New Yorkers doing some last-minute shopping on Christmas Eve left their winter coats at home today as temperatures soared to record highs.
	The mercury hit 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 Celsius) in the morning, prompting some people in the Big Apple to head out in T-shirts even though skies were overcast.
	According to the National Weather Service, temperatures could soar to 74 degrees Fahrenheit in the city's iconic Central Park later in the day -- that would be a first for the date since weather record keeping began in 1871.
	The previous record for December 24, 63 degrees, dates back to 1996.
	Fall and winter have been very mild on the US East Coast so far this season, much to the dismay of stores selling coats, scarves and gloves.
	Today's record is one of several set in the past two months, with 66 degrees recorded in Central Park on December 13.
	The monthly average temperature for December is 37.5 degrees Fahrenheit in New York.
	In contrast, last winter was especially cold and ...

New York City sees record warmth on Christmas Eve

PTI Automatic

The 53 Americans taken hostage in Iran in 1979 will finally get financial compensation that had eluded them for decades, after US lawmakers included a payment provision in sweeping spending legislation.
	The men and women taken hostage by militant Iranian student groups at the US embassy and who spent 444 days in captivity will be given restitution of up to USD 4.4 million each, or USD 10,000 for each day they were held.
	Their ordeal gripped fellow Americans back home, and the hostage crisis ruptured Washington-Tehran relations that had already frayed with the beginning of the Iranian revolution.
	Because the deal that set the hostages free in January 1981 barred them from collecting restitution from the Iranian government, the victims had spent decades unsuccessfully pursuing claims.
	But when a US judge this year ordered France's largest bank, BNP Paribas, to pay USD 8.9 billion in fines to settle violations of US sanctions linked to Iran, funding for terrorism victims finally ...

US Iran hostages compensated decades after ordeal

After her eldest son Amanto became one of the 50 children to drown on an average day in Bangladesh, Jahanara Anwar was determined that his younger brother join the world's biggest swimming lesson.
	"I'd promised to send him to a swimming centre once his exams were over but didn't realise how important it was," she said, recalling the day in 2011 when Amanto, 14, went to play in a nearby canal and never came home.
	"Now there can be no doubt how important it is... I don't want any mother to suffer the agony I've been through."
	Around 18,000 children drown each year in Bangladesh -- a daily average of just over 49 -- making it the leading cause of death among children aged one to 17.
	In a country criss-crossed by deltas, plagued by floods during the monsoon season, and where around a quarter of the 160 million population live by the sea, the dangers are part of everyday life.
	But few youngsters can swim, as most parents are reluctant to pay for lessons while struggling to make ends ..

Bangladeshis take plunge in world's biggest swim lesson

King Louie, the Chicago rapper credited with coining the term "Chiraq" to describe the city's sometimes violent streets, has been shot and wounded.
	The rapper was in a car yesterday on Chicago's South Side when an unidentified assailant approached and shot him in the head, police said.
	It was unclear the extent of his injuries but the Chicago Sun-Times quoted a member of his management saying the rapper was "awake and talking."
	Soon after the shooting, King Louie's Instagram account showed a picture of him with three children in front of a Christmas tree as he promised to care for them "as long as I'm living."
	King Louie, whose real name is Louis Johnson and also goes by the stage name King L, has been a prominent figure in the drill music scene that emerged several years ago in the Midwestern metropolis along with controversial rapper Chief Keef.
	Drill music takes the hard-driving beats of trap -- a type of hip-hop originating in the Southern United States -- but brings in ...

'Chiraq' rapper King Louie shot

A worker at a Paris airport has been arrested after pocketing 20,000 euros (USD 22,000) dropped by a Moroccan diplomat to the United Nations, police said today.
	The ambassador was leaving Air France's VIP lounge at Charles De Gaulle airport and heading for a flight to New York Wednesday when two mobile phones fell from his bag and he realised the money was missing.
	Retracing his steps, he was unable to find the money and left the airport police to continue the search while he boarded the plane.
	Video surveillance showed a temporary employee of the airport picking up the money. He was arrested at his home last night.
	A police source said around half the money had been recovered.
	The man was released from custody on Thursday but it was not clear what charges he might face. Local authorities confirmed he had lost his job at the airport.

