| Dozens killed in Afghanistan fighting as foreign troops head home Posted: 13 Dec 2014 10:13 AM PST  By Hamid Shalizi and Mirwais Harooni KABUL (Reuters) - The Afghan Taliban killed a Supreme Court official, a dozen mine clearers and several national and foreign soldiers but also suffered heavy losses from intensifying violence ahead of the withdrawal of most international troops in the next two weeks. In Kabul on Saturday, a bomb ripped through a bus carrying soldiers in Kabul, killing at least seven of them, mangling the vehicle and sending a column of black smoke over the capital. ...
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| Libyan conflict parties clash over control of eastern oil ports Posted: 13 Dec 2014 01:16 PM PST By Ayman al-Warfalli and Ahmed Elumami BENGHAZI/TUNIS (Reuters) - Air strikes by forces loyal to Libya's recognized government on Saturday hit targets near the eastern oil ports of Ras Lanuf and Es-Sider to stop an advance by a rival force, officials said. The clashes are part of a struggle in the North African country between competing governments allied to armed factions, three-and-a-half years after the ouster of Muammar Gaddafi. At stake are control of Libya's government and the country's vast oil reserves. ... |
| Russia says will react if U.S. imposes new sanctions Posted: 13 Dec 2014 02:00 AM PST  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia will take counter measures if Washington imposes new sanctions on Moscow over the Ukraine crisis, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Saturday. The U.S. Congress has readied new sanctions on Russian weapons companies and investors in the country's high-tech oil projects, but U.S. President Barack Obama has yet to sign a corresponding bill into law. "We will not be able to leave that without an answer," Russia's Interfax news agency quoted Ryabkov as saying. He did not say what form of counter-measure Moscow might take. ...
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| PM Abe's ruling party eyes big gains in low-voltage Japan vote Posted: 13 Dec 2014 02:21 PM PST  By Linda Sieg TOKYO (Reuters) - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's party looks set for a huge win on Sunday in a low-voltage election that will allow the conservative leader to claim a fresh mandate for his reflationary policies to revive Japan's long-stagnant economy. Voting began at 7 a.m. (5.00 p.m. ET) for an election that the premier has cast as a referendum on his "Abenomics" strategy to end deflation and generate growth. Media exit polls, which have proved reliable in the past, will come out at 8 p.m. (6.00 a.m. ET). ...
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| Sudan's Bashir claims victory over ICC after court shelves Darfur probe Posted: 13 Dec 2014 09:27 AM PST  KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir claimed victory over the International Criminal Court on Saturday after it shelved further investigation of war crimes in Darfur, and reaffirmed his hard line on the rebel region. The Hague-based court indicted Bashir in 2009 for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in suppressing the Darfur revolt. ...
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| Islamic State storms town in western Iraq, kills 19 police: officials Posted: 13 Dec 2014 06:09 AM PST BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Islamic State fighters stormed a town in Iraq's western Anbar province on Saturday, killing at least 19 policemen and trapping others inside their headquarters, in the latest attack in the desert region where it controls large amounts of territory, officials said. Islamic State seized the town of al-Wafa, 45 km (27 miles) west of Anbar's capital Ramadi on Saturday after starting its assault early on Friday. With the capture of al-Wafa, Islamic State now controls three major towns to the west of Ramadi, including Hit and Kubaisa. ... |
| Japan holds vote expected to back Abe's policies Posted: 13 Dec 2014 04:07 PM PST  TOKYO (AP) — Japanese voters headed to the polls Sunday in a parliamentary election that is expected to reaffirm the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's majority, though many analysts were predicting a record low turnout.
