A soldier accused of abandoning his post in Afghanistan has asked the outgoing US President to pardon him.
Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, 30, was captured by the Taliban and held hostage for five years after leaving his unit back in 2009.
He was subsequently released in a controversial prisoner swap with the militants.
US military prosecutors allege the initial 45-day search for the soldier after he disappeared, put the lives of his military colleagues at risk and diverted attention from the fight against the Taliban.
The former prisoner of war was freed in May 2014 after the Obama administration decided to exchange him for five Taliban detainees held at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
The move was criticised by some Republicans who accused Mr Obama of jeopardising the nation's safety.
Some politicians were also outraged by the administration not giving Congress 30-days notice about the transfer of detainees, as required by law.
Sgt Bergdahl claimed he walked off his post because he wanted to draw attention to what he saw as problems with his unit.
If his request for leniency is granted it would mean he would avoid a military trial scheduled for April, where he faces charges of desertion and misbehaviour before the enemy.
But if his pardon bid fails he could face life in prison if convicted.
President-elect Donald Trump has been a vocal critic of Sgt Bergdahl calling him a traitor, who should have been executed.
If the pardon is not granted by the time Mr Obama leaves office, Sgt Bergdahl's defence team has said it will file a motion arguing Mr Trump violated their client's due-process rights with his scathing public comments about the case.
The White House confirmed it has received Sgt Bergdahl's pardon application, but said it was standard practice not to comment on pending cases.
Sunday, December 4, 2016
Italian PM Matteo Renzi to resign in wake of referendum defeat
Italian PM Matteo Renzi has said he will resign after losing a key referendum on constitutional reform.
Mr Renzi had staked his future on a "Yes" vote, vowing to quit if voters rejected his plans - which opponents denounced as dangerous for democracy - to reduce the role of the country's Senate and take back powers from regional authorities.
The result plunges the country into political turmoil, with the effects likely to be felt on the markets and across the rest of Europe.
"The experience of my government ends here," Mr Renzi said in a televised address to the nation.
Mr Renzi, who came to power in 2014, said he took full responsibility for the "extraordinarily clear" defeat, with projections suggesting the "No" camp, would win by a margin of 60% to 40%.
He will convene his cabinet for the last time on Monday afternoon and then hand in his resignation to President Sergio Mattarella.
Spearheaded by the populist Five Star Movement, the biggest rival to Mr Renzi's Democratic party, the "No" campaign took advantage of the Mr Renzi's declining popularity, a struggling economy and problems caused by tens of thousands of migrants arriving from Africa.
The vote is a major victory for Five Star leader Beppe Grillo, who urged Italians to follow their gut instincts.
But it is another blow to the European Union, which is struggling to overcome a number of crises and was keen for Mr Renzi to continue his reform drive.
Turbulence on the markets also looks inevitable, although they seemed initially to take Mr Renzi's departure in their stride.
Stocks and the euro fell in early trading in Asia but there were no signs of panic with the possibility of his resignation having already been largely factored in.
Some analysts fear a deeper crisis of investor confidence could derail a rescue scheme for Italy's most indebted banks, triggering a wider financial crisis across the eurozone.
President Mattarella is now charged with brokering the appointment of a new government, or if that fails, ordering early elections.
Mr Grillo called for an election to be called "within a week" on the basis of a recently adopted electoral law which is designed to ensure the leading party has parliamentary majority.
Many analysts think the most likely outcome is that Mr Renzi's administration will be replaced by a caretaker one dominated by his Democratic Party which will carry on until the next election, which must be held by spring 2018.
After the Brexit vote and Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election, the result is likely to be interpreted as another victory for populist forces and a potential stepping stone to government for Mr Grillo's Five Star.
The result plunges the country into political turmoil, with the effects likely to be felt on the markets and across the rest of Europe.
"The experience of my government ends here," Mr Renzi said in a televised address to the nation.
Mr Renzi, who came to power in 2014, said he took full responsibility for the "extraordinarily clear" defeat, with projections suggesting the "No" camp, would win by a margin of 60% to 40%.
He will convene his cabinet for the last time on Monday afternoon and then hand in his resignation to President Sergio Mattarella.
