US forces and their Iraqi counterparts have trained about 2,000 Sunni fighters in Iraq as part of efforts to defeat the Islamic State extremist group, a senior US official said today.
	Iraq's Shiite-led government, trying to reverse the marginalisation of Sunnis, is seeking to form a "bridging entity" where Sunnis tribesmen defend their provinces before they are brought into an Iraqi national force, the State Department official told reporters on condition of anonymity.
	The official disclosed the information as US Secretary of State John Kerry prepared Wednesday to host talks in Brussels with foreign ministers from scores of countries which are trying to help defeat the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
	The official said the training was occurring at Al-Asad air base in Anbar province and elsewhere.
	Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, a Shiite whose more inclusive government was formed in September, "is committed ultimately to bringing the Sunnis into the mainstream," the official ...

US, Iraqis helping to train Sunni fighters against IS: US

PTI Automatic

British MPs urged the government to take a tougher line with China in an emergency House of Commons debate today after a group of them was refused visas to visit Hong Kong.
	Members of the Foreign Affairs Committee were declined visas to visit Hong Kong later this month by Chinese authorities who accused the former colonial power of seeking to interfere in pro-democracy protests.
	While Prime Minister David Cameron's government says the situation can be smoothed over with talks, it has caused outrage among lawmakers who want ministers to take a firmer stance.
	The refusal complicates British efforts to reset relations with China that were plunged into difficulties after Cameron met the Dalai Lama at Downing Street in 2012.
	During the rare debate, Hugo Swire, a Foreign Office minister, called China's ban "wholly unjustified" but stressed the need to "pursue dialogue in issues even when we disagree".
	"We have an indispensable relationship with China," he told the Commons. "It's ...

British MPs urge tougher line on Hong Kong

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today called for early elections as he fired two key ministers in his coalition government over a policy dispute.
	"I will not tolerate opposition in my government any more," Netanyahu said of the sacking of Finance Minister Yair Lapid and Justice Minister Tzipi Livni.
	"I won't accept ministers attacking the policy and head of the government from within," he said in a statement.
	Netanyahu said he would call for parliament to be dissolved "as soon as possible to go to the people and get a clear mandate to lead Israel."
	Parliament was due to hold a preliminary vote to dissolve the country's parliament, the Knesset, tomorrow.
	Sources in Netanyahu's Likud party told AFP the coalition was likely to support the proposal, under which elections could be held as early as March 2015.
	Cracks in Netanyahu's right-leaning coalition emerged over the 2015 budget and a contentious bill aimed at enshrining Israel's status as the Jewish state in law, a ...

Israel PM calls for snap election, fires two ministers

The French parliament's vote today in favour of recognising Palestine as a state will harm the peace process and is the wrong message to send to the region, Israel warned.
	"Israel believes that the vote in the National Assembly... will reduce the possibility of achieving a deal between Israel and the Palestinians," the Israeli embassy in Paris said in a statement.
	"Decisions of this nature harden the Palestinian position and send the wrong message to the people and the leaders of the region," added the embassy.
	A solution to the conflict will be achieved "only with honest and direct talks between the parties and not by unilateral measures taken by one of the parties or by third parties," stressed the embassy.
	French MPs earlier voted in favour of a motion urging the government to recognise Palestine as a state, a non-binding but highly symbolic act that followed similar votes in Britain and Spain.
	Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned last month it would be a "grave ...

French Palestine vote will harm peace process, Israel warns

French lawmakers today voted in favour of recognising Palestine as a state, following similar moves in Britain and Spain as European countries try to restart the stalled Middle East peace process.
	The highly symbolic vote in the lower house National Assembly is not binding on French government policy but is likely to spark fury in Israel, whose Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned it would be a "grave mistake."
	MPs voted 339 to 151 in favour of a motion that invites Paris to recognise the state of Palestine "as an instrument to gain a definitive resolution of the conflict."
	Palestinians are seeking to achieve statehood in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank with east Jerusalem as the capital. With little progress on reaching a settlement, they have been lobbying foreign powers for international recognition.
	During a debate on the issue on Friday, Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius stressed that Paris would recognise Palestine if diplomatic efforts failed again and urged a 

French MPs vote in favour of recognising Palestine

European nations agreed today to build a new-generation rocket to maintain their lead in the market for satellite launches, ministers said.
	European Space Agency (ESA) ministers "took a major decision -- to develop a new launcher, the Ariane 6, which will replace the Ariane 5, with a maiden flight scheduled for 2020," French Research Minister Genevieve Fioraso said in a statement, describing the deal as "historic."
	Today's agreement came after months of behind-the-scenes work to ease a rift between France and Germany over a successor to the Ariane 5.
	"This is a very important day for the space agency after sometimes very tough but very fair and open discussions," said Luxembourg Economy and Trade Minister Etienne Schneider.
	The Ariane 5 is a medium-to-heavy workhorse with 62 successful launches to its name. It accounts for more than half of the world's commercial launch market.
	Despite its reliability, Ariane 5 comes with high operational costs compared to nimble US commercial ...

