An earthquake struck Iran on Friday less than 50 kilometres (30 miles) from the country's only nuclear power plant, monitors said. There were no immediate reports of any damage.
The US Geological Survey said the 5.1 magnitude quake struck 44 kilometres (27 miles) southeast of Borazjan city and at a depth of 38 kilometres.  Its reported epicentre is 45 kilometres east of the Bushehr nuclear power plant, on the southwest Gulf coast.
The Iranian Seismological Center said in a preliminary report on its website that the strength of the quake was 4.9 magnitude and that its depth was 10 kilometres.
The quake jolted villages near Kalameh city, semi-official news agency ISNA said, adding there were no immediate reports of any damage.
"Based on assessments by the Red Crescent, and regional (authorities), we're yet to hear of any damage," it quoted the head of the province's crisis centre, Jahangir Dehghani, as saying.
"We might have roads blocked in parts of the mountain due to the quake's ...

Quake strikes near Iran nuclear power plant

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Travis Head was unbeaten on 98 as he and skipper Tim Paine piled on runs to take the second Test away from New Zealand by tea on day two in Melbourne Friday.
The Black Caps were buoyed after snaring the vital wicket of batting maestro Steve Smith for 85 before lunch, but they failed to capitalise on the breakthrough.
After a morning session where tight bowling kept the run rate in check, a more aggressive Head and Paine lifted the tempo to build an imposing score.
By tea, Australia were 431 for five with Head nearing only his second Test century and Paine not out 77 in a partnership worth 147.
The visitors need to win to square the three-match series after crashing by 296 runs in the opening day-night clash in Perth.
Head, who came into the match under pressure after a lean spell, began the day on 25 and patiently built his innings.
The middle-order batsman, who made his debut against Pakistan last year, has reached three figures only once before, against Sri Lanka in Canberra this ...

Head nears century as Australia pile on runs against NZealand

Nine people died Friday when a passenger plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Almaty airport in Kazakhstan, the government said.
The Central Asian country's emergencies committee said that 100 people were on board the Bek Air plane, including five staff.
Nine people, six of them children, were injured, according to the committee.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev pledged to provide families of the victims with compensation and tweeted that those responsible "will be severely punished in accordance with the law."
Tokayev also said that a government commission had been set up to investigate the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.

Plane crashes in Kazakhstan killing nine: govt

Pep Guardiola believes Sergio Aguero is "irreplaceable" as the Manchester City forward enters the final 18 months of his glorious career in English football.
The record-breaking Argentinian is likely to be on the bench for the reigning Premier League champions visit to Wolves on Friday as he continues his recovery from a thigh problem.
That injury has sidelined the 31-year-old since the end of November and given Guardiola a taste of what life will be like when Aguero's contract ends next year.
The City manager does not expect to be able to talk Aguero into changing his plans to end his career in his homeland and that will leave Guardiola with the thankless task of replacing a man who has, to date, scored 244 times for his club.
"I'd say it will be one of the toughest (tasks). Sergio is irreplaceable," said Guardiola.
"We have an incredible other striker in Gabriel Jesus and maybe another one will come when Sergio leaves. But he is irreplaceable."
Aguero played a pivotal role when City 

Guardiola hails 'irreplaceable' Aguero

Sweden star Zlatan Ibrahimovic has reached agreement to join AC Milan on an initial six-month contract, according to multiple reports in Italy on Thursday.
Ibrahimovic has accepted Milan's proposal and is ready to sign a deal to return to the former European giants within the next two days, Gazzetta Dello Sport and Sky Sports Italia reported.
Ibrahimovic will reportedly sign a six-month contract worth about three million euros ($3.3 million) with a renewal option for another year, linked to certain conditions such as goals and appearances.
The 38-year-old striker confirmed his departure from Los Angeles Galaxy last month following the club's elimination from the Major League Soccer playoffs.
The Swede should be available to coach Stefano Pioli as early as December 30, the date of the resumption of training at Milanello.
AC Milan are reeling after a 5-0 thrashing against Atalanta last weekend, their worst defeat in 21 years, and are struggling 11th in the Serie A table.
The team's ...

