At least five dissidents were free today in what a leading human rights advocate said was part of Cuba's deal with Washington to release 53 members of the island's political opposition.
	Neither the Obama administration nor the Cuban government spoke publicly about the releases, adding to the unanswered questions swirling around the deal and the broader detente that the two countries announced December 17.
	President Barack Obama ended five decades of official US hostility toward communist-governed Cuba by announcing that, along with an exchange of men held on espionage charges, he would move toward full diplomatic ties, drop regime change as a US goal and use his executive authority to punch holes in the longstanding trade embargo.
	His Cuban counterpart, Raul Castro, welcomed the announcement but said detente would not lead Cuba to change its single-party political system or centrally planned economy.
	US officials told reporters on Dec. 17 that Cuba had agreed to free the 53 ...

Dissidents free but questions hang over US-Cuba deal

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Recent satellite imagery appears to show that a North Korean submarine is being equipped to fire missiles, posing a potential new threat to its neighbours, a US research institute said today.
	The finding published by 38 North, the website of the US-Korea Institute at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, comes as Washington ratchets up sanctions against North Korea following a destructive hacking attack against Sony Pictures.
	North Korea already has a considerable arsenal of land-based ballistic missiles. South Korea's Defence Ministry reported this week that the North may now have the ability to strike the US mainland because of its progress in missile technology although how far it has progressed remains subject of debate.
	The ministry also said the North is advancing in efforts to miniaturise nuclear warheads to mount on such missiles.
	Missiles fired from submarines could be harder to detect before launch than land-based ones, and North Korea's efforts ...

US group: NKorean sub equipped to fire missiles

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan launched his bid for re-election today at a time when Africa's biggest oil producer faces a growing Islamic uprising in the northeast and a slump in oil prices and the national currency.
	Jonathan, 57, urged thousands of screaming supporters at a rally in Lagos to vote for him and "move Nigeria forward."
	Jonathan is considered the front runner in the February 14 elections, though his candidacy has split his party.
	Several governors from the predominantly Muslim north and elsewhere have defected to a new opposition coalition, charging Jonathan has broken an unwritten party rule to rotate the presidency between a Muslim northerner and a Christian southerner.
	The first coalition of the opposition is expected to produce the tightest presidential race since decades of military rule ended in 1994. Jonathan's People's Democratic Party has governed since then.
	At the rally, Jonathan touted success in promoting agriculture and industry and recently ...

Nigerian President launches re-election bid amid troubles

Coca-Cola says it will cut between 1,600 and 1,800 jobs in coming months to trim costs.
	The Atlanta-based company says it began notifying workers in the US and some international locations today. The company said job types are across all parts of its business and include about 500 at its Atlanta headquarters.
	The company, which makes Sprite, Powerade, VitaminWater and other drinks, has about 130,600 employees around the world, according to FactSet.
	In an emailed statement today, Coca-Cola said it will "continuously look for ways to streamline our business," suggesting additional cuts could be announced later.
	Coca-Cola Co. And rival PepsiCo Inc. Have been looking for ways to cut costs as their soda businesses have flagged in North America. In October, Coca-Cola said it planned to slash costs by USD 3 billion a year through a variety of measures.
	It said the savings would be used to help fund the stepped-up marketing it believes is needed to drive up beverage sales. The ...

Coca-Cola cutting up to 1,800 jobs

A person close to the case of a Saudi blogger, Raif Badawi, sentenced to ten years in prison and 1,000 lashes says he will be publicly flogged after Friday prayers in the Red Sea coastal city of Jiddah.
	The person says Badawi, a father of three, is "being used as an example for others to see."
	The person, speaking to The Associated Press by telephone today, says that Badawi has told his family about the flogging. The person spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of government reprisal.
	London-based rights group Amnesty International says Badawi will receive 50 lashes once a week for 20 weeks.
	Badawi was sentenced last May to 10 years prison and 1,000 lashes on charges related to insulting Islam on an online forum he had created.

