Trump hints 'One China' policy could end

Donald Trump hints US could end 'One China' policy

President-elect Donald Trump has questioned whether the US should continue its "One China" policy, sparking fury from Chinese state media. 

Under the policy, the US has formal ties with China rather than the island of Taiwan, which China sees as a breakaway province.

This principle has been crucial to US-China relations for decades.
But Mr Trump said he saw no reason why this should continue without key concessions from Beijing.
His comments prompted an angry response from Chinese state media. An editorial in the Global Times warned him that the "One China policy cannot be traded".

It comes after he took a phone call from Taiwan's president, sparking a diplomatic row and a formal protest from Beijing.

It was in 1979 that the US broke formal diplomatic ties with the self-ruled island of Taiwan and switched recognition to China, ushering in a new era of deepening ties.

But even though formal diplomatic relations were broken, the US has maintained close unofficial ties with Taiwan over the years.

'Very disrespectful'

In the interview, broadcast by Fox News on Sunday, Mr Trump said: "I don't know why we have to be bound by a One China policy unless we make a deal with China having to do with other things, including trade."

Mr Trump also said China was not co-operating with the US on its handling of its currency, on North Korea, or on tensions in the South China Sea.

No US president or president-elect had spoken directly to a Taiwanese leader for decades. But in the Fox interview, Mr Trump said it was not up to Beijing to decide whether he should take a call from Taiwan's leader.

"I don't want China dictating to me and this was a call put into me," Mr Trump said. "It was a very nice call. Short. And why should some other nation be able to say I can't take a call?

"I think it actually would've been very disrespectful, to be honest with you, not taking it."
In the same interview, Mr Trump said he "doesn't believe" a CIA assessment that Russian hackers tried to sway the US presidential election in his favour.

'Resolute battle'

His comments prompted an angry editorial in Chinese state media outlet Global Times, known for its hawkish rhetoric.

Titled "Mr Trump please listen clearly: The One China policy cannot be traded", it labelled Mr Trump's move "a very childish rash act" and said he needed "to humbly learn about diplomacy".

It also called for a strong response, saying: "China must resolutely battle Mr Trump, only after a few serious rebuffs then will he truly understand that China and other global powers cannot be bullied."

China has so far been restrained in its official responses to Mr Trump, choosing instead to stress the importance of Sino-US ties.

Its foreign ministry has said it would not comment on his tweets, although it has labelled the Trump-Tsai phone call a "petty trick" by Taiwan.

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Outlines of a strategy? Analysis by John Sudworth, BBC News, Beijing

Well it's not as if Donald Trump didn't tell us he was going to be tough on China.
Now, though, we are getting what looks like the outline of a strategy: the use of Taiwan as a bargaining chip.
It's a bold - some would say reckless - gambit, given that for China there is nothing vaguely negotiable about the island's status.

So far, at each stage - from Mr Trump's campaign rhetoric, to his protocol-breaching phone call with the Taiwanese president - China has been measured in its response, daring to hope that it has all been based on bluster or miscalculation.

That may now begin to change, with the blow-hard state-run tabloid, The Global Times, true to form in being the first to up the ante, with the talk of retaking Taiwan by force, or of arming America's foes.
We'll know soon enough whether Beijing's official rhetoric will follow suit.

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Williams reject Mercedes bid for Bottas

Mercedes want Williams' Valtteri Bottas as Lewis Hamilton's team-mate

Williams driver Valtteri Bottas is Mercedes' first choice to replace Nico Rosberg as Lewis Hamilton's team-mate, BBC Sport has learned.

But Williams have rejected an initial offer to release Finn Bottas from his 2017 contract.
In a separate development, Mercedes technical boss Paddy Lowe is close to finalising a deal to join Williams.
Lowe is set to be replaced at the world champions by former Ferrari technical director James Allison.

The Mercedes driver conundrum

Mercedes Formula 1 boss Toto Wolff has zeroed in on Bottas as his favoured option as a replacement for Rosberg, who retired five days after winning his first world title last month despite having two further years on his Mercedes contract.

Wolff has approached Williams with a proposal that he gives them a major reduction in their engine bill - said to be in the region of €10m euros (£8.4m); more than half the total fee - in return for releasing Bottas.
Williams also have the option to run Mercedes reserve driver Pascal Wehrlein in Bottas' place.

Wolff, who is part of Bottas' management team, sees the 27-year-old as a close like-for-like replacement for Rosberg - quick, a reliable and consistent points scorer, and relatively easy to manage alongside the more mercurial Hamilton.
Williams have said no to Wolff's first offer but negotiations are expected to continue in the coming days.

Williams' problem with losing Bottas

Williams feel they need an experienced contender in one of their cars next season because their other driver is Canadian rookie Lance Stroll.
The 18-year-old, who won the Formula Three Euroseries in 2016 and comes with a budget reputed to be at least £20m, has been on an extensive test programme intended to prepare him comprehensively for his F1 debut.

But Williams are concerned that partnering him with 22-year-old Wehrlein, who has only one year's experience with the back-of-the-grid Manor team, would be a significant risk to their chances of maximising their championship position.

Each place in the constructors' table is worth millions of pounds.
There is also a complication with Williams' sponsors, among them the drinks giant Martini, for which having two drivers under 25 does not sit well in promotional terms.

German Wehrlein is also in talks with the Swiss Sauber team, which is yet to name a team-mate for Swede Marcus Ericsson.

