The parents of slain teenager Michael Brown today called the account given by the police officer who shot him unbelievable, and said the officer's comments added "insult after injury."
	Protests have flared across the United States after Monday's decision by a grand jury not to prosecute a white police officer for shooting dead the unarmed black teenager in August.
	In his first televised interview since the incident, officer Darren Wilson said he feared for his life, that Brown resembled an angry "demon" and had started the confrontation, grabbing for his gun and later rushing toward him.
	Brown's mother Lesley McSpadden, visibly emotional in an interview on NBC's "Today" show, said the officer's remarks added "insult after injury," and were "so disrespectful."
	"I don't believe a word of it. I know my son far too well to... He would never do anything like that. He would never provoke anyone to do anything to him and he wouldn't do anything to anybody. I don't believe a word of it," .

Slain US teen's parents call officer's account 'crazy'

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Almost 200 staff at the global charity Save the Children have signed a letter condemning its decision to give former British prime minister Tony Blair an award for his work on debt relief.
	The signatures were collected after the US branch of the charity handed Blair its "Global Legacy Award" in New York last week, The Guardian newspaper said today.
	The internal letter, seen by AFP, said his history as the prime minister who took Britain into the Iraq war risks damaging Save the Children's credibility.
	"The decision to award an extremely divisive figure accused of war crimes is not only morally reprehensible, but also endangers our credibility globally and could put our programmes and staff on the field at risk," it said.
	An online petition calling for the award to be withdrawn has also attracted almost 100,000 signatures, reflecting the passions Blair continues to stir even seven years after leaving office.
	The Labour leader was prime minister between 1997 and 2007, during which .

Staff backlash over charity's award for Tony Blair

Doctor Denis Mukwege received the European Parliament's prestigious Sakharov human rights prize on today for his work in helping thousands of gang rape victims in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
	European Parliament president Martin Schulz, who presented the 59-year-old with the award at a ceremony in Strasbourg, said Mukwege "fought for the dignity of women, justice and peace in his country".
	"You have eased the pain of countless women and girls and offered them a helping hand so that their injured bodies and broken bodies may be healed," said Schulz.
	A Congolese delegation sang for joy and waved flags from the parliamentary gallery as Schulz handed Mukwege a plaque to mark the award, named after Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov.
	Mukwege - who was named as recipient of the award in October for his work in treating the appalling injuries inflicted on the victims - said he hoped the prize would help to bring the plight of women in his country to an end.
	"By this prize you have ...

Congolese doctor receives EU prize for helping rape victims

Corruption claims and alleged abuse of migrants building facilities for the 2022 World Cup have not dampened Qatar's appetite to become the "world capital" of prestigious sport events.
	Cleared last week by FIFA of wrongdoing in gaining the right to host the World Cup, the Gulf emirate last Tuesday won the right to organise the 2019 Athletics World Championships.
	The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) announced Doha had beaten off Barcelona and Eugene, Oregon, to the dismay of international human rights campaigners.
	The Gulf state, which sits on the world's third largest gas reserves, has also offered help - ultimately rejected - organising the Africa Cup of Nations in 2015 after Morocco refused to host the tournament over fears of the spread of the deadly Ebola virus.
	"Doha will become the world's capital of sports," sports minister Salah bin Ghanem al-Ali told AFP.
	The energy-rich country has employed its wealth to lead Arab countries in hosting global ...

Qatar's sporting ambitions undented by controversy

Twenty-four people were killed and 625 people were wounded in the popular uprising that toppled longtime president Blaise Compaore in October, a committee appointed by Prime Minister Isaac Zida said today.
	Among causes of the fatalities were gunshot wounds, serious burns or suffocation, said Clarisse Merindol-Ouoba, who heads the committee probing the violence.
	Compaore, who had been power for 27 years, was forced to step down during two days of violent protests that saw demonstrators storm parliament and other buildings, ransacking offices and setting fire to cars.
	The opposition had initially reported a death toll of 30, while diplomatic sources had said 15 were killed.
	Merindol-Ouoba also highlighted heavy damage of property during the revolt, including 14 public buildings which were destroyed, while shops were pillaged.
	A new interim government comprising army officials and civilian representatives was named on Sunday to lead the country's 12-month transition.

