IRAN BACKTRACKS ON PLAN TO SEND FLIGHT RECORDERS TO UKRAINEThe Iranian official leading the investigation into the Ukrainian jetlinerthat was accidentally shot down by the Revolutionary Guard appeared tobacktrack on January 19 on plans to send the flight recorders abroad foranalysis, a day after saying they would be sent to Kyiv.Hassan Rezaeifar was quoted by the state-run IRNA news agency as saying theflight recorders from the Ukrainian Boeing are in Iranian hands and we haveno plans to send them out.He said Iran is working to recover the data and cabin recordings, and thatit may send the flight recorders - commonly known as black boxes - toUkraine or France. But as of yet, we have made no decision. The sameofficial was quoted by the semi-official Tasnim news agency on January 18 assaying the recorders would be sent to Ukraine, where French, American andCanadian experts would help analyse them. Iranian officials previously saidthe black boxes were damaged but are usable.It was not immediately possible to reconcile the conflicting accounts. Iranmay be hesitant to turn over the recorders for fear that more details fromthe crash - including the harrowing 20 seconds between when the first andsecond surface-to-air missiles hit the plane - will come to light.EXPERTS WARN OVER SCALE OF MYSTERIOUS CHINA SARS-LIKE VIRUSThe true scale of the outbreak of a mysterious SARS-like virus in China islikely far bigger than officially reported, scientists have warned, ascountries ramp up measures to prevent the disease from spreading.Fears that the virus will spread are growing ahead of the Lunar New Yearholiday, when hundreds of millions of Chinese move around the country andmany others host or visit extended family members living overseas.Authorities in China say two people have died and at least 45 have beeninfected, with the outbreak centred around a seafood market in the centralcity of Wuhan, a city of 11 million inhabitants that serves as a majortransport hub.But a paper published on Friday by scientists with the MRC Centre for GlobalInfectious Disease Analysis at Imperial College in London said the number ofcases in the city was likely closer to 1,700. The researchers said theirestimate was largely based on the fact that cases had been reported overseas-- two in Thailand and one in Japan.The virus -- a new strain of coronavirus that humans can contract -- hascaused alarm because of its connection to SARS (Severe Acute RespiratorySyndrome), which killed nearly 650 people across mainland China and HongKong in 2002-2003.China has not announced any travel restrictions, but authorities in HongKong have already stepped up detection measures, including rigoroustemperature checkpoints for inbound travellers from the Chinese mainland.The US said from Friday it would begin screening flights arriving from Wuhanat San Francisco airport and New York's JFK -- which both receive directflights -- as well as Los Angeles, where many flights connect.TRUMP MARKS U.S.-JAPAN SECURITY PACT WITH CALL FOR STRONGER, DEEPER ALLIANCEPresident Donald Trump marked the 60th anniversary of the signing of thesecurity treaty between the United States and Japan with a call for astronger and deeper alliance between the two countries, despite criticisingthe pact six months ago."As the security environment continues to evolve and new challenges arise,it is essential that our alliance further strengthen and deepen," Mr. Trumpsaid in a statement dated Jan. 18."I am confident that in the months and years ahead, Japan's contributions toour mutual security will continue to grow, and the alliance will continue tothrive."Last June, Mr. Trump told a news conference in Japan that the treaty -signed six decades ago on Sunday and the linchpin of Japan's defence policy- was "unfair" and should be changed, echoing his long-held view that Japanis a free-rider on defence.Mr. Trump at the time added he was not thinking of withdrawing from thepact.Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sunday called for making the treatymore robust."We have elevated the relationship to one in which each of us, the U.S. andJapan, protects the other, thereby giving further force to the alliance,"Mr. Abe said at a Tokyo reception to mark the anniversary of the signing."Going forward, it is incumbent upon us to make it even more robust, to makeit a pillar for safeguarding peace and security in both outer space andcyberspace."YEMEN MISSILE, DRONE ATTACK KILLS AT LEAST 70 SOLDIERSAt least 70 Yemeni soldiers have been killed in missile and drone attacksblamed on Huthi rebels, on a mosque in the central province of Marib,medical and military sources said Sunday.Saturday's strike follows months of relative calm in the war between theIran-backed Huthis and Yemen's internationally recognised government whichis backed by a Saudi-led military coalition.The Huthis attacked a mosque in a military camp in Marib-about 170kilometres (105 miles) east of the capital Sanaa-during evening prayers,military sources told AFP.A medical source at a Marib city hospital, where the casualties weretransported, said that at least 70 soldiers were killed and more than 50injured in the strike.The attack came a day after coalition-backed government forces launched alarge-scale operation against the Huthis in the Naham region, north ofSanaa.Fighting in Naham was ongoing on Sunday, a military source said according tothe official Saba news agency."Dozens from the (Huthi) militia were killed and injured," the source added.Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi condemned the "cowardly andterrorist" attack on the mosque, Saba reported.CHILEANS MARCH AGAINST POLICE REPRESSION OF SOCIAL UNRESTHundreds of Chileans rallied Saturday night to protest what they call policerepression during three months of the worst social unrest since democracyreplaced the country's military dictatorship in 1990.More than 1,000 people, many wearing black, marched in silence from PlazaItalia, ground zero of all the protests, along Alameda Avenue, the mainthoroughfare in Chile's capital.Keeping quiet was their way of denouncing the security forces' use of teargas, water cannon and birdshot, although the latter was barred in Novemberbecause it was causing many injuries."We are marching because of the human rights violations we have suffered. Wewill be here as long as is needed. This is the new Chile," said a socialworker who gave her name only as Ana Maria.The unrest broke out over a metro fare rise but quickly grew into a broaderoutcry against economic and social inequality in what had been consideredamong the most stable countries in Latin America.A total of 29 have died in violence related to the protests and nearly 3,700were injured -- more than 400 with eye injuries from the birdshot fired bypolice, according to the National Human Rights Institute.The protesters on Saturday night got close to the La Moneda presidentialpalace. They sang and shouted slogans against conservative PresidentSebastian Pinera, whose approval rating has dropped to single digits sincethe protests began in November.RUSSIAN ACTIVISTS TAKE AIM AT PUTIN IN MARCH AGAINST REPRESSIONMore than a thousand opposition activists of various stripes marched incentral Moscow on Sunday after President Vladimir Putin proposed re-draftingthe constitution, unleashing political upheaval.Protesters-mostly young anti-fascist activists-chanted "Revolution" and "Noto dictatorship" and some carried copies of the constitution.The annual sanctioned march was called to commemorate the memory of lawyerStanislav Markelov and journalist Anastasia Baburova who were gunned down inMoscow by ultra-nationalists in 2009.A number of independent local deputies including Yulia Galyamina andopposition-minded Russians joined the march, carrying copies of theconstitution and chanting "Putin leave!".About ten people including a protester who carried a placard urging Putin toquit power were detained by police.More than 1,400 people took part in the march, said the White Counter groupwhich monitors political protests.The march took place after Putin stunned the nation on Wednesday byproposing sweeping amendments to the constitution, the first major changesto the country's basic law since it was adopted under Boris Yeltsin in 1993.The move triggered the resignation of his government.Observers say Putin's proposals are designed to ensure his grip on powerafter he leaves the Kremlin and his critics have accused him oforchestrating a "constitutional coup".7 MISSING, OVER 150 RESCUED AFTER NEPAL AVALANCHEFour South Koreans and three Nepali guides remain missing following anavalanche near the Annapurna mountain range, while over 150 domestic andforeign tourists have been rescued from in and around the area, officialssaid.The incessant snowfall caused the avalanche near a popular trekking route inthe Himalayan country. The area is close to the base camp for Annapurna, oneof the highest peaks in the Himalayas."Four South Koreans and three Nepalis, guides and porters and who wereseparated from their nine-member group are still out of contact as over 150Nepalis and foreigners rescued from around the area on Saturday alone," BhimGurung, chairman of ward No-11 of the Annapurna Rural Municipality, toldXinhua on Saturday evening.Efforts to mobilize helicopters for the rescue operation were hampered bycontinued bad weather.Despite rescue efforts on Saturday, helicopter companies and trekkingagencies said that the situation of the seven people missing remainedunknown.'SAD' PRINCE HARRY SAYS NO OTHER OPTION BUT TO END ROYAL ROLEBritain's Prince Harry spoke on Sunday of his sadness at being forced togive up his royal duties in a deal with Queen Elizabeth and senior Windsorsthat will see him and his wife Meghan exit official roles to seek anindependent future.Buckingham Palace and the queen announced on Saturday that Harry and Meghanwould no longer be working members of Britain's monarchy, no longer usetheir "Royal Highness" titles and would now pay their own way in life,freeing them to forge new careers.The new arrangement was struck to end a crisis the couple sparked byannouncing earlier this month they wanted to cut down on officialengagements and spend more time in North America, while remaining activeroyals.In a speech to the Sentebale charity on Sunday, a clearly upset Harry saidthe final outcome was not what he and his American wife, a former actress,had wanted."Our hope was to continue serving the queen, the Commonwealth and mymilitary associations without public funding. Sadly that wasn't possible,"the prince, the sixth-in-line to the throne, said."I've accepted this knowing it doesn't change who I am, or how committed Iam. But I hope that helps you understand what it had come to, that I wouldstep back from all I have ever known to take a step forward into what I hopecan be a more peaceful life."Under the arrangement, Harry will remain a prince and the couple will keeptheir titles of Duke and Duchess of Sussex as they begin a new life splitbetween Britain and North America where they will spend the majority oftheir time. But they will not take part in any future ceremonial events orroyal tours.