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Venezuela to swap banknotes for coins

Venezuela to swap highest denomination banknotes for coins

 

The Venezuelan government has announced it will replace the country's highest-denomination banknotes with coins within 72 hours. 

It hopes swapping the 100-bolivar notes will help to stop smuggling and tackle shortages of food and other items.

President Nicolas Maduro says gangs operating in border areas will not have time to repatriate the notes.
His critics dismissed the move as the latest desperate attempt by Mr Maduro to tackle the economic crisis.
"When ineptitude governs! Who would possibly think of doing something like this in December amid all our problems?" opposition leader Henrique Capriles wrote on Twitter (in Spanish).

Others argued it would be impossible to swap all the 100-bolivar notes in circulation in the time allotted.
The 100-bolivar note has lost most of its value over the past few years and is now worth about 2 US cents (£0.015).

Venezuela, which is facing a serious economic and political crisis, has one of the world's highest inflation rates.
"I have given the orders to close all land, maritime and air possibilities so those bills taken out can't be returned and they're stuck with their fraud abroad," said Mr Maduro on television.

Earlier this month, the central bank said that six new bills ranging from 500 to 20,000 bolivars would come into circulation on 15 December.

The government last published figures for inflation in December 2015, putting it at 180%, but the International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates that next year's prices will rise by more than 2,000%.
In India, a similar move to scrap high-value bank notes last month has caused major disruption.

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Bomb blast kills many at Cairo church

Bomb attack near Cairo Coptic cathedral kills at least 25

A bombing near the Coptic cathedral in the Egyptian capital Cairo has killed at least 25 people, officials say.

Dozens of others were injured in the blast at St Peter's church during a Sunday church service.

The church is adjacent to St Mark's cathedral, within the same complex. Photos and video footage showed damage to the church, with shattered windows and broken roofing.

The explosion happened at 10:00 (08:00 GMT) on Sunday.

The explosion happened at 10:00 (08:00 GMT). Video footage carried by regional media showed the interior of the church littered with broken and scattered furniture, along with blood and clothing on the floor.

"I saw a headless woman being carried away,'' one eyewitness told the Associated Press news agency. "Everyone was in a state of shock."

"There were children. What have they done to deserve this? I wish I had died with them instead of seeing these scenes,'' she said.

President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has declared a three-day period of national mourning.

He condemned the attack, calling for the perpetrators to be punished, local television reported.

"Vicious terrorism is being waged against the country's Copts and Muslims. Egypt will emerge stronger and more united from this situation," he was quoted as saying.

Coptic Christians make up about 10% of Egypt's population.

St Mark's Cathedral is the headquarters of the Coptic Orthodox church, and the home of its leader, Pope Tawadros II.

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What is the Coptic Christian faith?

The Coptic Orthodox Church is the main Christian Church in Egypt. While most Copts live in Egypt, the Church has about a million members outside the country.

Copts believe that their Church dates back to around 50 AD, when the Apostle Mark is said to have visited Egypt. Mark is regarded as the first Pope of Alexandria - the head of their church.

This makes it one of the earliest Christian groups outside the Holy Land.

The Church separated from other Christian denominations at the Council of Chalcedon (451 AD) in a dispute over the human and divine nature of Jesus Christ.

The early Church suffered persecution under the Roman Empire, and there were intermittent persecutions after Egypt became a Muslim country. Many believe that continues to this day.

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Bishop Angaelos of the UK's Coptic Orthodox Church said his prayers were with Egyptian Copts, "as well as for the broader Egyptian society that fall victim to similar inhumane attacks."

On Saturday, six policemen were killed when a bomb exploded on a main road leading to the pyramids at Giza. The explosion, at a police checkpoint, was the deadliest attack on security forces in Cairo in over six months.

A recently formed militant group called Hasm said it carried out the attack.

Egypt's Coptic Christian minority have complained of discrimination in the mostly Muslim nation.

Two people were killed outside St Mark's cathedral in 2013, when people mourning the death of four Coptic Christians killed in religious violence clashed with local residents.

In February this year, a court sentenced three Christian teenagers to five years in prison for insulting Islam. The teenagers had appeared in a video, apparently mocking Muslim prayers, but claimed they had been mocking the Islamic State group following a number of beheadings.

Egypt has pursued a number of blasphemy cases since the country's 2011 uprising. Many of those cases have been against Copts.

President Sisi, then head of the army, seized power in 2013, and won a presidential election a year later. He outlawed the Muslim Brotherhood, and has been battling insurgent Islamic groups ever since.

Most of the militant attacks have been focused in the Sinai province, where an IS-linked jihadist group is active, but Cairo has also suffered a string of attacks in the past two years.

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Oilman tipped for Trump state secretary

Trump presidency: Exxon's Rex Tillerson for top diplomat?

Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson has met President-elect Donald Trump amid growing speculation that he is being considered for US secretary of state.

NBC News quotes sources close to Mr Trump as saying that Mr Tillerson is likely to be named next week.

Former UN ambassador John Bolton will serve as his deputy, NBC adds.

The news comes as Mr Trump's team challenged the accuracy of intelligence reports that Russia intervened to boost his election prospects.

Veteran Republican Mitt Romney is among others who have also also been linked to the role of secretary of state.

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani withdrew himself from consideration for the post last week. Mr Giuliani's foreign business dealings had raised questions over his suitability.

Mr Tillerson, 64, has extensive experience in international negotiations and a business relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

He has been a critic of the international sanctions against Russia for annexing Crimea.