Ibrahimovic set for AC Milan return: reports

New Zealand snared the vital wicket of batting maestro Steve Smith for 85 Friday to haul themselves back into contention at lunch on day two of the second Test against Australia.
Smith looked set for a 27th Test century and his fifth in as many Tests at the Melbourne Cricket Ground before a Neil Wagner bouncer ended his patient 242-ball knock.
It was an important breakthrough for New Zealand's tireless and consistent bowlers, who kept the run rate down but were struggling for wickets.
It left the match finely poised with Australia 336 for five at the break with Travis Head not out 57 and skipper Tim Paine on 33.
The visitors need to win to square the three-match series after crashing in the opening day-night clash in Perth by 296 runs.
Australia resumed at 257 for four with Smith on 77 and Head not out 25 under clear skies on a hot day.
It was slow going as pace spearheads Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Wagner kept them in check, with Smith adding just eight runs to his overnight score .

NZealand take vital Smith wicket to stay in touch

Manchester United and Tottenham bounced back on Boxing Day to take advantage of another shock home defeat for Chelsea, who lost 2-0 to Southampton, and close in on the Premier League's top four.
Mikel Arteta got off to an underwhelming start as Arsenal manager with a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth, but Carlo Ancelotti had a more positive impact on his Everton bow as Dominic Calvert-Lewin's brilliant diving header earned a 1-0 win over Burnley.
Chelsea beat Tottenham in a big win for Frank Lampard over his former mentor Jose Mourinho on Sunday, but the gap between the two is back down to three points as Spurs came from behind to beat Brighton 2-1 thanks to goals from Harry Kane and Dele Alli.
United are four points off the Champions League places as they too overturned a poor start to thrash Newcastle 4-1 with Anthony Martial scoring twice.
The top two clash later when Leicester host Liverpool hoping to close the gap on the recently crowned world champions to seven points.
- No home comfort ..

Tottenham, Man Utd bounce back into top four race as Chelsea falter again

Peruvian authorities on Thursday fined the local owner of a McDonald's franchise USD 250,000 for serious safety violations after two employees were electrocuted to death.
Two workers, an 18-year-old man and a woman, died on December 15 while cleaning the kitchen of a McDonald's in Pueblo Libre, in the Lima province.
Police said the woman suffered an electric shock while handling one of the soda machines. Her coworker tried to help her but was also shocked in the process.
"We have found six very serious infractions, one of which was not communicating (the death) in a timely manner," said Juan Carlos Requejo, head of the National Superintendency of Labor Inspection (Sunafil).
In a statement, Sunafil announced it was fining the Arcos Dorados operations company up to 845,760 soles, approximately $250,000.
Among the other infractions found was a failure to provide safe working conditions, in terms of both the facilities and the equipment used, "specifically the soft drink dispensing ...

Peru McDonald's fined $250,000 after worker deaths

Mexico has threatened to take Bolivia to the International Court of Justice over what it calls harassment of its diplomatic mission in La Paz, after its embassy sheltered some 20 officials from the former government.
The two countries have been in a spiralling spat since Mexico granted asylum to Bolivian ex-president Evo Morales, who resigned on November 10 in the face of mass protests, and granted refuge to top officials from his leftist government at its embassy.
Mexico accuses Bolivia's new interim government of responding with a campaign of "harassment and intimidation" by deploying a large contingent of police and intelligence officers outside the embassy. That move, according to Mexico, violates the 1961 Vienna Convention on the protected status of diplomatic missions.
Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said his staff would file a complaint later Thursday with the International Court of Justice in the Hague.
"We are simply proposing that the integrity of our diplomatic ...

Mexico vows to take Bolivia to court over embassy spat

German singer and conductor Peter Schreier, widely regarded as one of the leading lyric tenors of the 20th century, has died at the age of 84 after a long illness, his family said.
Schreier, one of the few international stars to emerge from former communist East Germany, passed away in his beloved home city of Dresden on December 25.
Although Schreier retired from opera at the age of 65 in 2000 because he felt too old to be playing young lovers on stage, he continued to give "Lieder" or song recitals for a few more years and then focussed on teaching and conducting until his health problems became too severe.
Schreier suffered from heart issues, back and hip pain and had diabetes, according to German media.
In a career that spanned decades and encompassed more than 60 different roles, Schreier performed regularly in some of the world's most prestigious opera houses and festivals, from Berlin, Vienna and Salzburg to New York and Milan.
He was perhaps most famous for his interpretations 

