the Ile-de-France region covering the capital.
	"Normally, our establishments are full at year end," she told French radio.
	Maes said foreign tourists normally flock to the 'City of Light' but the attacks blamed on Islamic extremists which killed 130 people six weeks ago "have made people fearful --- people have perhaps hesitated when it comes to visiting Paris."
	She added hoteliers had "also seen last-minute cancellations" and that the fall-off in tourist numbers had hit all kinds of accommodation, including the furnished variety and also the Airbnb home rental web platform.
	Hotel reservations plunged in the immediate aftermath of the violence as they did after a ...

Paris New Year hotel reservations slump

Iran's Revolutionary Guards today denied that its naval forces had test-fired rockets close to a US aircraft carrier in the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.
	"The Guards' naval force had no exercise in the past week when the Americans claim that a missile or rocket was fired in the Hormuz Strait area," spokesman General Ramezan Sharif said on the Guards' official website.
	The Guards naval unit is responsible for securing Iranian interests in the Strait, a vital waterway for a large proportion of the world's oil, regularly patrolling the area and conducting exercises.
	A US military official said an Iranian vessel had test- fired several rockets near three Western warships including the USS Harry S Truman aircraft carrier on December 26.
	A French frigate and the USS Bulkeley destroyer were also in the area.
	Though the rockets were not fired toward any warship, their proximity to the foreign vessels - and several commercial vessels - was "highly provocative", said the ...

Iran denies rockets fired near US carrier

Belgian prosecutors said today they have arrested a 10th suspect over the attacks in Paris last month and charged him with terror offences.
	The Belgian national, identified only as Ayoub B, was detained yesterday during a raid on a house in the troubled Brussels neighbourhood of Molenbeek, a statement from the federal prosecutor's office said.
	He has been charged with "terrorist murder" and involvement in the activities of a terrorist group, it said.
	The suspect will appear in court again for a custody hearing within five days, it added.
	Molenbeek is home to the Paris attacks fugitive Salah Abdeslam and has emerged as a European hotbed of Islamist extremism.
	Belgian authorities yesterday cancelled annual New Year's Eve celebrations and fireworks in the heart of Brussels after revealing an alleged jihadist plot to attack the capital during the festivities.

Belgium charges 10th suspect over Paris attacks: prosecution

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for a shooting at an ancient citadel in Russia's volatile North Caucasus region of Dagestan that killed one and injured 11, the SITE Intelligence Group said.
	"The warriors of the Khalifate were able to attack a group of Russian special service officers in the city of Derbent in southern Dagestan, killing one officer and injuring the others," the jihadist monitoring organisation SITE quoted IS as saying yesterday.
	The deadly attack took place on Tuesday night near the citadel of Derbent, which claims to be Russia's oldest city, and which this year celebrated its 2,000th anniversary.
	Islamist rebels in Dagestan, a restive region just east of Chechnya, have been increasingly flocking to join IS, which in June declared it had established a franchise there.
	Syria's Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front had called on jihadists from the Caucasus to perpetrate attacks in Russia in response to Moscow's bombing campaign in the country.
	The ...

IS claims deadly shooting in Russia's Caucasus: SITE

Belgium charges a 10th suspect over links to Paris

Ten employees of a US company which supplied foreign fast food outlets in China including KFC and McDonald's have been tried over a substandard meat scandal, a court official said today.
	A court in Shanghai's Jiading district held a two-day trial earlier this week, said the official, who declined to be named.
	Employees of Illinois-based OSI Group subsidiary Shanghai Husi Food are accused of mixing out-of-date meat with fresh product at a factory shut down by authorities in 2014.
	The firm's customers in China previously included global fast food chains, among them McDonald's and KFC.
	The court also tried employees of another OSI unit in the northern province of Hebei on the same charges of producing and selling inferior products, according to prosecutors.
	The court named the accused but did not give their company positions. Media reports say they include both Shanghai Husi's general manager and the head of the factory in the city.
	All the names appeared to be ethnically Chinese ..

