Central American countries have agreed a breakthrough in the case of thousands of US-bound Cuban migrants stranded in Costa Rica, after weeks of often acrimonious regional diplomacy.
	In a meeting in Guatemala City yesterday, representatives from several of the countries said they would fly some of the Cubans to El Salvador, where they would be put on buses to cross Guatemala and enter Mexico.
	Separate statements by the Guatemalan and Costa Rican governments said the exercise would be a "pilot plan" to be carried out in "the first week of January."
	They did not say how many of the up to 8,000 Cubans currently stuck in Costa Rica would be flown out, stressing that talks on the logistics still needed to be held.
	A Costa Rican foreign ministry official said the migrants would be paying for the transport themselves.
	The announcement suggested a bitter row among Central American nations over the Cubans could be on its way to being resolved.
	The issue blew up into what several of the ..

Central American states agree breakthrough on stranded Cuban migrants

Press Trust of India

Scoreboard at tea on the fourth
day of the second Test between Australia and the West Indies at the Melbourne Cricket Ground today:
 Australia 1st innings 551-3 declared
 West Indies 1st innings 271
 Australia 2nd innings 179
 West Indies 2nd innings
 K. Brathwaite  c Smith b Lyon           31
 R. Chandrika   lbw b Pattinson          37
 D. Bravo       c Nevill b Siddle        21
 M. Samuels     c Nevill b Marsh         19
 J. Blackwood    not out                 16
 D. Ramdin       not out                 19
 Extras (lb1, nb2)                        3
 Total (4 wickets; 56 overs)            146
 Fall of wickets: 1-35, 2-83, 3-91, 4-118.
 Bowling: Hazlewood 12-2-27-0, Pattinson 11-3-22-1, Lyon 15-6-38-1, Siddle 6-2-22-1, Marsh 11-2-36-1, Smith 1-1-0-0.

Melbourne, Dec 29 (AFP) Scoreboard at tea on the fourth

PTI Automatic

The favourite dog of Thailand's ailing monarch has died, days after a man was arrested under the kingdom's strict royal defamation laws for allegedly making a satirical online remark about the beloved canine.
	The dog, called Tongdaeng (Copper), became both a household name and a publishing sensation in Thailand after King Bhumibol Adulyadej adopted her as a stray puppy and penned a heartfelt book about her attributes in 2002.
	She was praised for her loyalty and obedience, with the book widely interpreted at the time as a parable about how Thais should live and remember their place within the kingdom's rigid society.
	Her death was announced in a statement from the veterinary faculty of Kasetsart University yesterday.
	"While Khun Tongdaeng was sleeping and relaxing, she died peacefully on 26 December 2015 at 11:10pm at Klai Kangwon Palace," the statement read.
	The statement added that she had been ill for the last few years and was just over 17 years old when she passed away. An ...

Thai king's favourite dog dies, days after 'insult' arrest

Scoreboard on the fourth day of
the second Test between Australia and the West Indies at the Melbourne Cricket Ground today:
 Australia 1st innings 551-3 declared
 West Indies 1st innings 271
 Australia 2nd innings
 J. Burns  c K. Brathwaite b Holder       4
 D. Warner c Holding b C. Brathwaite     17
 U. Khawaja   c Ramdin b Holder          56
 S. Smith    not out                     70
 M. Marsh    not out                     18
 Extras (lb7, w2, nb5)                   14
 Total (3 wickets declared; 32 overs)   179
 Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-46, 3-123.
 Bowling: Taylor 3-0-25-0, Holder 11-1-49-2, C. Brathwaite 6-1-30-1, Roach 4-0-22-0, Warrican 8-0-47-0.

Melbourne, Dec 29 (AFP) Scoreboard on the fourth day of

Scoreboard at lunch on the fourth day of the second Test between Australia and the West Indies at the Melbourne Cricket Ground today:
 Australia 1st innings 551-3 declared
 West Indies 1st innings 271
 Australia 2nd innings 179
 West Indies 2nd innings
 K. Brathwaite  c Smith b Lyon           31
 R. Chandrika   not out                  17
 D. Bravo       not out                  14
 Extras (nb2)                             2
 Total (1 wicket; 29 overs)              64
 Fall of wickets: 1-35.
 Bowling: Hazlewood 8-1-18-0, Pattinson 6-1-12-0, Lyon 8-4-10-1, Siddle 2-0-11-0, Marsh 5-1-13-0.