Paris airport worker takes 20,000 euros dropped by ambassador

Iraq's intelligence service said today it detained 40 members of the Islamic State group as part of a major operation in Baghdad and Diyala provinces.
	"The Iraqi national intelligence service, in coordination with Baghdad and Diyala security forces, carried out an operation which resulted in the arrest of 40 members of varying rank," a statement said.
	Diyala is a province just northeast of the capital where IS has not had fixed positions in almost a year but has carried out several deadly suicide car bombings.
	"Many bombs, suicide belts and cars used by the terrorists were seized, as well as large amounts of money they used to fund their criminal activities," the statement said.
	The intelligence service said the detained IS members had requested assistance from cells in other parts of the country, suggesting the group is weakened in Baghdad.
	The swoop was the continuation of an operation that had already resulted in more than 30 arrests and the dismantling of a car bomb-making ...

Iraq 'nets 40 IS operatives' in major swoop

Air raids by Syrian government warplanes killed 20 civilians, including seven children, in an area southeast of Damascus today, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said.
	Dozens more people were also wounded in the raids on the centre of Hammuriyeh in Eastern Ghouta, the largest rebel stronghold in Damascus province.
	The area is regularly bombed by the forces of President Bashar al-Assad, Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said.
	Two more civilians were also killed by shelling in the Douma area, northeast of Damascus, while government forces were also pounding Eastern Ghouta with artillery fire, the Observatory said.
	Rebels often shell the capital from Eastern Ghouta, to the east of Damascus.
	More than 250,000 people have been killed in Syria's conflict, which began in March 2011 as an anti-government protest movement but which has spiralled into a multi-sided war.

Syria regime raids kill 20 people including 7 children

Arab foreign ministers today condemned a Turkish military deployment in Iraq as an "assault" on the country's sovereignty, demanding Ankara withdraw the forces.
	The Turkish deployment "is an assault on Iraqi sovereignty and a threat to Arab national security," they said in an Arab League statement after meeting at the pan-Arab bloc's Cairo headquarters.
	Arab League deputy chief Ahmed Ben Heli read out the statement at a press conference, in which he added that the Turkish troops "increased tumult in the region."
	Turkey announced on Saturday that it had begun withdrawing troops in a bid to de-escalate a bitter row with Baghdad and following a call from US President Barack Obama.
	Earlier this month, Turkey deployed troops to a base in Nineveh province where it has a long-running training programme for forces battling the Islamic State jihadist group.
	But at the Cairo meeting, Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari said Turkey has insisted on "using the term ...

Arab League denounces Turkish troop deployment in Iraq

Waving banknotes in the air, hundreds of shoppers braved the rain for an open-air Christmas Eve meat auction at London's Smithfield Market today for what could be the last time in its historic setting.
	Butchers in white coats shuttled along two runways outside Harts of Smithfield handing out turkeys, racks of beef and legs of pork to eager customers wheeling rolling suitcases and shopping trolleys.
	The auction was led by 66-year-old Greg Lawrence, who has worked at the market for 49 years and is chairman of the Smithfield Market Traders Association.
	"You're wonderful people who've come into the city of London to see us. Best city in the world. This is the beginning of Christmas!" Lawrence told the crowd to loud cheers and shouts of "Merry Christmas!"
	As his staff showed off cuts of meat normally sold wholesale to London's hotels and restaurants, Lawrence shouted to shoppers: "Everyone must get something! These prices are unheard of! Unheard of!"
	With six kilogramme rumps of beef .

London's Xmas meat auction risks the chop at historic site

Israel charged two Arab cousins from towns near northern city Nazareth for ties to the Islamic State group and planning an attack, the Shin Bet domestic security agency said today.
	Mohammad Hassan, 20, from Rina, and Ahmed Saida, 23, from Umm el Ghanam, were arrested in November, the Shin Bet said.
	They had left Israel for Turkey in May, where they met up with an IS operative who was to help them steal across the border into Syria, where they were to join fighters, it said.
	But after encountering Syrian refugees at the border town who told them of the horrors they suffered under IS, as well as their families' pleas, the two had a change of heart and returned to Israel, the statement said.
	Back home, Hassan and Saida allegedly continued to maintain their contacts with IS operatives abroad and supporters in Israel.
	Identifying with the jihadist group's ideology, the two resolved to carry out an attack against Israeli Jews, and Saida attempted to purchase a rifle, Shin Bet ...

Israel charges two Arab cousins for IS ties

The Churches of England and Scotland have reached an historic agreement to work more closely together, they said today, at a time when the two nations are further apart politically than for centuries.
	The two churches were formed separately in the 16th century when they broke with the Catholic Church in Rome and followed different traditions on either side of a great faultline in British religious history.
	The Church of Scotland is Presbyterian and has no bishops, while the Church of England is Anglican and has retained more aspects of Catholic tradition.
	The Columba Declaration aims to "strengthen our relationship at a time when it is likely to be particularly critical in the life of the United Kingdom," the authors said in a statement.
	Scotland, which became part of Britain in 1707, voted to remain part of the United Kingdom in an independence referendum last year.
	Britain now faces another referendum on whether to stay in the European Union by the end of 2017.
	The churches ...

