Taiwan warns of growing threats from China

Taipei, Dec 27, 2016, (AFP)

Taiwan's defence minister warned today that threats from China were growing daily after Beijing's aircraft carrier and a flotilla of other warships passed south of the island in an exercise as tensions grow.
After sailing south of Taiwan itself, the Liaoning and five other warships passed the Taiwan-administered Dongsha Islands in the South China Sea also claimed by Beijing, according to Taiwan's defence ministry.

The navy drills are seen as a show of strength by Beijing as its relations worsen with Taiwan and the United States, following a protocol-breaking telephone conversation between Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and US President-elect Donald Trump.

Chinese media had earlier reported that the aircraft carrier and escorts were headed for the Pacific on exercise for the first time.

It was the latest in a series of recent exercises staged by China, after its military aircraft passed near Taiwan on December 10 for the second time in less than a month.
Taiwan's defence minister Feng Shih-kuan had called the timing of China's air exercises a coincidence, but warned that the island still faces a military threat and called on youths to join the army.

Feng said Tuesday, during a promotion ceremony for generals, that threats from the enemy were growing daily.

"I ask for strict training ... We train the soldiers so they can not only survive the war but also destroy the enemies and accomplish their missions," he said, without referring to China by name.

"The threat from our enemy is increasing day by day. We need to maintain combat vigilance at any time. This is my expectation of you all."

Feng confirmed that Taiwan sent RF-16 reconnaissance aircraft to monitor the Chinese warships, which were spotted on Sunday some 20 nautical miles outside Taiwan's air defence identification zone, in the Bashi Channel between Taiwan and the Philippines.

Ties between Taiwan and China have turned increasingly frosty since Tsai's election victory in January. Beijing has cut off official communication with her government, which took office in May, after it refused to publicly accept the "one China" concept.

Under Taiwan's previous government the two sides had stuck to the "1992 consensus", in which they agree there is only one China without specifying which is its rightful representative.

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WB gets in touch with Pakistan over water dispute with India

Islamabad, Dec 27, 2016, PTI

World Bank President Jim Yong Kim has held a telephonic conversation with Pakistan's Finance Minster Senator Ishaq Dar and discussed with him Indo-Pak water dispute, days after the country asked the global lender to "fulfil its obligations" on the issue.

Dawn newspaper quoted official sources as saying the call was made yesterday.

Dar on December 23 had written a letter to Kim over the dispute over two hydroelectric power plants -- Kishanganga and Ratle -- that India is building on the Indus rivers system.

Dar in his letter said that delaying arbitration would seriously prejudice Pakistan's interests and rights under the Indus Waters Treaty.

The letter explained that Pakistan was not withdrawing its earlier request to the bank to appoint the chairman of the Court of Arbitration and since this process had already been "inordinately delayed", Islamabad wanted the bank to appoint the chairman as soon as possible.

Pakistan believes that further delay would hurt its interests as India is working day and night to complete the two disputed projects. And once they are completed, it will be difficult to undo them.

The Indus Waters Treaty, signed in 1960, distributed the Indus basin rivers between the two countries, giving India control over the three eastern rivers — the Beas, the Ravi and the Sutlej — while Pakistan has the three western rivers — the Indus, the Chenab and the Jhelum. The treaty empowers the World Bank to arbitrate any water dispute between India and Pakistan.

Earlier, last week Kim sent a letter to the finance ministers of India and Pakistan, informing them that he had decided to 'pause' the bank's arbitration and urged the two neighbours to decide by the end of January how they wanted to settle this dispute.

Tensions over the water dispute intensified in November when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi threatened to block the flow of water into Pakistan.

In the formal request sent to the bank, Pakistan argued that the Court of Arbitration could be formed at the request of either party, if the party concludes that the dispute is not likely to be resolved by negotiation or mediation.

The bank would also be obliged to establish the court if the aggrieved party concluded that the other government was unduly delaying the negotiations.

Pakistan informed the World Bank that it has already exhausted the option to engage India for resolving the dispute through bilateral talks and was now exercising the option to take its case to the Court of Arbitration.

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Israel says 'reducing' ties with nations over UN vote

Jerusalem, Dec 27, 2016, AFP

Israel's foreign ministry said today the country was "reducing" ties with nations that voted for last week's UN Security Council resolution demanding a halt to settlement building in Palestinian territory.

Refuting reports that ties had been suspended, foreign ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said in a message to journalists that Israel was "temporarily reducing" visits and work with embassies, without providing further details.

Deputy foreign minister Tzipi Hotovely said Tuesday she was concerned that Israel would miss opportunities to explain its position by cancelling visits, but that she supported making clear "you can't take Israel for granted."

Countries should not be able to "make pilgrimages to Israel to learn about fighting terror, cyber-defence and agricultural technologies, and in the UN do whatever you want," she told army radio.

Israeli media have reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who also serves as foreign minister, has asked officials to visit the countries that voted for the resolution as little as possible for now.

At least two trips have been cancelled or postponed, including this week's visit to Israel by Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman and an upcoming visit by the Senegalese foreign minister.

There have also been reports that Netanyahu was calling off a meeting with British Prime Minister Theresa May at next month's World Economic Forum in Davos, but there has been no official confirmation of the move.

Netanyahu and other Israeli officials have responded with especially harsh language to Friday's Security Council resolution which passed after the United States abstained from voting.

