In This Edition

 

?A suicide bomber in Pakistan kills ten people including a provincial government official at a political rally in Peshawar.

 

?Egyptians vote in the second and final phase of a referendum on an Islamist-backed constitution that has polarized the nation.

 

?A helicopter of the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan has been shot down with all four crew members on board killed.

 

?And the increasingly popular new generation of printer that can create ready-to-shoot guns is causing US gun control concerns in the wake of the latest school massacre.

 

 

Hot Issue Reports

 

?Bombing at Political Rally Kills 10 in Pakistan

A suicide bomber in Pakistan has killed ten people including a provincial government official at a political rally in Peshawar.

 

The rally was held by the Awami National Party, whose members have been repeatedly targeted by the Taliban.

 

Officials say among the dead was Bashir Bilour, the second most senior member of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial Cabinet.

 

Over 20 others were wounded by the blast.

 

Eyewitness Aftab Ahmed said he was near Bilour when the suicide bomber struck.

 

"We were seeing Bilour off to his car, suddenly a blast occurred. I was right behind him, after that I don't know what happened. As the blast took place I lost consciousness. Before that I saw a boy who was around 25 to 30 years old, he had a small beard and came very fast in front of us. Then the blast occurred."

 

Local officials say Bilour repeatedly received threats from militants who have intensified attacks in Peshawar recently.

 

Taliban militants attacked the military area of an international airport in the city a week ago, killing four people and wounding over 40 others.

 

?Egyptians Vote on Islamist-Backed Constitution in Second Phase

Egyptians voted on Saturday in the second and final phase of a referendum on an Islamist-backed constitution that has polarized the nation.

 

For some supporters, a 'yes' vote is a chance to restore some normalcy after nearly two years of tumultuous transitional politics following Egypt's 2011 revolution.

 

But opponents see their 'no' vote as a way to preserve the country's secular traditions and prevent President Mohammed Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood group from getting a lock on power.

 

Voter Nagwa El Gammal said she thought the constitution could have been better written.

 

"There are some articles that make it impossible to accept this constitution. There should have been a better chance to write a good constitution, there should have been more consensus among people."

 

Saturday's vote is taking place in 17 of Egypt's 27 provinces with about 25 million eligible voters.

 

Preliminary results are expected late Saturday or early Sunday.

 

The first phase held a week ago produced a "yes" majority of about 56 percent with a low turnout according to initial results.

 

?UN Confirms Death of Four Crew on Board Downed Helicopter in South Sudan

The UN says a helicopter from its peacekeeping mission in South Sudan has been shot down by the army, killing all four crew members on board.

 

Deputy UN spokesman Eduardo del Buey said South Sudan's military admitted that it hit the helicopter.

 

"In subsequent communications between the mission and the South Sudanese Armed Forces, the SPLA (Sudan People's Liberation Army) told the mission that it had shot down the helicopter in the Likuangole area in Jonglei State. The UN helicopter was on a reconnaissance flight to the area. Initial reports indicate that the UN helicopter crashed and burned."

 

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon sent condolences to the families of the four Russian crew members, and to the Russian government.

 

The UN Security Council "strongly deplored" the shooting of the helicopter.

 

The Security Council also called for a swift investigation by South Sudan and the UN mission and urged South Sudan to bring those responsible for the incident to account.

 

South Sudan's military spokesman blamed the attack on rebel fighters and accused Sudan of backing rebel groups on its territory.

 

Relations have been tense between the two countries since the South seceded in 2011.

 

?Ponta Sworn in as Romanian PM

Romania's parliament has approved a centre-left government, ending fears that a bitter feud between the President and Prime Minister could lead to a political standoff.

 

The re-elected Prime Minister Victor Ponta says his government will focus its efforts on improving people's lives.

 

"I want to tell the pensioners, the people who've been fired, the poor, that the fighting against poverty is a priority for the Romanian government. The measures for reopening the closed hospitals and schools and for ensuring safety each and every one of us must be, and will be, priorities for any government that wants the development of the country."