Churches of England, Scotland agree closer cooperation

Iraqi forces battled the last jihadist fighters holed up in the centre of Ramadi city today, slowed in their advance by stiff resistance, booby traps and fears for trapped civilians.
	Fighting raged around the former government headquarters in Ramadi, a key position whose recapture by federal forces would mark another key step toward reclaiming the city they lost to the Islamic State group in May.
	"The Iraqi forces are in Hoz neighbourhood... About 500 metres (yards) away from the governmental complex," an army lieutenant-colonel told AFP from Anbar province.
	"They are advancing very cautiously" in the southern neighbourhood of Hoz, said Sabah Karhout, the head of Anbar provincial council.
	He said the huge number of improvised explosive devices planted by IS fighters in the city and the possible presence of trapped civilians being used as human shields were the main impediments.
	"There's stiff resistance, there's been fierce fighting over the last 24 hours in the southern part of .

Iraqi forces close in on key Ramadi district

More than 100 million people in China have been warned to stay indoors after at least 10 Chinese cities issued red alerts for smog, state media reported today.
	Pollution covered large parts of the country's east and centre as measures to curb the toxic haze were ordered to be implemented.
	The alert came as broad swathes of the country suffered through their fourth wave of choking pollution this month.
	In addition, the eastern province of Shandong, home to almost 96 million and some of the 10 cities under red alert, issued its first ever top-level warning Wednesday, the provincial environmental bureau said.
	It is believed to be the first time an entire province has issued a red alert.
	The ten cities include the sprawling industrial hub of Tianjin in the northeast.
	Counts of PM2.5 -- harmful microscopic particles that penetrate deep into the lungs -- in one of the cities under red alert, central Henan Province's Xinxiang, were as high as 727 micrograms per cubic metre earlier ...

Ten Chinese cities issue pollution red alert: state media

A string of British airlines have again delayed the resumption of regular flights to the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh following a plane crash earlier this year.
	The airlines first suspended flights after the crash of a Russian airliner near the Red Sea holiday destination on October 31 in which all 224 people on board died.
	Investigators have concluded it was downed by a bomb and the Islamic State group has claimed responsibility.
	British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said the attack had raised doubts about "the capability of the security on the ground" at the airport.
	Extending previous announcements, Thomson and Thomas Cook say they are now cancelling all flights to the resort up to and including March 23.
	Monarch and easyJet have pushed their resumption dates back to January 25 and February 29 respectively.
	British Airways has cancelled all flights to and from Sharm el Sheikh until February 13.
	The Foreign Office currently advises against all but essential air ...

British airlines cancel more Sharm el-Sheikh flights

Oil prices edged higher today after rallying the previous session on news of a drop in US crude supplies.
	The main global contracts for the commodity had surged more than 3.5 per cent yesterday after the US Department of Energy reported inventories unexpectedly fell last week and imports sank.
	The news stoked hopes that a plunge in prices, which has seen the Brent contract hit 11-year lows this week, may be coming to an end.
	Around midday in London, Brent North Sea crude for delivery in February was up eight cents at USD 37.44 a barrel.
	US benchmark West Texas Intermediate gained 19 cents to USD 37.69 compared with yesterday's close.
	"US crude oil inventories posted a surprise drop last week, bucking the seasonal trend of rising stockpiles and offering some lift to... Prices," said Kash Kamal, senior research analyst at Sucden Financial.
	However, analysts pointed out that the US report also included some aspects that were less favourable towards addressing an oil supply glut ...