Netanyahu has alleged that US President Barack Obama "colluded" to see the "shameful" resolution through in the waning days of his administration.

By deciding not to veto the move, the United States enabled the adoption of the first UN resolution since 1979 to condemn Israel over its settlement policy.

The text was passed with support from all remaining members of the 15-member council.

Israel summoned ambassadors of countries that voted for the resolution on Sunday -- Christmas Day -- while Netanyahu also met with US ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro.

Yesterday, Netanyahu defended his response to the UN vote in the face of criticism that he was overreacting, saying "we do not turn the other cheek".

"Not only will our relations with the nations of the world not be harmed, over time they will only improve because the nations of the world respect strong countries that stand up for themselves and do not respect weak ingratiating countries that bow their heads," he told a conference.

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Main black box of crashed Russian plane found in Black Sea

Sochi (Russia), Dec 27, 2016, (AFP)

The main black box of the Syria-bound Russian military plane that crashed into the Black Sea with 92 people onboard has been found in a massive ongoing search operation, authorities said today.

"The main black box was found at 5:42 am Moscow time (0812 IST) 1,600 metres from the shore at a depth of 17 metres," the defence ministry said in a statement, adding that the device would be sent to the Moscow region to be deciphered by experts.

The Tu-154 jet, whose passengers included more than 60 members of the internationally renowned Red Army Choir, was heading to Russia's military airbase in Syria when it went down off the coast of the resort city of Sochi shortly after take-off on Sunday.

Investigators have yet to confirm the cause of the crash, but officials have said that an act of terror was not being considered as a possible explanation.

The finding of the black box comes as searchers are scrambling to recover bodies and remaining debris from the aircraft in an operation involving 192 divers, 45 vessels, 12 planes, five helicopters and 15 deepwater machines.

The defence ministry said that five plane fragments were found overnight 30 metres under water at around 1,700 metres from the shore.

Part of the plane's fuselage, measuring 3.5 metres by 4.5 metres, was recovered yesterday evening.

Russia's federal security service has said it is looking into four suspected causes of the crash, which include pilot error, technical failure, faulty fuel and an object in the engine.

The defence ministry said today that 12 bodies and 156 body fragments had been recovered from the water since the crash. They will be sent to Moscow for identification, it said.

The Kommersant daily newspaper reported that investigators are relying on a witness statement by a coast guard member who saw the plane in its final moments descending toward the sea with its nose tilted sharply upward.

Authorities have not said how long it would take to decipher the black box, which could provide information on the reasons for the crash.

The Tu-154 jet went down on Sunday morning minutes after taking off at 5:25 am (0755 IST) from Sochi's airport, where it had stopped to refuel after flying out from the Chkalovsky military aerodrome in the Moscow region.

The FSB said all passengers remained on the plane when it stopped in Sochi, with one customs officer and one border guard coming on board as it was being fuelled.

Onboard were 64 members of the Alexandrov Ensemble - the army's official musical group, also known as the Red Army Choir - and their conductor Valery Khalilov. The choir was set to perform for Russian troops at the Hmeimim airbase in Syria, which has been used to launch air strikes in support of Moscow's ally President Bashar al-Assad. 

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Agni-5 test: China hopes for strategic balance in South Asia

Beijing, Dec 27, 2016, (PTI)

China today hoped that India's testing of the nuclear-capable Agni-5 intercontinental ballistic missile complied with UN Security Council rules and safeguarded South Asia's strategic balance even as Beijing maintained that the two nations are "not rivals but partners".

Taking exception to reports that the successful test of Agni-V was meant to target China, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said, "On your question on India test firing the Agni-5 ballistic missile, we have noted relevant reports," to a question at a media briefing here.

"On whether India can develop this ballistic missile that can carry nuclear weapons, I think relevant resolutions of the UNSC have clear rules," she said without elaborating.

"We have always believed that safeguarding strategic balance and stability in South Asia is conducive for the peace and prosperity of countries in the region," she said.

The reference to the strategic balance in South Asia apparently referred to the military balance between India and Pakistan.

Agni-5, a 5,000-km range intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is widely regarded as a strategic missile targeted at China as it can reach almost all parts of the Chinese mainland.

Hua also criticised media reports in India and outside referring to the Agni-5 as targeted at China and aimed at correcting India's strategic balance with Beijing.
"On the test firing by India, we have also noted that some media, including Indian media and also some Japanese media, have speculated on whether this act of India is targeted at China," she said.

"I think, as to India's intentions, you have to ask the Indian side," she said adding that India and China are not rivals but partners.

"As for us, we think that the leaders of China and India have an important consensus which is that China and India are both important developing countries and emerging economies," she said.

"China and India are not rivals but partners. The Chinese side is willing to work with countries in the region including India to jointly safeguard lasting peace, prosperity and stability of the region," she said and asked media to report more objectively.

"We also hope that relevant media outlets do not indulge in arbitrary speculations and make objective reports and do more things conducive to developing mutual trust between China and India and peace and stability in the region," she said.

Experts say that proven ICBM capability currently exists only with the five major powers - the US, Russia, France, the UK and China.

Russia's land-based Satan missile can reach 16,000 kms, while China has ICBMs that can hit targets up to 13,000 kms.

While India is part of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), China is not.

