US President Barack Obama today called the global threat of climate change "an economic and security imperative that we have to tackle now."
	If global warming continues, "then before long we are going to have to devote more and more of our economic and military resources not to growing opportunity for our people but to adapting to the various consequences of a changing planet," Obama said on the sidelines of a climate summit.

Obama: Climate action an economic and security 'imperative'

PTI Automatic

The Labour party today launched its campaign for Britain to remain in the European Union, saying that the Paris terror attacks showed the need to "stand shoulder to shoulder" with European partners.
	The Conservative government has promised an in-out referendum by the end of 2017, with recent polls showing the public split neck-and-neck on the issue despite all the main parties campaigning to stay in.
	Former interior minister Alan Johnson launched his party's campaign to stay in the 28-member bloc in Birmingham, central England, arguing that Britain would be less safe on its own.
	"The first duty of any government is to keep our country safe and I firmly believe that leaving the EU would fail that test," he said.
	"The lesson from Paris is clear: to tackle terrorism we must stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies in Europe. The security of Britain is inextricably linked to staying in Europe.
	Britons will be asked whether they want to "Remain" in the bloc or "Leave" after the ...

UK Labour launches campaign to stay in EU

The man who persuaded Pope Francis to visit Central African Republic (CAR) voiced relief Tuesday that the trip had passed off safely and hailed its success as a boost to hopes for lasting peace in the conflict-scarred country.
	"They were predicting an apocalypse but not a single shot was fired," said Dieudonne Nzapalainga, archbishop of Bangui, the capital of the impoverished former French colony.
	"We are an abandoned, murdered, forgotten people," the prelate told Vatican Radio. "The Holy Father came and gave us a message of hope."
	Francis's 24-hour visit to the troubled CAR went ahead in the face of warnings from France that his security could not be guaranteed by peacekeeping troops deployed to stem communal violence that has claimed over 100 lives in the last three months alone.
	Nzapalainga was instrumental in getting Francis to come to the country and show his support for local efforts to promote dialogue between Christians and Muslims, which he did notably with Monday's visit 

Pope's trouble-free visit boosts CAR peace hopes: archbishop

France's premier today urged tourists to come to Paris, spend money and enjoy the capital's cultural attractions to help boost the city in the wake of deadly jihadist attacks.
	"Come to Paris, security conditions are assured," Prime Minister Manuel Valls said on French radio, in what he described as a "message to all those tourists who cancelled their trip to Paris in recent days".
	"Consume, it's a festive time, spend, live, go back to shows, to the cinema and theatre," he added on Europe 1 radio.
	An estimate for the economic impact of the November 13 jihadist attacks on Paris nightspots, including the Bataclan concert hall, restaurants and cafes, has yet to be made.
	But hotels and eateries, especially in Paris, have complained of a marked fall in customers after the attacks and voiced concern over the impact for their traditionally busy Christmas and New Year periods.
	Cafes and restaurants have seen an around 40-percent drop in footfall compared to the same period in 2014, ...

'Come, spend in Paris', French PM urges tourists

A Thai woman appeared in military court today charged with sedition for allegedly sharing Facebook posts accusing the military of graft in building a multi-million dollar memorial to the monarchy.
	Juthathip Verochanakorn, 61, was charged under Section 116 of Thailand's criminal code -- the equivalent of sedition -- as well as under the country's wide-ranging Computer Crimes Act.
	She faces a maximum of seven years in jail if convicted.
	Police said Juthathip shared posts about Rajabhakti Park, an army-built tribute to Thailand's monarchy that has been engulfed in corruption allegations.
	"There were around 20 lines of Facebook posts making comments about government corruption and Rajabhakti Park," Police Lieutenant Colonel Sathian Wittanamala told AFP.
	"She reposted the messages from friends," he said, adding she has apologised for the posts.
	Thailand's generals seized power last year partially justifying their takeover as a necessary move to curb endemic corruption among the ...

Sedition charge for Thai woman alleging army graft on Facebook

Japan's public pension fund -- the world's biggest -- lost a whopping USD 64 billion in the July-September quarter, according to a new report, as global equity markets plunged this summer on fears over China's economy.
	The drop in the 135 trillion yen (USD 1.1 trillion) Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) -- the worst quarterly fall since 2008 -- came after it decided last year to double the amount of equities in its bond-heavy portfolio to generate higher returns.
	The move was aimed at dealing with Japan's soaring number of retirees who depend on the mammoth pension, but the quarterly loss highlights the risks of that strategy.
	In a report on Monday, the pension fund said its total value declined by 5.6 per cent, or 7.89 trillion yen in the three months to September, as Japanese and overseas share prices plunged due to fears over a sharp slowdown in China.
	Beijing shocked equity markets worldwide in August with a devaluation of its currency, the yuan, setting off a ...

