French President Emmanuel Macron will travel to Niger to pay homage to 71 soldiers massacred in a jihadist attack earlier this month, the president's office announced Tuesday.
Macron will join a ceremony at the weekend in the capital Niamey to pay his respects to the soldiers killed at the Inates military camp in the Sahel country's western Tillaberi region on December 10, the Elysee Palace said.
Macron will also meet with his Nigerien counterpart Mahamadou Issoufou in Niamey, it added in a statement.
The two are to discuss plans for a summit in the southern French town of Pau on January 13 bringing together Issoufou and the presidents of Burkina Faso, Mali, Chad and Mauritania.
The five Sahel leaders met in Niamey on Sunday to prepare for the summit, which was initially set for December 16 but was postponed because of the Inates attack.
France has a 4,500-strong anti-jihadist force dubbed Barkhane supporting the five countries fighting a seven-year-old jihadist revolt.
Thousands of ..

Macron to visit Niger to honour massacred soldiers

PTI Automatic

Privacy watchdogs have launched an investigation into a hack of health records, which a laboratory said Tuesday may have compromised data on up to 15 million Canadians or nearly half the population.
LifeLabs, which does blood work and other tests across Canada, said in a letter to customers that their names, contact information, health card numbers and lab test results were exposed in a cyber attack on its computers in early November.
Most of those affected are in Ontario or British Columbia.
The company also said it paid an undisclosed sum to the hackers to retrieve the data, and has retained cyber security experts to isolate and secure its affected computers, as well as determine the scope of the breach.
"We want to emphasise that at this time, our cyber security firms have advised that the risk to our customers in connection with this cyber attack is low," the company said in a statement.
It added that its security consultants "have not seen any public disclosure of customer data ..

Lab results of 15 million Canadians hacked

Syrian regime air strikes and artillery fire on Tuesday killed 23 civilians in the last major opposition bastion in the northwest of the country, a war monitor said.
The jihadist-held region of Idlib is supposed to be protected by a months-old ceasefire deal to prevent a broad regime offensive, but deadly bombardment has continued.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said around 30 were wounded overall, including some in a serious condition.
It said regime artillery fire killed seven civilians from the same family in the village of Talmanas, adding that the wife and three children of a member of the White Helmets rescue organisation were killed in the village of Badama.
On its Twitter account, the White Helmets -- a volunteer group that responds to bombings in rebel-held areas -- posted a video of a volunteer apparently pulling the lifeless bodies of his family from the rubble of a building.
In the village of Maasaran, regime air strikes killed a further six ...

Regime bombardment kills 23 civilians in northwest Syria: Monitor

The US Congress voted Tuesday to lift a decades-old arms embargo on Cyprus, defying Turkey by seeking warmer ties at a time of renewed tensions.
The Senate approved the measure as part of a massive defense spending bill that passed 86 to eight and already went through the House of Representatives, with President Donald Trump likely to sign it.
The United States imposed an embargo on the full island in 1987 with an aim to prevent an arms race and encourage a peaceful settlement between the Greek majority and Turkish minority.
Critics say the step has been counterproductive by forcing Cyprus to seek other partners while Turkey, a NATO member, has stationed forces in northern Cyprus since its invasion in 1974.
Democratic Senator Robert Menendez and Republican Senator Marco Rubio spearheaded the effort, saying they also wanted to encourage growing cooperation between Cyprus, Greece and Israel.
"With Cyprus seeking to deepen its strategic partnership with the United States, it is in our ...

US Congress ends Cyprus arms embargo, in blow to Turkey

Victims of a 2018 shooting rampage in Toronto that left two dead and 13 injured are suing the American maker of the pistol used in the attack, holding it responsible for not making guns safer.
The class action, according to court documents obtained by AFP on Tuesday, alleges that Smith and Wesson knew that its M&P 40 handgun "was an ultra-hazardous product."
And it should have known that the weapon might end up being stolen and used to harm or kill innocent people, the suit claims.
Yet the company chose not to incorporate safety features such as fingerprint recognition to prevent unauthorized users, it alleges.
The class action, which must still be certified, is seeking USD 115 million in damages.
Lead plaintiffs Samantha Price and Skye McLeod said in a statement of claim that they'd gone out for ice cream with friends on the evening of July 22, 2018 when they were confronted by a man opening fire on Toronto's bustling Danforth Avenue.
Price was struck by a bullet, but survived. ...