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Former Prime Minister of Sri Lanka passes away

Colombo, Dec 27, 2016, PTI

Veteran politician Ratnasiri Wickremanayake who served twice as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka today passed away after a brief illness.

Wickremanayake, 83, who also held many key ministerial positions since 1970, was ailing for sometime and breathed his last this morning, his family said.

He was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of a leading private hospital on December 21.

Wickremanayake served twice as the Island nation's premier first from 2000 to 2001 and then from 2005 to 2010.

He was appointed prime minister by former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa on November 21, 2005.

It was Wickremanayake who paved the way for Rajapaksa to emerge as the next leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). He resigned from his position as the leader of the main opposition in 2002 to make way for Rajapaksa to become the leader of the opposition.

That move cleared the way for Rajapaksa who went on to become the President.
In his previous stint as prime minister, Wickremanayake succeeded prime minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike who had resigned at the age of 84.

A host of political leaders cutting across party lines condoled the death of Wickremanayake.

"Veteran Politician Ratnasiri Wickremanayake was loved by his people for many decades. My condolences are with his loved ones and followers," President Maithripala Sirisena tweeted.

Rajapaksa also tweeted his condolences.

"Deeply saddened by the death of former Sri Lankan PM & veteran politician Ratnasiri Wickremanayake. My condolences to his family," Rajapaksa said in a tweet.

He entered politics in 1960 winning the Horana seat in the March General Election as a member of the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna.

In 1970, he was appointed Deputy Minister, Justice and went on to be the General Secretary of SLFP in 1977.

In the 1994 General Election, he won the Kalutara District seat and was appointed as the Minister of Public Administration, Home Affairs and Plantation Industries and the Leader of the House in President Chandrika Kumaranatunge's Cabinet.

His son Vidura Wickremanayake is also a member of the parliament.

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Malabar naval exercise aimed at PLA subs: Chinese media

Beijing, Dec 27, 2016, (PTI)

The Malabar naval exercise involving the Indian, US and Japanese navies is designed to "target" China's submarines in the East and South China Seas and to back America's Asia-Pacific rebalance strategy, a Chinese media report claimed today.

"Such a large-scale military exercise was obviously designed to target China's submarine activities in the East and South China Seas in recent years, promote the US rebalance to the Asia-Pacific and cement the US presence in the region," an article in state-run Global Times said.

"Washington brought New Delhi and Tokyo into the exercise to relieve its pressure due to overstretched military presence around the globe and tighten its grip on the Asia-Pacific region," the article said.

Highlighting comments by Vice Admiral Joseph P Aucoin, commander of the US Seventh Fleet stating that India, Japan and the US are set to focus their next round of Malabar exercise on anti-submarine warfare, it said the drills aimed at jeopardising peace in the East China Sea region "so as to distract China's attention from the South China Sea and disturb the political landscape in the Asia-Pacific".

The Malabar exercise started in 1992 with the navies of US and India in the Indian Ocean. Since Japan joined in 2007, it has alternated between the West Pacific and the Indian Ocean.

In June, the three countries held their largest-ever joint exercise which involved 11 vessels and 8,000 personnel.

The article said Japan wants to become a permanent member of the exercise to enhance its military cooperation with the US and find a solution to its dispute with China over islands in the East China Sea.

"India hoped to enhance the anti-submarine capability of its navy that has tracked at least six Chinese submarines in the Indian Ocean region," it said quoting reports, adding "India also wants to disrupt China's military deployment in the East China Sea through these exercises".

Japan, which has participated in the exercise five times, also attached great importance to the Malabar 2016.

It used the exercise to enhance the anti-submarine capability of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force and spy on China's military deployment in the waters, it said.

"However, the anti-submarine warfare of the US, Japan and India won't make them succeed in countering China as China has significantly improved its technologies in ballistic missile submarines and attack submarines. And with the development of multi-dimensional operations, merely elevating anti-submarine capability won't enable these countries to contain China," the article said.

"The Malabar exercise has always been led by the US, with Japan and India being just partners with varied purposes. This will cripple the actual effects of the exercise. In fact, this kind of exercise is unlikely to impair China's presence in the East China Sea, except for flaring up tensions in the waters and producing frictions," it said. 

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Turkey puts broadcast ban on Russia envoy's killing

Ankara, Dec 27, 2016, (AFP)

A Turkish court has put a broadcast ban on reporting of the investigation into last week's murder of the Russian ambassador to Ankara Andrei Karlov, state media said today.
A Turkish policeman opened fire on Karlov while he was delivering a speech at the opening of a photography exhibition, in an assassination that stunned Russia and Turkey.

An Ankara court agreed to a request by prosecutors for a ban on broadcasting images of the assassination -- which was caught on film -- as well as the investigation itself, the state-run Anadolu news agency said.

This includes news concerning witnesses, victims or suspects in the murder.
The ruling said such news could be prejudicial to the investigation and to national security. The ban will last for the duration of the investigation.

It was not clear what had prompted the ban one week after the December 19 murder but it came one day after the daily Hurriyet published a detailed interview with the sister of the murderer Mevlut Mert Altintas.

The sister, named as Seher O., said her brother had been "brainwashed" while attending police school in Izmir.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Altintas was a member of the group of US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen blamed for the July 15 coup.

However this has yet to be echoed by Russian officials, who say it is too early to comment on the investigation.