Legendary German tenor Peter Schreier dies aged 84

At least 30 people were killed in fighting between militiamen and traders in a restive district of Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, a security official and a local imam said on Thursday.
"Thirty bodies have been brought to the mosque," said Awad Al Karim, the imam of the Ali Babolo mosque in a district called PK5 that became a haven for many Bangui Muslims at the peak of Christian-Muslim clashes in the country.
A security official, who asked to remain anonymous, also put the number of dead at at least 30, without providing any further details.
The fighting began after traders in the district took up arms to oppose taxes levied by militia groups, the imam said.
Bursts of automatic fire and explosions were heard on Wednesday evening and on Thursday morning, according to an AFP journalist who was in a neighbouring district.
The head of the African Red Cross, Antoine Mbaobogo, said the toll "stood at 23 at 4 pm but could now be 33," adding that there were still bodies .

Clashes in Central African capital leave at least 30 dead

At least 30 people were killed in fighting between militiamen and traders in a restive district of Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, a security source and an imam said on Thursday.
"Thirty bodies have been brought to the mosque," said Awad Al Karim, the imam of the local Ali Babolo mosque in a district called PK5 that became a haven for many Bangui Muslims at the peak of the Christian-Muslim clashes.
A security official, who asked to remain anonymous, also put the number of dead at at least 30, without providing any further details.

Clashes in Central African capital leave at least 30 dead: Security source

Around 100 migrants were rescued off the coast of Spain on Thursday, adding to around another 200 plucked off makeshift boats on Christmas Day, Spain's maritime rescue service said.
More than half of them were found off the Costa Blanca on Spain's southeastern coast, with 10 people rescued just before dawn, among them eight men, a woman and a child.
Later in the morning, rescuers saved 16 men off a boat near Torrevieja, while another 12 men were rescued from a dinghy off Xabia, some 45 kilometres (27 miles) up the coast from Benidorm.
And on Spain's southern coast, 17 men were found in waters off Cabo de Gata near Almeria while another man was found floating on what rescuers described as "an inflatable toy boat" in the Motril area, with his friend feared drowned.
Another 39 people reached the shore at Punta Jandia on the southwestern tip of Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands, the spokesman said.
There was no immediate information on the nationalities of those rescued.
Some 200 others 

300 migrants rescued off Spain over two-day Christmas period

An air strike on a shopping area during rush hour near Libya's capital killed at least two civilians and wounded 20 others, a local official has said.
The air strike on the town of Zawiya, 45 kilometres west of Tripoli, hit a pharmacy, a bakery and cars parked on the street, the mayor of the town, Jamal Baher, told AFP on Thursday.
"Two people were killed and 20 others were wounded," he said.
The air strike took place as the area was busy with shoppers ahead of the weekend, which starts Friday in the North African country.
It comes amid fighting between the Tripoli-based, UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) and rival forces answering to strongman Khalifa Haftar, who is based in the country's east.
Tensions have further spiked in recent weeks as Turkey said it could deploy troops in Libya to support the GNA.
Earlier on Thursday, GNA Interior Minister, Fathi Bashaga, said his government may officially seek Turkish military support to counter an offensive on Tripoli ...

Two killed in air strike on shopping area in Libya

The climate summit in Madrid earlier this month did not collapse -- but by almost any measure it certainly failed.
Four years after the fragile UN process yielded the world's first universal climate treaty with all nations pitching in, COP25 was billed as a mopping-up session to finish guidelines for carbon markets, thus completing the Paris Agreement rulebook.
Governments faced with a crescendo of deadly weather, dire alarms from science and weekly strikes by millions of young people were also expected to signal an enhanced willingness to tackle the climate crisis threatening to unravel civilisation as we know it.
The result? A deadlock and a dodge.
The 12-day talks extended two days into overtime but still punted the carbon market conundrum to next year's COP26 in Glasgow.
A non-binding pledge, meanwhile, to revisit deeply inadequate national plans for slashing greenhouse gas emissions was apparently too big an ask.
The European Union was the only major emitter to step up with an ...

Five reasons the COP25 climate talks failed

Angry citizens have swelled the streets of cities across the globe this year, pushing back against a disparate range of policies but often expressing a common grievance -- the establishment's failure to heed their demands for a more equitable future.
While street protests are nothing new, experts say the intense 2019 flare-ups reflect a growing sentiment that the social contract between governments and citizens has broken down, with voters paying the price but unable to affect meaningful change.
"What unites the protests is that all are responding to a sense of exclusion, pessimism about the future, and a feeling of having lost control to unaccountable elites," said Jake Werner, a historian at the University of Chicago.
The financial crisis of 2007-08 in particular, he said, exposed systemic failings and induced years of austerity and insecurity for millions of people. It also produced an acute sense of unfairness, in particular among young people who see their prospects of earning a .