Spearheaded by the populist Five Star Movement, the biggest rival to Mr Renzi's Democratic party, the "No" campaign took advantage of the Mr Renzi's declining popularity, a struggling economy and problems caused by tens of thousands of migrants arriving from Africa.
The vote is a major victory for Five Star leader Beppe Grillo, who urged Italians to follow their gut instincts.
But it is another blow to the European Union, which is struggling to overcome a number of crises and was keen for Mr Renzi to continue his reform drive.
Turbulence on the markets also looks inevitable, although they seemed initially to take Mr Renzi's departure in their stride.
Stocks and the euro fell in early trading in Asia but there were no signs of panic with the possibility of his resignation having already been largely factored in.
Some analysts fear a deeper crisis of investor confidence could derail a rescue scheme for Italy's most indebted banks, triggering a wider financial crisis across the eurozone.
President Mattarella is now charged with brokering the appointment of a new government, or if that fails, ordering early elections.
Mr Grillo called for an election to be called "within a week" on the basis of a recently adopted electoral law which is designed to ensure the leading party has parliamentary majority.
Many analysts think the most likely outcome is that Mr Renzi's administration will be replaced by a caretaker one dominated by his Democratic Party which will carry on until the next election, which must be held by spring 2018.
After the Brexit vote and Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election, the result is likely to be interpreted as another victory for populist forces and a potential stepping stone to government for Mr Grillo's Five Star.
Italian PM Matteo Renzi to resign in wake of referendum defeat
Italian PM Matteo Renzi has said he will resign after losing a key referendum on constitutional reform.
Mr Renzi had staked his future on a "Yes" vote, vowing to quit if voters rejected his plans - which opponents denounced as dangerous for democracy - to reduce the role of the country's Senate and take back powers from regional authorities.
The result plunges the country into political turmoil, with the effects likely to be felt on the markets and across the rest of Europe.
"The experience of my government ends here," Mr Renzi said in a televised address to the nation.
Mr Renzi, who came to power in 2014, said he took full responsibility for the "extraordinarily clear" defeat, with projections suggesting the "No" camp, would win by a margin of 60% to 40%.
He will convene his cabinet for the last time on Monday afternoon and then hand in his resignation to President Sergio Mattarella.
Spearheaded by the populist Five Star Movement, the biggest rival to Mr Renzi's Democratic party, the "No" campaign took advantage of the Mr Renzi's declining popularity, a struggling economy and problems caused by tens of thousands of migrants arriving from Africa.
The vote is a major victory for Five Star leader Beppe Grillo, who urged Italians to follow their gut instincts.
But it is another blow to the European Union, which is struggling to overcome a number of crises and was keen for Mr Renzi to continue his reform drive.
Turbulence on the markets also looks inevitable, although they seemed initially to take Mr Renzi's departure in their stride.
Stocks and the euro fell in early trading in Asia but there were no signs of panic with the possibility of his resignation having already been largely factored in.
Some analysts fear a deeper crisis of investor confidence could derail a rescue scheme for Italy's most indebted banks, triggering a wider financial crisis across the eurozone.
President Mattarella is now charged with brokering the appointment of a new government, or if that fails, ordering early elections.
Mr Grillo called for an election to be called "within a week" on the basis of a recently adopted electoral law which is designed to ensure the leading party has parliamentary majority.
Many analysts think the most likely outcome is that Mr Renzi's administration will be replaced by a caretaker one dominated by his Democratic Party which will carry on until the next election, which must be held by spring 2018.
After the Brexit vote and Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election, the result is likely to be interpreted as another victory for populist forces and a potential stepping stone to government for Mr Grillo's Five Star.
Mr Renzi had staked his future on a "Yes" vote, vowing to quit if voters rejected his plans - which opponents denounced as dangerous for democracy - to reduce the role of the country's Senate and take back powers from regional authorities.
The result plunges the country into political turmoil, with the effects likely to be felt on the markets and across the rest of Europe.
"The experience of my government ends here," Mr Renzi said in a televised address to the nation.
