WASHINGTON: The United States on Monday blacklisted Russian President Vladimir Putin's reputed top enforcer and the prime suspects in the murder of ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko in London a decade ago.

The US Treasury added Russia's senior federal investigator Alexander Bastrykin and alleged assassins Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitri Kovtun to the Magnitsky Act sanctions list.

Announcing the decision, the State Department did not detail what the new targets are accused of, but the move comes at a time of increased diplomatic tension with Moscow.

"Each of the most recently added names was considered after extensive research," spokesman John Kirby said.

Kirby said the targeted names have "roles in the repressive machinery of Russia's law enforcement systems, as well as individuals involved in notorious human rights violations."

President Barack Obama's outgoing administration has accused the Kremlin of using cyber espionage, targeted leaks and propaganda in a bid to influence November's White House race.

US President-elect Donald Trump was angered when American intelligence agencies warned of the Russian hacking, alleging that they were behind a "witch hunt" to tarnish his win.
Moscow has scornfully rejected the charges, echoing Trump's "witch hunt" charge.

But Washington has already expelled 35 Russian diplomats in response and Monday's decision targeted a close Putin ally.

Asked why Obama's final update to the Magnitsky Act had still not included Putin himself, a senior administration official said Washington does not want a complete breakdown in ties.

Polonium-laced tea

"We need to preserve the possibility of working with Russia in areas in which it is in the US national interest," the official told AFP, on condition of anonymity.

"This includes pressing for diplomatic solutions to the crises in Syria and eastern Ukraine," he added.

"Our goal in imposing sanctions is to change behaviour," he said. "We have taken steps to make clear that interference in US democratic processes will not go unanswered."

Bastrykin is one of the Russian president's most powerful allies and is head of an investigative agency that had led crackdowns on domestic dissidents.

He famously once had to apologise to a journalist after allegedly threatening to have him killed, and he has targeted foreign NGOs accused of meddling in Russian politics.

Britain has identified Lugovoi and Kovtun as main suspects in the death of Litvinenko, who succumbed to radiation poisoning in London in 2006 after drinking polonium-laced tea.

In January last year, after a British inquiry, judge Robert Owen said he was sure that Lugovoi and Kovtun had put polonium-210 in Litvinenko's tea at a hotel on November 1, 2006.

Litvinenko was a former Russian agent turned freelance investigator who had collaborated with British intelligence.

The British inquiry concluded that the murder had probably been ordered by the then head of Russia's FSB intelligence agency and had been personally approved by Putin himself.

British intelligence

Lugovoi, a member of Russia's lower house of parliament, has denied the charge, which is based in part on still classified evidence gathered by the British security services.

Russia has refused to extradite the men for questioning.

The Magnitsky Act was originally passed to enable US officials to impose sanctions on Russians implicated in the 2009 prison death of Russian tax fraud whistleblower Sergei Magnitsky.

But more individuals have been blacklisted over the years.
The target list now includes 44 names of those whose assets under US jurisdiction are frozen, and who are barred from doing business with Americans or receiving US visas.

The act allows for the designation of those implicated in the murder, torture or persecution of those who reveal corruption in Russia, Kirby explained.

The US authorities also added two less well-known officials, Stanislav Gordievsky and Gennady Plaksin, to the list.

The Turkish parliament voted on Tuesday to press on with debate about a constitutional reform package that would expand the powers of President Tayyip Erdogan, taking another step on the path towards an executive presidency.

Erdogan and his supporters argue that Turkey needs the strong leadership of an executive presidency to prevent a return to the fragile coalition governments of the past, but opponents fear the reform will fuel authoritarianism.

The initial vote, an early indicator of support for the bill, was passed with 338 votes, indicating that some deputies from the ruling AK Party and the nationalist opposition MHP, which backs the reform, had not voted in favor.

The bill needs the support of at least 330 deputies in the 550-seat assembly to go to a referendum, expected in the spring. The AKP has 316 deputies eligible to vote and the MHP 39.

