Russia and four other ex-Soviet nations have completed the creation of a new economic alliance intended to bolster their integration, but the ambitious grouping immediately showed signs of fracture as the leader of Belarus sharply criticized Moscow.
	The Eurasian Economic Union, which includes Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan, comes to existence on January 1. In addition to free trade, it's to coordinate the members' financial systems and regulate their industrial and agricultural policies along with labor markets and transportation networks.
	Russia had tried to encourage Ukraine to join, but its former pro-Moscow president was ousted in February following months of protests. Russia then annexed Ukraine's Black Sea Crimean Peninsula, and a pro-Russia mutiny has engulfed eastern Ukraine.
	Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the new union will have a combined economic output of USD 4.5 trillion and bring together 170 million people.
	"The Eurasian integration .

Russia, 4-ex-Soviet nations finalize new alliance

PTI Automatic

Supporters of Russia's most prominent opposition leader are preparing to protest near the Kremlin despite government efforts to hamper their plans by Internet censorship.
	Last week, prosecutors asked a court to sentence Alexei Navalny, President Vladimir Putin's chief foe, to 10 years in prison for allegedly defrauding a cosmetics company, charges he dismissed as ludicrous.
	Navalny's supporters set up a group on Facebook to organize a protest outside the Kremlin on January 15, the day of the verdict. But the Russian communications oversight agency said it immediately requested that Facebook block the group, which it did over the weekend.
	Access to the Facebook page in Russia has remained blocked, but Navalny supporters continued Tuesday to discuss the protest plans on Twitter and other platforms. Facebook had no immediate comment.

Russian opposition faces Internet censorship

Gunmen attacked the African Union's main base in the Somali capital of Mogadishu leading to an exchange of gunfire between militants and soldiers that killed at least nine people, including three soldiers, an official with the mission in Somalia said.
	Three militants were captured during the Christmas day lunch hour attack on the African Union Mission to Somalia's Halane base camp, the group said in a statement.
	AMISOM said the gunmen, some of whom were disguised in Somali army uniforms, breached the base camp and attempted to gain access to critical infrastructure yesterday, during which five of them were killed and three others captured.
	Three AMISOM soldiers and a civilian contractor unfortunately lost their lives, AMISOM said.
	Somali extremist group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack and said they were targeting a Christmas party at the base, which also houses Western embassies and UN offices.
	At least eight men entered the AU base near the Mogadishu airport, AU .

Militants attack African Union base; 9 dead

President Barack Obama celebrated Christmas by singing carols and opening gifts with his family at their vacation home in Hawaii.
	The White House says Obama started the holiday on Christmas Eve by having dinner with friends, his wife and their two daughters. Obama also telephoned troops from each branch of the military who are stationed overseas for the holidays.
	The White House says Obama thanked the troops for their service and the sacrifice they and their families make. In an annual tradition, Obama and first lady Michelle Obama were to visit with troops and their families at a Marine Corps base in Hawaii late yesterday.
	The visit comes as the US marks the end of combat operations in Afghanistan.

Obama's Christmas in Hawaii: Carols, calls to US troops

Japan's Emperor Akihito said he "ardently" hoped Japan will strive hard as a peaceful country, as he celebrated his 81th birthday ahead of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II next year.
	Akihito said he hoped Japan will move forward to play a friendship role with its Asian neighbours as well as the rest of the world. His comment, made at a customary news conference last week, was released Tuesday.
	"I ardently hope that Japan will be able to go forward in the world as a stable, peaceful and sound nation, in mutual support not only with neighbouring countries but with as many of the world's countries as possible," Akihito said.
	Akihito is to visit Palau, one of harsh battlefields in the Pacific during World War II, next year to mourn for the war-dead for the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.
	His commitment to peace as the son of Emperor Hirohito, in whose name Japan waged war, is often highlighted at a time Japan's right-wing government of Prime Minister Shinzo 

Japan's emperor turns 81, renews peace commitment

San Diego police say a 40-year-old man died after a border inspector shot him with a stun gun at the nation's busiest crossing.
	Police said today that the man jumped over a counter and attacked an inspector after being escorted to a separate area for questioning at the San Ysidro port of entry between San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico, and. A records check revealed he was wanted on a felony charge.
	Police say the man attacked as authorities tried to take him into custody yesterday. He was attempting to enter the US on foot.
	Four Customs and Border Protection officers suffered moderate injuries and were hospitalized.
	Authorities attempted to resuscitate the man, who was pronounced dead at a hospital. Police said he wouldn't be identified until family was notified.

