Former Madagascan president Andry Rajoelina has returned to power after beating rival Marc Ravalomanana in last week's highly contested run-off vote, according to results published Thursday by the electoral commission.
Rajoelina won 55.66 per cent against 44.34 per cent for Ravalomanana, it said.
The results may be contested after Ravalomanana claimed fraud.
The electoral commission chief Hery Rakotomanana said "efforts were made to respond" to concerns raised by both candidates which included a review of the counting software.
The two-round election was plagued by mutual accusations of vote-rigging in a country with a long history of instability.
Rajoelina and Ravalomanana are former presidents and long-time rivals.
They each spent lavishly on campaigning, with promises and handouts distributed liberally to voters, who are among the poorest in Africa.

Ex-president Rajoelina wins Madagascar vote: Electoral commission

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Iraqi lawmakers Thursday demanded US forces leave the country in the wake of a surprise visit by President Donald Trump that politicians denounced as arrogant and a violation of Iraqi sovereignty.
Politicians from both blocs of Iraq's divided Parliament called for a vote to expel US troops and promised to schedule an extraordinary session to debate the matter.
"Parliament must clearly and urgently express its view about the ongoing American violations of Iraqi sovereignty," said Salam al-Shimiri, a lawmaker loyal to the populist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.
Trump, making his first presidential visit to troops in a troubled region Wednesday, said he has no plans to withdraw the 5,200 US forces in the country.
Containing foreign influence has become a hot-button issue in a year that saw al-Sadr supporters win the largest share of votes in May elections. Al-Sadr has called for curbing US and Iranian involvement in Iraqi affairs.
US troops are stationed in Iraq as part of the coalition against 

Iraqi lawmakers demand US withdrawal after Trump visit

A 12-year-old boy in the French Alps was found alive and uninjured after being buried under an avalanche for 40 minutes, an event his rescuers are calling a true "miracle."
French police in the town of Bourg Saint-Maurice said the boy was skiing off piste at the La Plagne ski resort in a group of seven skiers Wednesday when he was swept away.
The boy started going down ahead of the others and was the only one caught when a large section of snow detached and roared down the mountain, police said. He was dragged at least 100 meters (110 yards) by the force of the avalanche.
Rescue workers flew in a helicopter to the avalanche scene, which was at 2,400 meters altitude. A sniffer dog found the boy, whose winter jacket was not equipped with an avalanche detector.
Rescue workers described the operation as "miraculous" because they said chances of survival are minuscule after 15 minutes under the snow. Police said among the reasons the boy survived is that his airways were not blocked by ...

12-year-old boy survives avalanche that buried him for 40 minutes

A strong earthquake jolted Venezuelans from their sleep early Thursday, forcing residents in the capital to evacuate buildings in their pajamas before sunrise. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
The 5.5 magnitude quake struck just before 5 a.m. Thursday (local time) and was centered near the town of San Diego, 165 kilometers west of Caracas, the capital. It had a depth of 10 kilometers and was felt across seven states, along with a 5.0 magnitude aftershock a few minutes later.
Interior Minister Nestor Reverol said there were no major damages or casualties. Photos on social media showed large cracks to some buildings and fallen walls and debris from historic facades in San Diego, a suburb of Venezuela's third-largest city, Valencia.
While earthquakes are common in Venezuela, they tend to be less frequent and not as strong as those that hit elsewhere in South America like neighbouring Colombia, Chile and Peru.
Daniel Salazar said she ran nervously from bed in search of her ..

Strong 5.5 quake rattles Venezuela before dawn; people flee

Ma Jian, one of China's former spy chiefs, was sentenced to life imprisonment by a Chinese court on Thursday after being found guilty for accepting USD 15.8 million in bribes and crimes relating to insider trading and forced share transfers.
Ma, former deputy head of China's Ministry of State Security, was tried at the Dalian Intermediate Court in northeast China after four years in detention.
He was also fined 50.5 million yuan, official media reported.
Ma pleaded guilty in the court and decided not to appeal.
The court ordered the confiscation of all of Ma's personal property and demanded the return of his ill-gotten gains.
Ma was also punished for forced transactions and insider trading, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
He was found to have taken advantage of his various positions, including vice minister of state security, to help fugitive Guo Wengui and Beijing Zenith Holdings, a company which was actually controlled by Guo, and accepted money and valuables worth more than .