Under the reform, Erdogan will be able to appoint and dismiss government ministers, take back the leadership of the ruling party, and govern until 2029.

At Monday's debate on the 18-article bill, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said the reform would resolve the problem of Turkey having two executive authorities.

"There needs to be one authority in the executive branch," he told the assembly. "Two captains sink the ship, there needs to be one captain."

Of the 550-member assembly, 480 lawmakers voted overnight, of whom 134 voted against the bill. The remaining votes were abstentions, unmarked or invalid voting slips.

Debate on the individual articles is set to begin on Tuesday and the AKP plans to complete debate of the package by Jan. 24.

The plans foresee presidential and general elections in 2019 with a maximum of two five-year terms.

JERUSALEM: Israeli troops in the occupied West Bank shot dead a Palestinian who attacked them with a knife overnight during an operation to arrest suspected militants, the army said on Tuesday morning.

A military statement said that no soldiers were injured in the incident at Al-Fara Palestinian refugee camp, northeast of the city of Nablus.

"An assailant, armed with a knife attempted to stab soldiers on operational activity to arrest suspects," the English-language statement said.

"Forces called the attacker to halt and, upon his continued advance, fired toward him, resulting in his death."

It added that others in the camp hurled explosives and shot at the soldiers.

Since October 2015, 248 Palestinians, 40 Israelis, two Americans, a Jordanian, an Eritrean and a Sudanese have been killed, according to an AFP count.

Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out attacks, according to Israeli authorities. Others were shot dead during protests or clashes, while some died in Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip.

Many analysts say Palestinian frustration with the Israeli occupation and settlement building in the West Bank, comatose peace efforts and their own fractured leadership have helped feed the unrest.

Israel says incitement by Palestinian leaders and media is a leading cause.

The Al-Fara incident comes less than 48 hours after a Palestinian rammed a truck into troops visiting a Jerusalem tourist site, killing four soldiers in a stark reminder of tensions despite a recent lull in violence.

The attacker was shot dead at the scene.

Democrats have called for US President-elect Donald Trump's naming of his son-in-law as a top adviser to be reviewed over concerns of nepotism and conflict of interest.

A group wants the Justice Department and Office of Government Ethics to scrutinise "legal issues" related to the appointment of Jared Kushner, 36.

His lawyer says the post does not breach anti-nepotism laws.

Mr Kushner is married to Mr Trump's daughter Ivanka.

The millionaire will step down as boss of his family's real estate business and publisher of the New York Observer newspaper in order to comply with ethics laws, his lawyer Jamie Gorelick said.

The influential Trump adviser will also divest "substantial assets", she said.

Mr Trump will be inaugurated as the 45th president on 20 January.

Several of his cabinet picks have business interests that will be scrutinised at confirmation hearings taking place this week.

Mr Trump's pick for attorney general, Alabama Sen Jeff Sessions, is first to face Senate confirmation hearings on Tuesday. He was turned down for a federal judgeship in 1986 because of alleged racist remarks.

Unlike cabinet positions, advisers are considered part of White House staff and do not not require approval from Congress.

Who is Jared Kushner?

Softly-spoken and usually camera-shy, Mr Kushner is a vastly wealthy property developer and publisher who played an influential role in Mr Trump's presidential campaign and has been included in key meetings with foreign leaders during the transition period.

An Orthodox Jew whose grandparents were Holocaust survivors, he was raised in Livingston, New Jersey, and went on to study sociology at Harvard.

His father, also a property mogul, was jailed for tax evasion, illegal campaign contributions and witness tampering in 2005 by Chris Christie - then the US attorney for New Jersey.

Jared Kushner is said to have played a key role in the ousting of Mr Christie, by then New Jersey governor, from Mr Trump's presidential campaign team last year.

Murderers and other criminals would be forced to give their superannuation pension to victims' families under a proposal in Australia.

The move would give victims more rights in the justice system, said Victoria's opposition leader Matthew Guy.