Melbourne, Dec 29 (AFP) Scoreboard at lunch on the fourth day of the second Test between Australia and the West Indies at the Melbourne Cricket Ground today:

Thirteen people were killed and 34 more injured when two trucks retrofitted as passenger buses collided in eastern Cuba, local media reported.
	The deadly crash took place in Santiago de Cuba province, Agencia Cubana de Noticias reported.
	Five of the injured were in very serious condition, the report said. The cause of the crash was under investigation.
	As part of Cuba's long-running economic crisis, the only Communist government in the Americas decided it was cheaper to turn trucks into people movers than to import costly buses.
	In a country of 11 million, there have been more than 10,000 reported traffic accidents in Cuba in the past year, and 615 people killed.

Thirteen killed, 34 injured in Cuban truck collision

Australia's no-ball wicket curse continued today as the West Indies battled to save the second Test against the odds in Melbourne.
     After James Pattinson had two wickets denied to him by overstepping on Sunday's third day, it was fellow paceman Josh Hazlewood's turn on the fourth day.
     Hazlewood had first-innings top-scorer Darren Bravo caught behind by Peter Nevill on 12, only for the dismissal to be overturned by the third umpire for overstepping the bowling crease with his front landing foot.
     It was another setback for the Australian bowling attack, who have been clearly on top of the West Indies batting but have thrown away three wickets in the Melbourne Test with no-balls.
     At lunch on the fourth day, Bravo and Rajendra Chandrika were stonewalling Australia's attempts to push on for victory after a second declaration in the Melbourne Test.
     Skipper Steve Smith declared on Australia's overnight second innings total of 179 for three for a 459-run lead.
     The 

No-ball wicket woes strike again for Aussie bowlers

Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister, the hellraising frontman of iconic British heavy metal band Motorhead, has died aged 70 of a sudden, aggressive cancer, the group said today.
	The veteran musician, one of rock and roll's great survivors despite his hard-partying lifestyle, was diagnosed with cancer on Saturday.
	A godfather figure in heavy rock music, he put his longevity down to never taking heroin.
	"There is no easy way to say this... Our mighty, noble friend Lemmy passed away today after a short battle with an extremely aggressive cancer," the band said on their official Facebook page.
	"He had learnt of the disease on December 26th, and was at home, sitting in front of his favourite video game from The Rainbow... With his family.
	"We cannot begin to express our shock and sadness, there aren't words."
	Kilmister lived in Los Angeles and was typically to be found inside the Rainbow Bar and Grill on Sunset Strip, playing a fruit machine.
	He is considered a pioneer of heavy metal -- though ..

Motorhead frontman Lemmy dies of cancer aged 70

US President Barack Obama will welcome Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for talks on March 10, the White House has said, the Liberal leader's first official visit since taking office in November.
	The US president and First Lady Michelle Obama will also host a state dinner for Trudeau and his wife, Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau, on the same date, the White House statement said yesterday.
	"The visit will be an opportunity for the United States and Canada to deepen their bilateral relationship, which is one of the closest and most extensive in the world," the White House said.
	"The visit also is intended to advance cooperation on important bilateral and multilateral issues, such as energy and climate change, security, and the economy. "
	The 44-year-old Trudeau led his Liberal party to a landslide election victory on October 19, dealing a crushing blow to Stephen Harper's Conservatives. He is the second-youngest prime minister in Canadian history.
	He is also the son of the late ...

Obama to welcome Canada PM Trudeau in March: White House

Brazil became the first South American country today to authorize the world's first-ever dengue fever vaccine, which its French manufacturer says has the potential to save hundreds of lives here.
	The tropical disease, a flu-like illness carried by mosquitoes, killed 839 people this year in Brazil and infected more than 1.5 million.
	The sprawling South American country's decision to allow the new vaccine, called Dengvaxia, is a coup for French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi, which has now gotten the green light from regulators in three countries.
	Mexico became the first country to allow the vaccine on December 9, and the Philippines followed suit last week.
	Sanofi has requested regulatory approval in 20 countries across Asia and Latin America.
	The vaccine is a potential "blockbuster" drug for the company, which estimates it could generate more than USD 1 billion a year in revenue.
	The Brazilian government said regulators must still set a price per dose, a process that takes about ...