China tries 10 employees of US firm in fast food scandal

It is a tool that has been wielded by Thailand's generals to stamp out dissent. But now so-called "attitude adjustment" sessions are targeting a new kind of offender: drunk drivers.
	Every year tens of thousands are killed on Thailand's roads, some of the world's most dangerous -- a tragedy that spikes during New Year week.
	But junta chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha says he has had enough.
	Under an executive order, police and security forces will be able to detain drunk drivers and those caught racing for between 7-15 days for compulsory "behavioural correction" sessions.
	The order, which was published in the Royal Gazette yesterday, was made under controversial "Section 44" powers Prayut awarded himself to bypass his own rubber stamp parliament and issue any law in the name of national security.
	The Royal Gazette said those caught drunk driving or racing would not be allowed to refuse the behavioural sessions.
	But it added: "They should not be treated as suspects... and their detention ..

Thai junta expands 'attitude adjustment' to drunk drivers

A cracking 91 by Tillakaratne Dilshan set Sri Lanka up for an eight-wicket victory over New Zealand in Nelson today to keep their one-day series alive.
     Sri Lanka knocked off their 277-run target with 22 balls to spare in a remarkable turnaround after being outplayed in the first two matches.
     In addition to Dilshan's heroics, Lahiru Thirimanne cracked an unbeaten 87 and Danushka Gunathilaka made 65.
     Dinesh Chandimal was not out 27 at the end as the match followed the same formula as the first two where the team that lost the toss batted second and dominated.
     New Zealand now lead the series 2-1 with two matches remaining.
     Batting first in the opening matches on faster wickets in Christchurch, Dilshan, Thirimanne and Gunathilaka posted a total of 43 runs from their combined six innings.
     But they were more at home on the accommodating Saxton Oval where Dilshan took 92 balls for his 91 and stood in partnerships of 98 with Gunathilaka and 111 with Thirimanne.
  

Revived Sri Lanka turn tables on New Zealand

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has expressed deep sorrow over the death of a top aide, displaying unusual intimacy towards his "close comrade-in-arms whom nobody can replace".
	Kim Yang-Gon, a top party official and key confidante to Kim Jong-Un who oversaw relations with the South, died in a traffic accident on Tuesday, official media said. A state funeral was held early today.
	Leader Kim has earned a reputation for ruthlessness after having his uncle executed and sacking other high-ranking officials in a purge to consolidate his reign which began in 2011 when he replaced his father Kim Jong-Il.
	Analysts have said that more foul play in the death of Kim Yang-Gon could not be ruled out, citing possible jealousy among political rivals.
	But the tone used in official news reports today was in stark contrast to those announcing past political purges, with Kim Yang-Gon described in glowing terms.
	North Korea's state-run newspaper Rodong Sinmun carried a front page picture showing a ...

N Korean leader expresses deep grief over death of top aide

Two statues donated by actor Jackie Chan to a newly opened museum in Taiwan were splashed with paint and daubed with anti-China slogans, reflecting growing tensions over Beijing's influence on the island.
	The bronze dragon and horse heads sit in the garden of the new branch of Taipei's famous National Palace Museum in the southern city of Chiayi and were defaced last night, the museum said.
	They are replicas of high-profile ancient relics from the Qing Dynasty, seen on the mainland as emblematic of China's past suffering under foreign invaders.
	The animal heads were streaked with red paint and their bases daubed with the words "cultural united front" by two unidentified attackers, the museum said.
	The slogan is a critical phrase used in Taiwan to refer to China's attempts to bring the island back into its fold through cultural influence.
	Taiwan is self-ruling after a split with China in 1949 after a civil war, but Beijing sees it as part of its territory awaiting ...

Statues defaced in anti-China attack at new Taiwan museum

Venezuela's highest court has effectively blocked the two-thirds majority that the opposition won in this month's landmark legislative elections by suspending the inauguration of three incoming lawmakers.
	The country's opposition, however, defiantly insisted its legislators will all present themselves be sworn in on January 5, setting the stage for a tense political standoff.
	"With the strength of the Constitution, with the strength of the law and the strength of the people, the 112 MUD lawmakers will be sworn in," the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) coalition declared, in a statement.
	It was released shortly after the Supreme Court of Justice yesterday granted a request from embattled President Nicolas Maduro's party to stop the three incoming National Assembly members from taking office Tuesday, pending a legal challenge against alleged vote irregularities.
	The decision leaves the opposition with a still-powerful three-fifths majority, enabling it to remove cabinet ministers ..