In recent years, Turkish authorities have repeatedly placed broadcast bans on sensitive issues and in the wake of attacks, citing national security.

Critics say freedom of expression has declined in Turkey after Erdogan became president in August 2014 but the government has insisted everything is done within the framework of the law. 

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India second largest arms purchaser after Saudi Arabia: report

Washington, Dec 27, 2016, PTI:

As India embarks on a massive modernisation plan for its defence forces, it has emerged as the second largest purchaser of arms among developing nations after Saudi Arabia, a latest Congressional report has said.

Between 2008 and 2015, India purchased defence equipments worth USD 34 billion, which is a distant second after Saudi Arabia's USD 93.5 billion, said the report 'Conventional Arms Transfers to Developing Nations 2008-2015' released by Congressional Research Service (CRS).

As the name reflects, CRS is an independent bipartisan research wing of the US Congress. It prepares reports on a wide range of issues for lawmakers to make informed decisions. CRS reports are not considered official reports of the US Congress.

"Saudi Arabia was the leading developing world arms purchaser from 2008-2015, with agreements totalling USD 93.5 billion. India was the second largest developing world arms purchaser from 2008 to 2015, making arms transfer agreements totalling USD 34 billion during these years (in current dollars)," it said, adding these increases reflect the military modernisation efforts by India.

In its report, CRS highlights recent Indian efforts to diversify its procurement of arms, of which the US has been a major beneficiary.

"It is notable that India, while the principal Russian arms customer, during recent years has sought to diversify its weapons supplier base, purchasing the Phalcon early warning defense system aircraft in 2004 from Israel and numerous items from France in 2005, in particular six Scorpene diesel attack submarines. In 2008, India purchased six C130J cargo aircraft from the United States," CRS said.

In 2010, the UK sold India 57 Hawk jet trainers for USD 1 billion. In 2010, Italy also sold India 12 AW101 helicopters.

In 2011, France secured a USD 2.4 billion contract with India to upgrade 51 of its Mirage-2000 combat fighters, and the US agreed to sell India 10 C-17 Globemaster III aircraft for USD 4.1 billion, it said.

"This pattern of Indian arms purchases indicates that Russia will likely face strong new competition from other major weapons suppliers for the India arms market, and it can no longer be assured that India will consistently purchase its major combat systems," CRS said.

Indeed, India in 2011 had eliminated Russia from the international competition to supply a new-generation combat fighter aircraft, a competition won by France.In 2015, Russia and India agreed to a contract in which India would procure at least 200 Ka-226T helicopter, the report said.

With India reducing its reliance on Russia on arms purchase, Moscow is looking for other options, it added.

"More recently Russia has lost major contracts to other key weapons suppliers, threatening its longstanding supplier relationship with India. Russian sales of advanced weaponry in South Asia have been a matter of ongoing concern to the United States because of long-standing tensions between Pakistan and India. The United States sought to expand its military cooperation with and arms sales to India as part of the US strategic shift to the Asia-Pacific region," the report said.

After lifting its arms embargo in 2014, Russia signed an agreement with Pakistan for four MI-35 attack helicopters. "This sale marks a shift in Russian foreign policy towards Pakistan," the report said.

During the mid-1990s, Russia sold major combat fighter aircraft and main battle tanks to India, and has provided other major weapon systems through lease or licensed production, the report said.

It continues to provide support services and items for these various weapon systems, it said.

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Trump names Bush-era veteran and policy newcomer to posts

West Palm Beach, Dec 27, 2016, (AP)

President-elect Donald Trump appointed an experienced hand from the George W Bush era to his national security circle today and a figure from the Trump Organisation to make international deals.
Thomas Bossert will become as assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism. A statement from Trump's transition team said Bossert will advise the president on issues related to homeland security, counterterrorism, and cybersecurity, and coordinate the Cabinet's process for making and executing policy in those areas.

The position notably "is being elevated and restored to its independent status alongside the national security adviser," the statement said. Policymakers have long debated whether such national security jobs should operate independently from the White House.
Bossert will work closely with Trump's pick for national security adviser, retired Lt. Gen.
Michael Flynn. Bossert is currently president of the risk management consulting firm CDS Consulting. He previously served as deputy assistant to the president for homeland security under Bush.

The president-elect also appointed one of his main advisers on US-Israel relations as special representative for international negotiations. Jason Greenblatt has worked for the Trump Organization for over two decades and currently serves as its executive vice president and chief legal officer.

In the statement, Trump said Greenblatt "has a history of negotiating substantial, complex transactions on my behalf," and has the expertise to "bring parties together and build consensus on difficult and sensitive topics."

Trump's West Wing is shaping up to have multiple power centers. Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and senior adviser Steve Bannon will work as "equal partners," according to Trump, and counselor Kellyanne Conway is also expected to have autonomy. Trump's influential son-in-law, Jared Kushner, will also have a direct line to the president.

Trump has long stoked rivalries among his staff in business and in the campaign. But doing so in the White House could sow confusion and slow decision-making. Trump recently named his other top adviser on Israel, David Friedman, as his pick for US ambassador to Israel.

The president-elect is spending the holidays in his Florida resort where he's held a steady stream of meetings with senior staffers, advisers and business executives. A number of key posts in his government remain, his transition team saying that he will fill those positions in the coming days.

Meanwhile, Trump's efforts to dissolve his charitable foundation before he takes office to eliminate any conflicts of interest appear to be harder than he thought.