Japan pension fund,world's biggest,loses $64 bn

A Philippine court today convicted a US Marine of killing a Filipina transgender woman in a red light district, in a case that reignited long-simmering anti-American sentiment in the country.
	Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton was convicted of homicide for the killing of Jennifer Laude in a motel in October 2014, after they met in a bar following joint US-Philippine military exercises near the city of Olongapo.
	Judge Roline Jinez Jabalde sentenced Pemberton to six to 12 years in jail -- after the charge was reduced from murder which carries a heavier penalty -- citing mitigating circumstances, including the fact that Laude had not revealed her gender identity.
	The court heard that Pemberton and Laude agreed to have sex after meeting, but that the drunken Marine turned violent when he discovered Laude still had male genitals.
	He acted out of "passion and obfuscation", the court said, adding that "in the heat of passion, he arm-locked the deceased, and dunked his (her) head in ...

US Marine found guilty of killing Filipina transgender woman

A faulty component and the crew's inadequate response caused an AirAsia A320 to crash into the Java Sea last year, killing all 162 people on board, an Indonesian report said today.
	Flight QZ8501 plunged into the ocean in stormy weather on December 28, during what was supposed to be a routine flight from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore.
	The crash of the Airbus A320-200 triggered a huge international search, with ships and aircraft from several nations involved in a lengthy hunt that was hampered by strong currents and bad weather.
	The bodies of 56 of those who died have never been found.
	In their final report into the accident released today, Indonesia's official National Transportation Safety Committee said poor maintenance and a fault with the system that helps control the rudder's movement was a major contributing factor to the crash.
	Cracked soldering in the component caused it to malfunction and send repeated warning messages to the pilots, it said.
	In response, 

AirAsia crash due to faulty component, crew response: probe

Indonesian Air Force personnel carry airplane parts recovered from the water near the site where AirAsia Flight 8501 disappeared, at the airbase in Pangkalan Bun, Central Borneo, Indonesia

Investigation report blames poor maintenance and crew action for the crash on December 28 last year that killed 162 passengers

AirAsia plane crash caused by faulty component, crew action

Agencies

The International New York Times said its printer in Thailand removed a piece on the moribund state of the kingdom's economy today, forcing the edition to carry blank spaces including on the cover.
	It is the second time in the last 10 weeks that the paper has said its local printer declined to run an article in a country where media freedoms have been increasingly curtailed since last year's military takeover.
	Today's newspaper was supposed to carry a report headlined "Thai economy and spirits are sagging", a wide-ranging piece exploring the junta's inability to kickstart the flagging economy and the disappointment felt among many ordinary Thais.
	It also touched briefly on succession concerns surrounding 87-year-old King Bhumibol, the world's longest serving monarch who is revered but ailing.
	Instead chunks of the front page and page six were blank and carried the sentence: "The article in this space was removed by our printer in Thailand. The International New York Times and its .

Blank spaces replace NYT article on flagging Thai economy

At least 34 policemen have been killed and almost 300 wounded in Burundi since violent protests erupted in April against the president's bid to remain in power, the government said today.
	"The 'insurrectional movement' has caused significant losses on all sides," said a report by Public Security Minister Alain Guillaume Bunyoni, who himself was slapped with sanctions last week by President Barack Obama, over his alleged links to the country's descent into violence.
	Bunyoni, the regime's number two, said that 34 police officers were killed and 293 were injured in attacks by insurgents.
	Burundi's government blames a string of attacks on "armed criminals", but the UN has warned that Burundi risks sliding back into civil war after a dramatic rise in violence.
	The report gave no details of other casualties, although the UN says that at least 240 people have been killed and more than 200,000 have fled the country.
	In the report, Bunyoni says the police had handled the situation with ...