24 killed in Burkina's anti-Compaore uprising: probe

Protest marches have sprang up across the United States, and police battled to stifle another night of unrest in Ferguson, ground zero of America's latest racially-charged riots.
	Violence erupted in the St Louis, Missouri suburb for a second night, after Monday's decision by a grand jury not to prosecute a white police officer for shooting dead an unarmed black teenager in August.
	Windows were smashed at city hall, a police car was set on fire and protesters pelted police with rocks, bottles, chunks of concrete and a Molotov cocktail, St Louis County police said.
	Demonstrators also threw bottles appearing to contain urine, said county police chief Jon Belmar. He said 44 arrests were made, but that in general the night was calmer than Monday, when the town saw rampaging looters, much gunfire from rioters and at least 12 buildings set on fire.
	This time police only used tear gas once, Belmar said.
	"I think generally it was a much better night," Belmar told reporters.
	Missouri ...

Protests across US as troops deployed in Ferguson

Zimbabwe's vice president has been ousted from the ruling party's leadership after a sustained campaign led by Robert Mugabe's wife Grace, as the battle to succeed the long-serving president heats up.
	Joice Mujuru came under attack after Grace Mugabe claimed the vice president was extorting money from companies and fomenting factionalism which is threatening to tear the ruling ZANU-PF party apart.
	She has also been accused of plotting to assassinate the president, as factions within the party jostle for power when 90-year-old Mugabe steps down or dies.
	Today, it emerged that Mujuru's bid to seek reelection to the ruling party's central committee was foiled when ZANU-PF rejected her election papers ahead of a key party congress next week.
	"A number of other ZANU-PF bigwigs linked to her nefarious activities to oust President Robert Mugabe also (failed) to make it," the Herald newspaper said.
	Mujuru and powerful Justice Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa were seen as the leading ...

Zimbabwe vice president ousted from party in succession war

Aung San Suu Kyi's party today said Myanmar is expected to hold high-level political talks within days aimed at amending a controversial junta-drafted constitution that bars the opposition leader from becoming president.
	The summit - the second and potentially most important meeting of top officials since the end of army rule - was approved by parliament yesterday as Myanmar debates charter change ahead of crucial 2015 elections.
	"We heard that they are going to meet on coming November 28," said Nyan Win, spokesman for Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy, but was unable to confirm an exact schedule.
	"It's not just us - the whole country is watching this development with great interest," he said.
	The six-party talks will include President Thein Sein, two parliament speakers, Suu Kyi, the army commander in chief and a representative from ethnic parties.
	Suu Kyi earlier welcomed the talks, which are a more streamlined version of unprecedented discussions held in late October ...

Suu Kyi party expects new Myanmar constitution talks in days

Namibia will vote in Africa's first electronic ballot on Friday in a poll that will usher in a new president and quotas to put more women in government, after opposition's plea against using Indian-made e-voting machines was dismissed.
	Opposition parties had launched an 11th-hour challenge to the use of the Indian-made e-voting machines, claiming the lack of a paper trail could open the door to vote rigging.
	But the Windhoek High Court dismissed the application today, leaving the door open for the election to go ahead as planned.
	Namibians will choose 96 members of the national assembly and one of nine presidential candidates, ranging from the left-wing Economic Freedom Fighters to the white minority Republican Party.
	Around 1.2 million Namibians are eligible to cast their ballots at nearly 4,000 electronic voting stations across the vast desert nation.
	But there is only one likely winner.
	Current Prime Minister Hage Geingob of the ruling SWAPO party has run on a platform of ...

Namibia prepares for Africa's first e-vote

Opener Mohammad Hafeez hit a brilliant hundred to help Pakistan reach 186-3 at tea on the opening day of the third and final Test against New Zealand in Sharjah today.
     Hafeez was on 123 for his seventh Test hundred and with him skipper Misbah-ul Haq four not out after Pakistan won a crucial toss and decided to bat on a flat, grass-less Sharjah stadium pitch.
     New Zealand, seeking to level the three-match series after losing the first in Abu Dhabi by 248 runs and drawing the second in Dubai, hit back in the second session by dismissing Azhar Ali (39) and in-form Younis Khan for five.
     Pakistan were comfortably placed at 82-1 at lunch but Ali became off-spinner Mark Craig's second wicket, caught in the slip off a loose shot.
     Ali added 87 for the second wicket with Hafeez.
     Younis, who hit three hundreds in Pakistan's 2-0 rout of Australia last month and one more in the first Test of this series, was trapped leg-before by left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori.
     ...