Saudi blogger to be publicly flogged for insulting Islam

Scattered gunfire and explosions shook France today as police launched one of the biggest hunts for the two heavily armed brothers suspected in yesterday's killing of 12 people in a satirical magazine.
	Frightened yet defiant French citizens held a day of mourning for the dead, 10 journalists and two policemen, in the terror attack on the weekly Charlie Hebdo.
	Police hunted for the two heavily armed brothers suspected in the massacre to make sure they don't strike again.
	Two men resembling the suspects robbed a gas station in northeast France this morning and police swarmed the site while helicopters hovered above. Officials said later the newspaper attackers were not there.
	Two explosions hit near mosques early today, raising fears the deadly attack at Charlie Hebdo would ignite a backlash against France's large and diverse Muslim community.
	No one was injured in the attacks, one in Le Mans southwest of Paris and another near Lyon, southeast of the capital.
	But France's top ...

France hunts for 2 suspects; Nation mourns their victims

An Afghan official said that one policeman was killed and three were wounded today when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb in central Uruzgan province.
	The province's deputy police chief, Mohammad Aslam Kochia, said the bomb exploded when the police vehicle drove over it in Tarin Kot, the provincial capital, today afternoon.
	Afghanistan is one of the most heavily mined countries in the world, and roadside bombs exact a heavy toll on the population. The United Nations says that 10,000 Afghan civilians were killed or wounded, mostly by insurgent attacks, in 2014.
	Police are also dying in unprecedented numbers as they come under attack from the Taliban-led insurgents who have been testing the Afghan security forces since they took the lead in the war around 18 months ago.

Roadside bomb kills Afghan policeman, wounds three

Suicide attacks targeting security checkpoints and Shiite worshippers killed 23 people in Iraq today, officials said.
	Police said a suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden car into a police checkpoint in the town of Youssifiyah, just south of the capital Baghdad, killing three police and four civilians, and wounding another 21 people.
	Later on, a suicide bomber driving a pickup loaded with explosives struck a checkpoint manned by police and Shiite militiamen near the city of Samarra, killing eight people and wounding 23 others.
	Samarra and surrounding areas have repeatedly come under attack in recent months by the Islamic State group. Samarra is 95 kilometres north of Baghdad.
	After noon prayers, a suicide bomber set off his explosives belt among Shiite worshippers who were leaving a mosque in western Baghdad, killing eight worshippers and wounding 16 others.
	The Islamic State extremist group and other Sunni radicals consider Shiites to be apostates deserving of ...

Suicide attacks kill 23 in Iraq

Egyptian military officials say the army has begun doubling the size of a buffer zone along the Gaza border, an operation that will involve the destruction of 1,220 homes and the eviction of residents.
	The operation will expand the existing 500m buffer zone created last November to a full kilometre, a move meant to halt the passage of weapons and militants.
	The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to journalists, expect to complete the expansion by the middle of next week.
	The forced evictions are displacing a population with longstanding grievances against the government of Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.
	The northern Sinai Peninsula has become a hub for Islamic extremists, and security forces in the area face regular deadly attacks.

Egypt doubling Gaza buffer, demolishing 1,220 more homes

One man sought in the deadly shooting at a French satirical paper has turned himself in, and police hunted today for two heavily armed men with possible links to al-Qaida in the military-style, methodical killing of 12 people.
	President Francois Hollande, visiting the scene of France's deadliest such attack in more than half a century, called the assault on the weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo "an act of exceptional barbarism."
	France raised its terror alert system to the maximum Attack Alert and bolstered security with more than 800 extra soldiers to guard media offices, places of worship, transport and other sensitive areas.
	Fears had been running high in France and elsewhere in Europe that jihadis trained in warfare abroad would stage attacks at home.
	French brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi, in their early 30s, should be considered armed and dangerous, according to a police bulletin released early today.
	Mourad Hamyd, 18, surrendered at a police station in Charleville-Mezieres, .

