Authorities in Yemen's second city Aden shut its international airport today in protest against attacks by Shiite militiamen on the president and other state figures.
	Aden's main security body said in a statement that it was closing its airport, its seaport and entrances to the city due to "dangerous developments in the capital" and "attacks on the symbol of national sovereignty and constitutional legitimacy, President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi."
	The Shiite militiamen, known as Huthis, seized control of Yemen's presidential palace and attacked Hadi's residence yesterday in what officials said was a bid to overthrow the government, drawing condemnation from the UN Security Council.
	Aden is the main city in southern Yemen, which was an independent country from 1967 to 1990 and where a strong separatist movement still exists.
	The Huthis have abducted Hadi's chief of staff, Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak, a southerner, and have encircled the residence of Prime Minister Khalid Bahah since Monday, ..

Aden airport shut in solidarity with Yemen president

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The Supreme Court's nine justices appeared divided during arguments on whether elected US judges should be able to accept campaign contributions, a move that opponents say causes judicial bias.
	A total of 39 of 50 US states elect local judges, unlike at the federal level where judges, such as the Supreme Court justices, are appointed for life.
	Of the states where elections are held, a total of 30, including Florida, ban judges from soliciting campaign funds, in a move meant to encourage impartiality behind the bench.
	The case before the Supreme Court asks whether seeking contributions introduces impartiality and whether it should be allowed under the US Constitution's First Amendment, which protects freedom of speech.
	Plaintiff Lanell Williams-Yulee, who sent out a fundraising letter in 2009 during an unsuccessful county court bid in Florida, where fundraising by judges is prohibited, believes the ban restricted her free speech.
	However, the Florida Supreme court held that the ...

US Supreme Court mulls judicial campaign contributions

At least 43 civilians were killed and 150 wounded in a Syrian regime air raid targeting the Islamic State group in the northeast, a monitoring group said today, updating an earlier toll.
	"The strikes hit a cattle market in the Tal Hamis area, which is controlled by IS," said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has a wide network of sources inside Syria.
	Previously it had said 27 people were killed in yesterday's raid.
	Tal Hamis lies in Hasakeh province which is mainly controlled by Kurdish militia or regime troops, but where the jihadists hold some areas.
	The pro-government newspaper Al-Watan said dozens of IS members were killed in the operation south of Tal Hamis.
	The jihadists "have been using the cattle market as a base for trafficking illegally pumped oil," it said.
	IS controls a number of oil fields in eastern Syria and Washington says they provide the group with significant revenue.
	The jihadists' black market oil infrastructure has been ...

43 civilians killed in Syria regime raid on IS: new toll

Gunshots were heard today as police cracked down on a new student demonstration at Kinshasa's university following two days of bloody violence in the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
	Twenty eight people have been killed since Monday in anti-government protests, according to a local human rights organisation. The authorities put the death toll at five.
	Protesters oppose a draft law that would enable President Joseph Kabila to extend his stay in power beyond his current mandate which ends in 2016.
	Two shots rang out as dozens of students shouting "Kabila get out!" faced off against a small group of police officers. In the Ndjili neighbourhood, youths destroyed a police vehicle.
	"This morning we're working all out again because there is a students' protest" at the university, police spokesman Israel Mutumbo said. "We are in the process of checking across the city because there are little groups (of possible demonstrators) forming."
	On Tuesday, hundreds of youths torched .

Gunshots heard at police crackdown on DR Congo student demo

A long-awaited public inquiry into Britain's role in the Iraq war will not be published until after an election in May, it was reported today, sparking criticism of the delay.
	Dubbed the Chilcot Inquiry after its chairman John Chilcot, the probe was announced in 2009 to investigate the justification and conduct of the six-year conflict, and was intially expected to be released in 2010.
	Publication has been slowed by disagreement over the release of communications between former British prime minister Tony Blair and former US president George Bush, as well as by a process to allow those criticised in the report to respond.
	"The public have waited long enough and will find it incomprehensible that the report is not being published more rapidly," Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg wrote in a letter to the inquiry chairman.
	His comments were in response to news of further delay, which was widely reported in the British press.
	Clegg said an "open ended timetable" that meant the findings 

British inquiry into Iraq war delayed to after election

A Bahraini court has sentenced three defendants to 15 years each in prison after it convicted them of blowing up a car in the capital last year, official media said.
	Bahrain remains deeply divided following a Shiite-led uprising in 2011 that was crushed by the Sunni authorities.
	The unnamed defendants were convicted yesterday of "placing a gas cylinder" inside a car in Manama in February to blow it up "in a bid to terrorise" the community, the official BNA news agency reported.
	They were also convicted of "deliberately starting a fire to endanger the lives of people" and "possessing petrol bombs," it said, quoting a prosecution statement.
	It did not say if the attack had caused any casualties.
	Hundreds of people, most of them Shiites, have been jailed on charges linked to anti-regime protests in the kingdom, which is home to the US Fifth Fleet.
	At least 89 people have been killed in clashes with security forces since 2011.
	International rights groups have condemned the trials ..