Under scrutiny: Analysis by Barbara Plett Usher, BBC News, New York

This is the latest twist in Donald Trump's weeks-long search for a top diplomat: he has been considering close to a dozen candidates with significantly different views and backgrounds.

Transition officials say he has finally settled on Rex Tillerson although there has been no official announcement.

The long-time oil executive does not have any diplomatic experience but he has done business with many foreign governments, including in Russia where he has developed a good relationship with President Vladimir Putin.

That is one reason his nomination would be closely scrutinised by lawmakers - especially in the wake of intelligence assessments that Russian hackers acted covertly to promote Mr Trump's campaign.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump's presidential transition team took issue with CIA assessments that said Russia had attempted to assist Mr Trump during the November election by releasing hacked emails harmful to Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

In a statement, the transition team said the officials making the assessment were "the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction".

And spokesman Sean Spicer said there were "people within these agencies who are upset with the outcome of the election".

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Fireball engulfs traffic on Kenyan road

30 dead as fireball engulfs traffic on road

An oil tanker has exploded on a road in Kenya, killing at least 30 people.

The Kenya Red Cross tweeted that the tanker, heading to Uganda, had appeared to lose control before crashing into other vehicles in Naivasha, north-west of the capital Nairobi.

Eyewitness Moses Nandalwe told the BBC a huge fireball had quickly engulfed other vehicles on the busy road.
He feared that many people who had gathered at the scene of the crash were also caught in the inferno.

Mwachi Pius Mwachi, deputy director of Kenya's National Disaster Management Unit, said the tanker had been travelling downhill when it went out of control.
Correspondents say the accident has happened at a time when doctors are on strike, severely limiting services in government hospitals.

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Blasts kill many near Istanbul stadium

Stadium blasts kill 29 people

Two explosions near a football stadium in the heart of Turkey's biggest city, Istanbul, have killed 29 people and injured 166, the government says.

The explosions, believed to be a car bomb and a suicide bomb, targeted police officers, officials say.
Witnesses heard gunfire after the attack, which came two hours after fans had left the Besiktas stadium.
Ten arrests were made. Turkey has seen a recent spate of deadly militant attacks in major cities.

No group has said it was behind the attack but a wave of bombings in Turkey this year has been carried out by Kurdish militants and so-called Islamic State (IS), the BBC's Turkey correspondent, Mark Lowen, reports.

The fact that police appear to have been hit will focus suspicion on Kurdish militant groups, who have mainly targeted the security forces, he adds.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed fatalities but gave no details.
"A terrorist attack has been carried out against our security forces and our citizens," he said.

"It has been understood that the explosions after the Besiktas-Bursaspor football game aimed to maximise casualties. As a result of these attacks unfortunately we have martyrs and wounded."

20 August: Bomb attack on wedding party in Gaziantep kills at least 30 people, IS suspected
30 July: 35 Kurdish fighters who try to storm a military base are killed by the Turkish army
29 June: A gun and bomb attack on Ataturk airport in Istanbul kills 41 people, in an attack blamed on IS militants
13 March: 37 people are killed by Kurdish militants in a suicide car bombing in Ankara
17 February: 28 people die in an attack on a military convoy in Ankara

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The blasts came two hours after a football match at the Vodafone Arena between Besiktas and Bursaspor, two of Turkey's top teams, ended.

Local media reported that fans had already dispersed. Bursaspor posted on Twitter that none of its groups knew of any injured fans.
Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said: "It is thought to be a car bomb at a point where our special forces police were located, right after the match at the exit where Bursaspor fans exited, after the fans had left."
He later said the second blast, at nearby Macka Park, was believed to be a suicide bomb.

TV channel NTV reported that the target of the first attack was a bus carrying riot police.
Photographs posted on Instagram after the explosion showed helmets strewn on a road and damaged vehicles.
A police helicopter circled overhead and windows in nearby buildings were blown out by the force of the blasts.

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Chelsea claim clean sweep of November awards

Diego Costa, Antonio Conte and Pedro claim monthly prizes for best player, manager and goal

Chelsea have swept the board for the Premier League’s individual monthly honours for November with Diego Costa, Antonio Conte and Pedro claiming the prizes.

Costa claimed the EA Sports Player of the Month award with two goals and two assists as Chelsea won three straight matches against Everton, Middlesbrough and Tottenham Hotspur to extend their winning run to seven consecutive Premier League victories.




This meant Conte was rewarded with his second successive Barclays Manager of the Month award.
Pedro received the Carling Goal of the Month award for his curling strike in the 2-1 win against Spurs.

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Russia 'intervened to promote Trump'

Russia 'intervened to promote Trump' - US intelligence

 

US intelligence agencies believe Russia acted covertly to boost Donald Trump in the election race, US officials have told leading newspapers.

A report in the New York Times says the agencies had "high confidence" about Russian involvement in hacking.
A CIA assessment reported by the Washington Post made similar findings.
But Mr Trump's team dismissed the CIA line, saying: "These are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction."
Russian officials have repeatedly denied the hacking accusations.

• 18 revelations from WikiLeaks emails
• Why US fears Russia is hacking election

On Friday, US President Barack Obama ordered an investigation into a series of cyber-attacks, blamed on Russia, during the US election season.
The hacks targeted emails at the Democratic Party and a key aide to presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
In October, US government officials pointed the finger at Russia, accusing it of meddling in the campaign.

Now, senior administration officials quoted by the New York Times say they are confident that Russian hackers also infiltrated the Republican National Committee's computer systems as well as those of the
Democratic Party, but did not release information gleaned from the Republican networks.
Intelligence agencies say the Russians passed on the Democrats' documents to WikiLeaks, the Times reported.