From Algeria to Hong Kong, a year of anti-establishment rage

Real Betis skipper Joaquin Sanchez on Thursday extended his contract with the Seville club for one more year until June 2021.
Sanchez cuts an iconic figure at the southern club, and in December became the oldest player in La Liga to score a hat-trick at 38 years, 140 days, bettering the previous record of 37 years, 255 days set by Alfredo Di Stefano in 1964.
The right winger came through the Betis youth system, making his professional debut in 2000.
The 51-times capped Spain international went on to play for Valencia (2006-11), Malaga (2011-13) and Serie A club Fiorentina (2013-15) before returning to Betis.

Betis skipper Sanchez, 38, extends contract until 2021

Sam Curran took four wickets for England, while Quinton de Kock played a crucial innings of 95 for South Africa on the first day of the first Test at SuperSport Park on Thursday.
South Africa were 277 for nine at the close, providing justification for captain Joe Root's decision to bowl first.
But it could have been a lot better for England - and worse for South Africa. The hosts were in deep trouble at 111 for five before De Kock counter-attacked to make a half-century off 45 balls.
De Kock played some risky strokes early in his innings but was more circumspect after his initial flurry of strokes.
Having been 64 not out off 69 balls at tea, De Kock needed 59 balls to add 31 more runs before fellow left-hander Curran had him caught behind.
Curran took four for 57 and was the best of the England bowlers, keeping a fuller length than his team-mates and slanting the ball across right-handed batsmen, with some balls swinging back in and others moving away.
Stuart Broad, recovered from ...

Curran takes four for England as De Kock resists By

Turkey's Constitutional Court on Thursday ruled that the government's ban on access to online encyclopedia Wikipedia violated freedom of expression, the official Anadolu news agency reported.
The ban imposed by Turkey's Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) has remained in place since April 2017.
Turkish officials said at the time the measure was needed as Wikipedia had failed to remove content deemed false from its pages that linked Turkey with terror groups.
But the move caused an outcry among freedom of information activists who accuse Turkey of slapping bans on websites and social media with alarming regularity.
A local court is due to decide whether the ban will be lifted, according to Turkish media reports.
In May, the Wikipedia Foundation said it would take the ban to the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights.
Rights groups have regularly criticised the erosion of free speech in Turkey under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, especially since a ...

Turkey top court rules Wikipedia ban breaches free speech

More than 16,000 complaints have been filed to Afghan election authorities over the handling of this year's presidential polls, officials said Thursday, days after preliminary results put President Ashraf Ghani in place to secure a second term.
Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission (IEC) announced earlier this week that Ghani had won a slim 50.64 percent majority in the September 28 poll.
The final results are expected to be announced in the coming weeks after the complaints have been reviewed.
"(Officials) have 15 days to finalise its investigation into the complaints and release the results to the candidates," said Zuhra Bayan Shinwari, head of the Independent Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC), adding that 16,500 complaints were received in total.
If the numbers hold following these investigations, the result is enough for Ghani to avoid a run-off, after he easily beat his long time rival Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, who scored 39.52 percent.
According to Shinwari, 

Over 16,000 complaints filed in Afghan presidential polls

US President Donald Trump on Thursday called for the governments in Moscow, Damascus and Tehran to stop the violence in Syria's rebel-held province of Idlib.
"Russia, Syria, and Iran are killing, or on their way to killing, thousands" of civilians in the northwestern province, Trump tweeted, adding: "Don't do it!" Heightened regime and Russian bombardment has hit jihadist-held Idlib -- the country's last major opposition bastion -- since mid-December, as regime forces make steady advances on the ground despite an August ceasefire and UN calls for a de-escalation.
Nearly 80 civilians have been killed by air strikes and artillery attacks over the same period, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which estimates that more than 40,000 people have been displaced in recent weeks.
Turkey called Tuesday for the attacks to "come to an end immediately," after sending a delegation to Moscow to discuss the flare-up.
Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said Ankara was pressing ...

AFP

AFP

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