The New York attorney general's office said Tuesday that Trump cannot move ahead with his plan to dismantle his charitable foundation because state prosecutors are probing whether the president-elect personally benefited from its spending.

"The Trump foundation is still under investigation by this office and cannot legally dissolve until that investigation is complete," said Amy Spitalnick, spokeswoman for state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.

The statement came after Trump announced that he wanted to dissolve the Donald J. Trump Foundation, part of what his presidential transition team says is an effort to erase any potential conflicts of interest before he takes office January 20.

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Parts of crashed Russian plane found in Black Sea: official

Moscow, Dec 26, 2016, AFP

Russian divers today found parts of the military plane that crashed in the Black Sea with 92 people onboard, a local official said.

"The (plane) debris are at the depth of 27 metres one mile from the shore," said Rimma Chernova, a spokeswoman for the Sochi-based search and rescue operations run by the Russian emergency ministry.

Russian news agencies had earlier quoted an unnamed official as saying that the fuselage of the plane had been found, a statement local authorities did not confirm when contacted by AFP.

Chernova added that divers were planning to use a remotely-operated diving machine to determine the precise coordinates and size of the plane parts in order to understand what to do next.

Officials said earlier that the flight recorders that could contain information about the Tu-154 plane's last moments before the crash were located in its tail.

The plane carrying 92 people, including over 60 members of the Red Army Choir, went down on Sunday minutes after taking off from the airport of southern resort city Sochi, where it was refuelling on its way to Syria.

Thousands of people and dozens of ships, helicopters and drones, including deep-water diving machines, are taking part in the search operation. 

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21 civilians 'executed' by rebels in Aleppo: state media

Damascus, Dec 26, 2016 (AFP)

Syrian authorities have accused rebel fighters of executing 21 civilians, including women and children, at close range as they quit second city Aleppo last week, state media reported.

The bodies were found in two neighbourhoods in east Aleppo, state news agency SANA said late Sunday.

The head of Aleppo's forensic unit Zaher Hajjo told SANA that "21 corpses of civilian victims, including five children and four women, killed by terrorist groups" were examined.

"The bodies were found in prisons run by the terrorist groups in Sukkari and al-Kalasseh, and they were found to have been executed by gunshot at very close range," Hajjo was quoted as saying.

Under a landmark deal brokered by regime ally Russia and rebel backer Turkey, 35,000 rebels and civilians left the former opposition stronghold of east Aleppo last week.

Days before the evacuations began, the UN said it had received credible reports of at least 82 civilians, including 11 women and 13 children, being executed by pro-government forces in Aleppo.

On Monday, the Russian defence ministry said "dozens of Syrians" were summarily executed in east Aleppo by rebels.

"Mass graves containing dozens of Syrians who were summarily executed and subjected to savage torture have been discovered," spokesman Igor Konachenkov said, according to Russian agencies.

He said most had been killed by gunshot wounds to the head and many bodies "were not whole," and that thorough investigations would force opposition backers in the West to "recognise their responsibility for the cruelty" of rebels.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed that bodies had been found in east Aleppo's streets, but could not specify how they had been killed.

World powers have been fiercely divided over Syria's conflict since it first erupted in March 2011, with Russia firmly backing Assad and Gulf powers and much of the West supporting the opposition.

The high-profile battle for Aleppo, in particular, has sparked accusations by Western powers that Russia and the government were committing war crimes.

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British singer George Michael dies aged 53: publicist

London, Dec 26, 2016, (AFP)

British pop singer George Michael, who rose to fame with the band Wham! and sold more than 100 million albums in his career, has died aged 53, his publicist said today.
"It is with great sadness that we can confirm our beloved son, brother and friend George passed away peacefully at home over the Christmas period," his publicist said in a statement.

"The family would ask that their privacy be respected at this difficult and emotional time. There will be no further comment at this stage," the publicist said.

Michael was due to release a documentary in 2017 after years of living as a virtual recluse in which he hit the headlines for a series of bizarre incidents linked to drugs.
He was best known for his "Club Tropicana", "Last Christmas", "Careless Whisper" and "Faith".

"2016 - loss of another talented soul. All our love and sympathy to George Michael's family," the band Duran Duran, which were 1980s contemporaries of Wham!, said on their official Twitter account.

Former BBC Radio One disc jockey Tony Blackburn said: "Unbelievable, George Michael has died at the age of 53. RIP. This dreadful year goes on and on. So sad, a real talent".
Several iconic British musicians have died in 2016 including David Bowie in January and Status Quo guitarist Rich Parfitt, who died in a Spanish hospital on Saturday.

Michael was born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou to a Greek Cypriot father and English mother in north London in 1963.

He met Andrew Ridgeley at high school and the pair went on to form Wham! in 1981.
With their good looks, perma-tans, highlighted hair and hedonistic image, the duo captured the go-getting spirit of the age and fast became one of Britain's biggest pop acts.

In 2011, he spent several weeks in hospital in Vienna after contracting pneumonia, later saying he had been close to death.

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China tests new stealth fighter; eyes export sales

Beijing, Dec 26, 2016 (PTI)

China has tested an improvised version of its stealth fighter and plans to sell it at half the price of the US variant to break Western monopoly over the high-tech aircraft, which will have strategic implications for India as Pakistan has already shown interest in acquiring it.