Venezuela court blocks a defiant opposition

New Zealand were forced to bat deep for the first time against Sri Lanka, reaching 276-8 on the back of stand-in skipper Kane Williamson's 59 in the third ODI today.
     After easily winning the first two games by seven wickets and then 10 wickets when batting second, for most of the New Zealanders it was their first turn to bat after they won the toss for the first time and made Sri Lanka bowl.
     Williamson, deputising as captain in place of the injured Brendon McCullum, notched his 22nd ODI half-century while Tom Latham was the next highest scorer with 42 at Nelson's oval.
     After 15 overs New Zealand were 87-1, batting at 5.80 an over and eyeing a substantial total.
     By the end of the innings the average stood at 5.54, helped by Mitchell Santner's 38 and Tim Southee's 18 off four balls in the last over.
     After being humbled in the first two games, Sri Lanka fought their way into the third match through the inexperienced Jeffrey Vandersay and Dumantha Chameera.
     ..

Rusty New Zealand post 276 against Sri Lanka

Lionel Messi scored on his 500th Barcelona appearance as the European champions moved back to the top of the table with a 4-0 win over Real Betis as La Liga returned from a curtailed winter break.
     Atletico Madrid remain level on points with Barca thanks to two goals in the final two minutes from Angel Correa and Antoine Griezmann to emerge 2-0 victors at Rayo Vallecano.
     And Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice and missed a penalty as Real Madrid eased the pressure on under-fire coach Rafael Benitez with a 3-1 win over Real Sociedad to stay two points behind the leaders.
     Barca celebrated their fifth trophy of 2015 before kick-off after adding the Club World Cup to their haul last time out with Messi captaining the side in the absence of Andres Iniesta.
     "It has been a spectacular year and we wanted to finish it this way," said Messi.
     "It will be difficult to improve on what we have done, but we always try. We have a great squad that are desperate to continue ...

Messi hits 500 in style, Ronaldo double saves Madrid

Scoreboard after the New Zealand
innings in the third ODI against Sri Lanka in Nelson today;
     New Zealand
     M Guptill c Dilshan b Chameera 30
     T Latham c Pradeep b Vandersay 42
     K Williamson c Chameera b Siriwardana 59
     R Taylor c Mathews b Vandersay 0
     H Nicholls b Chameera 20
     M Santner runout Chameera 38
     L Ronchi c Kapugedera b Pradeep 7
     D Bracewell c sub (Senanayake) b Pradeep 30
     A Milne not out 17
     T Southee not out 18
     Extras (lb4, w10, nb1) 15
     Total (8 wickets, 50 overs) 276
     Fall of wickets: 1-42, 2-102, 3-102, 4-143, 5-163, 6-191, 7-215, 8-257.
     Bowling: Pradeep 10-0-55-2, Chameera 10-0-38-2, Dilshan 8-1-43-0, Kulasekara 5-0-31-0, Mathews 2-0-17-0, Vandersay 10-1-55-2, Siriwardana 5-0-33-1.

Nelson, Dec 31 (AFP) Scoreboard after the New Zealand

Four-time World Player of the Year Lionel Messi has warned Barcelona's rivals that the European champions are determined to match their five-trophy haul from 2015 in the coming year.
     Messi scored on his 500th appearance for the club as Barca rounded off the year in style with a 4-0 win over Real Betis to move back to the top of La Liga yesterday.
     The Catalans lead Atletico Madrid on goal difference and Real Madrid by two points as well as having a game in hand on their rivals from the Spanish capital.
     And having won the Champions League, La Liga, Copa del Rey, UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup in the past 12 months, Barca also set a new record of 180 goals in a calendar year.
     "It has been a spectacular year and we wanted to finish it this way," said Messi.
     "It will be difficult to improve on what we have done, but we always try. We have a great squad that are desperate to continue winning."
     Barca were given a helping hand on their return to action ...

