Russia's Vladimir Putin: I'm Not Authoritarian

Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied he runs an authoritarian system, saying he has had plenty of chances to change the constitution but never has.

In his first major news conference of his third term as president, he said: "I cannot call this system authoritarian, I cannot agree with this.

"If I considered a totalitarian or authoritarian system preferable, I would simply have changed the constitution, it was easy enough to do, it doesn't even require any sort of national vote," Mr Putin said.

Critics, including in the United States and Europe, have accused him of trying to smother dissent by pushing through laws that they say can be used to stifle opponents.

Earlier Russian investigators said prominent opposition activist Alexei Navalny had been charged with fraud and money laundering.

Mr Navalny, who made his name exposing rampant corruption in state-controlled companies, spearheaded a series of street rallies in Moscow that drew up to 100,000 people and followed last December's fraud-tainted parliamentary vote.

The Kremlin

He said the charges are a reprisal for his efforts to mobilise opposition to Mr Putin

During the broadcast, Mr Putin also backed tough legislation pending that would make it illegal for Americans to adopt Russian children in retaliation for a US human rights law.

The highly-controversial draft legislation would end around 1,000 adoptions a year and comes as a reminder of the rapid deterioration in Russia-US relations since Mr Putin's election in March.

The bill also includes a clause that bans any Russian non-government organisations involved in politics that receives funding from the US.

The State Duma lower house of parliament is due to vote on the bill in its final reading on Friday, before it passes to the upper chamber and then for the president's signature.

Sitting behind a large desk in front of 1,200 journalists in a Moscow conference centre, Mr Putin remained calm, rarely smiled and was still going after three hours.

Actor Gerard Depardieu

Covering a wide range of topics, the president went on to say he would offer French movie star Gerard Depardieu a Russian passport to resolve his tax row, calling him a friend.

"If Gerard really wants to have a residency permit in Russia or a Russian passport, we can consider this issue resolved positively," he said.

The website of Le Monde newspaper quoted Depardieu on Tuesday as telling friends that "Putin has already sent me a passport".

Mr Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to the report that "most likely he was joking".

Mr Putin also dismissed talk that he is suffering from health problems, saying such speculation served the interests of his political opponents.

"This is only beneficial for political opponents who are trying to question the legitimacy and the effectiveness of the authorities," he told the news conference.

The president was seen limping at a September Asia-Pacific summit and Russian government sources said he was suffering from back trouble.

Meanwhile, a Russian prosecutor has requested that oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky's jail sentence for multibillion-pound theft and money laundering be reduced by almost two years.

Mr Khodorkovsky is serving 13 years in a prison near the Arctic circle after a Russian court convicted him in 2010 in a case that Kremlin critics have described as politically motivated.

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India Elections: Modi Inches Closer To Top Job

By Alex Rossi, India Correspondent

Early election results in the Indian state of Gujarat suggest the controversial Hindu nationalist leader Narendra Modi will win a fourth successive term by a landslide - sealing his status as a frontrunner in the 2014 national polls.

According to the latest polling data, Mr Modi's BJP party is on course for an overwhelming victory.

He has won at least 60 seats and should win a further 56 in the 182-seat assembly.

The massive win will only enhance Mr Modi's standing as a potential future prime minister of the country - he has long been tipped for the top job.

The next national elections are due by 2014.

Mr Modi addresses his supporters during an election rally in Dokar

But Mr Modi is seen as an extremely divisive figure in a country with a sizeable minority non-Hindu population.

He was chief minister during the Hindu-Muslim riots in Gujarat in 2002 in which more than a 1,000 people were killed - most of them were Muslims.

Mr Modi stands accused of not doing enough to stop the unrest.

It is a charge though that he vehemently denies and this election result will be a huge boost for him and his party.

It is also a sign that he is a real contender for the top office.

Internationally, there are signs of acceptance as well.

In October, the British Government decided to end a 10-year diplomatic boycott of Mr Modi.

After the 2002 violence, the UK, the US and some European nations imposed a travel ban on Mr Modi.

But that has now been lifted by Britain - much to the anger of many Indian human rights campaigners.

The UK has been accused of cosying up to Mr Modi because of the possibility that he may one day lead India.

