Children playing at a Sydney beach Sunday stumbled across the body of a baby buried under the sand, Australian investigators said, just a week after a newborn was found crying at the bottom of a roadside drain.
	New South Wales police said they had established a crime scene at the beach in the eastern Sydney suburb of Maroubra after the grisly discovery today morning.
	"A number of children were playing at the southern end of South Beach when they located the body of a baby in the sand," police said in a statement.
	"Investigations into the child's death are continuing, however, the age and sex of the child is yet to be determined."
	Inspector Andrew Holland said the "very small infant child" was buried naked under about 11.8 inches of sand near the edge of some dunes, adding that the boys who found the body were just six and seven years old.
	"The children were digging  the child was buried under about 30 centimetres of sand," Holland told reporters.
	"The two young children reported 

Children playing on Australian beach find baby's body: police

PTI Automatic

Real Madrid recorded a club record 16th consecutive win in all competitions with a 2-1 victory at Malaga to move five points clear at the top of La Liga.
     Karim Benzema opened the scoring when he turned home Cristiano Ronaldo's low cross after just 18 minutes to register his 13th goal of the season yesterday.
     Malaga 'keeper Carlos Kameni then kept his side in the game with a string of impressive saves as Ronaldo was held scoreless for the first time in the league this season.
     However, Gareth Bale smashed home a second seven minutes from time and the visitors held on despite having Isco sent-off moments later and seeing Roque Santa Cruz half the hosts' deficit in stoppage time.
     "I will get the merit for this record, but in reality I have the luck to coach a fantastic team, with fantastic players at a fantastic club," said Real boss Carlo Ancelotti.
     "I have the profound admiration for these players that are playing very well. We need to keep going though because .

Sweet 16th straight win for record breaking Madrid

Moldova votes today in a crucial parliamentary election that hinges on whether the impoverished ex-Soviet country will pursue integration with Europe or return to Russia's fold.
	Opinion polls showed the political parties aiming for membership in the European Union were roughly neck-and-neck with those that back joining Russia in a customs union.
	Russia and the EU are locked in a tug-of-war to win influence in the region where armed conflict has erupted in neighbouring Ukraine between Kiev's pro-EU leadership and pro-Russian separatists.
	Moscow does not want to part ways with Moldova, a former Soviet satellite where it has troops stationed in the Russian-speaking breakaway region of Transdniestr, while the EU is keen for Moldova to be a success story for its soft power.
	Moldovans are voting for MPs to serve a four-year term in the 101-seat parliament. Parties must win at least six per cent of the vote to get a seat. No party is expected to gain an outright majority.
	A small ...

Moldova votes in key poll at crossroads of Europe and Russia

The mother of a victim of downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 has begun legal proceedings against Ukraine at the European Court of Human Rights, accusing Kiev of failing to close the country's airspace, a German daily reported today.
	The woman, who lodged her complaint at the Strasbourg-based court "last week", is suing Ukraine for USD 1 million in damages for negligent homicide, the Bild newspaper said.
	The Boeing 777 exploded over insurgent-held east Ukraine on July 17, killing all 298 on board, 193 of them Dutch. Four were German, according to the airline.
	Kiev and the West have accused separatists of shooting it down with a surface-to-air missile supplied by Russia - a charge Moscow denies.
	The plaintiff in the case claims that Ukraine should have closed its airspace to civilian flights when fighting raged in the east of the country, Bild reported.
	The woman argues that Ukraine chose not to close its airspace because it did not want to lose out on overflight fees.
	At the ...

Mother of MH17 victim takes Ukraine to human rights court

The police officer who killed an unarmed black 18-year-old, sparking protests about race and police brutality around the country has resigned, local media reported.
	Ferguson, Missouri policeman Darren Wilson said he was stepping down due to safety concerns, according to the letter sent to the police department and published by local daily the St Louis Post-Dispatch.
	"It was my hope to continue in police work, but the safety of other police officers and the community are of paramount importance to me," the letter from the 28-year-old said yesterday.
	Wilson's lawyer had previously indicated that he would resign from the police force and would never work as a police officer again.
	Wilson shot and killed black teenager Michael Brown in August, claiming he acted in self-defense.
	The shooting prompted racially-charged protests that erupted again last week and spread across the nation after a grand jury decided not to charge Wilson in the shooting. Protesters claim US police put a ...