Brazil authorizes dengue vaccine

Bahrain today announced plans to cut government subsidies for diesel and kerosene from next month, state media reported, after similar moves by its Gulf neighbours.
	BNA news agency cited Energy Minister Abdulhussein Merza as saying the changes would take effect from next month, adding however that subsidies would remain in place for bakeries and fishermen.
	The minister also said that the lifting of petrol subsidies was still under consideration.
	Saudi Arabia today said it has decided to raise petrol prices by 50 per cent from tomorrow as part of subsidy cuts for petroleum products, power and water after posting a record USD 98 billion budget deficit for 2015.
	United Arab Emirates has liberalised fuel prices while Kuwait lifted subsidies on diesel and kerosene from the start of this year.
	The Gulf states, which rely heavily on oil income, have been facing tough times since crude prices fell sharply.

Bahrain to hike prices of diesel, kerosene

A French police dog killed in a security services raid after the Paris attacks is to receive a posthumous medal for gallantry from a British animal charity, it said today.
	Diesel died in November during a police raid on an apartment in a northern suburb of Paris, which killed the alleged mastermind of the attacks in which 130 people died.
	The animal's death led to the hashtag #JeSuisChien (I Am A Dog) trending on Twitter.
	The People's Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) said the seven-year-old Belgian Shepherd would now receive the Dickin Medal, described as its "supreme honour for gallantry".
	The medal was introduced in 1943. Previous recipients include pigeons which carried messages behind the front lines in World War II and military dogs which sniffed out Taliban bombs in Afghanistan.
	The PDSA's director general, Jan McLoughlin, said: "As guardians of the world's most prestigious animal awards programme, we were inundated by messages from members of the public to recognise ...

Gallantry medal for police dog killed after Paris attacks

An entertainments company owned by two Sri Lankan cricket legends apologised today for an Enrique Iglesias concert where local women shed their underwear, sparking outrage from the country's president.
	Live Events, owned by Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, admitted that security "failed alarmingly" and apologised for the "negative experience" during the one-hour concert in Colombo on December 20.
	Fans had paid prices ranging from 5,000 rupees to 50,000 rupees (USD 350) for tickets to the show which was part of the Spanish star's world tour, "Love and Sex".
	They did not directly refer to President Maithripala Sirisena's criticism that intoxicated local women had thrown their bras at the singer and kissed and hugged him.
	"I don't advocate that these uncivilised women who removed their brassieres should be beaten with toxic stingray tails, but those who organised such an event should be," the president said on Sunday.
	In conservative Sri Lankan society, public displays of ...

Durban, Dec 28 (AFP) Scores at close on the third day of

England tightened their grip on the third day of the first Test at Kingsmead on Monday against a South African team weakened by an injury to fast bowler Dale Steyn.
     England built on a first innings lead of 89, reaching 172 for three in their second innings at the close of play, an overall lead of 261 runs.
     With plenty of time remaining in the match, England were prepared to grind out their runs with risk-free batting in the second innings, scoring at just over two-and-a-half runs an over on a slow, dry pitch which made fluent stroke play difficult.
     Joe Root made 60 not out off 109 balls, while first innings top-scorer Nick Compton survived two dropped catches before being caught down the leg side by wicketkeeper AB de Villiers off Morne Morkel for 49.
     Both Compton's chances were off Morkel, who also had Root dropped by a leaping De Villiers on six.
     Dean Elgar carried his bat for South Africa, making a fighting 118 not out, but he had minimal support from his ..

England grind towards big lead

A court in Azerbaijan today sentenced a prominent journalist to six years in jail for spying for arch-enemy Armenia, in a case slammed by rights groups as politically motivated.
	The court for serious crimes in the capital Baku "found Rauf Mirkadyrov guilty of high treason, namely of spying for Armenia, and sentenced him to six years in prison," the journalist's lawyer Fuad Agayev told AFP.
	"My client rejects the accusations as politically motivated," he added.
	Mirkadyrov, 54, has been held in pre-trial detention since his arrest in April 2014 in Baku after he was deported from Turkey.
	Prosecutors claimed that Armenia's secret services recruited him in 2008, and he supplied Yerevan with state secrets.
	The prize-winning journalist's arrest last year sparked widespread condemnation from international rights groups and the West.
	Human Rights Watch has said Mirkadyrov was being "punished for his outspoken views" and that his prosecution sent "a chilling message to others that dissent 