Bahrain jails three for 15 years over car bombing

Fresh clashes between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian rebels rocked Donetsk in the country's war-torn east today , killing at least five civilians and wounding 29 others ahead of high-stakes peace talks, officials said.
	The deaths came with concerns mounting over the fate of civilians in the nine-month-old conflict that has already killed more than 4,800 people. Rebels allegedly backed by Moscow have been accused of launching attacks from residential areas, drawing fire from Ukrainian forces.
	"Shelling continued during the night in Donetsk," the city's administration said in a statement.
	"Five civilians were killed. Twenty nine received wounds of varying severity. As of 9:30 am, military actions in the city continue. The sound of heavy weapons can be heard everywhere."
	The foreign ministers of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France were due to meet later Wednesday in Berlin in a bid to revive peace talks, with a September truce left in tatters by a recent upsurge in fighting.
	The ..

5 civilians dead as fresh battles rock east Ukraine's Donetsk

Boats and ox-wagons were deployed to get ballot papers to parts of Zambia hit by torrential rains as presidential elections were extended for a second day today.
	A planned airlift of ballot papers and polling officers to remote villages yesterday was disrupted by "extreme thunderstorms" which grounded flights, election authorities said.
	Voters in at least two dozen out of around 6,000 polling stations are now expected to cast ballots on Wednesday in a close-fought presidential election to replace Michael Sata, who died in office last year.
	In one area, polling material will first have to be transported by boat, then the polling officers will have to walk for three hours before jumping on ox-drawn carts to polling stations, according to the electoral commission.
	The delay in the delivery of polling material initially led a frontrunner in the vote, opposition candidate Hakainde Hichilema of the United Party for National Development (UPND), to cry foul and allege ...

Boats, oxen deployed to save Zambia's rain-hit election

Myanmar's president has called on parliament to rethink aspects of a new education bill in the face of renewed student protests, state-backed media said today, as activists vowed to continue demonstrations.
	President Thein Sein asked lawmakers to reconsider some sections of the controversial bill, saying amendments would "contribute towards peace and stability, allowing students to pursue their education peacefully", according to an information ministry statement published in the Global New Light of Myanmar.
	Dozens of young campaigners yesterday began an unauthorised cross-country protest march to the commercial hub Yangon, in a show of defiance by students, who have historically been at the forefront of political activism in the former junta-run nation.
	Protesters said the statement -- which suggested adding "inclusive education" to the law without elaborating on who would be affected -- fell short of their demands.
	"It's not enough. We need a genuine way to change," Phyo Phyo ...

Myanmar leader urges education law rethink in face of protests

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was rushing home from the Middle East today to take charge of Tokyo's response after Islamic militants threatened to kill two nationals unless he pays a USD 200 million ransom.
	A defiant Abe vowed he would not bow to "terrorism" as Japan was thrust abruptly into the conflict gripping Syria and Iraq, where jihadists have seized control of large areas.
	"I strongly demand that they not be harmed and that they be immediately released," he told a news conference in Jerusalem.
	"The international community will not give in to terrorism and we have to make sure that we work together."
	The self-styled Islamic State group (IS) has murdered five Western hostages since August last year, but this is the first time the jihadist group has threatened Japanese captives.
	In footage posted on jihadist websites, a black-clad militant brandishing a knife addresses the camera in English, standing between two hostages wearing orange jumpsuits.
	"You now have 72 hours .

Japan PM rushes home to lead hostage crisis response

A flustered Maria Sharapova survived a huge scare to advance at the Australian Open today with Andy Murray making lighter work of the gruelling Melbourne conditions to keep his Grand Slam dreams alive.
     The second seeded Russian had a meltdown as the heat was turned up and had to dig deep to save two match points before staging an epic comeback to beat courageous compatriot Alexandra Panova 6-1, 4-6, 7-5.
     British sixth seed Murray had a much easier time, cruising into the third round with a 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 drubbing of local hope Marinko Matosevic.
     Other seeds progressing included men's seventh seed Tomas Berdych, 24th seed Richard Gasquet and women's 10th seed Ekaterina Makarova.
     Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, who share 31 Grand Slam titles between them, are in action later today, with world number ones Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic playing their second round matches on Thursday.
     While the searing 42 Celsius (107.6 Fahrenheit) heat of last year has yet to ..