 

Romania was plunged into political crisis earlier this year when Ponta and his leftist Social Liberal Union tried to impeach his rightist rival, President Traian Basescu.

 

The impeachment effort failed but Ponta's allies won a two-thirds majority in a December 9 election, cementing his position.

 

Romania is one of the poorest country in the European Union and its economy is expected to grow only 0.4 percent this year.

 

?Freezing Weather in Bulgaria and Ukraine

A cold snap has killed more than 80 people in Ukraine and continued to cause disruption in east Europe this weekend.

 

Health officials in Ukraine say at least 83 people - most of them homeless - have now died from this month's severe cold spell.

 

Emergency workers have set up almost 3000 heated tents with food and hot drinks across the Ukraine to help the homeless.

 

Petro Vernik is one of the homeless.

 

"There is not only one such tent in Kiev. There are many of them in the capital. And there are many people who don't have anyone to rely on. All the entrances to the building are closed now and we can't spend night inside. But even if they are opened it's too cold there. And here everybody can come in warm, have some tea, buckwheat. Thanks to this service we will not die of hunger."

 

Meanwhile, authorities in Bulgarian have declared a state of emergency in northeastern part of the country as strong winds and snow produced power outages and blocked roads, and forced border crossings to close.

 

Locals said some roads had been blocked for two days, preventing some from reaching their homes in the nearby village of Kamenar some 450 kilometres northeast of the capital, Sofia.

 

"For almost two days we have been under heavy snowfall, I cannot go home for at least 48 hours, all the roads are blocked by the snow. With a great difficulty I try to walk here to the village and see that somebody has started to clear the snow."

 

About 30 villages were without power in Bulgaria's Ruen district, and some also had no water.

 

Temperatures are expected to plummet to -17 C in Bulgaria over the next few days.

 

?Severe Flood Warnings Issued for South-west England

Families preparing for Christmas have been hit by floods and travel chaos as heavy rain batters Britain.

 

The Environment Agency has issued more than 100 flood warnings across the UK with the South West of England and Wales worst affected.

 

Residents in Cornwall and Devon were forced to wade or cycle through the water, with some opting for makeshift boats.

 

Homeowners in Cornwall were assessing internal damage to their homes on Saturday.

 

"I'm just here helping my mate. We are taking his carpets up now in case it goes up a bit higher."

 

A spokesman for the local Fire Service said the emergency services were stretched due to the flooding.

 

"We have got numerous incidents throughout the county currently going on, which is really stretching our resources. We have had crews working tremendously hard right through the night here, they are going to be here tonight as well."

 

Local business had also been affected on one of the busiest shopping days of the year, with some losing power.

 

The southwest has four severe flood warnings in place, meaning there is a danger to life.

 

UK weather forecasters were predicting more of the same in the run up to Christmas, but with rains moving further north and into Scotland.

 

?Security Fears over 3D Printers Weapons

A group in the US is claiming to have created downloadable weapon parts that can be built using 3D printers.

 

The group 'Defense Distributed' claims it fired a semiautomatic rifle built with some key parts created on a 3D printer, and the gun was fired six times before it broke.

 

The increasingly popular new generation of printer uses plastics and other materials to create 3D objects with moving parts.

 

No independent observer verified the test, but US federal firearms regulators say they are aware of the technology's gun-making potential.

 

Cody Wilson heads the "Wiki Weapons" project for Defense Distributed. He says that the new technology will soon make it impossible to regulate firearms.

 

"We foresee a future where 3D printing is kind of more diffuse, ubiquitous and powerful technology. More likely to be in your hands."

 

The possiblity of printing a gun on a three-dimensional printer and firing it minutes later is causing US gun control concerns in the wake of the Connecticut school massacre.

 

The shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary school was the second-deadliest school shooting in US history, leaving 27 dead.

 

But Wilson believes protecting the constitutional right to bear arms by giving everyone access to guns is more important in the long term than a single horrible crime.