Azerbaijan jails prominent journalist for six years

Scores at tea on the third day of
the first Test between South Africa and England at Kingsmead on today:
     England, first innings, 303
     South Africa, first innings
     (overnight 137-4)
     S van Zyl b Broad                   0
     D Elgar not out                   118
     H Amla c Bairstow b Broad           7
     A de Villiers c Bairstow b Broad   49
     F du Plessis b Ali                  2
     T Bavuma b Broad                   10
     J Duminy c Stokes b Ali             2
     K Abbott c Taylor b Ali             0
     D Steyn c Woakes b Ali             17
     D Piedt c Bairstow b Finn           1
     M Morkel c Root b Finn              0
     Extras (B-4, LB-3, W-1)             8
     Total (All out in 81.4 overs)     214
     Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-14, 3-100, 4-113, 5-137, 6-150, 7-156, 8-210, 9-214.
     Bowling: Broad 15-6-25-4, Woakes 14-1-28-0, Ali 25-3-69-4, Finn 15.4-1-49-2, Stokes 9-1-25-0, Root 3-1-11-0
     England, second innings
     A Cook lbw b ...

Durban, Dec 28 (AFP) Scores at tea on the third day of

England tightened their grip on the third day of the first Test at Kingsmead on Monday against a South African team weakened by an injury to fast bowler Dale Steyn.
     England built on a first innings lead of 89, reaching 58 for two in their second innings at tea, an overall lead of 147.
     Dean Elgar carried his bat for a fighting 118 not out but had minimal support from his teammates as South Africa were bowled out for 214. Stuart Broad and Moeen Ali took four wickets each for England.
     South Africa suffered a blow early in the second innings when Steyn left the field with a right shoulder strain after bowling two balls of his fourth over.
     He returned soon afterwards and bowled three balls of the 21st over, almost forcing Nick Compton to play on to his stumps, before crying off again. It was announced that he would go for a scan later.
     Steyn, who missed most of a recent series in India with a groin injury, took four for 70 in the first innings in his first match ...

England stretch lead, South Africa lose Steyn

A Turkish court today remanded in custody a 17-year-old construction worker on charges of "insulting" Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Facebook, media reports said.
	It is the latest case in which youngsters have been hauled before the courts in Turkey on similar charges, as activists express growing alarm over the limits on freedom of expression under Erdogan.
	The boy, identified as F E, was detained at his home in western Tekirdag province after someone called the police emergency line to complain about his Facebook posts, Dogan news agency said.
	The court in Tekirdag placed him in pre-trial detention, Dogan said. No other details were given on the content of the posts.
	Critics say Erdogan has become increasingly authoritarian since becoming president in August 2014 after more than a decade as prime minister and the number of prosecutions for insulting him have risen.
	Students, journalists and even a former Miss Turkey beauty queen have been targeted.
	Last December, a .

Turkey detains teen 'for insulting Erdogan on Facebook'

British Prime Minister David Cameron visited the flood-hit historic city of York today as cities, towns and villages across northern England battled to get back on their feet following devastating storms.
	Cameron tweeted a picture of himself meeting soldiers helping with the aftermath of the flooding as he faced increasing pressure to take more action to prevent more such chaos in future.
	Around 500 properties were flooded in York, one of Britain's top tourist attractions, yeterday as two rivers burst their banks. Some residential streets became so inundated that cars were covered up to their roofs.
	Soldiers helped pile sandbags up to protect properties and businesses while emergency services paddled around the streets in dinghies trying to find stranded residents, who were then evacuated.
	Flooding has also hit the cities of Leeds and Manchester in recent days, as well as a string of towns and villages nearby.
	The Environment Agency had 27 severe flood warnings in place Monday, ..

PM Cameron visits flood-hit British city of York

Israel is working to revive and extend plans for new Jewish settler homes in the contentious area of the occupied West Bank known as E1, settler watchdog Peace Now said today.
	In a report it said was based on government data obtained under a Freedom of Information Act request, the group said the housing ministry was seeking to build 55,548 units in the West Bank -- including two new settlements -- of which more than 8,300 homes would be in E1.
	The housing ministry spokeswoman could not be immediately reached for comment today.
	E1 and the adjacent Maaleh Adumim settlement form an Israeli buffer east of Jerusalem that the Palestinians say would divide the West Bank and badly hurt the possibility of a contiguous Palestinian state.
	"The area of Maale Adumim and E1 is one of the most sensitive areas in terms of the chances for two state solution," Peace Now wrote.
	"For these reasons, whenever an Israeli leader tries to promote the plans in E1, the international community strongly ...

AFP

AFP

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