Hafeez's hundred guides Pakistan in third Test

Siberian air passengers had to get out and push their plane in temperatures of minus 52 degrees Celsius after its chassis froze, Russian prosecutors said today.
	The extraordinary story emerged after a passenger posted a video on YouTube showing a group of cheery travellers pushing the Tupolev plane on the snow-covered runway in Igarka, which is beyond the Arctic Circle.
	"Let's go," passengers in thick winter coats shout and whoop as they put their hands on the wings of the plane and shove it several metres along the runway.
	"Everyone wants to go home," one man says.
	Transport prosecutors in western Siberia said they were investigating the incident, which took place yesterday.
	"Due to the low air temperatures, the chassis's brake system froze and a tow truck was unable to move the plane onto the taxiway to carry out the flight," prosecutors confirmed in a statement.
	"The passengers on board got out of the plane and started pushing it onto the taxiway."
	Even for Russians inured ..

Passengers get out and push frozen Siberian plane

Egypt reopened the Rafah border crossing with Gaza today for the first time since its closure in late October after a bombing in the Sinai Peninsula, officials said.
	The crossing, which is the only access point to the Palestinian territory not controlled by Israel, will open for four hours both today and tomorrow, a government official said.
	"The crossing is being opened for two days to help traffic mainly from Egypt to Gaza," the official said, suggesting that for now the reopening was only temporary.
	The United Nations says more than 3,500 Palestinians have been stranded on the Egyptian side since the crossing was closed after a suicide attack killed 30 soldiers in the North Sinai on October 24.
	The attack, in an agricultural area northwest of provincial capital El-Arish, was the deadliest assault on Egyptian security forces since the army deposed Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013.
	The closure of the crossing has also prevented thousands of Gazans from accessing ...

Egypt reopens Gaza crossing: officials

OPEC needs non-cartel members to help address an oil supply glut that is set to grow next year, Iran's oil minister said here today.
	"All the experts in the markets believe that we have an oversupply on the market and next year we will have more oversupply," Iran's Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh told reporters.
	But Zanganeh said it was not solely up to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to tackle the oversupply which is sending crude prices crashing to four-year low points.
	"To deal with this situation we need to have a contribution from non-OPEC producers for managing the market," he told reporters on arrival in Vienna, where the cartel is headquartered.
	Thursday's meeting of OPEC is the most significant in recent years after crude futures have sunk by more than 30 percent since June on plentiful oil supplies, a strong dollar and worries about stalling energy demand in a weak global economy.
	The cartel, which pumps out about one-third of the world's oil, ..

OPEC looks for help to tackle oil supply glut

Pakistan recovered from the loss of opener Shan Masood to reach 82-1 at lunch on the opening day of the third and final Test against New Zealand today.
     Masood was bowled by off-spinner Mark Craig for 12 but fellow opener Mohammad Hafeez (47 not out) and Azhar Ali, unbeaten on 20, steadied the innings.
     Pakistan, seeking their second straight series victory after routing Australia 2-0 this month, got a kick-start by winning a crucial toss. Skipper Misbah-ul Haq immediately opted to bat on a dry, flat and grassless Sharjah stadium pitch.
     Hafeez, who missed the second Test with a hamstring injury, looked solid and struck six boundaries and a six.
     Ali too hit a six and two boundaries as batting looked easy on the tame pitch.
     Pakistan made two changes from the Dubai Test line-up, dropping out-of-form opener Taufeeq Umar and Ehsan Adil, who suffered a side strain. They brought in Hafeez and paceman Mohammad Talha.
     New Zealand entered the Test with three spinners 

Pakistan steady after Masood's fall

At least 95 people were killed in Syrian regime air strikes on the Islamic State group's self-proclaimed capital Raqa, a monitoring group has said in a new toll.
	The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 52 of the dead were civilians, but it had no word today on whether the others were jihadists or also civilians.
	"Some of the strikes hit near to Islamic State posts," said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Britain-based Observatory.
	Raqa was the first provincial capital in Syria to fall from regime control, and was later overrun by IS which has used it as the capital of its so-called "caliphate".
	Raqa has also been the target of repeated air strikes by the US-led coalition fighting against the jihadists.

Toll in Syria regime strikes on IS 'capital' rises to 95

Scoreboard at lunch on the opening day of the third and final Test between Pakistan and New Zealand at Sharjah stadium today:
     Pakistan 1st innings
     Mohammad Hafeez not out                 47
     Shan Masood b Craig                     12
     Azhar Ali not out                       20
     Extras: (nb1, w2)                        3
     Total: (for one wkt; 29 overs)          82
     Fall of wickets: 1-44.
     Bowling: Boult 6-3-15-0 (1w), Southee 6-1-19-0, Vettori 3-1-9-0, Anderson 6-3-10-0 (1nb, 1w), Craig 4-0-18-1, Sodhi 4-1-11-0.