Mr Renzi, who came to power in 2014, said he took full responsibility for the "extraordinarily clear" defeat, with projections suggesting the "No" camp, would win by a margin of 60% to 40%.
He will convene his cabinet for the last time on Monday afternoon and then hand in his resignation to President Sergio Mattarella.
Spearheaded by the populist Five Star Movement, the biggest rival to Mr Renzi's Democratic party, the "No" campaign took advantage of the Mr Renzi's declining popularity, a struggling economy and problems caused by tens of thousands of migrants arriving from Africa.
The vote is a major victory for Five Star leader Beppe Grillo, who urged Italians to follow their gut instincts.
But it is another blow to the European Union, which is struggling to overcome a number of crises and was keen for Mr Renzi to continue his reform drive.
Turbulence on the markets also looks inevitable, although they seemed initially to take Mr Renzi's departure in their stride.
Stocks and the euro fell in early trading in Asia but there were no signs of panic with the possibility of his resignation having already been largely factored in.
Some analysts fear a deeper crisis of investor confidence could derail a rescue scheme for Italy's most indebted banks, triggering a wider financial crisis across the eurozone.
President Mattarella is now charged with brokering the appointment of a new government, or if that fails, ordering early elections.
Mr Grillo called for an election to be called "within a week" on the basis of a recently adopted electoral law which is designed to ensure the leading party has parliamentary majority.
Many analysts think the most likely outcome is that Mr Renzi's administration will be replaced by a caretaker one dominated by his Democratic Party which will carry on until the next election, which must be held by spring 2018.
After the Brexit vote and Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election, the result is likely to be interpreted as another victory for populist forces and a potential stepping stone to government for Mr Grillo's Five Star.
Nigeria’s north-east on the brink of famine
According to the United Nations, 400,000 children in the Nigerian states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe are at risk of starvation. Save the Children UK’s Kevin Watkins has just been to a centre for malnourished infants in the region.
Trump rants against China in Twitter outburst
US President-elect Donald Trump has posted a series of tweets criticising China for its monetary policy and its operations in the South China Sea.
"Did China ask us if it was OK to devalue their currency" and "build a massive military complex?" he asked. "I don't think so!"
Last week Mr Trump risked a diplomatic rift with China by speaking directly with Taiwan's president.
The highly unusual move saw China lodge a complaint with the US.
The US has previously criticised China's yuan devaluation, saying it unfairly favours Chinese exporters.
It has also told Beijing to stop reclaiming land around islands and reefs which are claimed by multiple countries in the South China Sea, and has sent US Navy ships to the area. Both sides have accused each other of "militarising" the region.
Why is the South China Sea contentious?
Why China devalues the yuan
'Courtesy call'
Mr Trump's phone call with Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen was thought to be the first time a US leader or leader-in waiting has spoken to a Taiwanese leader since 1979, the year formal ties were severed.
The White House has said the phone call did not signal a shift in its decades-long "One China" policy stance, which considers Taiwan to be part of China.
Vice President-elect Mike Pence has tried to downplay the call.
In an interview with NBC News on Sunday, he said it was a "tempest in a teapot" and added: "I think I would just say to our counterparts in China that this was a moment of courtesy."
Trump-Taiwan call: Why China lodged its protest
Carrie Gracie: Trump's Taiwan call will stun Beijing
What's behind the China-Taiwan divide?
Beijing lodged a "solemn representation" with Washington, where it urged the US to "cautiously and properly handle" the issue of Taiwan, according to Chinese state media.
Taiwan sees itself as an independent state but Beijing considers it as a breakaway province.
It has hundreds of missiles pointing towards Taiwan, and has threatened to use force if Taiwan formally declares independence.
Suspected Russian warplanes bomb Idlib, dozens killed
At least 46 people have been killed in suspected Russian air strikes on several areas of Idlib province in northwest Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The Britain-based monitor said on Sunday at least three locations were bombed in the northwestern province and most of the casualties were civilians.
At least 26 civilians, including three children, were killed in the town of Kafr Nabal, and another 18 people were killed in the town of Maaret al-Numan.
A witness told AFP news agency "six strikes hit houses and a crowded local market" in the village of Kafr Nabal.
