Sixth person charged in Belgium over Paris attacks:

PTI Automatic

Up to 16,000 children have been forced to join the fighting in South Sudan since the start of this year, the United Nations children's agency (UNICEF) said today.
	Despite an peace agreement in August, fighting continues to rage in the two-year civil conflict in the world's youngest nation, with children suffering an increasingly heavy toll.
	"Since January, around 16,000 children have been recruited by armed groups and the military," UNICEF spokesman Christophe Boulierac told reporters, adding that minors continued to be killed, kidnapped and subjected to sexual violence.
	Boulierac said that some children who have joined armed groups have been forced into direct armed combat, while others are put to work as messengers or porters in extremely dangerous circumstances.
	Since the fighting broke out in December 2013, an estimated 1,500 children have been killed, 900,000 have been internally displaced and one million children are suffering from malnutrition, according to ...

16,000 children in S Sudan forced into conflict this year: UN

Frenzied crowds failed to materialise at shops in Britain for "Black Friday" sales, but analysts expected record online purchases amid signs that customers were rushing to the Internet instead.
	Last year saw scuffles over bargains -- scenes that are common in the United States, where the marketing tradition began, where customers queue hours before opening times to get first pick of the deals.
	But this time around high streets around Britain were relatively quiet and there were indications that shoppers looking for bargains preferred the Internet.
	"Either nobody's paying any attention to all the Black Friday marketing that has been going on, or they're all just shopping online," said Nick Jones of analysts Experian Marketing Services.
	Experian has predicted online sales in Britain to exceed USD 1.5 billion for the first time ever today.
	Bryan Roberts of analysts Kantar Retail said Black Friday appeared to be "something of a damp squib".
	A handful of people waited outside the ...

No crowds but online surge on Britain's 'Black Friday'

The United States approved the sale of three Global Hawk surveillance drones to Japan today, as Tokyo revamps its military in response to Chinese maritime ambitions.
	Unless Congress intervenes within a month to halt the USD 1.2 billion deal, US defense giant Northrop Grumman will supply the pilotless aircraft and their sensor array.
	The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said the sale of the RQ-4 drone, already in wide use with US forces, would not tip the military balance in the region.
	But it would allow a major US ally to better patrol its skies.
	"The proposed sale of the RQ-4 will significantly enhance Japan's intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities and help ensure that Japan is able to continue to monitor and deter regional threats," it said.
	Under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Japan is building up its Self Defense Forces to counterbalance a rising China and better play its role as a United States ally.
	The country has been officially pacifist since its .

US approves drone sale to Japan

About 1,000 members of Saudi Arabia's Shiite minority gathered at a mosque today to demand the release of activists on death row, including one aged 17 when he was arrested, a resident said.
	He said the prayers and sermons at Imam Hussein Mosque in the Eastern Province town of Awamiya drew Shiites from nearby Qatif and the Al-Ahsa region.
	"They gathered to demand their freedom," said the resident who asked for anonymity.
	Their call came as the family of one Shiite activist, sentenced to death after protesting, voiced concern over his fate and a rights group warned of his imminent execution.
	The sentence against Ali al-Nimr, only 17 when he was arrested in February 2012, has drawn international condemnation over his young age and allegations he was tortured.
	Ali al-Nimr's uncle told AFP on Friday his family fears "the government is serious, very serious" about carrying out the sentence.
	Jaffar al-Nimr said his nephew reported that he had undergone a medical check when his family .

1,000 demand release of Saudi death row Shiites

Russia said today it would suspend its visa-free regime for Turkish nationals from January, as Moscow retaliates for Ankara's downing of a Russian bomber.
	"A decision has been made to halt the visa-free regime with Turkey," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters after talks with Syrian counterpart Walid Muallem. "This decision will enter into force from January 1, 2016.