At least 34 Burundi police killed in months violence

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu today called on Russia to re-establish dialogue channels instead of making "baseless accusations" of an alleged oil trade between Ankara and Islamic State (IS) jihadists.
	"We should sit at the table and discuss what to do instead of making baseless accusations," Davutoglu told reporters at Ankara airport before leaving for a visit to the Turkey-backed breakaway region of northern Cyprus.
	The downing of a Russian warplane last week by Turkish F-16 jets for allegedly violating Turkish air space on the Syrian border sparked tensions between Turkey and Russia, until now major trade partners.
	Russian President Vladimir Putin snubbed a request by Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan to meet on the sidelines of a UN climate conference near Paris on Monday.
	Instead, the Russian strongman used his news conference to accuse Ankara of importing oil from IS militants in Syria.
	"Russian authorities should know it was not Turkish jets that violated ...

Turkey PM urges Russia to give up baseless claims on IS trade

Two attempted stabbings by Palestinians near Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank today left one attacker shot dead and the other wounded, the Israeli military and police said.
	The first incident occurred near the Gush Etzion bloc of settlements south of Jerusalem, the site of a series of recent attacks.
	A Palestinian brandishing a knife attempted to stab a pedestrian at a junction near the settlement bloc and was shot dead by an Israeli soldier, police and the army said.
	Later in the day, in the northern West Bank, a Palestinian woman or teenager who allegedly sought to carry out a stabbing near the Israeli settlement of Einav was shot.
	Israeli authorities did not immediately provide further details on the alleged attacker or whom she sought to stab at a crossing near the settlement.
	Violence since October 1 has left 102 dead on the Palestinian side, including an Arab Israeli, as well as 17 Israelis, an American and an Eritrean.
	Many of the Palestinians killed have been 

2 attempted stabbings near Israeli settlements, attackers shot

Pakistan head coach Waqar Younis described defeat in the Twenty20 series against England as a "huge eye opener" for his team whose "poor and ordinary" performance needed proper analysis.
     Pakistan were blanked 3-0 by England who won the third and final game in Sharjah in a thrilling Super Over finish on Monday -- leaving Waqar to ponder his side's progress just four months before the World Twenty20 in India.
	"I think it's a big eye opener," said Waqar. "We have seen a lot of things which were not obvious before and there was an obvious difference between the two teams.
	"Our performance has been very ordinary and very poor and needs serious analysis."
	Pakistan were cruising along nicely in their chase of a 155-run target but faltered in the last over, leaving scores level at 154.
	Chris Jordan conceded only three runs in the Super Over which England overhauled off four deliveries.
	Waqar praised England.
	"England were younger than us and fitter and I think that made the ...

Waqar believes England defeat "huge eye opener"

The Commonwealth Games is in talks with the International Cricket Council about bringing the sport back into the four-yearly event, organisers told AFP.
     The Commonwealth Games Federation, which controls the second-biggest multi-sport event after the Olympics, said it was keen to get cricket back on the bill, with the Twenty20 shortest format of the game a particularly "exciting" prospect.
     Cricket has only featured once at the Commonwealth Games, at the 1998 event in Kuala Lumpur, but CGF chiefs said their 71 national and territorial associations wanted it back in, provided a viable format could be produced.
     "We've had some fantastic conversations with the ICC. It's very much exploratory," CGF chief executive David Grevemberg told AFP at the Commonwealth summit in Malta.
     "(It's) one of the priorities of the movement: all 71 nations and territories unanimously agreed that it would be great to have cricket as part of the sports programme.
     "It's not out of the ...

Commonwealth Games wants cricket back at the crease

Cricket Australia today said they will schedule more day-night Test matches following the overwhelming success of the recent trial against New Zealand staged under lights in Adelaide.
     A total attendance of 123,736 fans over three days at Adelaide Oval along with 3.19 million prime-time viewers watching free-to-air television coverage on Sunday's final day confirmed the strong acceptance of the day-night Test played with a pink ball, CA chief executive James Sutherland said.
     "At Cricket Australia we are about putting fans first so we are delighted that so many have embraced the day-night Test concept," he said.
     "We are constantly striving to give cricket fans what they want and as such, with the endorsement of visiting countries, we will seek to schedule more day-night Tests.
     "The experience in Adelaide last weekend demonstrates the huge potential the day-night format has in revitalising Test cricket all over the world."
     Sutherland has spoken of plans to ...