Mr Guy said he would take the policy to the state's next election in November 2018.

If legislated it would be an Australian first, Mr Guy's office said.

"When someone commits a murder, particularly in horrendous circumstances - takes the life of another individual - they forfeit their right to be treated like the rest of us," the opposition leader said on Tuesday.

Superannuation in Australia is money earned during a person's working life that can only be accessed in retirement.

Currently under Victoria state law, victims' families can claim money from seized criminal assets, but that excludes superannuation.

Reform recommendations

The announcement comes after the Victorian Law Reform Commission, a government-funded advisory body, tabled a report in November called The Role of Victims of Crime in the Criminal Trial Process.

The report made 51 recommendations, which did not include handing criminals' superannuation to the families of victims.

Victoria's Labor government, led by Premier Daniel Andrews, is still considering its response to the report, but Mr Guy said his party supported most of the recommendations.

Responding to the superannuation proposal, the government said existing laws allowed for families to be compensated.

"The accrued superannuation of a prisoner could not be used to compensate victims without substantial changes to Commonwealth legislation," state attorney-general Martin Pakula told The Age.

"It could also mean that victims wait decades for compensation and that ex-crooks rely more heavily on taxpayers to fund their retirement."

State or federal issue?

Mr Guy said if elected he would lobby the federal government for change, saying he had already briefly raised the issue.

"This would require a state-federal partnership to make it work," he said.

But a spokesperson for the federal attorney-general's department said it was a state issue.

"It is a matter for state and territory governments whether to seize the assets of criminals convicted of state offences," the spokesperson said in a statement to the BBC.

SRINAGAR (News92World) – A Border Security Force (BSF) constable has posted a video on social media complaining about the low quality food served to the Indian troops and exposing the corruption in the army.

"We only get a ‘parantha’ and tea as breakfast without any pickle or vegetables... For lunch, we get ‘dal’ (pulses) which only has ‘haldi’ (turmeric) and salt... with roti. This is the quality of the food we get... we slog for 11 hours and at times we have to stand throughout the duty hours... how can a soldier do his duty?” he is heard saying in the video.

“At times, the personnel even go to bed on an empty stomach,” he added.

"The government of India supplies everything but it gets stolen by senior officials who sell it in the market to earn profit," Yadav further says.

He pronounced that his life could be under threat for speaking up against the "powerful" officials.

He also asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to order an inquiry into the matter as no one shows their plight.

While taking notice of the incident Indian Home minister Rajnath Singh has sought a report from the BSF and directed appropriate action.

Meanwhile, the Border Security Force (BSF) has initiated probe into the matter.

KOLKATA (AP TV) – The Shahi Imam of Kolkata’s Tipu Sultan Mosque Maulana Nurur Rehman Barkati has issued a ‘fatwa’ against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Imam has also offered Rs25 lac reward for anyone who will “cut off PM Narendra Modi’s beard, shave his head and smear him with black ink”.

The fatwa says that demonetization has caused severe problems for a common man whereas majority of India wants to see Mamta Banerjee as the prime minister.

“Everyday people are harassed and facing problem due to demonetisation…Modi is bluffing the society and the innocent people of the country through demonetisation and nobody wants him to continue as PM,” The Shahi Imam said during a press conference as quoted by The Indian Express.

“People who keep beard are mostly religious like maulanas, sadhus, sufis, sikh gurus.. But Modi keeping beard is bhondami (bluffing),” he added.

On the other hand, BJP state secretary Ritesh Tiwari had lodged a police complaint in Jorasakho police station and demanded action against the Imam.

TEHRAN (AFP) - Hundreds of thousands of mourners led by Iran’s supreme leader gathered at Tehran University early on Tuesday for the funeral of former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.

State television showed people pouring on to the streets around the campus where Ayatollah Ali Khamenei led the eulogies for Rafsanjani despite their "differences".