China's former spy chief sentenced to life for corruption

Pakistan on Thursday said it will place former president Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur on the Exit Control List (ECL) to prevent them from flying abroad after they were named in a Supreme Court-appointed joint investigative team probing fake bank accounts.
The JIT, constituted by the apex court on September 5, probe focused on "32 fake accounts" which were allegedly used to give massive financial benefits to Zardari, Talpur and several others.
Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said that the Cabinet has decided to place on the ECL all 172 suspects, including Zardari and his sister, involved in cases of money laundering and use of fake bank accounts, Dawn reported.
Those persons on the list are prohibited from leaving Pakistan.
"I was watching Asif Ali Zardari say that he does not take the JIT seriously," recalled the minister. "Hopefully, he will take it seriously after today. In the upcoming days he will know the seriousness of this inquiry."
"This is not Purana ...

Pakistan to ban former president Zardari, his sister from travelling abroad

Aman Raj sunk an eagle en route a superb seven-under 64 which placed him fifth after the second round of the Asian Tour Qualifying School Final Stage, on Thursday.
Raj, who wears a trademark hat while on a golf course, played one of his best rounds as a professional on the Asian Tour as he now lies two shots behind the leader, Poom Pattaropong (67-64; total 131).
Three players, Christoffer Baumann (64-68), Choo Tze Huang (65-67) an Zach Murray (68-64) are Tied-second at 10-under 132.
For the second day running, Aman had an eagle.
It was on a Par-5 on first day and on the second day he holed his second shot on the Par-4 453-yard 12th hole. He was three-under for the front nine, and then bogeyed the 10th. But between the 12th and 17th, he hit a purple patch with an eagle and four birdies, but unfortunately closed with a bogey for 64.
Raj, who turned professional in 2016 and went on to top the class at the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) Qualifying School in 2016, was recently ...

Aman Raj lands eagle en route 64 on 2nd day, lies 5th at Q-School

Saudi Arabia's King Salman has issued a wide-ranging overhaul of top government posts, including naming a new foreign minister, following international fallout from the killing of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi nearly three months ago.
Adel al-Jubeir, the soft-spoken foreign minister since 2015, was replaced by Ibrahim al-Assaf, who was formerly a finance minister. Al-Jubeir was appointed to the post of minister of state for foreign affairs.
Al-Assaf had been serving as minister of state, and has held a seat on the boards of oil-giant Saudi Aramaco and the kingdom's sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund.
The changes, which impact several key ministries, come as the king and his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, were looking to announce a major reshuffle following Khashoggi's killing by Saudi agents in Istanbul.

Saudi king orders Cabinet shakeup after Khashoggi's killing

An Inter Milan supporter died on Thursday morning after being hit by a vehicle during clashes with Napoli fans on Wednesday before the Serie A match between the two teams at the San Siro.
Milan police chief Marcello Cadorna told journalists that the incident happened after around 100 Inter fans attacked Napoli supporters' minibuses with chains and hammers.
Cadorna, himself a former Serie A referee, said that four Napoli fans were injured in the "despicable and absolutely impossible to prevent" attack.
In the ensuing confusion, Inter fan Daniele Belardinelli, 35, was hit by a vehicle, likely a dark SUV and not one of the Napoli minibuses, according to mobile phone footage of the incident, Cadorna said.
Inter fans carried Belardinelli to a nearby hospital where he died of his injuries despite being operated on.
"You can't die for a football game," said far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, adding that he would summon fan organisations for talks in January.
Police arrested three ...

Inter Milan fan dies after clashes at Napoli game

The United Arab Emirates reopened its embassy in Damascus Thursday, the latest sign of efforts to bring the Syrian government back into the Arab fold.
The UAE broke ties with Syria in February 2012, as the repression of nationwide protests demanding regime change was escalating into a devastating war.
Nearly seven years later, the Emirati flag was raised again during a ceremony attended by diplomats and journalists.
An acting charge d'affaires has already started working, an Emirati statement said, stressing that the UAE was "keen to put relations back on their normal track".
It said that the resumption of ties aimed to "support the sovereignty and independence of Syria" and face "the dangers of regional interferences".
Rumours of the Emirati embassy reopening had circulated in recent days as renovation work was spotted getting under way at the building.
A visit to Damascus by Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir earlier this month had been interpreted by some observers as a sign of ...

