Australia's prime minister has told former "Baywatch" star Pamela Anderson that Canberra will not intervene to bring her friend, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, back home to prevent his extradition to the United States.
The 48-year-old Australian is currently in jail in London for jumping bail and avoiding extradition to Sweden by fleeing to the Ecuadoran embassy, where he lived for seven years.
He now again faces extradition, this time to the United States on charges of violating the Espionage Act.
Anderson had written to Australian PM Scott Morrison warning that Assange was under intense psychological pressure at the high-security jail where he is being held.
In the letter of response obtained by The Australian newspaper, Morrison responded by saying that "Australia has no standing and is unable to intervene in Assange's legal proceedings."
"The proper place for Assange to raise concerns about the lawfulness of his actions, or his treatment under the law, is through those legal ...

Australia PM turns down plea from Baywatch star to bring Assange home

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China on Wednesday denounced US policies in the Middle East as "selfish", as it blamed Washington for destabilising the fraught region where Beijing has stepped up investment in recent years.
While US President Donald Trump has decided to abruptly withdraw troops from northeast Syria and reimpose sweeping sanctions on Iran, Beijing -- the world's top crude importer -- has doubled down on its economic commitments in the oil-rich region.
"The United States, the world's only superpower and one with tremendous influence in the region, has pursued a selfish and unilateralist policy," said Chen Xiaodong, China's assistant foreign minister.
This policy "sides with the strong at the expense of the weak, which has been a prominent factor behind the security predicament of the region," said Chen, speaking at the two-day Middle East Security Forum in Beijing.
Since taking office, President Xi Jinping has overseen a concerted effort to expand Chinese influence in the Middle East and Africa, ...

China slams 'selfish' US Middle East policies

Former Australia Twenty20 captain George Bailey was appointed Wednesday as one of the country's three national selectors, replacing the retired Greg Chappell.
He joins chairman Trevor Hohns and coach Justin Langer and draws the curtain on his long playing career after the domestic Big Bash League in early February to take on the role full-time.
"I have been fortunate enough to contribute as a player for quite a few years, and to now have the opportunity to continue in the role of selector is a tremendous honour," said Bailey.
"I'm confident I can add value to the selection process and that my experience will be complementary to that of Trevor and Justin."
Bailey, 37, played five Tests, 90 one-day internationals and 30 Twenty20s for Australia.
He has also been a stalwart for Tasmania, the Hobart Hurricanes and Melbourne Stars since making his first-class debut in 2004. He is currently 12 runs short of 10,000 first-class runs.
"He is an outstanding leader and one of the most respected, .

George Bailey appointed Australia cricket selector

Parisa Haidary gets behind the steering wheel of a mini-bus, kicks off her high heels and with a socked foot presses the accelerator, carefully easing the 10-seater into Kabul's ever-clogged traffic.
The Afghan mother, who works for a women-only bus service, smiles as other road-users - all of them men - gawp in astonishment.
"We get a lot of different reactions," she says. "Some drivers block our way, others honk at us, some even drive alongside at the same speed when the road is clear." In an ultra-patriarchal society where it remains rare to see a woman behind the wheel, Haidary is one of four drivers working for Pink Shuttle, a pilot bus programme employing only women to ferry female passengers and their kids across the Afghan capital.
"I love driving and am interested in my job. The only concern we have is the security situation. We have to stay fearless," Haidary said.
The 36-year-old former beautician, who has also worked as a television journalist, and her colleagues were ...

'Pink Shuttle' buses help Afghan women navigate conservative society

South Korea's Hyundai Motor has signed a deal to build a $1.5 billion car plant in Indonesia, the company said, its first in southeast Asia, where Japanese carmakers dominate the market.
The deal comes as Seoul looks to diversify its trade-dependent economy, the world's 11th largest, away from reliance on traditional partners China and the US.
Indonesia is the region's largest automobile market, and the $1.55 billion deal aims to "combat slowing demand in the global automotive market" and propel future growth, Hyundai said in a statement.
The plant, to be built in Bekasi, east of Jakarta, will start production in 2021, Hyundai said, ultimately aiming to produce 250,000 vehicles a year.
South Korea's President Moon Jae-in has been pushing a "New Southern Policy", seeking to bolster economic ties with Southeast Asia as the country aims to reduce over-reliance on Beijing and Washington, and Hyundai's announcement co-incided with a South Korea-ASEAN summit in Busan.
Hyundai, the South's ..