Hunt for 2 in French shooting that killed 12; 1 surrenders

Fast bowler Trent Boult has forced his way into New Zealand's 15-man squad for cricket's World Cup after outstanding Test performances.
     Boult has played 30 tests but only 10 one-day internationals since his New Zealand debut in 2011. He has 110 wickets in tests at an average of 27.4 and only 10 in ODIs at 39.6.
     But he has beceome the spearhead of the New Zealand attack, taking 38 wickets in tests in the past 12 months and returned to the one-day side for matches against South Africa in October.
     Veteran seamer Kyle Mills edged youngster Matt Henry to claim another of the fast bowling spots, alongside Boult, Tim Southee, Mitchell McClenaghan and tearaway Adam Milne.
     Left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori, who will turn 36 during the tournament and is a veteran of 280 one-day internatioanls, has been selected but may take a secondary role behind off-spinner and allrounder Nathan McCullum.
     Grant Elliott is a surprise selection, winning a position as an allrounder ahead ..

Grant Elliott a bolter in New Zealand World Cup squad

Police used a Taser to subdue a man who brandished a knife today near the prime minister's entrance to Australia's Parliament House.
	A police statement said there were no national security concerns, which means the man is not considered to be a terrorist.
	Police and security guards began negotiating with the man on a lawn near the ministers' wing of Parliament House on Thursday afternoon after he was seen to be armed, the statement said.
	Officers cordoned off a section of the road that circles the building. An ambulance reached the scene as officers shocked the man on the lawn half an hour after the standoff began.
	"During the de-escalation negotiation process, the man was Tasered as he failed to relinquish the knife," the statement said.
	He was taken into custody. A police spokesman declined to provide further details.
	Prime Minister Tony Abbott was not in the capital today and Parliament was in recess.
	Parliament House has been identified as a major terrorist target and ...

Police subdue knife-wielding man near Australia's Parliament

French police officials identified three men as suspects in a deadly attack against newspaper offices that has killed 12 people and shook the nation.
	Two officials named the suspects as Frenchmen Said Kouachi and Cherif Kouachi, who are brothers and in their early 30s, as well as 18-year-old Hamyd Mourad, whose nationality wasn't immediately clear.
	One of the officials said they were linked to a Yemeni terrorist network. A witness of yesterday's shootings at the offices of weekly satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo said one of the attackers told onlookers, "You can tell the media that it's al-Qaida in Yemen."
	The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorised to publicly discuss the sensitive and ongoing investigation. No arrests have been confirmed in the hunt for the attackers.
	Masked gunmen stormed the offices of Charlie Hebdo, which caried controversial cartoons, methodically killing 12 people, including the editor, before escaping in a car. It was ...

French police identify 3 suspects in attack that killed 12

A Catholic priest from India was jailed after asking a 14-year-old boy to help him delete dozens of images of child pornography from his phone, authorities said.
	When questioned by police, the Rev Jose Palimattom said he had been reprimanded by his superiors in India for his involvement with a boy, authorities said.
	When he came to the US, the pastor at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church in West Palm Beach told him he was not allowed to have contact with minors without another adult present, and was restricted from using Facebook, according to a police report.
	Palimattom was in jail yesterday on an obscenity charge. The Diocese of Palm Beach said it had done a thorough background screening on Palimattom, but that no prior conduct was revealed.
	"This allegation is being taken very seriously," the diocese said in a statement.
	Dianne Laubert, a spokeswoman for the diocese, provided no immediate clarification as to why the priest claimed restrictions were placed on him. She said she .

Priest arrested in Florida; accused of child porn on phone

There is strong evidence that North Korea was behind the cyberattack on Sony and that the leadership there will orchestrate further strikes against American targets, top US officials said today.
	An ongoing investigation has found that North Korea had sought to use proxy servers to conceal the Sony hack, FBI Director James Comey said at a cybersecurity conference in Manhattan.
	But the hackers sometimes "got sloppy" and sent messages that could be traced to IP addresses used exclusively by the North Korean government, he said.
	"I have very high confidence about this attribution to North Korea, as does the entire intelligence community," Comey said.
	The Sony attack also had "clear links" to malware developed by North Korea, Comey said. The same tools were used in an attack last year on South Korean banks, he said.
	Comey said he was hesitant to reveal more about how US officials learned that North Korea was the source "because it will happen again, and we have to preserve our methods 

FBI director confident North Korea was behind cyberattack

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro met today with Chinese leader Xi Jinping amid hopes for new loans to bolster the South American nation's stricken economy.
	Xi reiterated the importance of relations during talks between the two leaders at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, saying the two countries enjoyed a "cooperative strategic partnership" and would deepen cooperation in all areas.
	There was no immediate word on new Chinese loans.
	But after the meeting, the third between the two leaders since Maduro took power in 2013, the Venezuelan president said that during the trip, his government had drummed up Chinese investments in energy, technology and infrastructure projects worth USD 20 billion.
	"Sometimes there's a conspiracy to try and make the world see Venezuela as bankrupt," Maduro told journalists, highlighting the investments as a show of confidence in the country's socialist revolution. "Venezuela is an economic power in its own right, with a productive population ...