Democrats reacted furiously when email accounts of the Democratic National Committee and Mrs Clinton's campaign chairman, John Podesta, were hacked.
The Podesta emails were revealed by WikiLeaks and posted online.

Quoting an unnamed "senior US official", the Washington Post said "intelligence agencies" had "identified individuals with connections to the Russian government who provided WikiLeaks with thousands of hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee and others, including Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman".
At one point in the campaign, Mr Trump had encouraged Russia by name to "find" Mrs Clinton's emails, although he later said he was being sarcastic.

Democrats claimed the hacks were a deliberate attempt to undermine Mrs Clinton's campaign.
White House spokesman Eric Schultz said President Obama wanted the investigation carried out on his watch "because he takes it very seriously".
"We are committed to ensuring the integrity of our elections," he added.
It is not clear if the contents of the review will be made public.

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Gambian leader rejects election result

Gambia leader Yahya Jammeh rejects election result

Gambian leader Yahya Jammeh has rejected the result of the presidential election held earlier this month, a week after admitting defeat.

Speaking on state TV, Mr Jammeh cited "abnormalities" in the vote and called for fresh elections.
Mr Jammeh, who came to power in a coup in 1994, suffered a shock defeat to Adama Barrow, who won more than 45% of the vote.

The US "strongly condemned" Mr Jammeh's statement.
"This action is a reprehensible and unacceptable breach of faith with the people of The Gambia and an egregious attempt to undermine a credible election process and remain in power illegitimately," said state department spokesman Mark Toner.

Mr Barrow, a property developer, is due to take office in late January. Mai Ahmad Fatty, the head of his transition team, told Reuters they were "consulting on what to do", adding: "As far as we are concerned, the people have voted. We will maintain peace and stability and not let anyone provoke us into violence."
The Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa, with a population of fewer than two million.

• From estate agent to president
• The man in charge for 22 years
• The crack in Gambia's smile

Mr Jammeh said that he now rejected the results of the election "in totality".
"After a thorough investigation, I have decided to reject the outcome of the recent election," Mr Jammeh said.

"I lament serious and unacceptable abnormalities which have reportedly transpired during the electoral process.
"I recommend fresh and transparent elections which will be officiated by a God-fearing and independent electoral commission."

Uncertain future: Analysis by Thomas Fessy, BBC West Africa correspondent

Yahya Jammeh appeared on state TV brandishing a document supposedly proving irregularities when the votes were tallied last week.

Mr Jammeh said the results were unacceptable. He said figures had been transposed swelling the number of votes in favour of his opponent, Adama Barrow, whom he recognised as president-elect live on television after the election results were announced.

Yahya Jammeh called for a fresh vote.
Over the past week people have been celebrating the end of his 22-year-long rule but tonight The Gambia's future looks uncertain again.

The government in neighbouring Senegal condemned the move and called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. Foreign Minister Mankeur Ndiaye, speaking on national television, urged President Jammeh to respect the election result.

A Human Rights Watch spokesman also said it was "deeply concerned".
"The international community, notably [regional bloc] Ecowas and the African Union, should loudly protest any unlawful attempt to subvert the will of the Gambian people," said Babatunde Olugboji, deputy programme director.

The streets of the capital, Banjul, were reported to be calm on Friday night although soldiers were seen placing sandbags in strategic locations across the city, AFP news agency reports.

Only last week, Mr Jammeh was shown on state TV calling Mr Barrow to wish him well.
"You are the elected president of The Gambia, and I wish you all the best. I have no ill will," he said at the time.
According to the electoral commission, the result of the vote on 1 December was:

• Mr Barrow won 263,515 votes (45.5%)
• President Jammeh took 212,099 (36.7%)
• A third-party candidate, Mama Kandeh, won 102,969 (17.8%)

In his 22 years in power, Mr Jammeh acquired a reputation as a ruthless leader.
Ahead of the election, Human Rights Watch accused him of using violence to silence critics. The group said two activists had died in custody and dozens of people had been jailed and denied medical or legal help.

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War continues beyond Aleppo

UN envoy urges political solution to war

Syrian government forces may have nearly won the battle for east Aleppo but the war is not yet over, the UN special envoy for Syria has warned.

"A serious discussion about the future political set-up of Syria" is the only way to achieve peace, Staffan de Mistura told BBC Radio 4's Today.
US and Russian officials are due to meet in Geneva to discuss the situation in Aleppo later on Saturday.
Syria's army seized 85% of the rebel-held part of the city in recent weeks.
The intensification in fighting has forced tens of thousands to seek refuge in government-controlled territory.
Russian officials say up to 10,500 left during a temporary humanitarian pause on Thursday alone.

• Aleppo doctor's heart-breaking letter
• What's happening in Aleppo?
• Eastern Aleppo evacuees - in pictures

"We are at the last steps of the battle for Aleppo...this is likely to end very soon," Mr Mistura told the BBC on Saturday.
"But that's not the end of the war, that's the end of the battle for Aleppo. But it will have a major psychological impact and that we cannot devaluate at this stage."
The only way to win peace and stability in Syria, he continued, was a power-sharing agreement.

'Worst conflict since WWII'

His comments come as Russian and American officials prepare to meet in a bid to stop Aleppo from "being absolutely, completely destroyed," US Secretary of State John Kerry said.
Talks are expected to focus on ways to protect civilians, as well as the future of the rebels in Aleppo's eastern districts.