Police officer at center of Ferguson shooting resigns

Civil rights activists have embarked on a seven-day march to demand sweeping police reforms and denounce a US grand jury's decision not to indict a white officer who shot dead an unarmed black teenager.
	The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is organising the 192-kilometre "Journey for Justice" from the St Louis suburb of Ferguson where Michael Brown was killed to Jefferson City, the Missouri state capital.
	A core group of around 100 marchers, who hope to be joined by thousands more by the end, are demanding the sacking of the Ferguson police chief, nationwide police reforms and an end to racial profiling.
	"We will fight until hell freezes over and then we will fight on the ice," NAACP president Cornell William Brooks told an impassioned prayer service at Washington Metropolitan A M E Zion Church in St Louis.
	The group then boarded buses set to take them to the spot in Ferguson, where Brown was killed, and from there around 10 miles of the journey ..

US activists start seven-day march for Michael Brown

Hundreds of leftwing Israelis have demonstrated in Jerusalem against a controversial draft law enshrining Israel's status as the Jewish national homeland.
	The rally was organised by Israel's Peace Now settlement watchdog and held across the street from the residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, yesterday night.
	Peace Now said the rally was "an opportunity to let the democratic camp's voice be heard" against the draft law, which embodied "nationalism, racism and aggression" threatening to "ruin our country."
	As the demonstration got underway, police said that arsonists had torched an Arab-Jewish school in Jerusalem and scrawled racist anti-Arab slogans on its walls.
	"Go home, release us from your oppressive, racist, extremist and inciting regime," MP Tamar Zandberg of the opposition Meretz party said at the demonstration.
	Critics say the new bill - endorsed by the cabinet on Sunday - will come at the expense of democracy and institutionalise discrimination against ...

Hundreds protest Israel's 'Nation State' bill

Coins featuring the face of Alexander the Great have been found at the largest tomb ever unearthed in Greece, where archaeologists are hunting for clues to solve the mystery of who lies buried there.
	The enormous tomb at Amphipolis in northern Greece dates back to the fourth century BC and contains near-intact sculptures and intricate mosaics.
	The discovery earlier this month of a skeleton inside the structure has added to the excitement over the site, which has enthralled the Greek public.
	The archaeologist in charge of the dig, Katerina Peristeri, today said they still did not know the identity of the skeleton but it was likely the tomb was built for a high-ranking individual.
	Giving the first complete presentation of the excavation results at the Ministry of Culture in Athens, Peristeri said the quality of the statues and the sheer scale of the tomb -- it measures some 500 metres (1,640 feet) in circumference -- "show that a general could have been buried there".
	The tomb was .

Ancient coins found in Greece's mystery tomb

Sony Pictures Entertainment is looking into whether North Korea may have been behind a major cyberattack on the studio last week, a news website reported.
	The website re/code noted that the attack came as the studio neared release of a comedy about a CIA plot to assassinate its leader Kim Jong-Un.
	"The Interview," which stars Seth Rogan and James Franco as two journalists recruited by the CIA to bump off Kim, has infuriated the North Koreans, with state media warning of "merciless retaliation."
	Citing sources familiar with the matter, re/code yesterday said Sony and outside consultants were exploring the theory hackers operating in China carried out the attack last Monday on behalf of North Korea.
	A North Korean link has not been confirmed, however, according to the sources.
	An image posted on the Reddit social network from an individual claiming to be a former Sony employee showed a page with the words "Hacked by #GOP." It was unclear what GOP stands for, but some reports said ..

Sony sees possible North Korea link to hack attack: report

Taliban militants attacked a foreign compound in Kabul today, killing two people in the latest strike to hit the Afghan capital during the final weeks of NATO's 13-year war against the insurgents.
	"One Afghan and one foreigner, both working for a foreign organisation, were killed," Hashmat Stanakzai, spokesman for the Kabul police, told AFP.
	He declined to identify the nationality of the foreigner or the targeted organisation.
	"Three suicide bombers targeted this building," he said. "The Afghan security forces quickly reached the site of the attack, and started operations against them.
	"Fighting was over after three hours, with all three militants killed. Six people were rescued."
	Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed on Twitter that the targeted compound was a secret Christian missionary centre and that a meeting of Australian visitors had been hit.
	"A spate of deadly martyrdom attacks have rocked important enemy targets in recent days," Mujahid added.
	Kabul has been hit 

1 foreigner, 1 Afghan killed in Kabul compound attack: police

The Turkish army today confirmed Islamic State (IS) jihadists had staged an attack at the border post close to the Syrian town of Kobane but denied the car involved in the strike has come from its territory.
	"Claims that the car involved in the IS attack on the Mursitpinar border post came from Turkey are lies. No statement to that effect has any authority," the army said in a statement quoted by Turkish media.
	Some pro-Kurdish media said earlier that a suicide attack had been staged by a vehicle that had arrived from Turkish territory, raising new questions about Turkey's commitment to fight IS.
	According to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory of Human Rights, one suicide attacker blew up an explosive-packed car and another detonated a suicide-bomb belt.