Hyundai Motor to invest $1.5 bln in Indonesia factory

Israel struck a series of military targets in the Gaza Strip overnight Wednesday in response to rockets fired from the Palestinian enclave, the Israeli army said.
"Fighter jets struck a number of Hamas terror targets in the southern Gaza Strip," an army statement said early Wednesday.
It said a weapons manufacturing site and underground infrastructure were among the sites targeted.
At least two Hamas sites were hit, in addition to one for allied group Islamic Jihad, a security source in Gaza said.
There were no immediate reports of any casualties.
Islamists Hamas control Gaza and Israel holds the group responsible for any rockets launched from the strip, even if fired by smaller groups.
The strikes came in response to two rockets fired at Israel late Tuesday, one of which was intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile system, the army said.
The rockets caused sirens to sound around the Israeli town of Sderot, close to the border with Gaza.
The latest incident comes after a brief ...

Israel strikes Gaza in response to rocket fire: army

Police in fire-ravaged Australia on Wednesday charged a volunteer firefighter with arson, alleging he lit seven blazes before returning to help colleagues extinguish them.
Authorities allege the 19-year-old deliberately lit seven fires on the far south coast of New South Wales -- the state worst-hit by a recent spate of devastating bushfires -- between mid-October and late November.
The man was allegedly seen sitting in a vehicle on Tuesday afternoon shortly before a fire broke out nearby.
"Police will allege in court that the man lit the fire and left the area before returning to respond to the fire as part of his duties as a volunteer firefighter," police said in a statement.
He was arrested shortly afterwards and charged with seven counts of causing a fire and being reckless to its spread.
New South Wales Rural Fire Service commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said the teenager had been immediately stood down from his firefighting duties.
"Our members will be rightly angry that the ...

Australian volunteer firefighter charged with lighting bushfires

A German tourist was killed and an Argentine woman injured in a landmine explosion in Myanmar's eastern Shan state, local police said Wednesday, days after the country was shamed over its continuing use of the weapons.
The accident happened near the town of Hsipaw, a popular hiking spot for backpackers who often ride the scenic route by train from Mandalay to reach the mountains.
A 40-year-old German tourist was "killed in a mine blast", a duty police officer from Hsipaw township told AFP by phone Wednesday on condition of anonymity.
The explosion happened Tuesday afternoon near the villages of Pan Nayung and Kwun Haung, he said.
"Tourists are not permitted to go to that area." He confirmed a 39-year-old Argentine woman was also "slightly injured" in the accident.
Local NGO Without Borders, which runs a de facto ambulance service staffed by volunteers, told AFP she had since been discharged from hospital.
Huge swathes of Myanmar's restive borderlands are no-go areas for holidaymakers, 

German tourist killed in Myanmar landmine blast

The black boxes from two French military helicopters that collided in Mali killing 13 soldiers have been found, a French military spokesman said Wednesday.
The crash occurred late Monday during an operation against jihadists in the Liptako region, near the borders with Burkina Faso and Niger. It was the heaviest single loss for the French military in nearly four decades.
"The two black boxes from the helicopters have been recovered, they will be handed over to the relevant authorities to be analysed," the spokesman, Colonel Frederic Barbry, told BFMTV.
Three helicopters and a squadron of Mirage jets had arrived on Monday to support ground troops pursuing Islamist extremists.
Shortly after troops engaged the insurgents, who fled on motorbikes and in a pickup truck, a Tiger attack helicopter collided with a Cougar military transport helicopter, killing all 13 onboard the two aircraft.
Barbry said no theory as to the cause of the crash is being ruled out, and it would be up to the ...

Black boxes from crashed helicopters found in Mali

The first remains of the 39 people found dead in a truck in Britain last month arrived in Vietnam early Wednesday, capping a weeks-long wait by families eager to bury their loved ones.
Sixteen bodies arrived on a Vietnam Airlines commercial flight from London to Hanoi, where they were met at the airport by waiting ambulances and security personnel.
They were quickly shuttled away en route to their home provinces in central Vietnam, where relatives anxiously awaited their arrival.
"We have been waiting for this moment for very long time. We will organise the funeral as soon as he's returned," said Vo Van Binh, whose son Vo Van Linh was among the victims.
"We are very sad but happy as finally my son is back," he told AFP from central Ha Tinh province, where the family had gathered awaiting the arrival of Linh's body.
An airport security source earlier confirmed that 16 bodies had arrived on the flight and would be transferred to local authorities.
All 16 were from three provinces in ...