But Mr Kerry appeared to downplay the talks saying: "I know people are tired of these meetings, I'm tired of these meetings.
"But what am I supposed to do? Go home and have a nice weekend in Massachusetts, while people are dying? Sit there in Washington and do nothing?"
He described the conflict in Aleppo as the worst "since World War Two itself".

'Shrinking rebel pocket'

The UN General Assembly on Friday voted 122 to 13 to demand an immediate ceasefire in Syria, allow urgent humanitarian aid access throughout the country and an end to all sieges.
General Assembly votes are non-binding but can carry political weight.
The UN estimates there to be up to 100,000 people squeezed into an "ever-shrinking" rebel pocket in eastern Aleppo with little or no access to food, water or medical care.

• Profile: Aleppo, Syria's second city
• The journalists risking their lives to film in Aleppo
• 'We are crying and afraid'

Syria's government said it was ready to resume dialogue with the opposition but without "external intervention or preconditions".
Rebel fighters on the ground told Reuters news agency eastern Aleppo districts had been hit by highly explosive incendiary bombs, barrel bombs and artillery shelling on Friday.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported at least a dozen air strikes on rebel-held districts.



There are also fears for hundreds of men who have gone missing after crossing from rebel-held to government-controlled territory.
The UN also said it had received reports that rebels were blocking some civilians from leaving.

Aleppo was once Syria's largest city and its commercial and industrial hub before the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began in 2011.

It has been divided in roughly two since mid-2012. But in the past year, Syrian troops broke the deadlock with the help of Iranian-backed militias and Russian air strikes.
Elsewhere in Syria, militants from the so-called Islamic State group have been advancing on Syrian government positions in the countryside around the ancient city of Palmyra.

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Actor Judge Reinhold arrested in Dallas

US actor Judge Reinhold arrested in Dallas

US actor Judge Reinhold has been arrested after a confrontation with security officials at Dallas airport.

Police say the 59-year-old actor was held on a disorderly conduct charge at Dallas Love Field.
The police said he had refused to go through screening. He then resisted a pat-down by the airport security. But his lawyer questioned the claim.

Reinhold co-starred in such 1980s films as Beverly Hills Cop and Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
If found guilty, he could pay up to a $500 (£395) fine.

Reinhold's attorney said the actor had successfully passed the Transportation Security Administration scanner and was stopped only after his bag raised an alarm, the Dallas Morning News reports.
The attorney added that the actor did not understand why he needed to be searched after he had gone through the scanner without incident.

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Trump picks critic of minimum wage rise

Andrew Puzder to lead US Department of Labor

Donald Trump has chosen an anti-regulation fast-food executive, opposed to a higher minimum wage, to lead the US Department of Labor.

The president-elect said Andrew Puzder, the latest tycoon added to his cabinet, had a "record fighting for workers".
Mr Puzder, chief executive of CKE Restaurants, which operates the Carl's Jr and Hardee's, has often argued a higher minimum wage would kill jobs.

The Labor Department regulates wages along with workplace safety.
Mr Puzder has criticised a new Labor Department rule aimed at extending overtime pay to more than four million US workers.

He has also dismissed a nationwide campaign by fast-food workers for a $15 minimum wage, more than double the current federal level.
Mr Trump, in a statement released by his transition team, said Mr Puzder would make workers "safer and more prosperous".

"He will save small businesses from the crushing burdens of unnecessary regulations that are stunting job growth and suppressing wages," the president-elect said.
In the same statement, Mr Puzder said "the right government policies can result in more jobs and better wages for the American worker".

Democrats and their allies have been critical of the Californian's appointment.
Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO union, said Mr Puzder's "business record is defined by fighting against working people".

Mr Puzder was one of Mr Trump's earliest campaign financiers, contributing more than $330,000 to his White House bid, reports the Washington Post.

He opposes the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, claiming it has left working families with less money to spend dining out, spawning a "restaurant recession".

Mr Puzder has brushed off allegations that his fast-food restaurants' racy commercials - featuring scantily clad models gorging on burgers - are sexist.

"I like beautiful women eating burgers in bikinis," he once said. "I think it's very American."
Mr Trump's latest cabinet appointment came amid his Twitter spat with the head of a local United Steelworkers union in Indiana.
In other developments:

• The president-elect spent 30 minutes with victims and families in Columbus, Ohio, of a campus attack by a Somali refugee
• Mr Trump plans to remain executive producer of NBC's Celebrity Apprentice, which returns in January hosted by Arnold Schwarzenegger, reports Variety

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US astronaut John Glenn dies

First American to orbit Earth, dies aged 95

The ex-Marine and US Senator had been in hospital in Columbus, Ohio, for more than a week and died surrounded by his children and wife of 73 years.

Glenn is best known for circling the earth in 1962 aboard the Friendship 7 space capsule.
His achievement marked the moment the US caught up with the Soviet Union in manned space exploration.
Glenn is expected to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia.

"Though he soared deep into space and to the heights of Capitol Hill, his heart never strayed from his steadfast Ohio roots. Godspeed, John Glenn!" Ohio Governor John Kasich said in a statement.

After returning to Earth, Glenn was elected in 1974 as a Democrat to the US Senate, where he served for 24 years.

He blazed another trial in 1998 - 36 years after his historic flight - when he became the oldest man to travel to space, at age 77.

The only son of a plumber and schoolteacher, Glenn was born in 1921 in Cambridge, Ohio.
His father would recall how the boy used to run around the yard with arms held wide, pretending to fly a plane.