An improved version of China's fifth-generation FC-31 Gyrfalcon stealth fighter jet has conducted its maiden flight last week in Shenyang, capital of Liaoning province, state-run China Daily reported today.

Previously known as the J-31, the twin engine, radar evading aircraft is still under development by Shenyang Aircraft Corp, part of the Aviation Industry Corp of China, (AVIC), it said.

The Chinese stealth aircraft have strategic significance for India as besides China, Pakistan - which is producing JF-17 Thunder fighter along with Beijing - has already evinced interest in acquiring China's stealth fighter.

India is yet to have stealth aircraft in its arsenal. AVIC displayed a large-scale model of the FC-31 at the 14th Dubai Airshow in the UAE in November, 2015.

Specifications supplied by AVIC show the jet has a maximum takeoff weight of 28 metric tonnes, a flight radius of 1,250 kms and a top speed of Mach 1.8, or 1.8 times the speed of sound.

It can carry eight tonnes of weapons. The plane can hold six missiles in its internal weapons bay and another six under its wings, AVIC said.

The first test flight of the FC-31's second prototype took place on Friday at Shenyang Aircraft Corp, four years after the first prototype took to the skies, the Daily quoted officials as saying.

The report also said fifth-generation fighters are the most advanced available. Fu Qianshao, an aircraft expert with the PLA Air Force, said the new FC-31 has state-of-the-art instruments such as its electro-optical targeting system and helmet-mounted display and sight system.

The new FC-31 seems to have better stealth capabilities, improved electronic equipment and a larger payload capacity, said Wu Peixin, an aviation industry observer in Beijing said.

"Compared with the first FC-31, there are a lot of improvements on the second prototype. Changes were made to the airframe, wings and vertical tails, which make it leaner, lighter and more manoeuvrable," he said.

AVIC wants to use the FC-31 to capture market share at home and abroad but the company is making a big push to attract foreign buyers with its medium-sized stealth combat planes, he said.

Li Yuhai, deputy general manager of AVIC, previously said AVIC plans to use the FC-31 to "put an end to some nations' monopolies on the fifth-generation fighter jet" and this plane "is able to compete with any other aircraft of its kind".

"I believe the aircraft will have bright prospects in the market. Based on my experience and knowledge, I presume its price will be around USD 70 million, about half that of the US' Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II," Fu said.

"Moreover, the fourth-generation Euro fighter Typhoon and Dassault Rafale fighter jets are priced at about USD 100 million. All of these mean you can spend a lot less money to get an advanced, fifth-generation stealth combat plane," Fu told the Daily.

The only fifth-generation fighter jet currently available in the market is the US' F-35 Lightning II, but the US sells it only to allies.

Following the Friday test flight, aviation enthusiasts posted pictures on Chinese websites, showing what they said was the second prototype in flight.

The FC-31 was unveiled in October, 2012, when the first prototype made its maiden flight, becoming the country's second fifth-generation fighter jet following the J-20, which conducted its first flight in January, 2011.

Deliveries of the J-20 to the People's Liberation Army Air Force have started.

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China to levy environment tax to fight pollution

Beijing, Dec 26, 2016 (PTI)

Battling recurring pollution enveloping its cities, China has passed a new law to levy environment tax on polluters, specially on heavy industries.

The Environment Tax Law was adopted by the legislature, the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee which concluded its meeting here yesterday.

However, carbon dioxide, one of the major contributors to global warming, is not included in the levying list.

The law followed nearly week-long red alert due to heavy smog over Beijing and 23 other cities last week leading to imposition of odd-even number system to regulate vehicles and closure of schools.

The law, to enter into force on January 1, 2018, will be key to fighting pollution, Wang Jianfan, director of the Ministry of Finance tax policy department said.
China has collected a "pollutant discharge fee", since 1979.

In 2015, it collected 17.3 billion yuan (about USD 2.5 billion) from some 280,000 businesses, Wang said.

However, some local governments exploit loopholes and exemptenterprises which are otherwise big contributors to fiscal revenue.

For years, regulators have suggested replacing the fee system with a law. "The new law will reduce interference from government," Wang said.

It will also improve tax payers' environmental awareness, forcing companies to upgrade technology and shift to cleaner production, Wang said.

Under the new law, companies will pay taxes ranging from 350 yuan (USD 60) to 11,200 yuan (USD 1870) per month for noise, according to their decibel level.

It also set rates of 1.2 yuan on stipulated quantities of air pollutants, 1.4 yuan on water pollutants and a range of five to 1,000 yuan for each tonne of solid waste, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

For instance, polluters will pay 1.2 yuan for emission of 0.95 kg of sulfur dioxide and 1.4 yuan for one kg of chemical oxygen demand (COD).

Under the new law provincial-level governments can raise the rates for air and water pollution by up to ten times after approval by the people's congresses.

Lower rates may also be applicable if emission are less than national standards. The law only targets enterprises and public institutions that discharge listed pollutants directly into the environment.

Punishment for evasion or fraud are not specified, but offenders will be held liable in line with the law on administration of taxation and the environmental law.

With more than a year still to go before the law comes into effect, Wang said authorities will make preparations including drafting a regulation for implementation of the law.

China is the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, due to its heavy reliance on coal to provide electricity to its population of 1.37 billion.