Barca want more trophies in 2016 - Messi

At least nine people were killed and more than 25 injured when explosions struck three restaurants in the northeastern Syrian city of Qamishli, a monitoring group said.
	At least one of the blasts was caused by a suicide bomber, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told AFP yesterday.
	An AFP correspondent in the city said the suicide attack took place in a restaurant in a Christian neighbourhood.
	"Three explosions, one by a suicide bomber inside a restaurant, hit... Qamishli city in Hasakeh province," the Observatory's director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.
	"At least 9 persons were killed and more than 25 injured."
	Qamishli, near the border with Turkey and close to Iraq, is under the shared control of the Syrian regime and Kurdish authorities, who have declared zones of "autonomous administration" across parts of north and northeast Syria.
	Syrian troops and seasoned Kurdish fighters have coordinated on security in Hasakeh province where Islamic State group ...

Nine killed in three blasts in northeast Syria: monitor

The annual New Year's Eve festivities and fireworks in the heart of Brussels have been cancelled for security reasons, the mayor announced today, as the Belgian capital remains on high alert over a possible terror threat.
	"Unfortunately we have been forced to cancel the fireworks and all that was planned for tomorrow evening and that would have brought a lot of people together in the centre of Brussels, following a risk analysis by the crisis centre," mayor Yvan Mayeur told Belgian broadcaster RTBF.
	Last year, some 100,000 people turned out to watch the traditional New Year's Eve fireworks display at the Place de Brouckere.
	Mayeur said in the current circumstances it wasn't possible to "guarantee that we can check everyone coming to the event".
	"It's better not to take any risks," he added.
	The Belgian capital, home to the headquarters of NATO and the European Union, has been on high alert since the November 13 gun and suicide bombing attacks in Paris that left 130 dead.
	A key ..

Brussels cancels New Year's festivities, over terror threat

A Russian court today sentenced a blogger to five years in a Siberian penal colony for "inciting hatred and extremism" by posting videos online criticising pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine, in a verdict condemned by rights activists.
	The court in Tomsk, western Siberia, also banned Vadim Tyumentsev, 35, from using the Internet for three years, according to the non-governmental group Sova, which works on monitoring nationalism and xenophobia in Russia.
	Sova said Tyumentsev's sentence for "inciting inter-ethnic hatred and for extremist activities" was "too harsh, considering it was only for posting videos online".
	In the YouTube videos, Tyumentsev notably called for refugees from east Ukraine's separatists areas of Donetsk and Lugansk to be expelled from Russia, accusing them of "betraying Ukraine".
	It is not the first time Russian courts have cracked down on critical voices online. In a similar case last week, a 26-year-old woman was jailed for two years on charges of calling for 

Russian blogger jailed for five years for pro-Ukraine posts

A jailed Cuban dissident who is staging a hunger strike is in "grave" condition, his family said today, a day after the United States called for his release.
	Vladimir Morera was among a group of 53 prisoners freed when the United States and Cuba announced their historic rapprochement last year, but he was re-arrested in April and has been on hunger strike for 80 days to protest his detention, according to his family.
	Relatives and fellow dissidents opposed to the communist regime told AFP Morera had been transferred to hospital because of deteriorating health.
	"He's in grave condition. We saw him five days ago. But now they say he's a prisoner and won't allow us to visit him," said his sister Cristina.
	She said Morera, 44, was "incoherent" and had ripped out his intravenous tube.
	"His life is in danger. No dissidents have been allowed to see him, but we know from his family that he is in critical condition. The government doesn't want anyone to know about his case," said leading .

Jailed Cuban dissident in 'grave' condition: family

Two British teenagers, fined in June on charges of stealing artefacts from the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz, will now face trial for the same offence, a Polish prosecutor said today.
	The  two, back in England, had been given a one-year probation along with the fine after pleading guilty in June, then released by Polish authorities.
	But they have since reversed their plea to not guilty, prompting the new charges, said Mariusz Slomka from the prosecutor's office in Oswiecim, the southern city where the Auschwitz camp is located.
	If found guilty, they could face up to 10 years in prison for "stealing objects of historical value," said Slomka. He said the "charges were delivered yesterday to the court in the city of Krakow", in southern Poland.
	Born in 1997 and 1998, the boys -- both minors -- were students at the Perse School, a private facility near Cambridge in southern England.
	They were detained in June near barracks where the prisoners' personal items used to be sorted, Pawel ..

AFP

AFP

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