Glenn retained a lifelong love of flight and was piloting his own aircraft as recently as five years ago.
He married his childhood sweetheart, Annie Castor, and they had two children, David and Lyn.

Glenn's wife still has the $125 diamond engagement ring he bought for her in 1942.
He became a combat pilot, serving in World War II and the Korean War before joining America's space agency.

Glenn earned six Distinguished Flying Crosses and flew more than 150 missions during the two conflicts.
After setting the transcontinental flight speed record as a test pilot, he joined Mercury 7, America's first class of astronauts.

On 20 February 1962, he blasted off solo from Cape Canaveral aboard a cramped capsule on an Atlas rocket to a new frontier for Americans.

He spent just under five hours in space, completing three laps of the world.
"Zero G (gravity) and I feel fine," was Glenn's remark on weightlessness.

His capsule's heat shield came loose, leading Mission Control to fear he would be incinerated on re-entry, but the craft held together.

After splashdown in the Atlantic, Glenn was treated to a New York ticker-tape parade.
During his political career he was briefly considered as a running mate for Democratic presidential candidate Jimmy Carter.

But Glenn's star dimmed after a meandering keynote address at the 1976 Democratic National Convention that led Mr Carter to call him "the most boring man I ever met".

He vied himself to be the party's White House standard-bearer in 1984, but was beaten by Mr Carter's Vice-President, Walter Mondale.

Glenn's business career, which included an investment in a chain of Holiday Inns, made him a multi-millionaire.

When he returned to space in 1998, despite the misgivings of his wife, he said in a news conference from orbit: "To look out at this kind of creation out here and not believe in God is to me impossible."
In 2011, Glenn received the Congressional Gold Medal, the nation's highest civilian award.

A year later, President Barack Obama presented him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Mr Obama said in a statement on Thursday that Glenn had "spent his life breaking barriers".
Nasa tweeted that he was "a true American hero".
"Godspeed, John Glenn. Ad astra."

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Syrian army 'suspends Aleppo fighting'

Army 'suspends Aleppo fighting'

Syria's army has suspended combat operations in eastern Aleppo, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says.

The move is to allow for the evacuation of civilians trapped in the battle zone. Mr Lavrov said some 8,000 people would be taken out.

Government forces have retaken 75% of east Aleppo in recent weeks - areas rebels had controlled for four years.

A BBC reporter in Aleppo says while fighting appears to have eased, there is no sign it has completely stopped.

The US welcomed the "indication that something positive could happen but we're going to have to wait and see whether those statements are reflected on the ground.
"Our approach to the situation has been to listen carefully to what the Russians say, but scrutinise their actions," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest.

• Aleppo doctor's heart-breaking letter
• What's happening in Aleppo?
• Russia awards medals to Syria war dead

Mr Lavrov said on the sidelines of a European foreign ministers meeting in Germany: "I can tell you that today, combat operations by the Syrian army have been halted in eastern Aleppo because there is a large operation under way to evacuate civilians."
He also said Russian and US military experts would meet in Geneva on Saturday to discuss ways of bringing an end to the violence in Aleppo.

A US state department spokeswoman confirmed Mr Lavrov had spoken to John Kerry and both had agreed to discuss a ceasefire that allows for the delivery of aid and the departure of civilians, but the "specific nature" of Saturday's technical talks "are still to be worked out".

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No sign fighting has stopped: BBC's Lyse Doucet in Aleppo

Russia's announcement comes at a time when tens of thousands of civilians have already been fleeing the fighting on their own, using whatever route they can. We saw a tide of people scrambling through a hole smashed through a wall.

News that the Syrian military has suspended operations to allow for a more orderly evacuation would be good news for tens of thousands of people still trapped inside rebel-held districts.
But while fighting appears to have eased, there's no sign on the ground that it's completely stopped. And pauses only succeed if they're agreed by all sides and there's no sign of that yet.
This week rebel fighters also called for a truce to allow civilians to leave the battlefield. But both sides suspect the other will use any pause to regroup for another round of fighting.

Earlier, a local council leader in Aleppo warned that "150,000 people are condemned to death" in the city.
Brita Haji Hassan, during a visit to UN officials in Geneva, said 800 people had been killed and up to 3,500 injured in the city in the past four weeks.

"We demand a safe passage for civilians to leave and an end to the killing, bombing and bloodbath," he said.
Late on Wednesday, 148 mostly disabled and elderly civilians were evacuated from a former old people's home in the Old City, hours after the area fell to government forces.
They were rescued in a joint operation by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Many had injuries or conditions which left them unable to move, and had been trapped in the home for days.
Eleven others had died before they could be reached, either caught in the crossfire or because of a shortage of medicine, officials said.

• 'We are crying and afraid'
• The journalists risking their lives to film in Aleppo

The chairman of the UN's humanitarian taskforce for Syria, Jan Egeland, praised the Red Cross operation as "heroic" but said evacuations should not "happen like that". He instead called for the establishment of humanitarian corridors.
He told reporters in Geneva that he believed Russia and the US - which back opposing sides in the civil war - were still "poles apart" on agreeing terms.
The UN's envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, told reporters in New York on Thursday that he was planning to meet members of US President-elect Donald Trump's team, though he did not say when.




Aleppo was once Syria's largest city and its commercial and industrial hub before the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began in 2011.
It has been divided in roughly two since mid-2012. But in the past year, Syrian troops have broken the deadlock with the help of Iranian-backed militias and Russian air strikes, reinstating a siege in early September.