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Body Of Endangered Whale Washes Up On Beach

One of the most endangered whales in the world has washed up dead on a beach in northeast Florida.

Officials said the 26ft-long (8 metre) North Atlantic right whale washed up overnight on a beach near Palm Coast.

Federal marine spokesman Barb Zoodsma says biologists are not sure what caused the death.

A necropsy will be conducted on the beach since the one-year-old whale is too large to move. The whale will then be buried on the beach.

There are fewer than 400 North Atlantic right whales left in the world.

The whales are found from Cape Cod to Nova Scotia. Pregnant females travel to waters off the southeast coast to give birth.

Vessel strikes and entanglement in fixed fishing gear are the two greatest threats to their recovery.

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Oz Customs Staff Held Over Drug Smuggling

By Jonathan Samuels, Australia Correspondent

An alleged major drug smuggling operation involving a network of customs officials has been uncovered at Australia's biggest airport.

Eight people have been arrested - with more expected - after police swooped on Sydney Airport following a two-year corruption probe.

It is claimed that large quantities of drugs were smuggled through the airport in backpacks and suitcases, with corrupt officials using their knowledge of security systems to allow the narcotics to pass through the international terminal undetected.

Australian Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare said one customs officer, one quarantine officer and two members of the public were arrested this week.

The other four were arrested in August and October.

"There is no place for corruption in our law enforcement agencies," he said. "Where it exists we have to weed it out."

Local media reported that customs officers at Sydney Airport had allegedly been working with organised crime figures to import drugs.

Up to 20 officials are suspected of being involved in either serious misconduct or corrupt dealings, ranging from criminal association to leaking information, drug trafficking and bribery.

They are suspected of importing pseudoephedrine, cocaine, steroids and possibly even weapons.

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Tony Negus said alleged couriers were sent overseas to collect drugs before returning through customs with the help of people in trusted positions.

It is understood more arrests are possible.

Mr Clare said the majority of law enforcement officers were good, honest, hard-working people.

"But we can't be naive," he said, adding there would always be people who would be tempted.

"There will always be the risk that our law enforcement officers could end up working for the crooks."

Mr Clare said the thousands of customs officers heading to work on Thursday morning would be disgusted by the reports of corruption.

"My message to them is this: you can expect more stings, you can expect more arrests and you can expect more reform," he said. "If you're corrupt we'll hunt you down and lock you up."

The Australian Government will now establish a Customs Reform Board to provide advice and recommendations to ministers on how to bolster integrity in the agency.

Australian Customs and Border Protection Service acting chief, Michael Pezzullo, said his job now was to drive further integrity reforms.

"I'm not so naive as to think that criminal elements will not attempt to penetrate this service, its systems and its staff," he said. "We're going to root out these cells."

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Barack Obama Trapped By Spider-Man's Web

A photo of Barack Obama getting caught in Spider-Man's web outside the Oval Office has been released by the White House.

The playful encounter between the US president and a staff member's child dressed up for Halloween was captured by his official photographer Pete Souza.

Mr Obama raises his hands in mock fear as he pretends he has been trapped by the superhero.

The intimate snap has been seen by thousands of people since it was posted onto the president's Twitter and Facebook accounts.

On Wednesday Mr Obama was named as Time magazine's person of the year for the second time in four years.

The magazine said the US was in the midst of huge cultural and demographic changes and deemed the president to be both the symbol and in some ways a driving force behind that transformation.

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Knife Attacks: Pupils Taught To Combat Threat

Chinese schools are teaching young students how to fight off knife-wielding attackers following a string of stabbings aimed at children.

Twenty-seven people have been killed and more than 80 injured since March in a spate of knife attacks that have alarmed the public.

The most recent school attack, on Friday, saw Min Yongjun stab and slash 22 students at a primary school in the central Chinese province of Henan. 

No-one died in Friday's violence but the official news agency Xinhua said eight of the children were taken to hospital for surgery for facial wounds.

The previous day, a man wielding a knife injured 15 students and a teacher at a primary school in southern China.

One of the children hurt in Friday's attack talks to her mum on the phone

And on Sunday, a man injured six women with a cleaver in southern China before killing himself by jumping from a building.

With much of the violence taking place on school grounds, there have long been calls for stronger protection for students.

