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Alexei Navalny launches bid to challenge Vladimir Putin NEWS / E UROPE  OPINION How Putin became a problem for Russian oligarchs by Roman Dobrokhotov READ MORE Profile: Alexei Navalny, opposition leader Russia Europe Politics Navalny said he had gathered enough nominations to be a candidate in the March elections [Reuters] Supporters of opposition leader Alexei Navalny have gathered in about 20 cities across Russia to formally get his name on the ballot for next year's presidential elections. Navalny has been banned from running in the vote in March due to a criminal conviction, but he still intends to announce his candidacy against President Vladimir Putin. On a river beach on the outskirts of the capital, Moscow, nearly 750 supporters raised small red voting cards to endorse Navalny, who has long been the most visible opposition figure to Putin's rule. An independent candidate needs at least 500 people to formally nominate them and initiate a presidential bid. Advertisement ...

Palestinian Christian leaders denounce Trump's decision NEWS / ISRAELI–PALESTINIAN CONFLICT  WATCH: The history behind disputes over Jerusalem (1:38) WATCH: Christmas in Gaza: Christian community is getting smaller (2:45) Jerusalem Israeli–Palestinian conflict Middle East Palestine Gaza Atallah Hanna told reporters 'the US gave the occupation what it does not deserve' [Nasser Shiyoukhi/Associated Press] Palestinian Christian leaders have rejected US President Donald Trump 's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, calling it "dangerous" and "insulting". Trump's December 6 announcement has sparked protests across the Muslim world and drawn international condemnation. The US move is offensive to "Christians and Muslims around the world who consider Jerusalem as an incubator of their most sacred, spiritual and national heritage", Atallah Hanna, the archbishop of Jerusalem's Greek Orthodox church, said in a statement ...

Turkey sacks 2,766 civil servants over 'terror' links NEWS / TURKEY ATTEMPTED COUP  READ MORE German journalist Mesale Tolu released in Turkey READ MORE EU cuts Turkey funding after 'democratic deterioration' Turkey Turkey attempted coup Middle East SIGN UP Some 637 military personnel are among those sacked [File: Burak Kara/Getty Images] Turkey has dismissed 2,766 people from their posts in state institutions over alleged links to "terror" organisations, according to an emergency decree published in the country's official legal database. On Sunday, a decree in the Official Gazette said 637 military, 360 gendarmerie personnel, 61 police and four coastguard members were among those sacked. Some 341 people were dismissed from the Directorate of Religious Affairs. The rest were civil servants from other institutions. Advertisement The decree also said 115 employees who were dismissed in the past were reinstated. A separate emergency decree published on the s...

UK's Christian heritage stressed in PM's Christmas message Britons should "take pride" in their country's Christian heritage at Christmas, Theresa May has said. In her Christmas message, the prime minister said there is a "confidence... that in Britain you can practice your faith free from question or fear". She also praised the emergency services for their Grenfell Tower and Manchester and London terror attacks responses. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's message says people should help those "cut off and lonely", and in war-torn nations. The Lib Dem Leader Vince Cable spoke of the need for more affordable housing, and mental health support, while SNP First Minister Nicola Sturgeon paid tribute to people working as volunteers at Christmas. Inspiring heroes Mrs May began her message by thanking "those whose service to others means they will be spending time away from their loved ones this Christmas". She paid tribute to the "men ...

Trump's UN Jerusalem failure a 'gift to Iran': Haaretz NEWS / ISRAEL  Jerusalem Israel Iran United States Middle East US President Donald Trump must decide by mid-January whether he will continue to waive sanctions on Iran [Joshua Roberts/Reuters] US President Donald Trump's failure to rally support at the United Nations for his decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital amounted to a "gift to Iran", according to an analysis published by the Haaretz daily news website. The UN vote last week, in which a resounding majority of member states declared Trump's move to be null and void , constituted "a worldwide vote of no confidence" in the US president, "from which Israel will suffer the next time it seeks to draft the international community to some joint effort against Iran or any other enemy", stated the analysis, published on the weekend. "Hostility between the European Union, Russia and China and the United States re...

North Korea: New UN sanctions an act of war North Korea has described the latest UN sanctions imposed on the country as an "act of war". A foreign ministry statement said the measures were tantamount to a total economic blockade, the official KCNA news agency reported. It added that strengthening North Korea's deterrence was the only way to frustrate the US. The UN Security Council imposed the new sanctions on Friday in response to Pyongyang's ballistic missile tests. The US-drafted resolution - unanimously backed by all 15 Security Council members - includes measures to slash North Korea's petrol imports by up to 90%. North Korea is already subject to a raft of sanctions from the US, the UN and the EU. North Korea crisis in 300 words Can the world live with a nuclear North Korea? Sanctions won't stop us, warns N Korea What did the North Korean statement say? Characteristically bellicose, it described the latest UN sanctions "as a violent breach of our re...