Toronto shooting victims sue US gun maker

President Donald Trump on Tuesday told the opposition Democrats' leader in Congress that impeachment is an attempted "coup" that is "subverting America's democracy."
In an extraordinarily angry letter stretching more than five pages, Trump told Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the House of Representatives, that "history will judge you harshly."
Referring to a famous miscarriage of justice in 17th century US history, Trump said he'd been given less rights than "those accused in the Salem Witch Trials."
The Democratic-led House is expected to impeach Trump for abuse of office in a vote on Wednesday.

Trump tells top Democrat impeachment 'subverting America's democracy'

The US Senate voted Tuesday to slap sanctions on companies working on Russia's Nord Stream pipeline, sending a bill to President Donald Trump that is sure to antagonize European nations counting on the project's natural gas.
The measure, inserted into a huge annual defense spending bill, passed 86 to eight after easily clearing the House of Representatives last week.
It aims to halt further construction of the USD 10.6 billion pipeline being built under the Baltic Sea and is set to double shipments of Russian natural gas to Germany.
The German-Russian Chamber of Commerce said last week the pipeline was important for the energy security of Europe and called for retaliatory sanctions on the US if the bill passes.
But US lawmakers have warned it would send billions of dollars to Moscow and vastly increase President Vladimir Putin's influence in Europe at a time of heightened tension.
The National Defense Authorization Act, a USD 738 billion package for 2020 that includes the sanctions, ..

US Congress approves Russia-Europe gas pipeline sanctions

Netflix is seeing rapid subscriber growth in regions including Asia and Latin America as it girds for tougher competition in the streaming market, newly detailed figures show.
In a regulatory filing this week, Netflix offered the first detailed look at its finances from various regions around the world, The figures showed nearly 14.5 million subscribers in the Asia-Pacific region at the end of September, representing growth of more than 50 per cent over the previous 12 months.
The region including Europe, the Middle East and Africa had some 47 million paid subscribers, up 40 percent year-over-year, in the largest segment outside North America.  Latin America included some 29 million subscribers, a rise of 22 percent over the past year, Netflix said in the filing.
North America is the largest market for Netflix with some 67 million subscribers but growth over the past year was just 6.5 percent.
Netflix is the leader in streaming television, operating in some 190 countries, but it is ...

Netflix seeing strong subscriber growth in Asia, Latin America

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday denounced China for its heavy-handed actions against Arsenal over footballer Mesut Ozil's support for incarcerated Uighurs, saying Beijing could not hide reality.
Arsenal distanced itself from Ozil but Beijing dropped state television broadcasts of the English Premier League club's Sunday match -- a move that could have major commercial ramifications in the lucrative Chinese market.
"China's Communist Party propaganda outlets can censor @MesutOzil1088 and @Arsenal's games all season long, but the truth will prevail," Pompeo wrote on Twitter.  "The CCP can't hide its gross #HumanRights violations perpetrated against Uighurs and other religious faiths from the world," he said.
The row comes shortly after China moved to punish the NBA's Houston Rockets after its general manager, Daryl Morey, tweeted his support for Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters.
Ozil, a German national of Turkish origin, tweeted that the Muslim world has been silent on ...

US says China 'can't hide' Uighur plight after Arsenal retaliation

Whirlpool, the US maker of electrical appliances, said Tuesday it would need to recall some 500,000 washing machines sold in Britain owing to a potential fire risk.
"We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience and concern this may cause to our customers... but we hope people will understand that we are taking action because people's safety is our top priority," Whirlpool Corporation vice president Jeff Noel said in a statement.
The news comes only six months after the company launched a massive recall of tumble dryers.
Regarding the latest recall, Whirlpool said washing machines sold under the Hotpoint and Indesit brands in the UK between October 2014 and February 2018 could be affected by a flaw with doors, potentially causing a fire.
Whirlpool advised consumers to unplug their washing machines ahead of them receiving a repair or new appliance.

Whirlpool recalls washing machines in UK on fire risk

The EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier on Tuesday said the bloc would do its utmost to meet a tight deadline and agree a post-Brexit trade deal with Britain before the end of next year.
"We will do the maximum," Barnier told reporters when asked if he could meet an eleven-month deadline to seal the trade agreement with Britain and avoid a no-deal divorce that could punish the economy.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday threatened to outlaw any request to extend the transition period that begins when Brexit takes place on January 31 and runs to the end of the year.
Asked to comment on Johnson's refusal to extend the talks if needed, Barnier said: "I have no comment to make on that. It is the British choice to choose the procedure it wants."
Separately, EU commission executive vice president Valdis Dombrovskis warned the 11-month deadline "is going to be very limited" to forge an ambitious deal.  "It will be indeed rather problematic to hold negotiations and reach ...