Turkey confirms IS border attack

Taiwan's premier resigned today after his Beijing-friendly ruling party suffered a landslide defeat at the island's biggest ever local elections, as public fears grow over China's increasing influence.
	In a brief resignation speech, Jiang Yi-huah said that he took "political responsibility" for the heavy losses suffered by the Kuomintang (KMT) party.
	The polls are seen as an important test ahead of the 2016 presidential race, with China policy a key issue.
	Official results showed the ruling KMT had lost in five out of Taiwan's six large municipalities -- the most hotly contested seats. Prior to the vote they had held four of them.
	Taiwan and China split in 1949 at the end of a civil war, but Beijing still claims the island as part of its territory awaiting reunification, by force if necessary.
	Under the KMT, previously frosty ties between Beijing and Taipei have warmed, but there is public anxiety over the closer relationship.
	A proposed trade pact with the mainland sparked mass 

Taiwan premier resigns over party's landslide poll defeat

A helicopter donated to the Tanzanian government to help with anti-poaching operations crashed today, killing all four people on board, police said.
	A police spokeswoman said the Robertson R44 helicopter, worth USD 500,000, had recently been given to Tanzania by the Howard G. Buffett Foundation.
	She said the helicopter went down in the Kipunguni area of the Indian Ocean port city of Dar es Salaam.
	"Two pilots from the police force, a civilian pilot and a police officer were in the ill-fated aircraft," police spokeswoman Advera Senso told AFP.
	An investigation was underway to establish the cause of the apparent accident.
	The Howard G Buffett Foundation is a private family foundation set up by the businessman and former politician son of US billionaire investor Warren Buffet.

Four killed in Tanzania anti-poaching helicopter crash

Full scoreboard of the second one-day international between Sri Lanka and England in Colombo today:
     England:
     A. Cook c K. Perera b Dilshan               22
     M. Ali b Dilshan                             2
     I. Bell c T. Perera b Herath                11
     J. Root lbw b Mathews                       42
     E. Morgan c Thirimanne b T. Perera          17
     R. Bopara c Mathews b A. Mendis             51
     J. Buttler b Prasad                          7
     C. Woakes st Sangakkara b A. Mendis         15
     J. Tredwell not out                          9
     S. Finn b A. Mendis                          0
     H. Gurney b Prasad                           1
     Extras: (lb3, w3, nb2)                       8
     Total (all out, 43 overs)                  185
     Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-36, 3-37, 4-75, 5-117, 6-132, 7-173, 8-180, 9-180, 10-185.
     Bowling: Mathews 6-0-23-1 (w2), Dilshan 9-0-32-2, Herath 9-0-40-1, A. Mendis 7-1-33-3 (w1), T. Perera 3-0-16-1, J. ..

Sri Lanka v England one-day scoreboard

Hosts Sri Lanka outplayed woeful England by eight wickets in the second one-day international in Colombo today to take a 2-0 lead in the seven-match series.
     Unorthodox spinner Ajantha Mendis grabbed three for 33 as England were skittled for 185 in 43 overs after electing to bat in a match reduced to 45-overs-a-side because of bad weather.
     The veteran duo of Kumar Sangakkara (67 not out) and Mahela Jayawardene (77 not out) then put on 149 for the unbroken third wicket as Sri Lanka romped home with 10.4 overs to spare at the Premadasa stadium.
     Sri Lanka had won the first game by 25 runs at the same venue on Wednesday. The third match will be played in Hambantota on December 3.
     Both teams wore black arm-bands and observed a minute's silence before the start to mourn Australian batsman Phil Hughes, who died in Sydney on Thursday of head injuries sustained by a rising ball.
     Bats and caps were displayed outside the dressing rooms as a mark of respect and flags flew .

Dominant Sri Lanka crush England to go 2-0 up

Taliban militants launched an attack on a foreign compound in Kabul today, officials said, the latest in a series of strikes in the Afghan capital during the final weeks of NATO's 13-year war against the insurgents.
	Gunfire and explosions erupted as elite commando police fought with the attackers in west Kabul, not far from the parliament.
	The attack came two days after the Taliban attacked a foreign guesthouse in the diplomatic district of the city and a suicide bomber targeted a British embassy vehicle in a blast that killed six people.
	Kabul has been hit by at least nine attacks in the last two weeks, with targets including US military convoys, foreign security contractor compounds and a female Afghan member of parliament.
	On December 31, the US-led NATO combat mission in Afghanistan will end and be replaced by a follow-on mission tasked with supporting the Afghan army and police who have taken over responsibility for thwarting the Taliban.
	"It is an ongoing terrorist attack ..