Russia halts visa-free regime for Turks from January 1: Lavrov

Herve Falciani, the former HSBC employee whose disclosures uncorked the "Swissleaks" scandal on bank-supported tax evasion, was sentenced in absentia today to five years in prison, Switzerland's ATS news agency said.
	Falciani, who worked as an IT specialist with HSBC, was convicted of industrial espionage by a federal court in the southern Swiss town of Bellinzona.
	The 43-year-old French-Italian national refused to travel to Switzerland to appear at trial.
	Falciani can appeal his conviction at Switzerland's highest court, but he will not serve any prison time in the federation so long as he remains in France, which does not extradite its citizens.
	The former HSBC employee leaked a cache of documents allegedly indicating the bank's Swiss private banking arm helped more than 120,000 clients hide 180.6 billion euros (USD 205.4 billion) from tax authorities.
	Falciani has been celebrated as a whistleblower by some, but Swiss authorities claimed he was motivated by money, citing ...

Man behind Swissleaks scandal sentenced to 5 years in prison

Leader of Australia's pace attack Mitchell Starc has suffered a stress foot fracture and may miss the remainder of the home Test season, team officials said today.
     The left-arm paceman will not bowl again in the historic day-night Test against New Zealand in Adelaide after suffering stress fractures to the third metatarsal bone in his right foot, a team spokesperson said.
     Starc limped off Adelaide Oval on Friday's opening day of play after taking three New Zealand wickets.
     He was sent for scans which revealed an injury which usually requires at least six weeks to heal.
     "It's obviously very disappointing, he was bowling so well and has been bowling well for a very long time," teammate Peter Siddle told reporters.
     "You never want one of your teammates to go down, especially so early on."
     Starc had claimed three for 24 from nine overs before favouring his right foot.
     He is facing a battle to feature in the next three-Test series against the West Indies, 

Starc setback forces him out of Australian attack

A major cholera outbreak in Tanzania has now infected nearly 10,000 people and killed 150, the World Health Organization said today, voicing concern that predicted flooding risked spreading the disease internationally.
	Since the beginning of the outbreak in August, at least 9,871 people have become infected and 150 have died, the UN health agency said, citing laboratory confirmed figures from Tanzanian health authorities.
	That marks a doubling of the figures provided a month ago, when WHO put the number of cases at 4,922, including 74 deaths.
	The east African country's largest city Dar es Salaam was most affected, with nearly 4,500 cases, WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib told reporters in Geneva.
	Cholera, which is transmitted through contaminated drinking water and causes acute diarrhoea, has spread across the country, including to two islands in the Zanzibar archipelago.
	Chaib stressed that a "very aggressive" campaign to manage the outbreak, including water chlorination and ...

Nearly 10,000 cholera cases, 150 deaths in Tanzania: WHO

Herve Falciani, man behind 'Swissleaks' scandal, sentenced to

A 5.4-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of El Salvador today, the US Geological Survey said, though there were no immediate reports of damage or victims.
	The quake occurred at a depth of 62 kilometers (38 miles) at 5:46 am (1146 GMT) off the coast of La Paz department.
	The epicentre was approximately 70 kilometres southeast of San Salvador.

Magnitude 5.4 earthquake strikes off El Salvador: USGS

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu today sought to ease tensions with Moscow over the downing of a Russian warplane over Syria, and said the world must unite to defeat the Islamic State group.
	Russia ordered sweeping retaliatory measures after Turkish fighter jets shot down the warplane on Tuesday, threatening ties between two rival players in the Syrian war and raising fears of a wider international conflict.
	After a series of furious tit-for-tat recriminations, Ankara said President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wanted to meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin "face to face" when the two leaders are in Paris for the climate summit next week, although the idea has had a cool response from Russia.
	Peskov earlier told reporters the Turks had asked for a meeting but said only: "The president has been told about this request... That's all I can say."
	Ankara has also "temporarily" suspended air strikes against IS targets in Syria in order to avoid any further such confrontations, ...