The deaths of children strike an especially deep chord in a country where most urban families are allowed to have only one child, said Yang Dongping, an education expert at the Beijing Institute of Technology.

The attacks also fuelled concerns about the social malaise underneath China's rapid economic growth, as some attackers - usually young men - had recently lost jobs or felt left out of the country's economic boom.

There are also calls for the government to offer more psychological consultations across the country.

Earlier this week police released surveillance footage of Friday's school attack showing the attacker pursuing a group of children through a school gate.

Students stand behind a policeman as they learn to defend themselves

Panicked children stream out of the school gates to escape Min, before adults appear holding straw brooms and chase him out.

Authorities said that Min, 36, had been "influenced by rumours of the end of the world", which some people believe is due to occur on December 21, in line with supposed Mayan prophecies.

The attack happened on the same day that 20 children were shot dead at a US primary school in Connecticut.

Chinese social media users complained that while the US massacre received ample coverage, the Henan attack barely registered with official state media.

"The headlines are still dominated by the American attack, I haven't seen reports about the attack in Henan which happened on the same day," wrote one user of Sina Weibo - a website similar to Twitter.

"Aren't Chinese children's lives also important? It's a tragedy."

Another user said: "On the same day as the US shooting, 22 children were slashed at the school in Henan, but mainstream media were virtually mute on this. Are the lives of Chinese children worthless to them?"

According to instructions obtained by the China Digital Times - a website following social and political developments in China and run by the University of California -  the government's central propaganda department told Chinese media to play down the Henan attack.

It quoted officials as telling media not to put the news on the front page or lure readers to it, and not to produce reports or comment on it other than those provided by Xinhua.

Criticism of official media coverage follows the installation last month of a new Communist Party chief, Xi Jinping, who has told the media not to shy away from focusing on genuine news.

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Ben Affleck Calls On US To Help Congo

Actor/director Ben Affleck has addressed members of Congress to appeal for stronger US leadership over the "desperate" situation in Congo.

Appearing before the House Armed Services Committee, the Argo star said a desperate humanitarian situation in Congo requires a stronger display of US leadership, and it will get worse without one.

Affleck said he had travelled to Congo regularly in recent years, seeing both the effects of violence and the potential of the African country, and called for the US to show moral leadership in the region.

"They deserve better than this cycle of violence and upheaval," he said of the people of Congo. "Without persistent, high-level leadership by the United States, the key players will not come to the table and do their part."

Affleck has been going to Congo for several years

Smartly dressed in a suit and tie, Affleck told the committee the US should lead an effort to reshape the role in the region of the United Nations, which has failed to stop rebels terrorising eastern Congo.

An estimated five million people have been killed since a second regional war began in 1997.

Affleck was one of five witnesses, including academic experts and government officials, to testify to the committee about Congo - but the only one asked to pose for pictures.

He was appearing before the committee on the strength of his experience in founding the East Congo Initiative, a not-for-profit organisation formed in 2010 that helps direct aid to the war-torn region.

The actor, who has three children with wife Jennifer Garner, revealed that he plans to travel to Congo again next year.

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US Shooting Spurs Bulletproof Backpack Sales

Sales of bulletproof backpacks have soared in the days after the shootings of 20 young children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut.

One company, Amendment II, sells Avengers and Little Mermaid-themed bags for boys and girls respectively, with integrated protective armour inserts.

"Sewn into the rear of the pack, you can always be confident that the armour hasn't been accidentally left at home and that you or your child are protected in case of the unthinkable," the company promises.

Other companies have also seized the moment to push sales. Prices range from $150 (£92) to almost $500 (£308).

BulletBlocker claims to have sold around 40 per day since last Friday's massacre.

The makers say bulletproof panels inside the bags could save lives

"Light, easy to use, it is as big as a book," says Elmar Uy, vice president at the New Hampshire company.

"We don't guarantee anything. It is just peace of mind, security for parents."

Devin Standard says his company, Black Dragon Tactical, has been selling 30 "ballistic panels" a day.

"The question is: is your life worth $229? Most people, when they think about this, they say, 'Yes,'" Mr Standard said.

"If you have a car, you have car insurance. If you have a house, you have home insurance. It (the bulletproof panel) is always there, just in case you are at the wrong place one day."

The reaction to the Connecticut school shooting can also be seen at gun stores and self-defence retailers across the nation.