First bodies of UK truck victims arrive in Vietnam for burial

US President Donald Trump said in an interview posted online Tuesday that he planned to designate Mexican drug cartels as terror groups.
The move comes after Trump called for a "war" on the cartels in early November when nine women and children from a Mormon community in northern Mexico were killed in a hail of gunfire. The victims were dual US-Mexican citizens.
"Are you going to designate those cartels in Mexico as terror groups and start hitting them with drones?" asked Bill O'Reilly, a conservative media personality, in an interview posted on his personal website.
"I don't want to say what I'm going to do, but they will be designated," Trump answered.
He added: "I will be designating the cartels... absolutely. I have been working on that for the last 90 days.
"Designation is not that easy, you have to go through a process and we are well into that process." Trump's remarks on Mexico came from a short sample of a longer interview available for paid subscribers on the O'Reilly ...

Trump says will designate Mexican cartels as 'terror' groups

A TikTok post by a young woman, pretending to give eyelash curling advice while actually condemning China's crackdown on Muslims in Xinjiang, has gone viral on the Chinese-owned app that has been accused of censoring anti-Beijing content.
The clip by US teen Feroza Aziz, who describes herself as "17 Just a Muslim", had millions of views across several social media platforms by Wednesday.
But Aziz said she has been blocked from posting on the hugely popular video platform TikTok for a month after uploading Sunday's clip slamming China, a claim disputed by the app.
Human rights groups and outside experts say more than one million Uighurs and other mostly Muslim minorities have been rounded up in a network of internment camps across the fractious region of Xinjiang.
China, after initially denying the camps existed, describes them as vocational schools aimed at dampening the allure of Islamist extremism and violence through education and job training.
Aziz starts her video telling ...

US teen's TikTok video on Xinjiang goes viral

England paceman Jofra Archer said Wednesday he had "moved on" after being racially abused by a spectator in New Zealand and was ready to help the tourists bounce back from a heavy first Test defeat.
Archer said his focus was on the second Test in Hamilton beginning Friday, not the racial taunts thrown at him late in the opening match in Mount Maunganui on Monday as England were drubbed by an innings and 65 runs.
"I'm over it. I've left what happened at the ground and I've moved on," the Barbados-born bowler said in a column for the Daily Mail.
New Zealand, who will be without opening bowler Trent Boult and all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme for the second Test, expressed shock at Archer's treatment, with skipper Kane Williamson offering an apology on behalf of all Kiwis.
"I should also say it was just one person who was shouting stuff. But I found the incident a real shame," said Archer who added he was disappointed other spectators did not intervene.
"I thought members of the crowd ...

Archer "over" racism shock as England regroup for second Test

- England coach Chris Silverwood will leave his team's tour of New Zealand early because of a family bereavement, officials said Wednesday.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said Silverwood would depart on Saturday after day two of the second Test in Hamilton.
"Assistant coaches Graham Thorpe and Paul Collingwood will assume responsibility of team affairs alongside Test captain Joe Root for the remainder of the New Zealand tour," it tweeted.
The New Zealand tour is Silverwood's first in charge of England after he was named as Trevor Bayliss's replacement in October.
Silverwood's team were trounced by an innings and 65 runs in the first Test and rocked by Jofra Archer's revelation that a spectator at Mount Maunganui's Bay Oval racially abused the fast bowler.
Star allrounder Ben Stokes played down the impact of Silverwood's absence, saying the coach had already completed his tactical blueprint for the second Test.
"Once we get going, the onus is on the players really for the ...

England coach to fly home from New Zealand tour after bereavement

Unai Emery has the chance to relieve some of the pressure surrounding his position at Arsenal on Thursday by securing qualification for the knockout rounds of the Europa League with a match to spare.
Speculation over Emery's job has ramped up after his Gunners side were booed off at the end of their 2-2 draw with lowly Southampton at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, gained only thanks to a 96th-minute leveller from Alexandre Lacazette.
However he can remove some of the gloom hovering over North London by booking their place in the last 32 with a win over Eintracht Frankfurt.
Group F leaders Arsenal are four points ahead of both third-placed Eintracht and Standard Liege with two matches remaining, and will also qualify if Standard don't win at bottom side Vitoria Guimaraes.
Emery was publicly backed by the Arsenal hierarchy at the start of the international break but the pressure has continued to grow following a run of just two wins in their last 11 Premier League games, with ...

At-risk Emery looking for Europa League salvation with Arsenal

England coach Chris Silverwood will leave his team's tour of New Zealand early because of a family bereavement, officials said Wednesday.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said Silverwood would depart on Saturday after day two of the second Test in Hamilton.
"Assistant coaches Graham Thorpe and Paul Collingwood will assume responsibility of team affairs alongside Test captain Joe Root for the remainder of the New Zealand tour," it tweeted.
The New Zealand tour is Silverwood's first in charge of England after he was named as Trevor Bayliss' replacement in October.
Silverwood's team was trounced by an innings and 65 runs in the first Test and rocked by paceman Jofra Archer's revelation that a spectator at Mount Maunganui's Bay Oval racially abused him after he was dismissed late in the match.
The ECB did not specify the nature of Silverwood's bereavement.