Why are British Muslim marriages unprotected by law? FEATURE / ISLAM  MUSLIM MARRIAGE IN THE UK 60 percent Muslim marriages religious-only, unregistered 28 percent do not realise Islamic ceremony not legally recognised 66 percent know union has no legal status 50 percent do not intend to have marriage legalised - Source: Channel 4 survey Aina Khan Aina Khan is a journalist focusing on race, faith and identity. She's reading a masters in religion in politics at SOAS.  @ ainajkhan United Kingdom Islam Europe, Maureen, right, was not entitled to financial support after her husband Rashid - the father of her child - passed away [Courtesy: Maureen] London, England - When Maureen wed her husband Rashid in a Muslim ceremony in 1973 in Bradford, she knew that should the relationship fall apart, she would not be entitled to share his assets. Her marriage was sanctified in the eyes of God, but in the eyes of the state it was "unregistered", not legal, and so financial protection...

Philippines Tropical Storm Tembin kills 180 on Mindanao More than 180 people are reported to have been killed as a tropical storm swept through the southern Philippines, with dozens more missing. Storm Tembin brought flash flooding and mudslides to parts of Mindanao island. Two towns badly hit were Tubod and Piagapo, where a number of homes were buried by boulders. Tembin, with winds of up to 80km/h (50 mph), has passed across Mindanao and reached the resort islands of Palawan, and will now move further west. The Philippines suffers regularly from deadly tropical storms, although Mindanao is not often hit. Tembin, known as Vinta in the Philippines, started lashing Mindanao on Friday, with a state of emergency declared in some parts, including the Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur regions. Regional officials quoted by the Rappler website said there were 127 fatalities in Lanao del Norte, up to 50 in the Zamboanga peninsula and at least 18 in Lanao del Sur. Tubod police officer Gerry Par...

£500m passport claim 'fake news', says May aide Robbie Gibb Theresa May's communications director has hit out at "fake news" after a claim about the cost of post-Brexit blue British passports was shared tens of thousands of times on Twitter. Robbie Gibb said deliberately misrepresenting government policies "harms our democracy". Ex-Dragon's Den panellist James Caan had shared claims the passports would cost £500m but later withdrew them. The new passports will be issued from October 2019. The redesign, which happens routinely every five years, will come as part of a £490m contract which also includes printing and assembling passports and runs for 11 and a half years. But Mr Caan had claimed it would cost £500m just to change the colour. Blue passport to return after Brexit Should the British passport be blue? He tweeted: "A country that would spend £500m to change the colour of a passport while children sleep on the streets is a country whose pr...

Pentagon: Boeing wins $6.2bn contract for Qatar's F-15 NEWS / QATAR  INFOGRAPHIC The growing militarisation of the GCC Middle East Qatar United States Pentagon US & Canada, Qatar will buy 72 F-15s from the United States in a deal worth $12bn [File: Reuters] The US Department of Defense has announced that Boeing has been awarded a $6.2bn contract to manufacture 36 F-15 fighter jets for Qatar's air force. The multi-role aircraft are to be delivered at the end of 2022 and will be built by the aerospace giant in St. Louis, in the US state of Missouri, the Pentagon said on Friday. "This contract provides for the foreign military sales requirement to procure 36 new F-15QA aircraft for the Qatar Emiri Air Force," it said in a statement. The announcement covers half of the 72 F-15s Qatar will buy from the US. The two countries signed a deal worth $12bn in total in June after negotiations started in November 2016. Qatari Minister of Defence Khalid Al Attiyah said the dea...

Deadly flooding and landslides hit the Philippines NEWS / PHILIPPINES  Philippines region hit in 2013 struggles after new storm Weather Philippines Asia Pacific More than 150 people have been killed and hundreds more are missing in southern Philippines after Tropical Storm Tembin triggered mud slides and flash floods on the country's second largest island, Mindanao. The Philippines Red Cross said the storm, which has lashed Mindanao since Friday, left at least 156 people dead and 291 others missing. "We're really on our toes right now," Richard Gordon, chairman of the Philippines Red Cross told repoting on Saturday. "And we're trying to figure out how to give help to so many people that are really in danger right now." It is heartbreaking that days before Christmas, the wrath of typhoon #VintaPH resulted in 156 deaths, 291 missing, & 86 injured individuals. Our Operations Center & chapters across Visayas & Mindanao are continuously monitorin...

US to provide weapons support to Ukraine NEWS / UNITED STATES  Ukraine United States Europe, The US says it will give Ukraine what it calls 'enhanced defensive capabilities'. US media are reporting the new arms include anti-tank missiles, but the state department has not confirmed lethal weapons will be sent. Washington has been providing Ukraine with support equipment and training in its battle against pro-Russia separatists.