Flustered Sharapova survives scare as Murray cruises

France's 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 winning striker David Trezeguet, who enjoyed a decade leading the Juventus attack, has retired, Argentine daily Clarin reported.
     The 37-year-old's agent had confirmed the news of his retirement yesterday according to Clarin and he was now set to rejoin Italian champions Juventus' management team where he scored 149 goals in 245 games between 2000-2010.
     Despite a goal at the 1998 World Cup finals which France ultimately won, the striker's most memorable goal remains the extra-time golden-goal (sudden death) that saw France beat Italy in the Euro 2000 final.
     However, he was to be the only player to miss a penalty in the 2006 World Cup final which saw Italy this time prevail in the penalty shootout -- rarely used after that by unpopular coach Raymond Domenech he decided to call it a day at international level in 2008 citing the fact the national handler would be staying on despite a woeful Euro 2008 finals.
     He was born in France ..

France's Euro 2000 hero Trezeguet retires: report

A UN helicopter gunship has destroyed a rebel vehicle in northern Mali, causing some fatalities, after UN troops came under heavy weapons fire on the ground, the UN mission said.
	UN peacekeepers were "compelled to use force in response to direct heavy weapons fire on (them) in Tabankort," its MINUSMA mission said in a statement corroborated by a rebel umbrella group joining ethnic Tuaregs and Arabs.
	MINUSMA noted that its mandate "authorises it to use force to protect civilians, its personnel and its property in case of attack or imminent danger."
	The statement said the peacekeepers fired warning shots on the rebel vehicle that had attacked MINUSMA ground troops stationed in Tabankort, near Gao, the largest city in northern Mali.
	"Despite these warning shots, the shooting continued, so and MINUSMA's attack helicopters reacted, rendering the vehicle harmless," it said.
	The Coordination of Movements of Azawad (the Tuareg name for northern Mali) said it had been the "target of ...

Rebels killed in UN helicopter gunship strike in Mali

Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau claimed a massive attack on the northeast Nigerian town of Baga and threatened Niger, Chad and Cameroon in a video published online.
	"We killed the people of Baga. We indeed killed them, as our Lord instructed us in His Book," Shekau said in a 35-minute video posted on YouTube on Tuesday evening.
	In a direct message to Nigeria's neighbours and with talk of a regional force to combat the militants, he added: "The kings of Africa, you are late. I challenge you to attack me even now. I'm ready.

Boko Haram claims Baga attack, threatens Nigeria's neighbours

Hundreds of people from four villages near the devastated Nigerian town of Baga were forced to flee after Boko Haram militants told them to leave or face consequences, witnesses have said.
	News of the exodus from Kekenu, Budur, Yoyo and Mile 90 villages came as Niger hosted a meeting on how to fight the rebels as concern mounted at their threat to regional security.
	Also yesterday in neighbouring Cameroon, Boko Haram insurgents engaged in "heavy clashes" with government soldiers in the far northern border village of Bonderi, though a security source said it was "too early to give a casualty toll".
	The insurgents have been stepping up attacks in neighbouring countries as well as inside Nigeria.
	Boko Haram fighters attacked Baga on January 3, looting and burning down homes and businesses in the town and at least 16 surrounding villages on the shores of Lake Chad.
	Hundreds of people, if not more, are feared to have been killed, although there is no official confirmation of the toll .

Hundreds flee Nigeria villages 'after Boko Haram threats'

A doctor was critically injured when a man opened fire today at a hospital in Boston, police in the US city said, adding the suspected shooter then killed himself.
	The incident occurred shortly before noon at Brigham and Women's Hospital, where the situation was now "under control," Boston police chief William Evans said at a press conference.
	Police received several 911 calls starting around 11:00 am local time reporting shots fired at the prestigious hospital's cardiovascular center, across from the main entrance.
	"By 11:07, we received another call of a doctor being shot and people barricaded themselves inside offices," Evans said.
	The doctor injuries are "life-threatening," he added.
	When police arrived on the scene, "they found who we believe to be the suspect inside the examining room, with what appears at this time clearly a self-inflicted gunshot" wound, Evans said.
	"Beside him there was what we believe to be the weapon used in this tragedy.