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Typhoon kills 6, spoils Christmas festivities in Philippines

Batangas (Philippines), Dec 26, 2016 (AP)

A powerful typhoon blew out of the northern Philippines today after killing at least six people and spoiling Christmas in several provinces, where more than 380,000 people abandoned celebrations at home to reach emergency shelters and other safer grounds.

Typhoon Nock-Ten cut power to five entire provinces due to toppled electric posts and trees, dimming Christmas revelries in Asia's largest Catholic nation. More than 300 flights were delayed or re-scheduled and ferries were barred from sailing, stranding more than 12,000 holiday travelers.

Six people died from drowning or by being pinned by fallen trees, poles and a collapsed concrete wall in the provinces of Quezon and Albay, southeast of Manila, after the typhoon made landfall in Catanduanes province Sunday night, officials said.

Many military camps and outposts in Catanduanes and outlying provinces were damaged and some troops were injured, the military said.

Nock-Ten, locally known as Nina, then blew westward across mountainous and island provinces, damaging homes, uprooting trees and knocking down communications.

After weakening on landfall, the typhoon had sustained winds of up to 120 kilometers (74 miles) per hour and gusts of 180 kph (111 mph) when it blew into the South China Sea after battering the congested provinces of Batangas and Cavite, south of Manila, government forecasters said.

A cargo ship with about two dozen crewmen radioed for help as their vessel started to list off Batangas. It later ran aground and turned on its sided in Mabini town, the coast guard said.

The storm was one of the strongest to hit the Philippines since Typhoon Haiyan left more than 7,300 people dead or missing and displaced over 5 million in 2014. But officials in some provinces found it difficult to convince people to abandon their Christmas celebrations and head for the shelters before the storm hit. Some officials said they had to impose forced evacuations.

"Some residents just refused to leave their homes even when I warned them that you can face what amounts to a death penalty," Cedric Daep, a top disaster-response official in Albay, said by phone.

Shopping malls and stores were ordered to close early on Christmas Day to encourage people to remain indoors, "but at the height of the typhoon, many cars were still being driven around and people were out walking," Daep said. "We warned them enough, but we just can't control their mind."

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Chinese carrier enters South China Sea amid renewed tension

By J.R. Wu, TAIPEI, Dec 26, 2016, (Reuters)

A group of Chinese warships led by the country's sole aircraft carrier entered the top half of the South China Sea on Monday after passing south of Taiwan, the island's defence ministry said of what China has termed a routine exercise.

The move comes amid renewed tension over self-ruled Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own, following U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's telephone call with the island's president that upset Beijing.

The ministry said the aircraft carrier the Liaoning, accompanied by five vessels, had early Monday afternoon passed southeast of the Pratas Islands, which are controlled by Taiwan, heading southwest.

The carrier group earlier in the day passed 90 nautical miles south of Taiwan's southernmost point via the Bashi Channel, between Taiwan and the Philippines.

"Staying vigilant and flexible has always been the normal method of maintaining airspace security," said ministry spokesman Chen Chung-chi, declining to say whether Taiwan fighter jets were scrambled or if submarines had been deployed.

Chen said the ministry was continuing to "monitor and grasp the situation".

Senior Taiwan opposition Nationalist lawmaker Johnny Chiang said the Liaoning exercise was China's signal to the United States that it has broken through the "first island chain", an area that includes Japan's Ryukyu Islands and Taiwan.

In Beijing, influential state-run tabloid the Global Times said the exercise showed how the carrier was improving its combat capabilities and that it should now sail even further afield.

"The Chinese fleet will cruise to the Eastern Pacific sooner or later. When China's aircraft carrier fleet appears in offshore areas of the U.S. one day, it will trigger intense thinking about maritime rules," the newspaper said in an editorial.

China has been angered recently by U.S. naval patrols near islands that China claims in the South China Sea. This month, a Chinese navy ship seized a U.S. underwater drone in the South China Sea. China later returned it.

Japan said late on Sunday it had spotted six Chinese naval vessels including the Liaoning travelling through the passage between Miyako and Okinawa and into the Pacific.

Japan's top government spokesman said on Monday the voyage showed China's expanding military capability and Japan was closely monitoring it.

China's air force conducted long-range drills this month above the East and South China Seas that rattled Japan and Taiwan. China said those exercises were also routine.

China's Soviet-built Liaoning has taken part in previous exercises, including some in the South China Sea, but China is years away from perfecting carrier operations similar to those the United States has practised for decades.

Last December, the defence ministry confirmed China was building a second aircraft carrier but its launch date is unclear. The aircraft carrier programme is a state secret.

Beijing could build multiple aircraft carriers over the next 15 years, the Pentagon said in a report last year.

China claims most of the South China Sea through which about $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. Neighbours Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims.

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At least 30 drown in Uganda Christmas drama on Lake Albert

Kampala, Dec 26, 2016 (AFP)

At least 30 Ugandan members of a village football team and their fans drowned when their boat capsized on Lake Albert during a party, police said today.

"There was a party on the boat, the passengers were dancing and others were drunk. The boat was overloaded with 45 people, all members of the football team and local fans," police commander John Rutagira told AFP.

"The water was calm but the problem came in when the merrymaking team and fans tilted on one side of the boat... It capsized killing about 30 people," he added.