Europe to build new-generation Ariane 6 rocket

NATO foreign ministers announced new support for Ukraine's military and slammed Moscow for backing rebel forces today in a meeting that also focused on the alliance's upcoming move to a training mission in Afghanistan.
	"We strongly condemn Russia's continued and deliberate destabilisation of eastern Ukraine in breach of international law," said a statement from the NATO ministers and Ukraine's Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin, who attended by videoconference.
	NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said they agreed to activate four trust funds which will help pay to upgrade Ukraine's logistics, cyber warfare, command and control and medical services, and added a fifth to support wounded Ukrainian soldiers.
	Despite Ukraine and pro-Russian rebels saying today that they had agreed a new truce in the eastern rebel stronghold of Lugansk and were discussing a similar truce in Donetsk province, the ministers also pushed Moscow to honour a wider peace deal agreed in September.
	"Russia must use its ...

NATO ministers boost support for Ukraine

Tunisia's new parliament held its inaugural session today, a landmark in the country's often fraught transition to democracy since the 2011 revolution which sparked the Arab Spring.
	Lawmakers took their seats following the first parliamentary election in the North African nation since the overthrow of long-time strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali nearly four years ago.
	"Tunisia has managed to secure a peaceful power transfer in a fluid and civilised manner that will ensure the gradual introduction of democratic traditions," Mustapha Ben Jaafar, speaker of the National Constituent Assembly (NCA), a transitional body, told deputies.
	After the singing of the national anthem, Ben Jaafar opened the gathering of 217 members of the new parliament who were elected in October.
	He then made way -- in a symbolic handover and in keeping with tradition -- for the oldest member of the new parliament, Ali Ben Salem, who was cheered by fellow lawmakers and the political party leaders invited to ...

New parliament meets in post-revolution Tunisia

Brazilian soccer legend Pele is out of intensive care and is able to walk around as he recovers from a kidney problem, the Sao Paulo hospital treating him said today.
     "The patient ... Is doing well without medical complications. He is able to walk around his room. Following clinical analyses resuming renal assistance was not necessary," the Albert Einstein clinic said.
     The clinic added that 74-year-old Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known worldwide as Pele, is now receiving "semi-intensive" care but remains in the same bed as previously.
     "A further evaluation of kidney function will be undertaken early tomorrow," the hospital said, adding that Pele was "lucid and eating well" without breathing difficulties while receiving antibiotics intravenously.
     The clinic suspended renal assistance on Sunday, six days after the three-time world champion was admitted.
     First tests showed that Pele, widely regarded as the greatest player of all time, was suffering from a 

Pele out of intensive care: Brazilian hospital

Francesco Schettino, the captain accused of causing the 2012 Costa Concordia disaster, appeared in court today to give evidence in his trial for manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning his ship and passengers.
	Wearing a grey suit and 'aviator' style sunglasses, the man dubbed "Captain Coward" and "Italy's most hated man", appeared drawn and pensive as he arrived at a theatre in the Tuscan town of Grosetto which is being used as a temporary courtroom.
	It was the first time since the trial was formally opened in July 2013 that prosecution lawyers have had the opportunity to quiz Schettino, 54, over the tragic events of the night of January 13-14, 2012 and the contradictory statements he subsequently made about them.
	His appearance came a month after the body of the last missing victim of the disaster was recovered from the salvaged wreck of the cruise ship, which is now being dismantled for scrap in Genoa.
	The victim, Indian waiter Russel Rebello, was one of 32 passengers ..

Italy cruise ship disaster skipper has day in court

China will not step in to save neighbouring North Korea if the Pyongyang regime collapses or starts a war, a retired People's Liberation Army general said, possibly signalling waning patience in Beijing with its wayward, nuclear-armed ally.
	"China is not a saviour," Wang Hongguang, formerly deputy commander of the Nanjing military region, wrote in the Global Times newspaper, which is close to the Chinese Communist Party.
	"Should North Korea really collapse, not even China can save it," he said.
	Wang's comments came in a contribution to the nationalist tabloid's Chinese-language website.
	The outspoken Wang has made critical comments about North Korea before and it was not clear whether his words indicated a policy shift regarding Pyongyang.
	China has long been the isolated North's key ally and aid provider.
	Beijing came to the fledgling country's aid during the 1950-53 Korean War, when its intervention against US-led United Nations forces defending South Korea helped seal an ...