UAE reopens Damascus embassy after seven years

Imam-ul-Haq scored a half-century as Pakistan made a good start to their second innings on the second day of the first Test against South Africa at SuperSport Park on Thursday.
Imam was on 57 not out as Pakistan reached 100 for one at tea, an overall lead of 58 in what has been a low-scoring Test.
Imam and opening partner Fakhar Zaman wiped out a first-innings deficit of 42, taking their side two runs into the lead before Zaman flicked a ball from first-innings destroyer Duanne Olivier to fine leg after scoring 12.
The left-handed Imam made a shaky start. He hurried to 15 off 11 balls but all three of his boundaries to that point were off the edge of his bat.
He was still on 15 when he was dropped low down by Hashim Amla at first slip off Dale Steyn. But he then batted solidly in reaching fifty off 71 balls with seven fours and a hooked six off Olivier.
Imam and Shan Masood (22 not out) added an unbeaten 56 for the second wicket.
Earlier, Temba Bavuma and Quinton de Kock steered South 

Imam takes Pakistan into lead against South Africa

Bangladeshi cricket officials on Thursday lifted a ban on former Australian captain Steve Smith playing in the forthcoming Twenty20 Bangladesh Premier League, an official said.
The ruling means Smith, currently serving a one-year ban from international cricket over a ball-tampering scandal, is free to play for Comilla Victorians in the next edition of the BPL starting on January 5.
He has signed for the side and is expected to join up with teammates in mid-January for the second phase of the BPL as a replacement for Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had initially blocked his participation after other franchises raised objections about Smith, who was not in the initial players' draft list for the tournament.
"We could not give him permission earlier as other franchises had protested his signing," BCB spokesman Jalal Yunus said on Thursday.
"Today four franchises emailed us separately saying that they have withdrawn their objections for the greater ...

Bangladesh lifts Smith's Twenty20 tournament ban

The United Arab Emirates will reopen its embassy in Damascus Thursday, an official said, the latest sign of efforts to bring the Syrian government back into the Arab fold.
The UAE broke ties with Syria in February 2012, as the repression of nationwide protests demanding regime change was escalating into a devastating war.
Nearly seven years later, an information ministry official invited journalists "to cover the reopening of the Emirati embassy in Damascus today".
The Al-Watan newspaper, a Syrian daily close to the government of President Bashar al-Assad, also reported the decision.
Rumours of the Emirati embassy reopening had circulated in recent days as renovation work was spotted getting under way at the building.
The UAE does not have an ambassador to Syria yet but two diplomats are expected to attend Thursday's ceremony.
A visit to Damascus by Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir earlier this month had been interpreted by some observers as a sign of regional efforts to end Assad's .

UAE to reopen Damascus embassy after 7 years

China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), touted as a rival to the widely-used American GPS, has started providing global services.
The construction of the BDS-3 primary system had been completed, BDS spokesperson Ran Chengqi said Thursday.
"This signifies that BDS has officially entered the global era as the BDS expands from a regional system to a global navigation system. From now on, no matter where you go, BDS will always be with you," Ran said at a media conference here said.
The positioning accuracy of the system has reached 10 metres globally and five metres in the Asia-Pacific region. Its velocity accuracy is 0.2 metres per second, while its timing accuracy stands at 20 nanoseconds, he said.
Pakistan has become the first country to use the BeiDou system ending its reliance on the Global Positioning System (GPS).
Named after the Chinese term for the 'Big Dipper', the BeiDou system started serving China in 2000 and the Asia-Pacific region in 2012. It will be the fourth ..

China's BeiDou satellite navigation system starts global service

Japan said Thursday it had protested to Beijing that a Chinese trawler suspected of poaching off Japan's southern coast sailed away with Japanese inspectors on board.
China disputed the boat had crossed the border to fish and said it was dissatisfied Japanese fisheries authorities went on board.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the boarding occurred November 5 in Japan's exclusive economic zone off Kagoshima and Japan complained about the "vicious" case via diplomatic channels.
The incident surfaced more than 50 days after it occurred when Suga responded to a reporter's question following a news report.
Suga did not explain why nothing was released earlier and the Foreign Ministry declined to give further details.
Fisheries officials said about 10 Japanese officials boarded the trawler for inspection in Japan's EEZ but the trawler kept sailing into intermediate waters.
The inspectors returned to their own ship after its half-day chase of the trawler, with the help of ...

Japan says Chinese trawler fled with its inspectors on board

Chinese telecoms giant Huawei expects to see a 21 percent rise in revenue for 2018, its chairman said Thursday despite a year of "unfair treatment" which saw its products banned in several countries over security concerns.
Huawei would report sales revenue of USD 108.5 billion, up 21 percent year-on-year, rotating chairman Guo Ping said in a New Year message to staff.
Guo also said the firm had signed 26 commercial contracts for its 5G technology despite what he described as a year of "incredibly unfair treatment".
"Huawei has never and will never present a security threat," Guo wrote in the message titled "Fire is the Test of Gold".
"Setbacks will only makes us more courageous, and incredibly unfair treatment will drive us to become the world's number one," he added.
The company has been under fire this year, with Washington leading efforts to blacklist Huawei internationally.
A top Huawei executive was also arrested in Canada earlier this month at the request of the US, which is ...