Turkey seeks to calm tensions with Russia over jet

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov today said that Ankara has crossed the line by shooting down a Russian warplane this week and warned the incident could severely undermine Turkey's interests.
	"We believe that the Turkish leadership has crossed the line of what is acceptable," Lavrov said at the start of talks with Syrian counterpart Walid Muallem in Moscow.
	Ankara "risks putting Turkey in a most severe situation, with respect to both its long-term national interests and the situation in the region," he said.
	Moscow is reeling after a Russian warplane carrying out strikes in Syria was shot down on the Turkish-Syrian border on Tuesday -- an incident President Vladimir Putin described as a "treachery" and a "stab in the back."
	Ankara has argued that it did not realise the plane, which it said had violated Turkish airspace, was Russian, and claimed it issued multiple warnings to the pilot to change course.
	The incident led to the death of two Russian officers -- Moscow's first 

Turkey 'crossed the line' with plane downing: Lavrov

Chinese shares closed down more than five per cent today, after inquiries were announced into several major brokerage firms.
	The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index tumbled 5.48 per cent, or 199.25 points, to 3,436.30. The Shenzhen Composite Index, which tracks stocks on China's second exchange, slumped 6.09 per cent, or 141.58 points, to 2,184.11.
	The plunges came after one of the country's biggest brokerages, Guosen Securities, said it was being investigated by market regulators for suspected "rule violations", weeks after its president hanged himself.
	That came after the number one stockbroker, Citic Securities, said overnight that it was being probed, following inquiries into several of its executives for insider trading.
	Second-ranked Haitong Securities also halted trading of its shares in Shanghai and Hong Kong, "pending the release of an announcement which may constitute inside information".
	Phillip Securities analyst Chen Xingyu told AFP: "The biggest reason for such a ...

Chinese shares close down more than five per cent

The first anniversary of Australian batsman Phillip Hughes's death was marked with a sombre, low-key observance during the first-ever day-night Test match in Adelaide today.
     Hughes, 25, who played 26 Tests, died from bleeding on the brain on November 27 last year after being hit on the base of the skull by a rising ball at the Sydney Cricket Ground during a domestic match.
     His death -- a freak accident -- stunned Australia and the world cricket community, sparking an outpouring of grief.
     At the request of Hughes' family, the tributes one year on were kept simple.
     Australia and New Zealand players at Adelaide Oval wore black armbands as did Sheffield Shield cricketers in their matches around Australia Friday.
     Before the start of the Test, Australia captain Steve Smith tweeted: "1 year has passed since we lost our great mate. Will be thinking of you out in the middle today as always Bruz. #63notout #408forever".
     Smith's predecessor Michael Clarke, who ...

Australia remembers Hughes on anniversary of death

A Japanese appeals court overturned a guilty verdict today for a former cult member convicted in a parcel bombing, the court said, in a rare acquittal involving the group also responsible for a deadly nerve gas attack.
	Members of the doomsday Aum Supreme Truth cult released sarin gas in the Tokyo subway system in 1995, killing 13 people and sickening thousands of commuters in a crime that deeply scarred Japan's sense of security.
	Former Aum member Naoko Kikuchi was not prosecuted for the subway assault with sarin gas, first developed by the Nazis, but was instead convicted for a separate attack on a government building.
	The Tokyo District Court last year sentenced her to five years in prison for her role in a May 1995 parcel bombing at the Tokyo metropolitan government office that seriously injured one official.
	Kikuchi, 43, appealed the verdict and today the Tokyo High Court ruled that "the defendant is not guilty," a court spokeswoman told AFP, declining to give further ...

Japan court overturns cult member parcel bomb conviction

A Canadian beauty queen lashed out at Beijing today, saying she was barred from boarding a flight from Hong Kong to China to compete in a pageant because of her human rights activism.
	Chinese-born Anastasia Lin, a 25-year-old actress crowned Miss World Canada in May, said that China was blocking her from travelling to the seaside resort city of Sanya for the Miss World contest.
	Lin, who told AFP late Thursday that Chinese authorities were suppressing people who "dare to speak their minds", was speaking from Hong Kong's international airport where she was blocked  from taking a flight bound for mainland China.
	"I believe the Chinese government is angry at me because my work brings attention to these (human rights) issues," Lin said at a press conference on Friday morning.
	"I knew there was a big risk I could be barred but I didn't want to give in, didn't want to give up, unless I had exhausted all my options," she said, adding that she officially remained a contestant in the ...