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Jakaya Kikwete at violence in Zambia polls

JK hits at violence in Zambia polls

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The recent chaos led to the deaths of at least two people and forced the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to suspend campaigns in Lusaka and Namwala from July 8 to 18 as a result of the increase in violence.

“Furthermore, we are concerned that the Public Order Act was being applied in a manner that prevented some parties from campaigning earlier in the process,” Mr Kikwete said, adding that his mission would look into the matter.

“Most stakeholders expressed the view that the media in Zambia was polarized.” Mr Kikwete also said that media outlets had demonstrated clear bias for or against particular presidential candidates and parties.

“It is the impression of the team that both (public and private) media have in some cases reported events inaccurately --especially those who have not been in favour of their respective parties,” Mr Kikwete noted. Other international observers have also criticised Zambian media for taking sides in the general elections.

They also called for calm in the country as results slowly trickle in. International election observers have praised Zambia for holding a “generally” peaceful election. But they also accused Zambian media of not being neutral.

“We have regrettably noted a huge bias by the state media, so by no means was there any level playing field,” Michael Gahler, a German member of the European Parliament and participant in the EU’s observer mission, said.

Mr Gahler said the EU’s observer mission had been encouraged by the huge voter turnout and the motivated electorate but added that the voting process had not been without its hitches. “We noted some cumbersome procedures which delayed the processing of individual voters”, Gahler said.

Such delays led to the voting schedule running over the 12 hours required by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) at some of the polling stations.Also, former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, who is heading the African Union’s observer mission (AUEOM), said that Zambia’s same-day mixing of a referendum with a general election had put a burden on voters.

“There appeared to be limited understanding among the citizenry on the importance, content and the implications of the referendum,” Jonathan said. The former president said the addition of the referendum process had increased the complexity of messages that had to be understood by voters.

Jonathan added that the mission also discovered that media clearly played favourites between the presidential candidates in Zambia: “The public media was biased in favour of the ruling Patriotic Front party while the private media was biased in favour of some parties and candidates,” he said.

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Tanzania Government refutes South Sudan VP Machar’s presence in Dodoma

Tanzania refutes South Sudan VP Machar’s presence in Dodoma

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In a telephone interview with the ‘Daily News’ yesterday, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Co-operation, Dr Augustine Mahiga, said the government was unaware of the said claim by ‘The Star’.

“We are not aware of such news; why should he (Dr Machar) go to Dodoma to seek asylum and yet the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) is based in Dar es Salaam?“What is more, to arrive in Tanzania he should have landed at either Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) or Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA) but we are not aware of his arrival,” the veteran diplomat stated.

Dr Mahiga referred this paper to the Ministry of Home Affairs since it is the one in charge of refugees but by the time we went to press we could not get hold of its Minister Mwigulu Nchemba. The Deputy Minister for Home Affairs, Engineer Hamad Masauni, declined to comment, stating that the minister was best placed to comment on the matter.

Efforts to get comment from the UNHCR office in Tanzania were not fruitful. The Kenyan newspaper, quoting unnamed sources, alleged that the embattled Machar gained entry into Tanzania four days ago, and was later spotted on Satellite.

It claimed further that the presence of Dr Machar in Tanzania coincides with the visit of Cord leader Raila Odinga into the country. The former vice-president returned to the capital Juba in April after a peace deal, but left again last month when new clashes broke out.

President Salva Kiir of South Sudan sacked Dr Machar and replaced him with Taban Deng Gai, his former ally after he failed to honour ultimatum to return to capital Juba. Dr Machar has never made any statement since he was replaced as vice-president with Gai, according to the source.

The former vice-president and the SPLM-IO group he leads have been caught up with more than two years of on-and-off, ethnically charged fighting with supporters of the country’s President Kiir.

Machar’s alleged entry into Tanzania comes as the UN Security Council on Friday authorized the deployment of a 4,000-strong protection force in South Sudan’s capital, Juba.

The authorisation is part of the UN peacekeeping mission and threatened an arms embargo if the government does not cooperate.

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Five die in 'historic' Louisiana flood

Louisiana flooding: Five dead and thousands rescued

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President Barack Obama has declared the state a disaster area, meaning federal aid can be sent to the affected areas.
Soldiers and emergency teams have rescued more than 20,000 people from their homes or cars after the floods, which were caused by torrential rain.

Emergency workers told the BBC some people were still stuck in their homes.
The neighbouring states of Alabama and Mississippi also experienced severe weather, although rains are lessening as they move west over Louisiana and further.
One of the worst-affected areas is the Louisiana capital, Baton Rouge.
William Daniel, an official there, told the BBC from an emergency control centre that between 8,000 and 10,000 people were in shelters.

"We're still receiving phone calls about people who're trying to get out of their homes because they can't get out because either there's water coming in to their houses or their streets are blocked.
"It is definitely an unprecedented flood here in Baton Rouge. Houses that have never ever even come close to flooding have water three and four foot high in to the houses."

"This is a flood of epic proportions," JR Shelton, the mayor of Central City told local media. "When we talk about floods now, we'll talk about the great flood of 2016. "Everything else pales in comparison."

Shanita Angrum, 32, called the police when she realised her family were trapped in their home. An officer arrived and carried her six-year-old daughter to safety.
"Snakes were everywhere," she told Associated Press. "The whole time I was just praying for God to make sure me and my family were OK."