In Maaret al-Numan, an AFP photographer saw local residents and White Helmets rescue workers trying to reach survivors in the rubble at a vegetable market hit in the strike.
The monitor also reported two additional deaths, one in an earlier strike on Maaret al-Numan and another in Al-Naqir, also in Idlib.
And it said six civilians, four of them children, had been killed in a government barrel bomb attack on the town of Al-Tamanah in the south of Idlib.
Russia began a military intervention in support of President Bashar al-Assad in September last year, saying it was carrying out strikes against "terrorists".
In November, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said Russian forces had begun a "major operation" targeting Idlib and Homs provinces.
The northern Idlib province is mostly controlled by a powerful rebel alliance known as the Army of Conquest.
Most of Homs province is controlled by the Syrian government, but small parts of the countryside are controlled by a range of rebel groups.
More than 300,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests before spiralling into a bloody civil war.
Meanwhile, government forces continued to advance in the besieged city of Aleppo, pushing opposition forces out of several areas in the latest twist in the six-year-old conflict.
Syrian warplanes, artillery, and mortar rounds pounded opposition-held areas in eastern Aleppo on Saturday, killing at least three people, according to opposition activists.
Control of east Aleppo
Syrian state media reported government and allied troops were moving in on new neighbourhoods, pushing a kilometre deeper into the rebel-held enclave.
Syrian army spokesman Brigadier General Samir Suleiman said the military had regained control of 45 to 50 percent of east Aleppo, and he accused rebels of hiding among civilians.
The advances have caused massive displacement. The UN estimated more than 31,000 have already fled their homes, either to government or Kurdish areas, or deeper into the besieged enclave.
"We are told that around 50 percent of the rebel-held eastern Aleppo is now held by the government forces and its allies," Al Jazeera's Stefanie Dekker, reporting from Gaziantep on the Turkey-Syria border, said.
"This is the first time that we see this happening in four years. Aleppo has been in a stalemate between the government forces and rebels. Activists say that Aleppo is the heartland of this revolution and if they lose this city, they would lose their civilisation, they would lose everything."
The Britain-based monitor said on Sunday at least three locations were bombed in the northwestern province and most of the casualties were civilians.
At least 26 civilians, including three children, were killed in the town of Kafr Nabal, and another 18 people were killed in the town of Maaret al-Numan.
A witness told AFP news agency "six strikes hit houses and a crowded local market" in the village of Kafr Nabal.
In Maaret al-Numan, an AFP photographer saw local residents and White Helmets rescue workers trying to reach survivors in the rubble at a vegetable market hit in the strike.
The monitor also reported two additional deaths, one in an earlier strike on Maaret al-Numan and another in Al-Naqir, also in Idlib.
And it said six civilians, four of them children, had been killed in a government barrel bomb attack on the town of Al-Tamanah in the south of Idlib.
Russia began a military intervention in support of President Bashar al-Assad in September last year, saying it was carrying out strikes against "terrorists".
In November, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said Russian forces had begun a "major operation" targeting Idlib and Homs provinces.
The northern Idlib province is mostly controlled by a powerful rebel alliance known as the Army of Conquest.
Most of Homs province is controlled by the Syrian government, but small parts of the countryside are controlled by a range of rebel groups.
More than 300,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests before spiralling into a bloody civil war.
Meanwhile, government forces continued to advance in the besieged city of Aleppo, pushing opposition forces out of several areas in the latest twist in the six-year-old conflict.
Syrian warplanes, artillery, and mortar rounds pounded opposition-held areas in eastern Aleppo on Saturday, killing at least three people, according to opposition activists.
Control of east Aleppo
Syrian state media reported government and allied troops were moving in on new neighbourhoods, pushing a kilometre deeper into the rebel-held enclave.
Syrian army spokesman Brigadier General Samir Suleiman said the military had regained control of 45 to 50 percent of east Aleppo, and he accused rebels of hiding among civilians.
The advances have caused massive displacement. The UN estimated more than 31,000 have already fled their homes, either to government or Kurdish areas, or deeper into the besieged enclave.