China will not go to war for N Korea: former general

Israel looks set to hold early elections within months following a crisis in the ruling rightwing coalition provoked by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, media reports said today.
	   The burgeoning crisis, which could mean the second general election in some two years, is set to come to a head tomorrow when MPs vote on a bill to dissolve the Knesset, or parliament.
	   It comes in the wake of a growing wave of Palestinian unrest and deadly "lone wolf" attacks, with the prospect of peace more remote than ever.
	   Cracks in Netanyahu's right-leaning coalition emerged over the 2015 budget and a contentious bill aimed at enshrining Israel's status as the Jewish state in law, a move critics say could harm its Arab minority.
	   The Jewish state bill is strongly opposed by Finance Minister Yair Lapid, a key coalition partner who heads the centrist Yesh Atid party, and by Justice Minister Tzipi Livni who chairs HaTnuah, also centrist.
	   The two parties account for 25 of the coalition's .

Israel set for likely early vote over coalition crisis

The world is no longer beating the "drum of war" against Iran, its foreign minister said today, citing the direct benefit of the government's nuclear talks with the West.
	Mohammad Javad Zarif said the decision to restart negotiations and seek a deal over the Islamic republic's disputed nuclear programme had reduced tension and would not be reversed.
	But Zarif, who has led the Iranian side in talks with world powers that last month saw an interim agreement extended to June 30 next year, denied his team was bargaining "like carpet sellers" for a better deal.
	"Because of these negotiations the Islamic republic of Iran has become safer... And less vulnerable than before," he told students in Tehran in a speech carried live on state television.
	"No one can any longer beat the drum of war... The hostile atmosphere created against us has fallen through. The world has realised mutual understanding and common interests can lead to agreement."
	Israel and the United States have said all ...

Iran no longer facing 'drum of war': Zarif

Bangladesh cricket chiefs announced today that they were lifting a suspension for bad behaviour on Shakib Al Hasan, allowing the star all-rounder to play in overseas leagues including Australia's Big Bash T20 tournament.
     "We have given Shakib the assurance that his embargo on playing overseas leagues will be lifted in the next meeting of the board," Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan told reporters.
     The next meeting is on Thursday.
	The BCB banned Shakib, 27, the country's most popular sportsman, from playing cricket for the national side for six months in July for what it said was a "severe attitude problem".
	However the board watered down the ban one month later, allowing him to play for Bangladesh after the team suffered humiliating Test and one-day series losses in the West Indies.
	But the board had maintained the restriction on Shakib's appearance in overseas leagues such as the Indian Premier League, the Big Bash and English county cricket until ..

Bangladesh allows bad boy Shakib to play Big Bash

Turkish students know Albert Einstein but can't name any Muslim scientists or scholars, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan complained today as he called for a new curriculum in schools.
	"If you ask them who Einstein is, every young person has something to say about him. If you ask who Ibn Sina is, you see the child has never heard about him," Erdogan told a teachers' forum in the southern city of Antalya.
	Ibn Sina, more commonly known in as Avicenna, was an 11th century Islamic philosopher, doctor and scientist. The Persian polymath is considered one of the most remarkable thinkers of the Islamic Golden Age, during the Middle Ages, when Islamic caliphates propounded scientific advances.
	Erdogan, a pious Muslim who took over Turkey's presidency in August after serving as prime minister for more a decade, has sought to reinforce the image of Islam in his nation.
	His increasingly strident campaign has detractors fearing he aims to overturn Turkey's longstanding secular ...

Turkish youth know Einstein but not Muslim thinkers: Erdogan

Chinese conglomerate Wanda Group has held talks about acquiring a stake in Lions Gate Entertainment, the US studio behind the popular "Hunger Games" franchise, the Wall Street Journal reported.
	Wanda, which started as a builder of commercial property in China, bought US cinema chain AMC Entertainment for USD 2.6 billion in 2012. Its founder Wang Jianlin is China's fourth richest person with a fortune of USD 13.2 billion, according to Forbes magazine.
	Wang has held talks with Lions Gate chairman Mark Rachesky, who intends to sell part of his 37 percent stake in the company, the newspaper yesterday quoted people with knowledge of the discussions as saying.
	Wanda could not be reached for comment.
	Rachesky has held talks with other potential strategic investors including the founder of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, Jack Ma, the newspaper said.
	Alibaba, which listed on the New York Stock Exchange in September through a record-breaking initial public offer, has made several ...