Man shot with stun gun dies at border crossing

Russia today offered sympathy to North Korea amid the Sony hacking scandal, saying the movie that sparked the dispute was so scandalous that Pyongyang's anger was "quite understandable."
	Washington failed to offer any proof to back its claims of Pyongyang's involvement in the hacking, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said at a briefing, adding that the US threats of retaliation were "counterproductive."
	The US has blamed Pyongyang for the recent cyberattack on Sony Pictures, which produced 'The Interview', a comedy depicting the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Pyongyang has denied a role in the hacking, but also praised it as a "righteous deed."
	Sony initially decided not to release the film because of threats against US cinemas, but released the movie online yesterday.
	Russia's ties with the communist North soured after the 1991 Soviet collapse, but have improved under President Vladimir Putin's watch.
	Moscow has taken part in ...

Russia offers support to North Korea amid Sony hack

Peace talks between the Syrian government and the opposition could be held in Moscow next month, Russia's Foreign Ministry said today.
	The talks are set to take place sometime after Jan. 20, ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said at a briefing.
	The first stage of the talks will bring together representatives of home-based and foreign opposition, and representatives of the Syrian government would join them in the next stage.
	Russia, which has staunchly backed Syrian President Bashar Assad throughout the nation's civil war, recently offered to host peace talks between the government and the mainstream opposition without preconditions. The effort could help Moscow raise its international profile amid tensions with the West over Ukraine.
	Lukashevich wouldn't name the opposition leaders and groups who could take part in the Moscow talks, saying Russia is still awaiting reaction from some of them.
	The main Western-backed Syrian opposition doesn't trust Russia and maintains that .

Syrian peace talks set to take place in Moscow next month

An African Union Mission in Somalia spokesman says five militants have died after attacking the AU base in the capital, Mogadishu.
	Somali extremist group al-Shabab said today they were responsible for the attack and were targeting a Christmas party at the base, which also houses embassy and UN offices.
	AMISOM spokesman Col. Ali Aden Houmed told The Associated Press at least eight men entered the base, and that three of them were shot dead, two detonated themselves near a fuel depot and three are believed to have escaped.
	Houmed says some African Union soldiers may have died in the fighting but did not give details.
	AU troops are bolstering Somalia's weak government against an insurgency from the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab.
	Al-Shabab was pushed out of Mogadishu in 2011 by AU forces.
	Gunmen attacked the African Union's main base in the capital, Mogadishu, leading to an exchange of gunfire between militants and soldiers today, an official and a witness said.
	Somali militant group ..

Official: 5 attackers dead at AU Somalia base

Iran has rejected claims by Mehmet Ali Agca that late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini ordered him to assassinate Pope John Paul II.
	The Turkish gunman earlier this week reiterated in a Serbian TV interview the claims he made in his book "They Promised Me Paradise." Agca says he told John Paul of the Iranian connection when he visited him in prison.
	The Iranian Embassy in Belgrade on Thursday strongly denied the claims, saying "Imam Khomeini during his rich spiritual life maintained very good relations with different religions, including the pope."
	The Vatican had also dismissed the claims Agca made in the book which he has changed many times.
	Agca shot and wounded John Paul in May 1981 in St. Peter's Square. He was released from prison in 2010.