Cuban dance performers suffer setbacks amid US travel ban NEWS / UNITED STATES  Cuba United States Latin America Arts & Culture One of the victims of Washington's decision to stop issuing travel visas from its embassy in Cuba is a unique dance company, that is no stranger to restrictions, both at home and abroad. But it is trying to make it work, Lucia Newman reports from Havana. Have your say. Give us feedback.

Constantino Chiwenga named ZANU-PF deputy NEWS / ZIMBABWE  READ MORE Robert Mugabe: Portrait of a presidency Politics Zimbabwe Africa, Chiwenga played a key role in the peaceful coup that lead to Mugabe's resignation [File: Reuters] Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa has appointed a military commander who played a big part in the ousting of former leader Robert Mugabe as one of his deputies in the ruling party. The appointment of retired general Constantino Chiwenga at the senior ZANU-PF position, was announced on in a statement by the presidential press secretary. Kembo Mohadi, a long-serving state minister, was also named ZANU-PF vice president. Chiwenga, who resigned this week from his military role, was instrumental in a coup last month that eventually forced 93-year-old Mugabe to hand in his resignation letter after ruling the country for 37 years. The appointments are seen as a first step towards their elevation to vice president of the country. Ruling party deputies a...

Canada introduces scheme to improve food productivity NEWS / FOOD  Canada Food Agriculture Environment US & Canada, The high cost of fresh food is one of the many challenges for those living in Canada 's remote north. Cold temperatures, lack of sunlight and poor soil mean that vegetables and fruit have to be imported from thousands of kilometres away. The government has introduced a scheme to make it cheaper and even profitable for communities to grow food.

US congress approves funds for child healthcare programme NEWS / UNITED STATES  US & Canada United States, congress has approved a short-term injection of funds for a government programme that provides healthcare support to millions of children from low-income families. Funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program known as CHIP lapsed at the end of September. Kristen Saloomey reports from New York

Philippines Tropical Storm Tembin kills dozens in Mindanao At least 90 people are reported to have been killed as a tropical storm swept through the southern Philippines, with dozens more missing. Storm Tembin brought flash flooding and mudslides to parts of Mindanao island. Two towns badly hit were Tubod and Piagapo, where a number of homes were buried by boulders. Tembin, with winds of up to 80km/h (50 mph), has now passed across Mindanao and is heading over the southern tip of Palawan before moving further west. The Philippines suffers regularly from deadly tropical storms, although Mindanao is not often hit. Tubod police tolds agencyTt there had been at least 19 deaths in the town. "The river rose and most of the homes were swept away. The village is no longer there," he said. Who cleans up after hurricanes, earthquakes and war? Economic losses from natural disasters counted He said volunteers were digging through mud to try to recover bodies in the village of Dalama. An...

Iraq's paramilitary troops deployed at Syrian border NEWS / IRAQ  War & Conflict Iraq Middle East ISIS Roughly 63 factions make up Iraq's Popular Mobilisation Forces [Ari Jalal/Reuters] Iraq's Shia paramilitaries have deployed fighters to the Syrian border to support security forces after multiple attacks from within Syria. "After several Iraqi border guard positions came under several attacks by missiles, and backup from security forces was late, the 13th brigade of the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) was deployed and targeted the origins of the launch," Qassem Mesleh, the PMF commander for Iraq's western Anbar province, said in a statement on Friday. "Operations command and the infantry brigade are now present on the Iraqi-Syrian border in border guard positions to repel any attack or movement by the enemy. This area is not within the PMF's remit but it is our duty to back up all security forces." The PMF is largely outside of government...

UN imposes new sanctions on North Korea NEWS / UN  READ MORE S Korea, Japan seek to mount pressure on N Korea WATCH: How developed is North Korea's nuclear programme? (2:45) North Korea UN Nuclear weapons United States Politics The UN Security Council has unanimously voted to impose tough new sanctions on North Korea in response to Pyongyang's latest missile test . The sanctions, passed on Friday, include a ban on nearly 90 percent of refined petroleum exports to North Korea. The restrictions, proposed by the US, are designed to prevent Pyongyang from furthering its nuclear programme . Mike Hanna, reporting from the UN, said the move was a "significant ramping up" of sanctions against North Korea. "The idea is to squeeze North Korea as tightly as possible to reduce its income, reduce its revenues, and in that way hopefully drive it to the negotiating table and also for it to stop its missile development process," he said. The resolution also orders North Ko...