A spike in gun sales is common after a mass shooting, but the latest rampage generated record sales in some states, particularly of assault weapons similar to the AR-15 rifle the gunman used at Sandy Hook.

Semi-automatic rifles are out of stock at many gun stores

Aaron Byrd, co-owner of Patriot Shooting Sports in Youngsville, North Carolina, sold out of the rifle and the high-capacity magazines that go with it.

"Things have been crazy the past couple of days. A lot of people have been coming in looking to purchase semi-automatic rifles," he said.

"They're worried that the government's going to ban semi-automatic rifles and high-capacity magazines, so they've been coming in looking for those."

Colorado set a single-day record for gun background check requests the day after the shootings, while Nevada saw more checks in the two days that followed than any other weekend this year.

Records were also set in Tennessee, California and Virginia, among others.

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Deadly Snakes Hatch In Oz Toddler's Wardrobe

By Jonathan Samuels, Australia Correspondent

An Australian mother has found a box of deadly snakes in her three-year-old son's wardrobe.

Donna Sim, from Townsville in the state of Queensland, gave her toddler a plastic container when he was playing in the garden a few weeks ago.

Kyle Cummings put some eggs he had found inside the box and left it in the warm confines of his wardrobe.

But, when Ms Sim opened the wardrobe this week she got the fright of her life, seeing seven baby snakes writhing around inside.

The reptiles, later identified to be eastern brown snakes, are regarded as the world's second deadliest species behind the inland taipan.

Fortunately, Kyle had clamped the lid of the container down firmly, and the snakes had not yet grown large enough to push it off and escape.

"I was pretty shocked, particularly because I don't like snakes," Ms Sim told the Townsville Bulletin newspaper.

The snakes were handed over to wildlife carers in Townsville.

North Queensland Wildlife Care reptile co-ordinator Trish Prendergast, who released the seven eastern browns, said: "This little boy was extremely lucky he didn't get bitten."

Ms Prendergast said it was illegal to interfere with protected wildlife but the mum and her family would not face any charges.

The reptile co-ordinator said eastern browns were "born killers" and even as babies have enough venom to kill people, although their fangs are very small when they are young.

"If he'd opened the container he might not be here today." she said.

"He's always out in the yard, he always loves playing out there," Kyle's older sister Shannon told the paper.

"He's a real country boy. He was a bit sorry to see them go. He wanted to keep them."

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Hollande Recognises French Brutality In Algeria

French President Francois Hollande has acknowledged the brutality of France's occupation of Algeria, but stopped short of an apology.

In a speech at the Palais des Nations in Algiers on the second and final day of his landmark visit to the former French colony, he accepted the "unjust" and "brutal" nature of France's colonial history in the North African country.

He also recognised the "massacres" by the French during the seven-year war that led to Algerian independence in 1962.

Mr Hollande and Mr Bouteflika get down to business

It is the deep scars of the 1954-1962 conflict, in which hundreds of thousands of people died, that Mr Hollande has been seeking to remedy on his first state visit since his election in May.

Ties between the two countries have been fraught with tension since the Algerian War.

As the North African nation celebrates 50 years of independence from France, Mr Hollande believes it is time for a "new era".

Having already made clear on Wednesday that he was not on a visit to "repent or apologise" for France's colonial past in Algeria, he told the country's parliamentarians on Thursday: "History, even when it is tragic, even when it is painful for our two countries, must be told.

"For 132 years, Algeria was subjected to a profoundly unjust and brutal system.

Mr Hollande addresses the Algerian parliament

"I recognise here the suffering that colonisation has inflicted on the Algerian people."

Mr Hollande notably listed the sites of three massacres, including one at Setif where seven years ago current Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika compared French methods to those used by Nazi Germany and asked France to make a "gesture ... to erase this black stain".

The two leaders have agreed to relaunch relations with a new pact between the two nations, bolstered by economic, trade, cultural, agricultural and defence ties.

Mr Hollande, who brought with him senior executives from some of France's top firms, announced French carmaker Renault had agreed to build a factory in Algeria to produce some 75,000 cars a year.

A new start must "be supported by a base", Mr Hollande said, and "this base is truth".

"Nothing is built in secretiveness, forgetting, denial," he added.

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