Huawei expects 21 pc revenue rise despite 'unfair' treatment

A graft probe into the luxury watch collection of Thailand's junta number two was dropped Thursday, sparking the ire of the public and political opponents of the military.
The country's anti-corruption agency cited "no grounds" for an investigation into the scandal surrounding Prawit Wongsuwan's penchant for pricey timepieces, which captivated the kingdom earlier this year and drew criticisms in a rare lightning rod of dissent as the Thai public grew weary after four years of military rule.
The 73-year-old was caught last December wearing a luxury watch in a photo, inspiring online sleuths to dig up old photos of at least 22 watches collectively worth USD 1.2 million on his wrist, including 11 Rolexes, eight Patek Philippes and three Richard Milles.
Questions arose over how a general on a relatively humble public servant's salary could afford items undeclared on his USD 2.7 million list of assets on taking office, leading the kingdom's anti-graft agency to open a probe into his wrist .

Thai anti-graft agency drops probe into 'Rolex General'

The European Parliament is circulating a guidebook among its members in an attempt to use more gender-neutral terms and move away from the use of words like "mankind" and "manpower" and replace them with "humanity" or "staff".
The parliamentary wing of the European Union (EU) has issued the guidelines for its officials and MEPs (Members of European Parliament) to avoid the "generic use of man" in communications, EU legislation and interpretation.
"Gender-neutral or gender-inclusive language is more than a matter of political correctness. Language powerfully reflects and influences attitudes, behaviour and perceptions, the guidebook reads.
"Political leaders" should be preferred to "statesmen" and items should be called "artificial" or "synthetic" rather than man-made, according to a report in The Daily Telegraph'.
"Businessperson" should be chosen over businessman or businesswoman, according to the guidelines, which have been updated from the first edition in 2008.
"Chair" should be ..

European Parliament wants to use more gender-neutral terms

Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri believes his club's battle to curb racist incidents among their fanbase is a "fight against stupid people" following further allegations of racist chanting by fans during the 2-1 win at Watford on Boxing Day.
A minority of the away end were reported to have shouted discriminatory remarks during the clash at Vicarage Road.
Chelsea suspended four people from attending matches earlier this month while the club carries out an investigation into allegations Manchester City star Raheem Sterling was racially abused at Stamford Bridge.
And just days later UEFA also opened an investigation into alleged anti-Semitic chanting during a Europa League game in Hungary.
"First of all I want to speak with my club, second I don't want to generalise because 99 percent (of) our fans are really wonderful," replied Sarri when asked about the issue.
"In every community, I think there are some stupids.
"And so altogether we have to fight against the stupid people but not ...

Chelsea fighting against 'stupid people' in racism battle: Sarri

Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting found India's slow batting baffling in the third Test and feels that Cheteshwar Pujara's 106 off 319 balls may end up being the reason for their defeat.
India scored at less than two-and-a-half runs an over for most of the first two days of the Test, registering the slowest first-innings score of more than 300 in Australia for three decades.
Pujara consumed 319 deliveries for his 106-run knock as none of India's top five batsmen scored at a strike rate of more than 50. Even captain Virat Kohli, who paces his innings decently, scored his 82 off 204 balls with a strike rate of 40.19 on a slow track.
"If India go on and win the game, it'll be a great innings (but) if they haven't got time to bowl Australia out twice, it could be what actually costs them the game," Ponting told cricket.com.au.
"I think it's always hard for India to push the run rate along when Pujara's there.  He's just made another hundred, his second of the series, so he's playing .

Pujara's slow innings may cost India Melbourne Test:Ponting

Rafael Nadal is "confident" he will be 100 percent fit when the Australian Open starts in less than three weeks' time despite enduring yet another tough battle with injuries over the past few months.
The Spanish world number two had to pull the plug early on his 2018 season and has not played since a knee problem forced him to retire during his US Open semi-final against Juan Martin del Potro in September.
He underwent surgery on his ankle to remove an intra-articular loose body in November and only resumed training two weeks ago.
Nadal will dip his toes back into competition at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship exhibition in Abu Dhabi, where he faces either Kevin Anderson or Chung Hyeon in his opener on Friday.
"I started two weeks ago and of course doing the things step by step and I think I have time to be ready for Melbourne at my 100 percent," Nadal told reporters in the UAE capital on Thursday.
"It's going to be good to have some matches before but I'm confident that I'm ...

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