Pakistan vs New Zealand 3rd Test scoreboard

A Bahraini court has sentenced 12 people to up to 15 years in prison after they took part in a jailbreak earlier this year.
	Two inmates who escaped from Jau prison in April were jailed for 15 years along with four accomplices, Northern Governorate Attorney General Hussain Al-Bouali said in a statement yesterday.
	The others received prison terms ranging from five to seven years, according to the statement published by the official BNA news agency.
	Seven of the defendants, including the two inmates who escaped, were also convicted of possessing "unlicenced" weapons.
	The pair were being held over their alleged involvement in Shiite-led protests in early 2011 that were crushed by the kingdom's Sunni rulers.
	They were caught two days after their escape, which prompted the dismissal of the Gulf kingdom's prisons chief.
	Scores of Shiites have been arrested, tried and jailed since the failed 2011 revolt, which was inspired by the Arab Spring regional uprisings.
	Protesters are ...

Bahrain jails 12 over prison escape

Brazilian football legend Pele continue to remain in a Sao Paulo hospital having been admitted overnight Monday with a urinary infection, barely a week after undergoing surgery for kidney stones, the clinic said.
     "The patient Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pele) remains in hospital with tests revealing the presence of a urinary infection. He remains stable for the moment," a statement from the Albert Einstein clinic read yesterday.
     Three-time world champion Pele, 74, spent two days in the same hospital when he underwent surgery on November 13, having also had hip surgery there two years ago.
     Pele, nicknamed O Rei (the king), was born in a humble home in the city of Tres Coracoes, but is considered by many as the greatest footballer in history with his exploits for Brazil and a career which saw him score 1,281 goals in 1,363 games.
     He scored 77 goals in 91 games for his country and won his first World Cup aged just 17, scoring twice in the 1958 final win over hosts ...

Urinary infection keeps Pele in hospital

Celebrities and sports stars voiced have frustration and urged restraint following violent protests over the decision not to prosecute a white police officer for the killing of an unarmed black teen.
	Magic Johnson, Chris Rock and LeBron James were among those tweeting after a night of unrest in Ferguson, Missouri linked to the death of aspiring college student Michael Brown, 18.
	"The system enables young black men to be killed behind the mask of law," wrote basketball icon Kobe Bryant yesterday, while filmmaker Spike Lee posted a photo of the slain teen with the caption "We are Mike Brown."
	"I am very disappointed with decision in Mike Brown case in Ferguson, MO," wrote Johnson. "We must work together to stop the unnecessary loss of young men of colour. Justice was not served in Ferguson."
	Grammy-winning white rapper Macklemore added: "The system that instills and protects white supremacy wins again. Humanity loses. No justice. I pray for Mike Brown and his family. So ...

Celebrities, sports stars weigh in on US race protests

A top radio host accused of sexual violence has withdrawn his USD 49 million lawsuit against Canada's public broadcaster for wrongful dismissal, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has said.
	The CBC fired syndicated radio host Jian Ghomeshi last month after several women came forward with allegations of sexual abuse.
	Ghomeshi had argued that any sex was consensual "rough sex" of the kind found in erotic romance novels such as the best-seller "50 Shades of Grey."
	But CBC head of English programming Heather Conway characterized the allegations as "inflicting an injury on another human being."
	CBC spokesman Chuck Thompson told AFP yesterday the two sides have now reached a settlement and the lawsuit has been withdrawn. The deal must also be formalized by a court order, he added.
	The terms of the agreement were not revealed.
	The initial accusations had been made anonymously but since then, at least nine women have come forward with stories of being strangled or slapped by ...

Radio host drops USD 49 mn lawsuit against public broadcaster

Canadian smartphone maker BlackBerry is wooing Apple customers with a cash offer for trade-ins of iPhones for its new square-screened, keyboard-equipped Passport.
	The promotion was announced yesterday and will be available starting next month until February 13, in Canada and the United States.
	Customers who trade in their iPhones could receive up to USD 400 cash back depending on the model and condition of their trade-in, plus a USD 150 gift card.
	This marks the first time that BlackBerry has gone head-to-head with Apple since the Canadian firm launched a turnaround plan last year aimed at stemming massive losses.
	The Passport was launched in September.
	Named for its approximate size to the travel document, the phone was designed to win back key corporate users after BlackBerry was effectively knocked out of the highly competitive consumer smartphone market dominated by Apple and Samsung.
	Investors seemed pleased, pushing up the Waterloo, Ontario-based company's share price ...

AFP

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