England cricket coach to leave New Zealand after bereavement

Australia will not be complacent in the second Test against Pakistan this week despite the odds being stacked heavily in their favour, they said, insisting day-night cricket is a "completely different beast".
The home team went one up in the two-Test series with a crushing innings-and-five-run victory inside four days at the Gabba in Brisbane last weekend.
But the match starting Friday at Adelaide Oval is a pink-ball affair, which Australian captain Tim Paine said would produce different conditions with generous grass on the pitch and outfield.
"Certainly there's going to be times during the game where tactics might be slightly different -- day-night," he said.
"We'll wait and see on the wicket and how the ball handles it, whether it goes soft or if it'll nip around for the whole game.
"Everyone's looking forward to it but we do know it's a completely different beast," he added.
Australia are overwhelming favourites. They have won all five pink-ball Tests they have played since the ...

Australia heavy favourites for 'fast bowler's dream' pink-ball Test

Paulo Dybala's ferocious curled free-kick earned Juventus a 1-0 home win over Atletico Madrid and top spot in Champions League Group D.
The Italian champions had already booked their place for the last 16 with two games to spare but made sure of top spot with an impressive win on Tuesday.
Dybala struck two minutes into first-half injury time. His left-footed effort whipped into the net from a seemingly impossible angle leaving goalkeeper Jan Oblak with no chance.
Diego Simeone's Atletico will need to win  their final group game against Lokomotiv Moscow in Madrid to be sure of advancing to the knockout rounds.
"I think Dybala scored a goal that we can't recommend," said his coach Maricio Sarri.
"The first thing a coach says when he sees someone trying to shoot from that position is 'but why the hell are you shooting from there!'
"He did something extraordinary, he deserved the applause," said Sarri.
"It was an extraordinary piece of skill." Cristiano Ronaldo returned to the side and ...

Dybala stunner seals top-spot for Juventus but Atletico must wait

Zinedine Zidane confirmed Eden Hazard twisted his ankle during Real Madrid's draw against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, with the Clasico against Barcelona only three weeks away.
Hazard limped off in the second half of Madrid's 2-2 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu, where PSG scored twice in two minutes late on to secure first place in Group A.
But an impressive performance overall from Madrid, and Hazard, was tarnished by the Belgian's injury, which threatens to prevent him from playing in his first Clasico at the Camp Nou on December 18.
"His performance was spectacular," Zidane said.
"But he had to come off. It's more than just a knock but I hope the twist is a minor one. For now, I can't say anything more."
Madrid are guaranteed to go through to the last 16 as runners-up in the group after Club Brugge drew 1-1 away at Galatasaray.

Hazard's first Clasico in doubt after ankle injury

Kylian Mbappe instigated a dramatic Champions League comeback on Tuesday as Paris Saint-Germain scored twice in two minutes to rescue a 2-2 draw against Real Madrid and secure first place in Group A.
Madrid dominated the majority of a pulsating contest at the Santiago Bernabeu and looked to have sewn up an impressive victory when Karim Benzema scored his second goal in the 79th minute.
But PSG pulled off an unlikely turnaround as Mbappe capitalised on a defensive mix-up to pull one back in the 81st minute before Pablo Sarabia, once of Real, drove into the top corner second later.
"Real were better for long periods," said PSG coach Thomas Tuchel.
"We were lucky but that's not a crime."
Gareth Bale, who came on as a substitute to a mixed reception from the home fans, almost won it in injury-time when his bending free-kick struck the post.
The draw means PSG will go through as group winners while Madrid are guaranteed to finish second after Club Brugge drew 1-1 at Galatasaray in the ...

Mbappe stars as PSG snatch dramatic point at Real Madrid

Pep Guardiola insisted it was mission accomplished as Manchester City booked their place in the Champions League last 16 for a seventh successive season despite a lacklustre 1-1 draw against Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday.
Guardiola's side were well below their best at the Etihad Stadium, but Ilkay Gundogan's second half strike put them on course to wrap up first place in Group C with one game to spare.
Although Manor Solomon equalised for Shakhtar, Atalanta's win over Dinamo Zagreb ensured City can't be knocked off top spot.
"We have qualified. We played so good in second half. The group stage is always tricky but the target was to qualify and we have done it," Guardiola said.
"Now we have one competition already done - we play the last game qualified as first in the group - so we can focus on the Premier League until we arrive in the cups."
With the group clinched, Guardiola has the bonus of being able to rest players for the trip to Zagreb on December 11.
That is especially important .

AFP

AFP

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