Iran dismisses Khomeini link to pope shooting

The holiday has been cancelled because of unfolding economic crisis

Putin scraps New Year's holidays for ministers

Press Trust of India

A massive snowstorm in Moscow today caused delays to more than 150 flights and brought traffic to a standstill.
	None of Moscow's three airports have been closed, but all three were hit with severe delays, including more than a hundred flights being delayed from Domodedovo south of the city.
	The snowstorm began early this morning and the Russian Meteorological Office said it expects up to 4 inches of snow to fall in Moscow in a single day.
	The Yandex traffic monitoring service said the congestion in Moscow reached the record-high 10 points in the early afternoon, which normally happens only occasionally every year during rush hour.
	The congestion was so bad today that several Cabinet ministers got stuck in traffic and came late for the last session of the government this year, according to Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.
	Unlike in some Western European capitals, snowstorms in Moscow hardly ever disrupt public transport or shut down air traffic.

Snowstorm in Moscow delays over 150 flights

A 13-year-old says her father gave her to Boko Haram extremists and that she was arrested after refusing to explode a suicide bomb in Kano, Nigeria's second largest city in the north.
	Nigeria has suffered numerous suicide bombings in recent months carried out by girls and young women. That has raised fears that the insurgents are using kidnapped girls.
	The girl told a news conference yesterday night that she saw many people being buried alive at the Boko Haram camp where her father took her in Bauchi state, east of Kano.
	She said her captors asked if she wanted to go to paradise and, when she said yes, explained she would have to be a suicide bomber.
	"When I was told I would have to die to enter paradise, that I would have to explode a bomb and die, I said I cannot do it," she said.
	When they threatened to kill her, she allowed them to strap her into a vest primed with explosives, saying "I was afraid to be buried alive."
	Two other girls detonated their bombs at Kano's textile ..

13-year-old girl: My father gave me to Boko Haram

Iran's national army has begun a massive military drill near the strategic Strait of Hormuz at the entrance to the Persian Gulf, state TV reported today.
	Gen Ahmad Reza Pourdastan, chief of the Army's ground forces, told the channel that the manoeuvres are aimed at "transferring experiences" to younger generations of Iranian soldiers.
	The report said the weeklong exercise will be carried out over 5,27,000 square kilometres in the northern part of the Indian Ocean, Sea of Oman and the eastern part of the passage, through which one-fifth of the world's oil supply passes.
	The initial part of the drill includes exercises by ground units in southeast Iran today and tomorrow. The air force and navy will begin their exercises over the weekend.
	Last week Iran said units from the powerful Revolutionary Guard will participate in the exercise and new weapons will be test fired.

Iran's army begins massive drill

Federal prosecutors are opposing a request by lawyers for Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to delay the start of his trial until September.
	Jury selection is scheduled to begin Jan 5. Tsarnaev, 21, has pleaded not guilty to 30 charges and if convicted could face the death penalty.
	In a court filing yesterday, prosecutors rejected complaints by defense attorneys about their ability to digest the enormous volume of material provided by the government as the trial approaches.
	Prosecutors said much of that information was demanded by the defense and voluntarily turned over by the government "in the spirit of openness."
	"Tsarnaev should not be heard to complain about the receipt of information that he himself has requested and that the government had no legal obligation to provide earlier (or at all)," prosecutors wrote.
	Tsarnaev's lawyers argued in their motion filed on Tuesday that a September trial date would be more realistic given the "extraordinary complexity ...

Prosecutors: No delayed start in marathon trial

A laboratory technician at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was being monitored for possible accidental exposure to the Ebola virus that came during an experiment, officials have said.
	The person working in a secure laboratory in Atlanta may have come into contact with a small amount of a live virus, CDC spokeswoman Barbara Reynolds said in an emailed statement yesterday.
	The experimental material was on a sealed plate, but wasn't supposed to be moved into the lab in which the technician was working, Reynolds said. The worker will be monitored for 21 days and the person's name hasn't been released.
	Additional employees have been notified, but none has required monitoring, Reynolds said. Other staff will be assessed for exposure.
	There is no risk to the public and lab scientists notified CDC officials of what happened on Tuesday, Reynolds said. The lab has been decontaminated twice, and the material in question was destroyed before CDC officials became aware of the ...

