The top United Nations human rights official says Israel must investigate and curb the rising injuries and deaths occurring during Palestinian protests.
	Zeid Raad al-Hussein, the UN high commissioner for human rights, said today the problem was highlighted by the death on Wednesday of a senior Palestinian official during a confrontation with Israeli troops.
	Palestinians blame Israel for the sudden death of Ziad Abu Ain. Israeli pathologists say the 55-year-old died of a heart attack.
	Zeid said the death, along with the serious wounding of a 14-year-old Palestinian boy reportedly shot by Israeli security forces, should be properly investigated.
	According to Zeid's office, at least 50 Palestinians have died in incidents involving Israeli security forces in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, almost twice as many as the previous year.

UN rights chief: Israel must probe protest deaths

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Indonesian police have named editor in chief of a leading English-language newspaper a suspect in a blasphemy case after the paper published a cartoon that allegedly insults Islam.
	An Islamic group in Jakarta has filed a complaint against the paper, the Jakarta Post.
	Jakarta police spokesman Colonel Rikwanto said yesterday that Editor-in-Chief Meidyatama Suryodiningrat was summoned for questioning next week as a suspect in the case.
	Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim nation and its Constitution guarantees freedom of speech. In recent years blasphemy cases have been filed against those seen as offending Islam.

Indonesian editor-in-chief suspected of blasphemy

The UN Security Council is strongly backing the new agreement for NATO to train, advise and assist Afghanistan's security forces starting January 1.
	A resolution adopted unanimously by the council on Friday welcomes the new mission, named "Resolute Support," and "underscores the importance of continued international support for the stabilization of the situation in Afghanistan."
	The training mission will begin when NATO-led combat operations in the violence-torn country end on December 31.
	The resolution approved by the 15 council members says the goal of the new mission is to further enhance the capabilities of Afghan military and security forces so that they can maintain security and stability throughout the country.

UN backs agreement for NATO to train Afghan forces

Eight Greenpeace activists who staged an eye-catching protest at Procter & Gamble headquarters in Cincinnati have pleaded guilty to trespassing in an agreement offered at the company's request.
	A judge in Hamilton County sentenced them each Friday to 80 hours of community service on the misdemeanor charge. They are on probation for up to a year and can avoid jail time by completing the service and paying court costs.
	The consumer products maker said last week that it's working with Greenpeace to eliminate deforestation in its palm oil supply chain, the subject of the March 4 protest.
	The activists unfurled large banners from P&G headquarters' two towers. They used zip lines and one wore a tiger suit as the protest was filmed for Greenpeace from a helicopter.

Greenpeace activists take plea deal in P&G protest

A 12-year-old boy carrying a pellet gun died from a single shot fired by a rookie police officer, according to an autopsy released today.
	Tamir Rice was shot in the abdomen and the bullet damaged a major vein and his intestines, the medical examiner's findings showed.
	Several peaceful protests have taken place since the shooting, which has come at a time when police-involved deaths around the nation have drawn on spotlight on departments and their use of force.
	Last week, the US. Justice Department released the results of a nearly two-year investigation of Cleveland police that found its officers use excessive and unnecessary force far too often. The report was completed before Tamir's death.
	Tamir was shot outside a city recreation center on Nov. 22 after officers responded to an emergency call about someone with a gun at a playground. Surveillance video released by police shows the boy being shot within 2 seconds of a patrol car stopping near him. He died the next day.
	Police ..

Autopsy: Cleveland boy was shot once by officer

A French court ruled today that Uber's ride-hailing service may infringe French law and ordered the company to make changes to its popular mobile app-based service.
	However, the court did not ban the popular service that launched earlier this year in France and that matches people seeking rides with drivers through a mobile phone app.
	The Paris Commercial Court said it is ordering Uber to withdraw from its app to French users "all mention suggesting it is legal" for Uber's drivers to act like taxis - that is, driving around and waiting for clients.
	Uber did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
	Uber's French contretemps is the latest in a string of challenges that it and other ride-hailing companies such as Lyft face around the world, as taxi drivers argue the new car services have an unfair advantage because they don't have to follow the same regulations and can afford cheaper prices.

French court says Uber may infringe on taxi law

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe swore in two new vice presidents today.
	Justice Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa, was appointed as the senior of the two deputies during a televised ceremony. They replaced Joice Mujuru, who was fired earlier this week after she was booted from the ruling ZANU-PF party.
	Mugabe accused Mujuru and her allies, who were also fired, of plotting his assassination.
	Mnangagwa kneeled before the 90-year-old Mugabe and his wife, Grace Mugabe, in a show of gratitude when his appointment was announced on Wednesday.
	"He is the man Mugabe can trust, not just with securing his family's business but with maintaining a hardline stance as well," said Gabriel Shumba, a human rights advocate and political analyst.
	A lawyer by profession, Mnangagwa will retain his position as head of the justice ministry. He and Mugabe became close allies when the two were arrested together during the struggle against white rule in the 1970s. Mugabe has been in power since independence ..