Police officers working with local fishermen managed to rescue 15 of the revellers, who were heading from the village of Kaweibanda in the western Buliisa District to watch a friendly Christmas Day match in Hoima District, Rutagira said.

The accident was the second major disaster on Uganda's lakes in three days. On Friday, about 20 people perished in similar circumstances on Lake Victoria.

Fatal accidents are frequent on Ugandan waters. Last November, 10 people drowned in Lake Albert on the country's western shore.

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Chinese aircraft carrier enters South China Sea

Beijing, Dec 26, 2016, PTI:

Flexing its muscles over Taiwan, China today sailed its aircraft carrier close to the estranged island amid tensions with the US following President-elect Donald Trump's telephone call with the Taiwanese president.

The first aircraft carrier, Liaoning, accompanied by five naval vessels, entered the disputed South China Sea this afternoon after passing south of Taiwan, reports said.

"Aircraft carriers are strategic tools which should be used to show China's strength to the world and shape the outside world's attitude toward China...It is not built for war only. Chinese aircraft carriers must set off on a long journey," state-run Global Times said in its editorial about the aircraft carrier conducting exercises.

"China's core interests are mainly offshore, but the range of aircraft carriers must go beyond offshore areas. The rivalry must be extended to wider areas so as to ease China's offshore pressure," it said, suggesting that Beijing should acquire more aircraft carriers.

"The distant sailing of the Chinese aircraft carrier fleet is not aimed at provoking the US nor at reshaping maritime strategic structure. But if the fleet is able to enter areas where the US has core interests, the situation when the US unilaterally imposes pressure on China will change," it said.

China has also lodged diplomatic protest with the Taiwan-related section in the US National Defence Authorisation Act for Fiscal Year 2017. "We are strongly discontent with the US for signing this act," China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing today.

"The Taiwan question bears on China's sovereignty and territory integrity and falls entirely within China's domestic affairs. Although the Taiwan-related content in the US Act has no legal binding force, it still severely violates the three joint communiques and interferes in China’s domestic affairs," she said.

"China will by no means accept this. We urge the US side to honour its commitment on the Taiwan question, put an end to military exchanges with and weapons sales to Taiwan and avoid undermining China-US relations or cross-Straits peace and stability," she said.

Also China resumed diplomatic ties with Sao Tome and Principe in Beijing today at a high profile ceremony here after the African nation cut "diplomatic ties" with the Taiwan amid allegations of check book diplomacy by China.

The establishment of diplomatic ties with the African country comes weeks after Trump had an unprecedented phone with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and later questioned One-China policy, which drew sharp reactions from China.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Sao Tome and Principe counterpart Urbino Botelho held talks and later signed a joint communique on resuming diplomatic relations.

Sao Tome was among less than two dozen countries which had diplomatic ties with Taiwan till recently without any contacts with China. But "excess financial difficulties" reportedly made it to turn to Beijing for economic assistance.

"Sao Tome will get full support and help from a permanent member of the UN Security Council and the world's largest developing nation," Wang said after meeting with Botelho.

"China is willing to support Sao Tome's quest for socio-economic development and efforts to improve livelihoods and well-being to the best of its ability," Wang said.

"We have to recognise that China plays an increasingly important role in the world, especially as a partner to promote development and its contributions protecting the interests of developing nations," Botelho said.

"Sao Tome is a small, island nation, with very friendly people. It is tranquil. It has very good conditions for developing trade and business and cooperating with Chinese companies," he said.

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US led UN 'gang-up' on Israel settlement vote: Ambassador

Washington, Dec 26, 2016, AFP:

The White House orchestrated a "gang-up" against Israel on last week's UN settlement vote, its ambassador to Washington said today, in the latest sign of anger between the longtime allies.

Israel's ambassador Rob Dermer said in an interview with CNN that his government plans to show evidence of the alleged US maneuvering in due time."What is outrageous is that the United States was actually behind that gang-up. I think it was a very sad day, really a shameful chapter," the Israeli diplomat told CNN.

"We have clear evidence of it. We will present that evidence to the new administration through the appropriate channels. And if they want to share it with the US people they're welcome to do it," Dermer said, adding that the Israeli government is "deeply disappointed" with Washington over the UN vote.

On Friday, the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding that "Israel immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including east Jerusalem."

The United States -- which has a veto --refrained from casting its vote, enabling the adoption of the measure, the first resolution since 1979 to condemn Israel over its settlement policy.

Dermer accused the Obama administration of helping Palestinians "wage a diplomatic and legal war against Israel." They do not want to negotiate peace with us, which is why they've avoided negotiations for eight years," he said.

"What do the Palestinians want? What they want is to blame Israel for the lack of peace and to internationalise the conflict," Dermer continued.

"What this resolution just did is it gave the Palestinians ammunition in their diplomatic and legal war against Israel. And the US not only didn't stop it, they were behind it."

Obama's soon-to-be successor, president-elect Donald Trump, who has campaigned on a promise to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, slammed the position taken by the White House.

Trump, who last week said Washington should have used its veto to block the resolution, has chosen as ambassador to Israel the hardliner David Friedman, who has said Washington will not pressure Israel to curtail settlement building in the occupied West Bank.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu summoned US Ambassador Daniel Shapiro yesterday to express his displeasure.

An official Israeli source confirmed only that Netanyahu and Shapiro had met, without elaborating on the content nor outcome of their discussions.

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