President Hassan Rouhani, parliament speaker Ali Larijani and his brother judiciary chief Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani accompanied the supreme leader at the prayers.

Former president Mohammad Khatami, an ally of Rafsanjani but long out of favour with the regime, was not part of the official delegation at the service.

The heavyweight politician, who died on Sunday at the age of 82, will be buried inside the crypt of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of Iran’s 1979 Islamic revolution.

Khomeini’s mausoleum is in south Tehran.

Black banners were raised in Tehran and some posters showed the supreme leader and Rafsanjani together smiling. Another poster said "good bye, old combatant".

Free bus or metro travel was provided to the funeral venue.

Since Rafsanjani’s death, messages of condolence have poured in both from at home and and abroad.

Even the White House sent a message, unprecedented since the 1979 revolution that led to cutting of ties between Tehran and Washington.

"Former president Rafsanjani was a prominent figure throughout the history of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States sends our condolences to his family and loved ones," spokesman Josh Ernest said.

"He was a consequential figure inside Iran. But you know, for what potential impact this could have on Iranian policy, I wouldn’t speculate."

One of Iran’s most controversial figures in the West, the head of its Revolutionary Guards’ foreign operations division, Major General Qassem Suleimani, was seen at the funeral.

Rafsanjani was a father-figure for Iran’s moderate and reformist camps.

He fell out of the regime’s highest inner circle after the 2009 re-election of hardline former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, when he spoke out against the use of lethal force on protesters who claimed the vote was rigged.

Video clips published on social media showed pockets of mourners in the streets around the funeral venue chanting slogans in support of Khatami and fellow reformist Mir Hossein Mousavi.

Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi, two of the losing candidates in the 2009 election, have been under house arrest since 2011 for leading the so-called Green Movement protests that the regime calls "sedition".

Khatami is under a strict media ban and often prevented from attending public events.

Rafsanjani’s son Mohsen invited people to attend the service "in full tranquility".

"Ayatollah Rafsanjani’s concern was unity... and we should show off our unity to the world," he said on Monday.

TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran said Tuesday it had finally received an official invitation from Saudi Arabia for its pilgrims to attend this year’s hajj, two weeks after Riyadh announced it.

There was no official Iranian delegation at last year’s pilgrimage to the Muslim holy places after Saudi Arabia severed relations with Iran following the torching of its missions in Tehran and Mashhad by protesters last January.

It was the first time in three decades that Iranian pilgrims had been absent and the culmination of years of worsening relations over the conflicts in Syria and Yemen.

The tone is "not that much different from past letters", hajj affairs representative Ali Ghazi Askar said, adding that Iran would respond in the coming days.

"All matters regarding the hajj -- including accommodation, food, medical affairs, transport, pilgrims’ security, banking and consular issues -- must immediately be studied and appropriate solutions put forward."

Negotiations for Iranian pilgrims to join last year’s hajj broke down over the questions of where their visas should be issued and how their security could be assured following the deaths of 464 in a stampede at the 2015 hajj.

The Saudi-owned Al-Hayat newspaper reported on December 30 that Saudi Pilgrimage Minister Mohammed Bentin had opened discussions with more than 80 countries, including Iran, on the arrangements for the 2017 hajj.

There was no immediate word on when or where the discussions might take place. 

Mr Trump said Mr Coats would "provide unwavering leadership... and spearhead my administration's ceaseless vigilance against those who seek to do us harm".

The appointment comes a day after an intelligence report accused Russia's president of ordering a campaign aimed at helping Mr Trump to victory.

Mr Trump said in a statement that Mr Coats had "clearly demonstrated the deep subject matter expertise and sound judgment required to lead our intelligence community".

A statement from Mr Coats said: "There is no higher priority than keeping America safe, and I will utilise every tool at my disposal to make that happen."

Mr Coats has been a vocal critic of Russia over its 2014 annexation of Crimea.

He will need the Senate to confirm his appointment, replacing James Clapper.