EU will do 'maximum' to meet Brexit trade deal deadline

Democrats and Republicans closed ranks Tuesday a day ahead of the expected impeachment of US President Donald Trump, underscoring the country's deep political divide over charges that the US leader abused his power.
Trump sang his own praises on Twitter, citing the economy's strength and trade negotiation successes even as he faced becoming only the third president ever with the impeachment stain on his record.
While opinion polls showed the US electorate closely divided over impeachment, Trump flagged a USA Today survey saying he remained popular and could defeat any of the leading Democrats seeking to challenge him in the November 2020 elections.
"The new USA Today Poll, just out, has me leading all of the Democrat contenders... The American people are smart. They see the great economy, & everything else!" he tweeted.
Critics of the poll pointed to its unusual methodology -- pitting Trump against a named Democrat and an imaginary, unnamed "third-party candidate" with no record ...

US parties close ranks ahead of Trump impeachment

US lawmakers on Monday careened toward the brink of one of the most divisive and momentous political steps in years: the impeachment of President Donald Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
Days before the historic House vote, a handful of congressional centrists, including some representing Trump-friendly districts, announced they will now support his impeachment, a boost for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's effort to present a united front in her chamber's vote.
The group had been under intense political pressure from Trump and other Republicans eager to paint impeachment as extremist liberal overreach.  Among them is Utah moderate Ben McAdams, and Elissa Slotkin from the swing state of Michigan who faced a mixture of heckling and cheers when she discussed her decision at a town hall event.
"While we may not agree, I hope you believe me when I tell you that I made this decision out of principle," the congresswoman said.
Slotkin acknowledged she could lose her job by ...

As Trump vote nears, centrist Democrats stand firm on impeachment

Saudi Aramco shares posted the first drop on Tuesday after five days of listing on the Saudi Stock Exchange Tadawul, but its valuation stayed above the sensitive USD 2 trillion mark.
The energy giant was listed on Tadawul on December 11 following the world's largest initial public offering and continued to rise since then, before edging down slightly at close on Tuesday.
Aramco shares closed Tuesday trading at 37.75 riyals ($10), down 0.25 riyals or 0.66 percent on the day, but the stock remains 18 percent higher than the IPO price of 32 riyals.
The market value of the world's largest listed firm still remained slightly above USD 2 trillion, a figure de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had sought when he first floated the sale almost four years ago.
Saudi authorities sold 1.5 per cent of Aramco in the IPO, raising USD 25.6 billion and surpassing China's Alibaba stock sale as the largest in the world.

Saudi Aramco share posts first drop since listing

Zinedine Zidane has said he is not worried about Wednesday's Clasico between Real Madrid and Barcelona being overshadowed by Catalan independence protests.
The fixture was originally scheduled for October 26 but had to be postponed and there are renewed fears of unrest at Camp Nou, where Madrid and Barca will be playing for first place in La Liga.
"I am not worried about anything," said Zidane in a press conference on Tuesday.
"I am happy we are about to play a Clasico. It was the same when I was a player, these are the matches you live for, and you are focused only on what happens on the field."
Democratic Tsunami, the protest group in favour of Catalan independence, has called publicly for its supporters to gather at the stadium four hours before kick off at 1900 GMT.
A large-scale safety operation will be deployed around the match involving 3,000 security personnel while both teams have been instructed to travel to the stadium from the same hotel.
"It's something different but the .

Zidane says Real Madrid only focused on football amid fears of Clasico unrest

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has a fresh Paul Pogba headache, revealing illness has delayed the midfielder's return from injury ahead of Wednesday's League Cup quarterfinal against giant-killers Colchester.
The France World Cup winner has been sidelined for most of the season with an ankle injury, playing just six times for United after a summer of speculation following his statement that it could be time for a "new challenge".
But after the United manager spoke, videos appeared on social media of Pogba dancing and showing few ill effects at his brother Florentin's wedding.
Pogba, 26, had been due to resume first-team training this week but Solskjaer said: "Of all things he's struck down ill now."
"He's been off for two or three days, three days probably, so that's not beneficial. That's probably set him back quite a bit," the Norwegian boss said, looking ahead to the meeting with fourth-tier Colchester.
"As I've said so many times, Paul's a top, top player that we ..

