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US To Charge Lockerbie Bomb Suspect
The US will soon announce charges against a Libyan suspected of making the bomb that blew up Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie in 1988, US media say.
Prosecutors will soon seek the extradition of Abu Agila Mohammad Masud to stand trial in the US, reports say. He is currently being held in Libya, according to the Wall Street Journal. This has not been confirmed by the Libyan authorities.
The blast on board a Boeing 747 over the Scottish town left 270 people dead.
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Police Disguised As Santa And An Elf Bust Drug Dealer In Peru
Peruvian police drugs-squad members disguised as Santa Claus and an elf swooped into a house in Lima not to deliver gifts but to capture a suspected cocaine and dope dealer as part of an anti-drug operation.
The agents, dressed in red, white and green outfits with flak jackets hidden underneath, arrived in an undercover van on Sunday before breaking into the house with a large hammer to apprehend their suspect.
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Japan 'Twitter Killer' Sentenced To Death
A man who murdered nine people after contacting them on Twitter has been sentenced to death, in a high-profile case that has shocked Japan.
Takahiro Shiraishi, dubbed the "Twitter killer", was arrested in 2017 after body parts were found in his flat.
The 30-year-old had admitted to murdering and dismembering his victims - almost all of whom were young women he met on the social media platform.
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US Orders Emergency Action After Cyber Security Breach
US federal agencies have been hacked in a way that may have let a foreign power monitor government communications.
The treasury and commerce departments have both been attacked. And all federal civilian agencies have been told to disconnect from SolarWinds Orion, a computer network tool being exploited by "malicious actors".
FireEye, a company that provides US government cyber-security, says it identified the problem after its own hacking tools were stolen last week.
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New York Police Kill Gunman Firing Shots Outside Cathedral
A man armed with two pistols has been shot dead by police after opening fire near a cathedral in New York.
Officers say the incident happened at the Cathedral of St John the Divine in Manhattan on Sunday near a crowd gathered for a Christmas concert.
As yet the man - who yelled "Kill me" as he began shooting - has not been identified.
Police Commissioner Dermot F Shea said it was "by the grace of God" that nobody had been injured.
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Dutch Expel Two Russian Diplomats For Spying
The Netherlands has expelled two alleged Russian spies who were working in the country as diplomats, its intelligence service says.
They are accused of targeting the high-tech sector and building a "substantial network of sources" in the industry. The two individuals were working for Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), Dutch officials said.
Russia described the accusations as "unfounded" and said the decision to expel its citizens was "provocative".
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President Macron Says 'Urgent Need' To Reform French Police
French President Emmanuel Macron has said there is an "urgent need" to reform the security forces, following weeks of protests over police violence.
He will hold a summit next month to review community relations and the working conditions of the police. "I want to move quickly and concretely," Mr Macron said in a letter to a leading police union on Monday.
It follows weeks of nationwide demonstrations over a controversial draft security law.
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Biden Picks Retired General To Run Pentagon
US President-elect Joe Biden has chosen retired General Lloyd Austin as his defence secretary, US media report.
If approved, the 67-year-old who retired in 2016 would become the first African-American to lead the Pentagon. He would need a congressional waiver as seven years are required between active duty and becoming military chief.
Mr Biden has been facing calls including from Democratic Asian, Black and Latino caucuses to nominate minorities to senior cabinet posts.
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Artificial Intelligence And Facial Recognition Used To Kill Iranian Nuclear Scientist
A satellite-controlled machine-gun with "artificial intelligence" was used to kill Iran's top nuclear scientist, a Revolutionary Guards commander says.
Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was shot dead in a convoy outside Tehran on 27 November.
Brig-Gen Ali Fadavi told local media that the weapon, mounted in a pick-up truck, was able to fire at Fakhrizadeh without hitting his wife beside him. The claim could not be verified.
Iran has blamed Israel and an exiled opposition group for the attack.
Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility.
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China Hits Back At US Spy Chiefs 'Greatest Threat To Freedom' Claim
The top US intelligence official says China is the "greatest threat to democracy and freedom" since World War Two.
Writing in the Wall St Journal, John Ratcliffe said China was growing its power by stealing US secrets and then replacing US firms in the market.
The Trump administration has taken a hard line on China, imposing tariffs on Chinese goods and accusing Beijing of intellectual property theft. China has not yet responded.
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