The position of director of national intelligence was created after the 11 September terrorist attacks to improve the US intelligence gathering agencies.

The director is the president's principal adviser on matters on national intelligence, overseeing the National Intelligence Programme, which covers all projects related to the intelligence community.

The post also oversees the US Intelligence Community, the grouping that combines the independent work of 16 agencies, including the CIA.

Dan Coats entered Congress in 1981, representing Indiana in the House. He took Dan Quayle's place in the Senate in 1989 when Mr Quayle became President George HW Bush's vice-president.

Mr Coats had earlier served in the US Army in the 1960s and left the Senate in 1998, becoming US ambassador to Germany in the early 2000s.

After that he became a lobbyist for pharmaceutical, defence and energy companies, returning to the Senate in 2010. He did not seek re-election in 2016.

During his time in the Senate he sat on the intelligence committee.

Has not always been easy.

In early 2016 he said: "I am increasingly concerned by Donald Trump's statements and behaviour, and I have serious concerns about his ability to win the general election and provide presidential leadership."

He was also damning about Mr Trump's lewd comments on women from 2005 that were leaked to the press during the election campaign.

On 8 October, he wrote on Twitter that "Donald Trump's vulgar comments are totally inappropriate and disgusting, and these words have no place in our society".

And back in December 2015, when Mr Trump announced his plans to prevent Muslims immigrating to the US, Mr Coats wrote: "Once again, Donald Trump has chosen bombastic rhetoric over sound judgement."

Generally, however, he supported his party's nominee once chosen, publicly criticising former candidate Ted Cruz for refusing to endorse Mr Trump.

It then spread to a number of military camps around the country.

Defence Minister Alain-Richard Donwahi has gone to Bouake to discuss the protesters' demands.

An MP in the city said the soldiers wanted $8,000 and a house each.

The BBC's Alex Duval Smith in Ivory Coast says the mutiny brings back memories of Ivory Coast's 10-year civil war, which ended in 2011.

Some of the mutineers are thought to be former rebels who joined the army after the conflict. The rebels were based in Bouake.

On Saturday army mutinying soldiers took over the military HQ in Plateau after army chiefs had already fled.

US media reported that he had received a general discharge from the Alaska National Guard for unsatisfactory performance.

His brother said he had been receiving psychological treatment recently.

His aunt told a local newspaper he had "lost his mind" while serving in Iraq.

He reportedly told police after the attack that the government was controlling his mind and made him watch jihadist videos.

One of the victims of the attack was reportedly a woman from Atlanta. The devout Catholic, Olga Woltering, was named by her church, the Catholic Church of the Transfiguration.

Another victim, 57-year-old Iowa man Michael Oehme, was named by his sister, Elizabeth Oehme-Miller.

Fort Lauderdale Airport reopened on Saturday but Terminal 2, where the shootings happened, remains closed.

Airport officials say they still have 20,000 items of luggage to return to their owners.

A tweet from the airport account said this was a "complex and time-consuming process". When the gunman opened fire, many people rushed out on to the tarmac.

The explosion occurred outside a courthouse in the town, some just 7km (four miles) from the Turkish frontier.

Azaz has recently been targeted by so-called Islamic State (IS).

The latest blast is the worst since a nationwide ceasefire - brokered by Russia and Turkey. IS is not included in the truce, which has mainly held.

No group has yet said it carried out the bombing, which according to some reports may have killed as many as 60 people and injured many more.

The activist group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said six rebels were among the dead, with the rest believed to be civilians

Mr Trump vowed to work with Russia "to solve some of the many... pressing problems and issues of the WORLD!"

His comments came after an intelligence reportsaid Russia's president had tried to aid a Trump election victory.

Mr Trump said Democrats were to blame for "gross negligence" in allowing their servers to be hacked.

In a series of tweets on Saturday, Mr Trump said that having a good relationship with Russia was "no bad thing" and that "only 'stupid' people, or fools, would think that it is bad!"

He added that Russia would respect the US more when he was president.