Doctor critically injured in Boston hospital shooting

The United States has charged two Yemeni nationals with alleged links to Al-Qaeda over attacks carried out on American forces in Afghanistan, the Justice Department said today.
	"There is no escape from the reach of our law for violent terrorists, especially if they target our military," said Loretta Lynch, US attorney for the eastern district of New York.
	Saddiq al-Abbadi, 36, and Ali Alvi, 30, were arrested on a US warrant in Saudi Arabia for conspiracy to murder Americans abroad and providing material support to Al-Qaeda.
	They were extradited to New York where they face trial and life behind bars.
	Alvi appeared before a federal judge in Brooklyn on Sunday and Abbadi was scheduled to appear before another judge on Tuesday, prosecutors said.
	The US government alleges that the pair are members of al-Qaeda who worked alongside the Taliban to attack US troops in eastern Afghanistan in 2008.
	New York prosecutors also accuse Abbadi of fighting against US forces in Iraq from 2003 to ..

US charges two Yemenis over Afghanistan attacks

The US Supreme Court today ruled unanimously that an Arkansas prison cannot prevent a Muslim inmate from wearing a half-inch long beard, in keeping with his religious beliefs.
	The case was brought by Gregory Holt, also known as Abdul Maalik Muhammad, who is serving a life sentence for a domestic violence conviction.
	Holt, a Muslim, wants to be allowed to grow a 0.5-inch (one-centimeter long) beard -- twice as long as the  the 0.25-inch limit allowed under prison rules.
	In the decision written by Justice Samuel Alito, the US high court said the prison restrictions violate Holt's constitutional rights to freedom of religion.
	Prison officials, Alito wrote, have given the inmate the option of either "engaging in conduct that seriously violates his religious belief, or contravening the grooming policy and risking disciplinary action."
	The court heard arguments in the case in October.
	Forty of the 50 US states allow prisoners to wear a trim beard. Arkansas is among the 10 remaining ...

Muslim prisoner can grow his beard: US Supreme Court

World oil prices fell today after the International Monetary Fund slashed its world economic growth forecast, stoking fresh fears over the strength of global crude demand.
	In late afternoon London deals, Brent North Sea crude for delivery in March dropped 55 cents to USD 48.29 a barrel.
	US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for February sank USD 1.97 to trade at USD 46.72 per barrel.
	"Oil prices fell back ... Dented by the global demand outlook suggested by the IMF," said Jasper Lawler, analyst at CMC Markets.
	The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday sharply cut its forecast for global economic growth this year to 3.5 percent, on the back of weaker momentum in nearly all leading economies but the United States.
	It said poorer prospects in China, Russia, the euro area and Japan would also hold world growth to just 3.7 percent in 2016.
	Both estimates were 0.3 percentage points lower than in the IMF's previous World Economic Outlook forecasts in October, and underscored the steady 

Oil slides as IMF cuts global growth forecast

Syrian government air strikes today killed at least 39 people, more than half of them civilians, in two main battlegrounds in the north of the country, a monitor said.
	"The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has documented the deaths of at least 27 people... In air strikes targeting the outskirts of Tal Hamis," said the Britain-based organisation.
	Speaking to AFP, Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said nine of those killed had been identified by his group as civilians.
	"More of the dead may be civilians too, but we have not yet been able to confirm that," Abdel Rahman said.
	He added that Tal Hamis, situated in Hasakeh province which borders Iraq and which is home to a sizeable Kurdish population, is under the control of the Islamic State jihadist group.
	"There are daily air regime and (US-led) coalition air strikes against IS positions in Hasakeh," said Abdel Rahman.
	Tuesday's bombing was especially deadly because it struck a cattle market.
	"Some of the bodies were so ...

Syria regime air strikes kill at least 39: monitor

Namibia and China are discussing plans for a Chinese naval base in the southwest African country, the Namibian newspaper reported today, prompting an immediate denial from Beijing.
	The Namibian quoted a confidential letter from Namibia's Beijing ambassador to his foreign ministry stating that a Chinese delegation would visit Windhoek for discussions "on the way forward regarding plans for the proposed naval base in Walvis Bay".
	The letter from Ambassador Ringo Abed to foreign affairs permanent secretary Selma Ashipala-Musavyi, dated December 22, 2014, followed a meeting he had with Chinese defence ministry official Geng Yansheng, the Namibian said.
	The detailed letter said the Chinese delegation would include technical staff and naval architects who would do an exploratory feasibility study, the newspaper reported.
	In response to a query, the Chinese defence ministry told AFP that "the exchange of communication between Chinese defence officials and Namibian embassy officials ...

AFP

AFP

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