Zimbabwe: New vice presidents sworn in

Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has vowed to remake Hungary into a "non-liberal" state, now wants mandatory drug testing for journalists and politicians.
	A member of his ruling Fidesz party earlier had suggested mandatory annual drug tests for 12 to 18-year-olds, but that plan has apparently been dropped. Critics see the latest announcement as an attempt by Orban to combat a drop in popularity and say it will be impossible to implement.
	Orban said today the drug tests are needed to fight the "drug mafia." His party says a draft bill will be ready in February for debate in parliament, where Fidesz enjoys a two-thirds majority.
	Tamas Kardos of the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union said the latest proposal could be an attempt to intimidate journalists.

Hungary's leader wants drug tests for journalists

Chrysler is bowing to demands from US safety regulators and will add about 1,79,000 vehicles to a recall for air bags that could explode with too much force.
	The expansion covers the Ram pickup from 2003 to 2005 model years, as well as the 2004 and 2005 Dodge Durango, 2005 Chrysler 300 and 2005 Dodge Magnum.
	At first Chrysler agreed to replace the passenger air bag inflators made by Takata Corp in Florida, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
	But under pressure from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the company added more states with high humidity. The new boundaries are Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and five US territories.
	The air bags can explode with too much force and spew shrapnel into the passenger compartment.

Chrysler expands air bag recall

The two main candidates in Sri Lanka's presidential election have promised a violence-free vote, with Pope Francis scheduled to visit the country just days later, a church leader said.
	Francis is to begin a three-day visit on January 13, five days after the poll. Some church officials are seeking a postponement, fearing there could be post-election violence because of the acrimonious campaign.
	President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is seeking a third term in office, is facing his former health minister, Maithripala Sirisena. Sirisena defected from Rajapaksa's government after the election was announced last month.
	Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith said the bishops' conference met with both candidates and received their assurances of no violence, the Catholic weekly newspaper Messenger reported on its website.
	"We need to have faith and believe in what they both told us," Ranjith was quoted as saying. "In fact there were a lot of cross questions posed by the bishops and both candidates said that .

Sri Lankan church: candidates pledge no violence

Swiss lawmakers today passed a legislation allowing more scrutiny of bank accounts held by sports officials and organisations.
	The law was passed in a 128-62 vote in the lower chamber of parliament, was prompted by FIFA bribery scandals in recent years.
	Switzerland-based sports leaders such as FIFA President Sepp Blatter and IOC President Thomas Bach are now classed as "politically exposed persons" in wider legislation covering money-laundering.
	Swiss lawmaker Roland Buechel says "normally these rules are for politicians and dictators."
	Buechel says the law also applies to executive committee members and employees of sports federations.
	The law allows greater scrutiny of "any strange movement" in bank accounts and financial assets held in Switzerland, Buechel says.
	Buechel says further draft legislation making sports corruption a criminal offense could pass in 2016.

Swiss law allows more scrutiny of sports finances

The Israeli army says a Palestinian threw acid at a Jewish family in the West Bank, after which a passer-by shot at the man and wounded him. The Palestinian acid-thrower was subsequently arrested by police and taken to hospital under custody.
	The military says the attack took place today afternoon in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc south of Jerusalem. The attacked family, a Jewish woman and four girls, were sitting inside a car when the attacker threw acid at them.
	Israeli police said they were slightly injured. Acid attacks are rare in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
	Over the past month, 11 people have been killed in Palestinian attacks, mostly in Jerusalem, though there have been other attacks in Tel Aviv and the West Bank.

Palestinian attacks Israeli family with acid

The French fashion conglomerate Kering has announced that Gucci creative director Frida Giannini will step down after 12 years at the fashion label.
	Kering said in a statement today that Giannini will leave her position after showing her fall/winter 2014-2015 menswear collection in Milan in February. No replacement was immediately announced.
	Giannini joined the Florentine fashion house in 2002 as the lead designer for leather goods, adding women's ready-to-wear in 2005, before being named the sole creative director.
	Kering also announced that Gucci CEO Patrizio di Marco would step down after 13 years with the group, first as CEO of Bottega Veneta, another brand in the company's stable. He will be replaced by Marco Bizzarri.
	Kering credited di Marco with making Gucci among the best-performing brands in the luxury industry.

CEO and creative director of Gucci stepping down

It's now up to the US Senate to pass a huge USD 1.1 trillion government-wide spending bill after the Obama White House and Republicans joined forces to push it through the House over objections from Democrats that it would roll back bank regulations imposed in the wake of the economic near-meltdown of 2008.
	The 219-206 vote late yesterday managed to avert the threat of a government shutdown and the House passed a measure providing a 48-hour extension in existing funding to give the Senate time to act on the larger bill.
	In a rare public rebuke of President Barack Obama, Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said she was "enormously disappointed" he had decided to embrace the bill, which she described as an attempt at legislative blackmail by House Republicans.
	The White House noted its own objections to the bank-related proposal in a written statement. But officials said that Obama and Vice President Joe Biden both called Democrats in an attempt to secure enough votes for passage of the ..