Oil prices edge higher

A firm owned by a Saudi prince said today it had led a group that invested around USD 248 million (226 million euros) in US ridesharing service company Lyft.
	Kingdom Holding Co, which is 95 per cent-owned by billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, invested USD 104.9 million in the San Francisco-based startup, it said in a statement.
	The investment is equivalent to a 2.3 per cent stake.
	Kingdom Holding invested USD 31 million in a capital increase and spent USD 73.9 million to acquire preferred shares from other investors, it said.
	The statement did not identify the co-investors.
	Lyft announced an expansion of its alliances with Asian partners earlier this month, increasing its challenge to rival Uber.
	Lyft is valued at USD 2.5 billion, while Uber has become one of the world's most valuable startups, worth an estimated USD 50 billion.
	Kingdom Holding's diversified interests range from the Euro Disney theme park and Four Seasons hotels to News Corporation and Citigroup.
	The Saudi 

Saudi prince invests in US ridesharing service Lyft

A Saudi convicted of murder was executed on Thursday, bringing to 152 the number of death sentences carried out this year in the conservative Muslim kingdom.
	Saad Ben Mohamed al-Othman was executed in the eastern city of Dammam after his conviction for shooting and murdering a fellow Saudi during a disagreement, the interior ministry said.
	According to AFP tallies, his case brings to 152 the number of locals and foreigners put to death this year, against 87 for all of 2014.
	Amnesty International says the number of executions in Saudi Arabia this year is the highest for two decades, since 192 people were put to death in 1995.
	The toll has rarely exceeded 90 annually in recent years, it said.
	Reasons for the surge in executions, all of which are reported by the official Saudi Press Agency, are unclear.
	   Saudi executions are usually carried out by beheading with a sword.
	   Rights experts have raised concerns about the fairness of trials in the kingdom, where the interior ...

Saudi executes man as annual toll hits 152

Japan said today it was investigating the reported kidnapping of a Japanese journalist in Syria by an armed group, after two of its citizens were beheaded earlier this year.
	Media rights group Reporters Without Borders said Jumpei Yasuda, a freelance journalist, was kidnapped in July as he was crossing the border into the country and is still being held hostage by the group, which was not named.
	Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga declined to directly confirm the report when asked about it at a regular media briefing, but stressed the government was obligated to ensure the safety of Japanese citizens.
	"We are doing our best... And making full use of various intelligence networks," he added, without elaborating.
	Earlier this month, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe set up a new unit to collect and analyse information on global terrorism concentrating on four areas, including the Middle East.
	Reporters Without Borders said Tuesday that the armed group had started a countdown for the ...

Japan investigating report of journalist kidnapped in Syria

Seven Christian farmers were killed today as Muslim guerrillas launched a series of attacks in the troubled southern Philippines, the military said.
	The fighters of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) seized the seven and then killed them in a series of raids in the island of Mindanao where Christian-Muslim conflicts have seethed for decades.
	About 150 fighters of the BIFF launched assaults in different mainly-Christian towns before dawn, said Colonel Ricky Bunayog, the local military commander.
	"They abducted farmers and then killed them. When we attempted to recover their bodies, they fired on us," he told AFP in the southern town of Tukuran, one of the the group's targets.
	He said that four of the guerrillas were reportedly also slain in the fighting about 775 kilometres south of Manila but villagers said their bodies were carried off by their comrades.
	The attackers had since dispersed but the military was planning a "counter-action," Bunayog said, although he ...

Philippine Muslim guerrillas murder 7 in Christmas eve raids

The death toll from a ferry disaster in central Indonesia has climbed to 20, an official said today, though nearly 60 people remain missing five days after the boat sank in rough seas.
	Search and rescue agency chief Bambang Soelistyo told AFP 13 corpses were found yesterday in the southern gulf of Sulawesi island, where the ill-fated ferry sent a distress signal before losing contact at the weekend.
	"To date, we've evacuated 60 people," Soelistyo said.
	"Forty have been found alive, and 20 dead."
	   The boat was believed to be carrying 116 people when it ran into trouble, Soelistyo said, citing passenger figures provided by the ferry operator.
	Ten vessels -- including navy warships -- and two aircraft are scouring the seas for any sign of those still missing, while families wait anxiously for news in Siwa, the port town where the stricken vessel was heading.
	One of the last found alive was the ferry's captain, who like other survivors described massive waves smashing into the ...

Death toll from Indonesian ferry accident climbs to 20

Syria's regime said today it was ready to take part in new talks in Geneva aimed at ending the war but appeared to make its participation conditional on which opposition groups will attend.
	It came as the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group pushed further into a key city in eastern Syria in fighting that left more than two dozen regime loyalists reported dead.
	During an official visit to China today, Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said Damascus "is ready to participate in the Syrian-Syrian dialogue in Geneva without any foreign interference."
	Last week, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution endorsing a peace plan aimed at bringing the regime and opposition together for talks in January.
	The plan is the product of a nearly two-month diplomatic flurry among top diplomats from 17 countries, including regime backers Russia and Iran.
	But it does not address the sharpest difference between opposition groups and the regime: the fate of Syrian President Bashar ...

AFP

AFP

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