Pogba's recovery from injury hit by illness, says Solskjaer

French 3,000 metre steeplechase specialist Ophelie Claude-Boxberger, who tested positive for EPO in September, has pressed charges against her father-in-law for poisoning her, her lawyer said Tuesday.
Claude-Boxberger filed charges in her home town of Montbeliard in eastern France for an "attack on physical integrity by administration of harmful substances", Laurent Clauzon told AFP.
The 31-year-old has been under investigation by Paris prosecutors into offences under anti-doping and poisonous substances legislation following a report from the French anti-doping agency (AFLD).
Claude-Boxberger has persistently denied she knowingly took a doping substance. Alain Flaccus, her father-in-law and part of her coaching setup, admitted last month to having administered her an injection of the banned endurance-boosting drug EPO.
But a source close to the investigation has since called for "prudence" on Flaccus' claim, saying he might have made the choice to "sacrifice himself" as the only way .

EPO-positive French steeplechaser presses charges over poisoning

Malaysia will this week host a summit of Muslim leaders billed as a forum to look at the Islamic world's problems, but it will be closely watched for Middle East power plays and their stance on China's Uighur minority.
Leaders from Iran, Turkey, and Qatar will be among hundreds of delegates attending the three-day event set to discuss myriad challenges faced by Muslims.
The summit has been pushed by Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who has long championed greater solidarity among the world's Islamic communities -- and wants to boost his country's standing on the international stage.
A key question is whether China's treatment of its mostly Muslim Uighur minority, many of whom have been sent to "re-education" camps, will be raised after Islamic leaders faced criticism for largely remaining silent on the issue.
In a statement ahead of the forum, Mahathir's office said the Muslim community was suffering due to "the incarceration of millions (who) are placed in detention camps, .

Malaysia to host major summit of Muslim leaders

Former Netherlands internationals Ruud van Nistelrooy and Maarten Stekelenburg will join the national team's coaching set-up for Euro 2020, the Dutch Football Association (KNVB) announced on Tuesday.
Former Manchester United striker Van Nistelrooy, 43, will be released from his role as PSV Eindhoven's youth coach for the competition.
"It is a wonderful opportunity for me as an assistant coach to be part of the staff of the Orange for this final tournament," van Nistelrooy said in a KNVB statement.
Stekelenburg, 47, starts his role alongside boss Ronald Koeman immediately.
"After all the great years with the KNVB youth teams, this is of course an excellent opportunity to work at the highest level," said Stekelenburg, who coached the Dutch under 19 side.
After friendlies against the United States and Spain, Koeman's side face Austria, Ukraine and one of the four playoff winners in Amsterdam in Group C.
Forward Memphis Depay is a doubt for the Netherlands' first major finals appearance ..

Van Nistelrooy, Stekelenburg join Dutch staff for Euro 2020

Almost 200 Rohingya Muslims sailed more than 1,500 kilometres to escape Bangladesh refugee camps only to be arrested by Myanmar's navy, the country's military said Tuesday.
The boat seizure came just days after Myanmar's leader and Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi addressed the UN's top court to deny allegations of a genocidal campaign against the ethnic minority.
With the monsoon over and seas relatively calm, increasing numbers of Rohingya Muslims are once again risking their lives attempting to reach Malaysia or Indonesia.
Bangladeshi authorities say they are stopping one or two boats a week leaving the country's shores, and many more are thought to evade patrols.
Few make it as far south as Kawthaung, Myanmar's southern-most tip, where on Sunday the country's navy picked up the 173-strong Rohingya group, including 69 women and 22 children, a military spokesman told AFP.
"We will hand them over to immigration authorities and police to take action," said Zaw Min Tun, adding ...

Almost 200 Rohingya caught fleeing Bangladeshi camps by boat

A technical rocket glitch during the final countdown Tuesday pushed back by a day the blastoff of Europe's CHEOPS planet-hunting satellite, launch company Arianespace and Russia's Roscosmos agency said.
"During final countdown operations for Flight VS23, the Soyuz launcher's automated sequence was interrupted at 1 hour 25 minutes before liftoff," the company said in a statement.
The Russian-built rocket and its payload were "placed in a fully safe standby mode," said Arianespace.
Roscosmos said an analysis was under way to resolve the problem.
"The decision was taken to delay the launch to a new date: December 18 at 0854 GMT," exactly a day later, the Russian agency said in a statement.
Launch will take place from Europe's launchpad in Kourou, French Guiana.
CHEOPS is a 30-centimetre (12-inch) telescope designed to measure the density, composition, and size of numerous planets beyond our solar system, so-called exoplanets.
According to the European Space Agency, it will observe bright 

AFP

AFP

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