House sends huge USD 1.1T spending bill to Senate

A mushroom with hallucinogenic properties has been found growing at Buckingham Palace but no one suspects Queen Elizabeth II of cultivating the magic mushroom.
	The Amanita muscaria was found growing wild in the extensive palace gardens during preparations for a television show.
	The mushroom's hallucinogenic properties have long been known and it has commonly been used in rituals.
	Palace officials said today there are several hundred species of mushrooms growing in the palace gardens, including a number of naturally occurring Amanita muscaria.
	The mushroom can be beneficial to trees but can be poisonous to humans.
	Officials say mushrooms from the garden are not used in the palace kitchens.

'Magic mushroom' in Queen Elizabeth II's garden

The chairman of Korean Air Lines Co today apologized for the behavior of his adult daughter who delayed a flight in an incident now dubbed "nut rage."
	Cho Yang-ho made a deep bow before journalists in response to simmering public anger over his daughter's over-mighty attitude and the airline's handling of it.
	Cho Hyun-ah, who was head of cabin service at Korean Air, was angered when a flight attendant in first class offered her macadamia nuts in a bag, not on a plate. She ordered a senior crew member off the plane, forcing it to return to the gate at John F. Kennedy airport in New York City.
	Cho Yang-ho called his daughter's behavior foolish and says he regrets he didn't raise her better. "It's my fault," he said. "As chairman and father, I ask for the public's generous forgiveness."
	Shortly after her father's apology, Cho Hyun-ah also made a deep bow in her first public appearance since the Dec. 5 incident. She was meeting with transport ministry officials who are investigating ..

Korean Air chairman sorry for daughter's nut rage

A crew member and two contractors have died when a fire broke out aboard a luxury cruise ship docked at the eastern Caribbean island of St Lucia, officials said.
	The 656 passengers aboard the Oceania Insignia were evacuated safely yesterday and the remainder of the cruise was cancelled, according to Oceania Cruises.
	A crew member was in the hospital, said Jason Lasecki, senior director of public relations for Prestige Cruise Holdings, the parent company of Oceania Cruises.
	"We are deeply saddened by the tragic events that occurred this morning on Insignia," said Lasecki, adding that passengers will be fully refunded and charter flights have been arranged to take them to Miami as well as accommodation until they can be flown to their cities of origin. Oceania's president and other officials are in St. Lucia.
	It is unclear what caused the fire, which began in the engine room and was contained. The US National Transportation Safety Board said it was sending officials to help with the 

3 die in St Lucia cruise fire; passengers safe

The death toll from a mass overdose at a Venezuelan prison in November has risen to 48.
	Officials announced yesterday that 48 people have died from taking a toxic cocktail of stolen pharmaceuticals. That's up from 35 confirmed deaths.
	Prison authorities say a group of violent inmates raided the infirmary of the prison in western Venezuela in late November. They say the prisoners guzzled down a deadly mix of pure alcohol with drugs used to treat diabetes, epilepsy and high blood pressure.
	Families and human rights groups have questioned the story. Yesterday, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights urged the Venezuelan government to pursue further investigation.

Death toll in Venezuelan prison overdose up to 48

The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland has brought charges of data theft against a former employee of global banking group HSBC who is suspected of carrying out a huge security breach at its private banking offices in Geneva.
	The case involves fugitive IT specialist Herve Falciani, who the bank accuses of stealing information between 2006 and 2007 relating to 24,000 customers of the Swiss division of HSBC.
	In a statement today the Swiss attorney general's office says the French-Italian national has been charged with transmitting stolen bank information to Lebanese banks, the Paris-based National Directorate of Tax Investigations and other foreign authorities.
	Falciani fled Switzerland after the Swiss opened criminal proceedings in 2008. He was arrested in Spain in 2012, but a court ruled against extraditing him.

Swiss charge former HSBC analyst with data theft

Swiss researchers have suspended the testing of one of the leading Ebola vaccine candidates after some volunteers reported unexpected side effects.
	In a statement issued today, the Hopitaux Universitaires de Geneve said the trial had been suspended "as a precautionary measure." The study involving 59 people began in November.
	Researchers reported four cases of mild joint pain in the hands and feet in people who got the shot 10 to 15 days earlier. Officials will stop giving the vaccine next week to get more data and liaise with others who are testing the vaccine in the US, Canada, Germany and Gabon.
	The vaccine was developed by the Canadian government and is licensed to two US companies, NewLink and Merck The trial is scheduled to resume in January in Geneva.

Ebola vaccine trial suspended after side effects

Hong Kong police today took away demonstrators who refused to leave the main pro-democracy protest camp and tore down their tents in a final push to retake streets occupied by activists for two and a half months.
	The first person arrested was carried away by four officers by her arms and legs.
	The students and other activists have been protesting Beijing's restrictions on the first election for Hong Kong's leader, though the movement's momentum has been fading in recent weeks.
	Many protesters had heeded police warnings to leave the protest zone in Hong Kong's city center, but dozens of students, pro-democracy lawmakers and others, including middle-aged and elderly supporters, remained today afternoon.
	The students at the front lay down and locked arms.
	Earlier today, workers carrying out a court order removed barricades on the edge of the protest site before officers moved in and dismantled tents. They had warned protesters that they faced arrest if they did not leave.
		"I think 

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