John Mitchell, a 23-year-old Louisiana resident, was forced to swim to safety with his girlfriend and her one-year-old daughter. They were rescued by police officers in a boat.
"This is the worst it's been, ever,'' Mr Mitchell said. "We tried to wait it out, but we had to get out."

Several rivers in Louisiana and Mississippi are overflowing.
The state is prone to bursts of extreme weather; thousands of acres of Louisiana were flooded in 2011 to divert water from the flooded Mississippi River and to spare cities, including Baton Rouge and New Orleans, that lie downstream.

In 2005, New Orleans suffered one of the worst natural disasters in US history, when Hurricane Katrina hit the city. The storm killed nearly 2,000 people and displaced one million. Thousands of homes were flooded and destroyed in Louisiana and along the Gulf coast.

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'Shots fired' at new Milwaukee protests

Milwaukee shooting: 'Shots fired' at new protests over police killing

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Protests erupted on Saturday after Sylville Smith, 23, was shot dead in a police chase.
Mayor Tom Barrett said Smith, an African-American, did not drop a gun he was holding when told to do so.

Police violence against the black community in US cities in the past two years has prompted huge protests.
The Milwaukee Police Department tweeted that shots had been fired at several locations before and after midnight on Sunday local time.

Rocks were also thrown at police as they attempted to disperse crowds in the Burleigh area. Officers were making "multiple arrests" in the Sherman and Burleigh districts, police said.
One civilian had earlier been taken to hospital after he suffered a gunshot wound.
Local news footage also showed a car on fire.
On Saturday night, cars and buildings, including a petrol station, had been set ablaze.

Police in Milwaukee, in the state of Wisconsin, said Smith had fled from a car after being stopped by officers in traffic on Saturday afternoon; he died from his injuries at the scene.
Smith had a "lengthy arrest record", police said on Sunday. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel newspaper reported he had been charged over a shooting and witness intimidation, charges that were eventually dropped.

Milwaukee police chief Edward Flynn did not say what prompted officers to stop Smith's car, saying only that he was "behaving suspiciously".
Footage of the shooting was captured by a body camera worn by the officer who fired the shots, who was African-American.

On Sunday, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker made the National Guard available to Milwaukee police should more violence occur later in the day.

Khalif Rainey, who represents the area where the violence hit on Milwaukee's city council, said people were "tired of living under this oppression" in a city that is 40% black.
"Now this is a warning cry," he added. "Where do we go from here? Where do we go as a community from here?"
 
In 2014, police shot dead an unarmed black man, Dontre Hamilton, in Milwaukee, leading to protests in the city. Prosecutors chose not to charge the officer responsible.
In December, the US Justice Department said it would carry a full review of Milwaukee's police department, at its request, to look into areas for improvement.

Mayor Barrett called for restraint, and understanding towards Smith's family. "A young man lost his life yesterday afternoon," he said. "And no matter what the circumstances are, his family has to be hurting."

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Mwatex, fish factories for revival

Mwatex, fish factories for revival Said:President Magufuli

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Dr Magufuli, who ended his two-day tour of Mwanza Region yesterday, addressed thousands of residents here saying deliberate strategies are in place for Mwanza to be a true business hub as envisaged.

He said for the government to work on envisaged development, “ambitious discipline was crucial’’, calling on all the leaders to be accountable to public properties.

He ordered the “immediate arrest of all thieves who swindled properties of the Nyanza Cooperative Union (NCU)’’ and tasked security organs and other responsible units to make sure NCU assets were returned back.

On industrialisation, Dr Magufuli said Mwanza was poised to realise the agenda, citing the potential in textile and fish industries. "We have to make sure that we regain our lost glory in industrialisation and revamp our Mwatex and 11 fish factories that were almost dead.

We can surely do it," he stressed. He declared war on illegal fishing and ordered the confiscation of the trucks transporting them since entertaining the practice was “poisonous to massive fish production and fish processing factories’’.

If the malpractice is properly contained, fish production was likely to triple in just three months and create employment, he noted.

Dr Magufuli also ordered the shelving of plans to move petty traders out of the city centre, pointing out that they also deserved equal chances to make money and challenged the local authorities to chart best ways of distributing them to potential business areas.

However, he warned against the tendency of petty traders selling items from businessmen who are not paying statutory revenues, saying such kind of trading should stop immediately. He said while he will be advocating for the fair deal in their activities, petty traders should be loyal and demand receipts once they buy items from the wholesellers.

Dr Magufuli suggested the establishment of a one-stop day centre for public shopping in the city centre or allocation of a special street for petty traders.

He issued three months to the City Fathers to work out on the sugges- tions and act accordingly. On Mwanza Airport, the president or- dered the contractor to resume work anytime this week while the government was processing his payments.

The completion of the airport was crucial to the economy of the region and the entire Lake Zone since it will attract many businesses through tourism and other economic avenues. A n o t h e r tough action was announced against suppliers of fake cotton seeds who used to cheat at the expense of poor farmers asking for the organs to deal with them as well.

He expressed his appreciation over “the impressive implementation of the construction of a pedestrian flyover at Furahisha area as well as construction of 2.8km road from Furahisha to the Airport’’. "This project is proceeding very well and I would like to see this road heading straight to the airport instead of ending at Pasiansi as earlier planned.

I will make sure funds are available for the additional work," he pledged. The president also pleaded for the maintenance of peace in the country, asking political parties to put cheap politics aside and join him to build the nation.

He said it was sinful to disrupt peace on the pretext of democracy, insisting that true democracy must be exercised only when people have something to eat.

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