 

"I believe in the universal access to firearms. And so, I chose this technology to affect its reality. I'm not interested in making anything else."

 

3D printing technology was developed for automobiles, aerospace projects and other industries to create product prototypes from the same hard plastics used in toys like Lego.

 

Low-end 3D printers can now be purchased online for between 1,500 and 4,000 US dollars.

 

?Security Tight amid Looting Fears in Argentina

Police have stepped up security patrols and some shops closed across Argentina after looting in several cities left at least two people dead.

 

The wave of sporadic looting began in the southern Patagonian ski resort of Bariloche, where dozens of people broke into a supermarket and carried away televisions and other electronic goods.

 

Looting spread to other regions, including the capital of Buenos Aires.

 

Matias Drivet, Secretary of Security for Santa Fe Province, says two were killed after attacks on about 20 supermarkets across the northeastern region.

 

"Regarding the people who died, obviously the authorities are investigating their deaths. So, for the time being, we will wait for that to be resolved. One person was killed by gunfire and another with a sharp object yet to be determined."

 

He declined to name the victims or the attackers but said 25 people were injured and 130 were arrested during the looting.

 

The government has responded by deploying 400 military police to Bariloche, which witnessed the first incident of looting.

 

In Buenos Aires, police helicopters now keep watch over some supermarkets and police patrolls in the street have been enhanced.

 

The government has blamed trade unions linked to the opposition for the lootings.

 

The attacks evoked memories of the violence during Argentina's economic crisis a decade ago when unemployed people stormed supermarkets.

 

?Nigeria Railroad Project Connects 2 Major Cities

Nigeria has rebuilt and reopened railway tracks connecting Lagos, its commercial capital in the south, to Kano, its largest city in the north.

 

The Lagos-Kano route was part of a 166 million US dollar project meant to revive the railway system of Africa's most populous country.

 

Nigerian Minister of Transport Idris Umar said the investment by the government was allowing Nigeria's train services to catch up with the rest of the world.

 

"While the rehabilitation exercise is going on, it needs determination to revamp fully the railway system. The government is developing the standard gauge line to meet up with the rest of the world."

 

The railway is also China's first big project as it tries to make inroads in the West African nation.

 

The China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation had a contract to rebuild the railway to the central city of Jebba.

 

Trains offer affordable transportation, but some complain about the long-distance travel conditions.

 

"Look at all the small children inside the train... the stress is too much for us."

 

The Lagos-Kano railway was first built in 1912, but due to neglect and corruption, about 70 percent of the tracks were unusable as of early last year.

 

The railway project hopes to alleviate the burden on Nigeria's poorly maintained road network.

 

?Winter Solstice Marked at Neolithic Burial Chamber in Ireland

Sun worshippers have flocked to Ireland to celebrate the dawn of a new solar millennium.

 

The crowd gathered at the Newgrange monument for the annual winter solstice where the sun's rays pierce the stone heart of the neolithic burial chamber northwest of Dublin.

 

Only 15 people were permitted inside the chamber for the moment of the solstice.

 

But visitors from near and far traveled to soak up the energy of Ireland's most ancient tomb.

 

"There seems to be a little bit of extra excitement among the people, and some people probably half believe something different is going to happen today, you know."

 

The massive stone dome was built more than 5,000 years ago, several hundred years before the first pyramids in Egypt or Stonehenge.

 

Ancient engineers placed its single narrow entrance precisely at the point where it could capture the first flash of sunrise on the shortest day of the year.

 

?Struggling Greek Families Rely on Charity Days before Christmas

Charities in debt-laden Greece are working to bring some festive cheer to some of those who have seen their incomes slashed and are now living in poverty.

 

On the last Saturday before Christmas, the "Bouroume" organisation, which means "We can" in Greek, matched up two different groups of volunteers in the capital Athens to provide food for 85 families.

 

One group cooked meals, while the other distributed them - along with a variety of household goods.

 

Xenia Papastavrou, a co-founder of the "Boroume" organization, says they offered to help families living in Athens' Tavros neighborhood.