Miss Canada lashes out at Beijing after contest snub

The influential World Cricket Committee has proposed a change to the Decision Review System (DRS), the law-making Marylebone Cricket Club said today.
     The group, featuring some of the biggest names in world cricket including former Australia captains Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting and Sri Lankan great Kumar Sangakkara, is an independent body funded by the MCC, who are the acknowledged guardians of the laws and spirit of the game.
     International Cricket Council chief executive David Richardson who is also a committee member, said the governing body is paying close attention to the ideas of the MCC think-tank.
     The committee met in Adelaide ahead of the inaugural day-night Test, discussing many topics including the contentious DRS.
     "There should be no loss of a review for the fielding side if the ball is shown to be clipping the stumps in the umpire's call zone," the committee said in a statement.
     "This could then allow the removal of the reallocation of two reviews 

MCC think-tank proposes DRS rule change

Pope Francis today lashed out at wealthy minorities who hoard resources at the expense of the poor as he visited a crowded slum today in the Kenyan capital.
	"These are wounds inflicted by minorities who cling to power and wealth, who selfishly squander while a growing majority is forced to flee to abandoned, filthy and run-down peripheries," the 78-year-old pontiff told crowds in the Nairobi shanty town of Kangemi.
	Francis, whose visit to the slum is a highlight of his three-nation Africa tour, condemned the "dreadful injustice of urban exclusion."
	Wild singing and ululating broke out as he arrived early today, his popemobile weaving through streets in a sea of tin-roofed homes.
	"I am here because I want you to know that I am not indifferent to your joys and hopes, your troubles and your sorrows," Francis told the packed congregation in the church of St Joseph the Worker in Kangemi.
	"I realise the difficulties which you experience daily. How can I not denounce the injustices ...

Pope slams rich elite over 'dreadful injustice' to poor

Star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan was handed a one-match ban today over a double foul-mouthed outburst during the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Twenty20 competition.
     Shakib, who has a history of disciplinary problems, was found guilty of uttering abusive language after dismissing Sylhet Super Stars batsman Dilshan Munaweera while playing for his Rangpur Riders team on Thursday.
     He was also convicted of directing offensive and abusive language towards umpire Tanvir Ahmed in the 13th over of Sylhet's innings when an appeal against rival batsman Mushfiqur Rahim was turned down.
     Shakib, who was also fined around $250 on Friday, was suspended by the Bangladesh Cricket Board for six months last year for a "severe attitude problem" although the punishment was later reduced after he apologised.
     He also received a three-match ban in 2014 after making a lewd gesture towards a cameraman during a one-day international against Sri Lanka.
     The 28-year-old, who is ...

Bangladesh's Shakib banned for abusing umpire

Pope Francis won a rapturous welcome today as he visited a congested Kenyan slum to convey a message of solidarity with the poor and underprivileged, a highlight of his three-nation Africa tour.
	The 78-year-old pontiff was given a rapturous welcome as he arrived in Kangemi, home to more than 100,000 people who live in shacks without sewerage, including 20,000 who belong to the local Catholic parish.
	People arrived long hours before dawn in the hope of catching a glimpse of the pope, who has made humility and help for the impoverished a hallmark of his tenure.
	Wild singing and ululating broke out as Francis arrived in the Popemobile down the streets, weaving through the sea of tin-roofed homes.
	"It is once in a lifetime," said Edward Mwaniki, who comes from Kangemi, who waited for hour with his wife and three sons. "It is an honour to be here being a Catholic."
	After visiting Kangemi's Catholic church, the pope will meet young people at Kasarani national stadium, where US ...

AFP

AFP

Page 1910 - Afp