A film called Wanda? China group seeks US studio stake

Taiwan arms developers said today that new surface-to-air missiles would defend its airspace for "up to 20 years" as it aims to update weaponry to counter a perceived military threat from China.
	Production of the Tienkung III (Sky Bow III), the most advanced model in a line of locally-developed air defence missiles, is slated to last from 2015 until 2024.
	Parliament recently approved the budget for the USD 2.5 billion project.
	"The missile is capable of intercepting short-range ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and fighter jets," a senior official in charge of the missile project at Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, the island's arms development hub, told AFP.
	"Together with US-made Patriot missiles, Tienkung III system will guard Taiwan's airspace in the next 15 to 20 years," said the official, surnamed Huang.
	The institute also released a video to reporters visiting the tightly-guarded compound in northern Taiwan.
	In the short film two Tienkung III missiles ...

Taiwan develops new missiles to counter China's threat

Syria's civil war has killed more than 200,000 people in less than four years, a monitoring group said today, adding that most were fighters from the two sides.
	"We have documented the killing of 202,354 people since March 2011," Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman said, adding that more than 130,000 of them were combatants.
	"Of the total, 63,074 of the killed were civilians, including 10,377 children," said Abdel Rahman.
	"Among the anti-regime fighters, 37,324 were Syrian rebels, while 22,624 were non-Syrian jihadists," he added.
	"On the regime side, there were 44,237 soldiers, 28,974 members of the (paramilitary) National Defence Force, 624 members of (Lebanon's Shiite) Hezbollah, and 2,388 pro-regime Shiite fighters from beyond Syria and Lebanon," Abdel Rahman said.
	Another 3,011 were unidentified, he added.
	Abdel Rahman said the toll "is probably much higher than 200,000, but certain areas under regime and (jihadist) Islamic State group control are 

Syria war death toll now more than 200,000: monitor

Members of the European Space Agency (ESA) were hammering out details today of a 10-year rocket programme worth USD 10-billion with a new Ariane 6 launcher at its heart.
	Sources at the talks in Luxembourg, gathering 20 European nations and Canada, said ministers were scrutinising financial aspects before giving the green light to a hard-fought deal.
	Intended to have a cheaper, more flexible design, the Ariane 6 will replace Ariane 5, a medium-to-heavy workhorse with 62 successful launches to its name. It accounts for more than half of the world's commercial launch market.
	Despite its reliability, Ariane 5 comes with high operational costs that are a drain on ESA's budget at a time of belt-tightening.
	"The proposal will give Europe a competitive, flexible Ariane from 2020," France's space minister Genevieve Fioraso said in a speech to ministers.
	Fioraso said Ariane 6 also "will respond to the rising threat of a spectacular breakthrough by new players who are weakening our autonomy 

Europe's new rocket set for political launch

The sudden announcement by Russia that it will shelve the huge South Stream gas pipeline project shows the need for the EU to find new energy sources, European Commission vice president Kristalina Georgieva said today.
	But the European Union said that despite President Vladimir Putin's shock decision, Brussels will continue internal talks to resolve the problems that Putin blamed for the collapse of the multi-billion-dollar project.
	"Russia's decision to stop South Stream and the way it was taken show why the diversification of the energy sources is important for Europe," Georgieva, whose native Bulgaria is at the heart of the dispute over the pipeline, told reporters.
	"The Commission will closely examine the consequences of this decision and how we can speed up the interconnection of Member States."
	Putin announced on a visit to Turkey yesterday that he was shelving the South Stream pipeline project to deliver Russian gas to Europe, a flagship Kremlin project half a decade in the 

EU says new energy sources crucial after South Stream

Ukraine and pro-Russian rebels "agreed in principle" on a ceasefire in one separatist province and were working to conclude a broader truce on today that would end nearly eight months of bloodshed.
	The latest push for peace in the former Soviet country was being spearheaded by European negotiators alarmed at the unravelling of a September 5 peace deal as tensions between the Russia and the West reach a post-Cold War high.
	The Ukrainian conflict has killed more than 4,300 people and seen NATO fortify defences to help protect former Soviet satellite nations from what it sees as the Kremlin's new expansionist threat.
	Foreign ministers from the Western military alliance were meeting in Brussels today to chart a course after what they have dubbed as a "year of aggression" by Russia against its smaller neighbour.
	Moscow denies helping the separatists in eastern Ukraine and sees the West as trying to undermine Russia's rightful influence in the former Soviet bloc.
	The Russian foreign ...

AFP

AFP

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