Brexit win or cringe? UK reacts to new blue passport NEWS / UNITED KINGDOM  Brexit United Kingdom European Union Europe, The UK adopted the burgundy passport upon joining the EU [Conservative Party] The UK has announced it will change the colour of its passports from the EU-associated burgundy currently in circulation to the pre-EU blue. British Prime Minister Theresa May made the announcement on Friday, promising the return of the "iconic" travel document by 2019. "The UK passport is an expression of our independence and sovereignty, symbolising our citizenship of a proud, great nation," she said in a tweet announcing the passport, which will also contain new security features to prevent forgery. The UK passport is an expression of independence and sovereignty – symbolising our citizenship of a prou great nation. That's why we have announced that the iconic #bluepass will return after we leave the Europe Union in 2019. conservatives.com/sharethefacts/… 12:49 P...

Israel to maintain ties with Austria's far-right FPO NEWS / ISRAEL  READ MORE 'Europe has to reform': How the far right grew in 2017 READ MORE How will US Jerusalem move affect Israel's far right? The Far Right Israel Austria Politics Racism SIGN UP A demonstrator holds a candle with a picture of FPO head Heinz-Christian Strache in a protest demanding no government participation for the far right in Vienna, Austria [File: Leonhard Foeger/Reuters] Critics have blasted Israel's plans to maintain ties with Austria's new right-wing coalition, which features a far-right party with Nazi roots. Although Israeli officials promised to limit contact with ministers of the Freedom Party of Austria (FPO), rights groups fear any involvement at all with the far-right populist outfit that advocates anti-Muslim, anti-refugee, anti-immigration and Eurosceptic policies could normalise xenophobia. The FPO is a junior partner in Austria's coalition government, headed by the rig...

Israeli forces kill two Palestinians in Gaza protests NEWS / ISRAELI–PALESTINIAN CONFLICT  Gaza Israeli–Palestinian conflict Jerusalem Israel, There has been no let-up in anger over Trump's Jerusalem move [Mohammed Salem/Reuters] At least two Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have been killed by Israeli forces during protests over US President Donald Trump 's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. The ministry said in a statement on Friday that two Palestinians were killed and more than 70 others were injured during clashes with Israeli forces in northern Gaza near the border with Israel. According to local news media, 24-year-old Zakariya al-Kafarneh was killed by live ammunition while taking part in the protests. The name of the second Palestinian killed was unknown. Maan News agency said Israeli troops used live bullets, tear gas and stun grenades against Palestinian protesters, who had gathered for the third ...

Mahmoud Abbas urges EU to take lead in peace efforts NEWS  READ MORE Trump threat to cut US aid: Deterrent or hot air? READ MORE Will the UN challenge US threats over Jerusalem? Abbas says he has 'trust' in French President Macron's peace efforts [Francois Mori, Pool/AP Photo] Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has called on the European Union to take the initiative in the Israel-Palestine peace process from Paris Abbas also says he will "no longer accept" any peace plan put forward by the US following President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel on December 6. "The United States has proven to be a dishonest mediator in the peace process," Abbas said during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Friday. Tensions between the US and the world community came to a head at the UN General Assembly on Thursday evening. A nonbinding draft resolution to declare Trump's recognition of Jer...

US: There is no military solution to end war in Yemen NEWS / YEMEN  United States Yemen Middle East Investigators remove bodies of the people who were killed in a Saudi-led coalition air strike in Sanaa, Yemen on December 13 [Anadolu] The US has said that "there is no military solution to end the war in Yemen" and believes that the best way to end the crisis is through "aggressive diplomacy". In a briefing on Thursday, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Tim Lenderking also said that US President Donald Trump's administration believes "that there is room for the Houthis in a political settlement" if the rebel group stops attacking Saudi Arabia, a US ally. "We believe that there is room for the Houthis in a political settlement. We welcome that, but not when the Houthis continue to rocket and – rocket our – a key ally like Saudi Arabia on a regular basis, and also not – not when the Houthis are menacing the border of Saudi Arabia, which is somethi...

Saudi sisters who fled to Turkey fear forced return NEWS / SAUDI ARABIA  READ MORE HRW lambasts Saudi counterterrorism law READ MORE Saudi women scholars call out prince's reform agenda Human Rights Saudi Arabia Middle East Turkey SIGN UP The case of Ashwaq, left, and Areej is being reviewed by an Istanbul court [Videos/Twitter screenshot] Two sisters from Saudi Arabia, who are currently in Turkey, are desperately trying to avoid being returned to the kingdom, where they could be imprisoned, their lawyer has told Al Jazeera. Serdarhan Topo said that his clients, 30-year-old Ashwaq Hamoud and 28-year-old Areej Hamoud, also fear violence from family members if they are forced to go back home. The sisters, who are Saudi nationals, say they were subjected to torture and abuse at the hands of relatives. They tried to flee to New Zealand on February 8 from Hong Kong, where they had arrived from Saudi Arabia via undocumented methods. "However, they were not allowed to board on the ...