Venezuela's Maduro in China seeking aid for stricken economy

Iraqi officials say eight people have been killed in bomb blasts and a shooting attack in and around the capital Baghdad.
	Police officials say a bomb exploded today night near a falafel restaurant in Baghdad, killing three people and wounding 12.
	A bomb on a commercial street in Mahmoudiya, a town just south of the capital, killed two people and wounded six.
	In the town of Tarmiyah north of Baghdad, gunmen in a speeding car opened fire on an army checkpoint, killing three soldiers and wounding nine others.
	Medics confirmed the casualty figures. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Iraq: Attacks in and around Baghdad kill 8

The leaders of Britain and Germany have jointly called French President Francois Hollande to offer support after the deadly gun attack on satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo.
	Prime Minister David Cameron and Chancellor Angela Merkel, who met in London today, offered their condolences after what Cameron called "an appalling terrorist outrage."
	Merkel said it was "an attack against the values we all hold dear, values by which we stand, values of freedom of the press, freedom in general and the dignity of man."
	Cameron said he and Merkel told Hollande "our thoughts are with the French people and offered any help that is needed."
	Three masked gunmen stormed the newspaper's Paris offices today, killing 12 people.

Cameron, Merkel call French leader after newspaper attack

A year ago, pundits were declaring the personal computer dead.
	Smartphones and tablets were cannibalizing sales, and the once-revolutionary PC seemed unnecessary and boring.
	Sure, a smartphone is great for checking emails, snapping photos and playing games. Tablets are perfect for watching videos and shopping online. But don't count the PC out just yet.
	Manufacturers are crafting high-resolution, curved screens for desktops and other new features you can't get in a hand-held device, while trying new laptop designs that mimic the tablet's appeal.
	"For the last couple of years, mobile devices have been the hot commodity," acknowledges Dell executive Neil Hand.
	"But we're seeing a re-emergence of innovation in the PC space."
	For years, PC innovation consisted mostly of putting faster processors or a bigger hard-drive inside the same basic box.
	That didn't really matter when the personal computer was a mostly unchallenged commodity. Global PC shipments peaked at more than 365 ...

Don't sound the death knell for the PC just yet

The Swiss ski federation says ski jumper Simon Ammann has a heavy concussion and facial bruises but has avoided fractures from a crash in the final event of the Four Hills Tour in Bischofshofen.
	The four-time Olympic gold medalist slammed his head on the snow when he lost balance after a 136-meter jump in the final round, and was hospitalised with unknown injuries yesterday.
	The federation says Ammann will need to rest in the Schwarzach clinic for several more days.
	Ammann, who has won 24 World Cups and was the overall champion in 2010, is sixth in this season's standings.

Ski jumper Ammann suffers concussion, bruises in crash

At least nine people were killed across Afghanistan on Wednesday, including two children who were struck by a bomb blast while gathering firewood, officials said.
	The fatal blast took place in the Zhari district of the southern Kandahar province. A separate bomb blast in the Shahwali Kot district of Kandahar wounded another 10 children, leaving seven in critical condition, said Samim Khopalwaq, the spokesman for Kandahar's governor.
	"Our children were there to collect wood to burn when they were hit by this bomb," said Bismallah Jan, the father of one of the wounded children. "The government should have cleared the area, it their duty to protect us."
	Afghanistan is one of the most heavily mined countries in the world, and children are often killed or wounded while playing, collecting firewood or tending animals.
	In the eastern Nangarhar province bordering Pakistan, a bomb blast killed Judge Mohammad-ul Hassan and wounded two of his daughters in the provincial capital Jalalabad, ...

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