Taliban attack another foreign compound in Kabul: officials

Brendon McCullum smashed a double-hundred but Kane Williamson missed his by eight runs as New Zealand posted their highest total against Pakistan in the third Test in Sharjah on Saturday.
     McCullum hit 188-ball 202 while Williamson made 192 as New Zealand closed the third day at 637-8 with a world record of 19 sixes to pulversie a hapless Pakistan.
     That gave New Zealand a mammoth lead of 286 runs over Pakistan's first innings total of 351, setting them up strongly for a series-levelling win.
     Pakistan lead the three-match series 1-0 after winning the first Test in Abu Dhabi by 248 runs and drawing the second in Dubai.
     New Zealand surpassed Australia's record of 17 sixes in a Test innings against Zimbabwe at Perth in 2003.
     This also becomes the highest total by New Zealand against Pakistan, beating the 563 they made at Hobart in 2003.
     Ross Taylor, Corey Anderson and Tim Southee all made 50 each to enjoy a dominating day for their team.
     In the morning ...

McCullum, Williamson lead run-feast against Pakistan

Scoreboard at close on the third day of the third and final Test between Pakistan and New Zealand at Sharjah stadium today:
     Pakistan 1st innings 351 (Mohammad Hafeez 197; M. Craig 7-94)
     New Zealand 1st innings (overnight 249-1)
     T. Latham c Ahmed b Rahat               13
     B. McCullum b Shah                     202
     K. Williamson c Younis b Rahat         192
     R. Taylor c Younis b Shah               50
     C. Anderson c Shah b Rahat              50
     D. Vettori lbw b Rahat                  15
     BJ Watling lbw b Hafeez                  8
     M. Craig not out                        34
     T. Southee c Talha b Shah               50
     Extras: (b2, lb7, nb6, w8)              23
     Total: (for eight wkts; 130 overs)     637
     Fall of wicket: 1-51, 2-348, 3-464, 4-488, 5-528, 6-537, 7-546, 8-637.
     Bowling: Talha 22-2-136-0 (6nb, 1w), Rahat 25-0-89-4 (2w), Babar 23-1-135-0, Shah 38-4-169-3, Hafeez 20-2-91-1 (5w), Ali 2-0-8-0.

Pakistan v New Zealand third Test scoreboard

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan vowed today to hunt down those behind "heinous" attacks which left at least 120 dead at the mosque of a top Islamic leader and vocal critic of Boko Haram.
	At least 270 others were also wounded in yesterday's attacks when two suicide bombers blew themselves up and gunmen opened fire during weekly prayers at the Grand Mosque in Kano, the biggest city in the mainly Muslim north of the country.
	The president "directed the security agencies to launch a full-scale investigation and to leave no stone unturned until all agents of terror ... Are tracked down and brought to justice," said a statement from Jonathan's office today.
	"The president reaffirms that terrorism in all forms ... is a despicable and unjustifiable threat to our society."
	He urged Nigerians "not to despair in this moment of great trial in our nation's history but to remain united to confront the common enemy."
	The Grand Mosque is attached to the palace of the Emir of Kano Muhammad ..

Nigeria president vows to hunt those behind mosque attacks

Taiwan's Beijing-friendly ruling party was facing a rout today as voters went to the polls for the island's biggest ever local elections, a key test ahead of the 2016 presidential race.
	Opinion polls suggest the Kuomintang (KMT) are heading for heavy losses as they struggle with growing fears over Chinese influence, a slowing economy and a string of food scandals.
	The local vote is seen as a barometer for leadership elections due in early 2016, with China policy a key issue. Embattled President Ma Ying-jeou -- who came to power in 2008 on a Beijing-friendly platform -- must step down at the end of his second four-year term.
	Voters lined up at polling stations from early morning and roads, train and bus stations were jammed as people returned to their local neighbourhoods to cast their ballots.
	A record 11,130 seats at every level of local government are up for grabs, with 18 million people eligible to vote.
	The KMT faces humiliation in key strongholds, including Taipei and the ...

Taiwan votes in key test for China-friendly government

Two young men were killed and about 20 other people wounded when Algerians demonstrating against delays in a government projects clashed with police, media said today.
	The confrontation took place Friday in the town of Touggourt, where people were protesting delays "in awarding plots, construction and connection to the water supply," APS news agency aid.
	The pair killed were aged 20 and 24, Nahar newspaper reported, with witnesses adding that police were among the wounded.
	The protests began with people blocking the road that leads to the nearby Hassi Messaoud oil field, the daily said.
	After police dispersed them with tear gas and batons, they converged on the police station, where the fatal clash took place.

AFP

AFP

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