"We are told that around 50 percent of the rebel-held eastern Aleppo is now held by the government forces and its allies," Al Jazeera's Stefanie Dekker, reporting from Gaziantep on the Turkey-Syria border, said.
"This is the first time that we see this happening in four years. Aleppo has been in a stalemate between the government forces and rebels. Activists say that Aleppo is the heartland of this revolution and if they lose this city, they would lose their civilisation, they would lose everything."
Last Tango In Paris rape scene confession sparks Hollywood backlash
Hollywood has condemned the director of the Last Tango in Paris after he admitted a rape scene was filmed without consent.
In a recently surfaced interview, Bernardo Bertolucci said he conspired with actor Marlon Brando to film a graphic rape scene without Maria Schneider knowing about it until shortly before filming it.
During the 2013 interview he said he "wanted her reaction as a girl, not as an actress".
"I wanted her to react humiliated," he said.
"I didn't want Maria to act her humiliation her rage, I wanted her to Maria to feel the rage and humiliation.
"Then she hated me for all of her life."
Actors have voiced their disgust at the admission on Twitter.
The Martian star Jessica Chastain tweeted: "To all the people that love this film - you're watching a 19yr old get raped by a 48yr old man. The director planned her attack. I feel sick."
Westworld actress Evan Rachel Wood, who recently revealed she has been raped twice, wrote in a post: "This is heartbreaking and outrageous. The 2 of them are very sick individuals to think that was OK."
Captain America lead Chris Evans tweeted: "Wow. I will never look at this film, Bertolucci or Brando the same way again. This is beyond disgusting. I feel rage."
Last Tango in Paris was made in 1972 and tells the story of a man who enters into an anonymous affair after his wife takes her own life.
It shocked audiences when it was released because of its explicit sex scenes and is still considered controversial.
In an interview with the Daily Mail newspaper in 2007, Ms Schneider said she had felt "humiliated" and "a little raped".
She also said was told about the nature of the scene shortly before it was shot, but it was not in the original script.
"I was so angry," she said.
"I should have called my agent or had my lawyer come to the set because you can't force someone to do something that isn't in the script, but at the time, I didn't know that."
Ms Schneider struggled with drug addiction and depression following the movie and died from cancer in 2011, aged 58.
Mr Bertolucci did admit he felt guilty about how he treated Ms Schneider, who was 19 at the time, but does not regret the scene.
In a recently surfaced interview, Bernardo Bertolucci said he conspired with actor Marlon Brando to film a graphic rape scene without Maria Schneider knowing about it until shortly before filming it.
During the 2013 interview he said he "wanted her reaction as a girl, not as an actress".
"I wanted her to react humiliated," he said.
"I didn't want Maria to act her humiliation her rage, I wanted her to Maria to feel the rage and humiliation.
"Then she hated me for all of her life."
Actors have voiced their disgust at the admission on Twitter.
The Martian star Jessica Chastain tweeted: "To all the people that love this film - you're watching a 19yr old get raped by a 48yr old man. The director planned her attack. I feel sick."
Westworld actress Evan Rachel Wood, who recently revealed she has been raped twice, wrote in a post: "This is heartbreaking and outrageous. The 2 of them are very sick individuals to think that was OK."
Captain America lead Chris Evans tweeted: "Wow. I will never look at this film, Bertolucci or Brando the same way again. This is beyond disgusting. I feel rage."
Last Tango in Paris was made in 1972 and tells the story of a man who enters into an anonymous affair after his wife takes her own life.
It shocked audiences when it was released because of its explicit sex scenes and is still considered controversial.
In an interview with the Daily Mail newspaper in 2007, Ms Schneider said she had felt "humiliated" and "a little raped".
She also said was told about the nature of the scene shortly before it was shot, but it was not in the original script.
"I was so angry," she said.
"I should have called my agent or had my lawyer come to the set because you can't force someone to do something that isn't in the script, but at the time, I didn't know that."
Ms Schneider struggled with drug addiction and depression following the movie and died from cancer in 2011, aged 58.
Mr Bertolucci did admit he felt guilty about how he treated Ms Schneider, who was 19 at the time, but does not regret the scene.
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