 

"I received a call from a girl who wanted to cook something with her friends and offer it to people in need, but she didn't know what to do. So I put her in touch with the people who organize soup-kitchens in Tavros."

 

For more than two and a half years, Greece has depended on billions of Euros in rescue loans from its European partners and the International Monetary Fund.

 

To secure the bailouts, the country has implemented harsh austerity measures that slashed incomes and cut the health and welfare benefits.

 

The cutbacks and repeated tax hikes are meant to reduce the deficit, but they also hurt the economy and people's lives.

 

?Christmas Remains a Bitter-sweet Time of Year in Bethlehem

Families of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have decorated a Christmas tree with images of their relatives in the West Bank town of Bethlehem as Christmas approaches.

 

Issa Qarage, Palestinian Minister of Prisoners Affairs, called for support of the new round of Palestinian prisoner hunger strikes.

 

"This is a letter from the country of Jesus, from a country of peace, this is for the entire world, the Pope and all the people aspiring for peace, to help the Palestinian people who are on a hunger strike in the Israeli jails."

 

Thousands of Palestinians are being detained in Israeli prisons.

 

The United Nations General Assembly's vote last month to upgrade the Palestinians' status to that of a non-member observer state set off celebrations across the West Bank.

 

Meanwhile, Christian and Muslim representatives from Jerusalem sung Christmas carols and distributed chocolate, as they passed through the streets of Bethlehem dressed in Santa Claus costumes.

 

Mustafa Alami is a Jerusalem resident.

 

"This evening is all about celebrating Christmas. It's all about the residents of Jerusalem coming together, Christians and Muslims if I may say so, coming together to celebrate Christmas, the spirit of happy Christmas."

 

Overall, there are only about 50,000 Christians in the West Bank, less than 3 percent of the population.

 

Bethlehem's Christians make up only a third of the town's residents, down from 75 percent a few decades ago.

 

Xinhua: 2013 Defense Authorization Act Set to Harm China-U.S. Ties

 

The US Congress passed the 2013 Defense Authorization Act, which includes two amendments related to China.

 

The amendment on the Diaoyu Islands recognizes Japan's administration on the disputed isles and applies the US-Japan security treaty to them once they come under attack.

 

Also, the act calls for selling advanced F-16C/D fighter jets to Taiwan.

 

A commentary by China's Xinhua News Agency says these provisions from the US are detrimental to fostering a new-type Sino-US relations based on mutual respect and benefits.

 

The article reiterates that China has undisputed sovereignty on the Diaoyu Islands, and whatever moves the US side takes will not change that fact.

 

On the issue of Taiwan, the commentary warns that any attempts by the US to hinder the Chinese mainland's reunification with the island is doomed to fail.

 

It goes on to say that the US Congress has sent out the wrong message to Asia in the Defense Authorization Act, which now heads to the White House for the President's signature.

 

In conclusion, the Xinhua commentary calls on the Obama administration to reject the two amendments and honor its commitment to building a new type of inter-power relationship with China by respecting Beijing's vital interests.

 

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People's Daily: Overseas Chinese Benefit most as China Lowers Threshold for 'Green Card'

 

China has recently issued new regulations that will give foreigners with green cards the same rights and obligations as Chinese citizens, with the exception of political rights.

 

An commentary from the People's Daily online says overseas Chinese who wish to return to China for investment or jobs will benefit the most from the lowered threshold for the Chinese 'green card'.

 

The article points out that overseas Chinese have become one of the main sources of high-end management and technical personnel in China, and the main force for inflow of foreign capital to China since the reform and opening up.

 

It also quoted experts saying this initiative will provide convenience for foreigners, especially overseas Chinese, to permanently reside in China and has a positive significance to attract their techniques and funds.

 

On the other hand, the paper's online article says that China's "green card" threshold is still relatively higher than that of the developed countries in the world, which makes many overseas Chinese flinch.

 

According to the article, fewer than 5,000 foreigners had been given 'green cards' since China started to grant permanent residency permits to foreigners in 2004.