CDC monitoring tech for possible Ebola exposure

Mexican authorities are proposing a USD 37 million plan to ban gillnet fishing in most of the upper Sea of Cortez to save the critically endangered vaquita marina, the world's smallest porpoise.
	The plan would compensate fishermen for stopping the use of nets that often sweep up the tiny porpoises along with their catch.
	Recent reports suggest there are fewer than 100 of the shy, elusive porpoises left in the Sea of Cortez, which is also known as the Gulf of California. The gulf is the only place on Earth where the marine mammals are found.
	The proposal was submitted Tuesday for mandatory public consultation, and could be implemented in a couple of months.
	The vaquita is threatened by gillnet fishing for totoaba, a huge, heavy fish whose swim bladder is prized by chefs in China.

Mexico wants to ban nets, save endangered porpoise

Spain's new King Felipe VI insisted in his first Christmas Eve speech that seemingly endless examples of corruption across the country must be stamped out, not mentioning his indicted sister by name but stressing that public figures don't have a right "to profit or become rich."
	The speech watched by millions on TV yesterday is the most important national address by Spanish kings, and Felipe gave it after his father Juan Carlos abdicated in June putting his own stamp on the monarchy.
	Felipe told Spaniards they should take heart that some accused of "irregular conduct" are being held accountable in legal proceedings riveting and outraging many.
	"There must not be favoured treatment for those occupying a position of public responsibility," Felipe said. "Public office must not be a means to profit or become rich."
	Although the king did not mention his sister by name, Fernando Rayon, an author and royal watcher, said there was no doubt she was referred to.
	"It is understood that, ...

Spain: New king says corruption must be eliminated

Some people in Hawaii are dreaming of a White Christmas.
	A blizzard warning is in effect for the summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on the Big Island of Hawaii. The National Weather Service says up to 7 inches (18 centimeters) of snow could accumulate.
	While snow on the mountains is common, a blizzard with significant accumulation is unusual.
	Kimberly Zarate-Amaya of Mountain View says she wants to drive up to Mauna Kea to see the snow but the road was closed yesterday. The Mauna Kea Weather Service says the road will likely remain closed until tomorrow.
	Residents on the Hilo side of the island will at least get to see a snow-capped Mauna Kea on Christmas, as the snow is expected to remain for a few days.

Blizzard gives Hawaii summits a White Christmas

Activists have praised the US government's decision to remove Gambia from a trade agreement, apparently in response to human rights abuses.
	The White House announced yesterday that it is terminating the West African nation as a beneficiary of the African Growth and Opportunity Act. No specific reason was given, but countries can be removed for human rights violations.
	President Yahya Jammeh is regularly criticized for abuses, including disappearances and executions.
	In October, he signed a law imposing life imprisonment for some homosexual acts. A spate of arrests ensued, and state media said Monday that three more men were about to be charged.
	Local organizations such as the Coalition for Change have praised the US move, as has the US-based Human Rights Campaign, a leading gay rights organization.

US removes Gambia from trade agreement

Alice Marke and her family aren't celebrating Christmas the way they used to: The deadly Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone means no festive parties at the beach, no carolers singing at night.
	Authorities this year have banned any activities that could further the spread of the highly contagious virus now blamed for killing more than 7,000 people in West Africa over the past year.
	"We will stay at home glued to our radio and television sets for broadcast of Christian services and prayers for the country, especially for the speedy end to the deadly Ebola disease early in the New Year," Marke says.
	Faith is important in this country with a sizeable Christian population still recovering from a brutal civil war that ended more than a decade ago. It's not uncommon to see Biblical verses painted on public transport buses.
	Now Ebola is spreading fastest in Sierra Leone's Western Area, which includes the capital of Freetown. It's believed that more than half of all new cases come from this ...

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