Australia to schedule more day-night Tests - CA

Australia today turned to James Pattinson and Nathan Coulter-Nile to replenish their diminishing fast bowling ranks for next week's opening Test against the West Indies.
     Selectors named the pace duo in a 12-man squad for the December 10-14 Hobart Test following a stress fracture foot injury to Mitchell Starc on top of the recent retirement of Mitchell Johnson.
     The panel is also mulling the pressing need to give Adelaide Test man-of-the-match Josh Hazlewood some time off to refresh as Australia face a three-Test series against the West Indies and two return Tests in New Zealand in February.
     Pattinson, 25, played the last of his 13 Tests against South Africa in March 2014 with his career stalled by chronic back and hamstring issues.
     Coulter-Nile, 28, has been included despite not playing any domestic Sheffield Shield matches so far this summer because of a shoulder injury.
     He should have bowled for Western Australia last weekend but was given a one-match ban for 

Australia turn to Coulter-Nile, Pattinson for Windies opener

Paceman Chris Woakes starred for a second match in succession as he defended ten runs in the last over to help England win the third and final Twenty20 in a Super Over finish in Sharjah on Monday.
     Woakes conceded seven off the first two deliveries thanks to a six but managed to tie the game off the last ball as Pakistan faltered in the chase of a 155-run target.
     Pakistan then managed just three runs in the Super Over bowled by Chris Jordan, which England beat off just four balls for a 3-0 clean sweep of the series.
     The victory lifted England to fourth in the Twenty20 rankings while Pakistan, second before the series, fell to sixth.
     England won the first match by 14 runs and the second by three runs with Woakes defending 11 in the last over -- both matches in Dubai.
     Pakistan was unlucky not to win the match after Shoaib Malik smashed a career best 54-ball 75 for his fourth Twenty20 half century and added a quickfire 63 off just 38 balls for the sixth wicket ...

England whitewash Pakistan in Super Over finish

New Zealand Cricket chairman Stuart Heal expressed relief Tuesday that the Chris Cairns match-fixing perjury trial was over, saying there were no winners in the "unpleasant and incredibly difficult" case.
     A London court on Monday cleared Cairns of perjury and perverting the course of justice after a nine-week trial which included testimony from Black Caps skipper Brendon McCullum that his ex-teammate had pitched a match-fixing proposal.
     Regardless of the verdict, Heal said he was pleased New Zealand cricketers were prepared to speak out about the issue in court, saying his organisation was "in good spiritual and ethical health".
     "The fact (is) that a number of people who are affiliated to New Zealand Cricket and/or the game came forward during this case for the right reasons," he told Radio New Zealand.
     "Yes there will be some reputational damage, but I'm proud of the fact that people did come forward."
     Former New Zealand players who took the stand included ...

NZ Cricket says no winners in Cairns trial

Tyson Fury claims he suffered from dehydration after his shock heavyweight title win against Wladimir Klitschko because he refused to drink water in his dressing room in case it was drugged in a bid to discredit him.
     English underdog Fury stunned Klitschko in Dusseldorf on Saturday to win the WBA, IBF and WBO belts with a clear points victory.
     But the 27-year-old, speaking at a press conference in Bolton on Monday, revealed he was so paranoid about potentially underhand tactics he refused to drink water on fight night unless he had bought it himself for fear of being doped.
     "I had good information from good resources not to touch anything in the changing rooms because they might try and drug you," Fury told reporters.
     "Someone tried to pass me water, and unless it was sealed and contained from my own baggage, there was no chance.
     "I went home dehydrated before I even touched anything. I was so frightened of being drug tested and failing the drugs test. I ...

Fury reveals water plan to beat drug fears

Armed men attacked a lorry carrying migrants in northern Mali, killing four people and wounding six, UN and medical sources have said.
	Four men on motorbikes opened fire on the lorry as it travelled towards Kidal, in the country's far northeast, a medical source told AFP, citing witness accounts.
	They shot out the tyres before turning the guns on the passengers, who included people from Mali, Guinea, Niger and Nigeria.
	The UN mission in Mali yesterday said the wounded were taken by helicopter to Gao, the main city in the restive north, for treatment. The dead were buried where they were.
	The medical source said the dead included four Malians and a Guinean, without saying whether they were men or women.
	A Malian security source in the north of the country confirmed the attack, without giving a death toll, but adding that 30 people had survived.
	The migrants are thought to have been on their way to Algeria. Mali has been plagued by unrest since the north of the vast west African ..

AFP

AFP

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