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| Top Asian News at 12:00 a.m. GMT Posted: 13 Dec 2014 04:03 PM PST TOKYO (AP) — Japanese voters headed to the polls Sunday in a parliamentary election that is expected to reaffirm the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's majority, though many analysts were predicting a record low turnout. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called Sunday's snap election for the lower house, saying he wanted a fresh mandate for his economic program and other policies. Abe said he would step down if the Liberal Democrats fail to obtain an outright majority, but weakness among opposition parties makes that unlikely. |
| India questions man over pro-Islamic State tweets Posted: 13 Dec 2014 04:00 PM PST BANGALORE, India (AP) — Police in southern India questioned a man who they say acknowledged to running a popular pro-Islamic State group Twitter account but appears to have no direct links to the militant group. |
| Hughes family thanks Australia in newspapers Posted: 13 Dec 2014 03:52 PM PST SYDNEY (AP) — Phillip Hughes' family has bought full pages in Sunday newspapers around Australia to thank the country for its support since the former test batsman's death more than two weeks ago. |
| Braga beats Belenenses 1-0 to go 4th in Portugal Posted: 13 Dec 2014 03:47 PM PST LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Braga won 1-0 at Belenenses to move into provisional fourth place in the Portuguese league on Saturday. |
| Let nature play a role in climate adaptation, experts urge: TRFN Posted: 13 Dec 2014 03:41 PM PST  LIMA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - When the rainy season comes and floods the fields, poor families in northwest Bangladesh once cut trees to survive or went hungry. Now, however, they are raising fish in the floodplains – a change that has helped protect the region's forests and improved their own resilience to more extreme weather. Such "ecosystem-based adaptation", which protects both communities and the environment, will be vital to helping a growing world population survive climate change impacts without destroying the natural world, experts said at the U.N. climate talks in Lima. ...
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| Egypt denies entry to U.S. analyst, with no reason given Posted: 13 Dec 2014 03:36 PM PST CAIRO (Reuters) - A U.S. think tank analyst and former diplomat who has written articles critical of Egypt's government said she was blocked from entering the country to attend a conference on Saturday. Michele Dunne, a former diplomat once posted to Cairo and a senior associate at the Washington, D.C.-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said she was given no reason when she was turned back at Cairo International Airport. ... |
| Barcelona held 0-0 at Getafe, trails Madrid by 4 Posted: 13 Dec 2014 03:32 PM PST  BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona slipped further behind Real Madrid in the Spanish league title race after being held to 0-0 at Getafe on Saturday.
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| Shutdown averted for now as Congress extends US funding Posted: 13 Dec 2014 03:13 PM PST  The US Senate on Saturday gave itself four additional days to pass a $1.1 trillion federal spending bill, easing the threat of a government shutdown that was looming at midnight. Amid deep divisions between Republicans and Democrats over how to proceed on funding government through September, feuding lawmakers unanimously passed a measure that extends funds to late Wednesday. The extension was the second passed by Congress in as many days as leaders struggle to finalize the spending bill and bid farewell to the 113th Congress, one of the least productive sessions in modern history. It faces a procedural test vote at 1:00 am (0600 GMT) Sunday, and is then expected to pass the Senate on Monday and head to President Barack Obama's desk for his signature.
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| Workers at biggest Libyan oil port es sider evacuate site due to nearby clashes-worker Posted: 13 Dec 2014 02:28 PM PST BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - Workers at Libya's biggest oil port, Es Sider, evacuated the site on Saturday for security reasons due to nearby clashes, a worker said. Forces loyal to Libya's recognized government earlier launched air strikes on a rival force advancing toward the port in the east of the country. "The workers have been evacuated for security reasons," a worker in the port's administration said, asking not to be named. (Reporting by Ayman al-Warfalli; Writing by Ulf Laessing; Editing by Jonathan Oatis) |
| Olympic champ Hanyu retains Grand Prix Final title Posted: 13 Dec 2014 02:23 PM PST  BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Olympic and world champion Yuzuru Hanyu successfully defended his Grand Prix Final title after extending his lead on Saturday with a masterful free skate performance worth a personal best score.
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| Haiti awaits PM speech amid political discontent Posted: 13 Dec 2014 02:16 PM PST  PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — In the wake of violent anti-government protests and a commission's call for his resignation, Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe said he would address the nation Saturday to make an announcement.
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| Japan voters go to polls in parliamentary election expected to reaffirm ruling party majority Posted: 13 Dec 2014 02:11 PM PST TOKYO (AP) — Japan voters go to polls in parliamentary election expected to reaffirm ruling party majority. |
| Thousands rally across US over police killings Posted: 13 Dec 2014 02:02 PM PST  Thousands of people marched in several US cities Saturday to demand justice for black men killed by white police, the latest in weeks of demonstrations across the United States. The families of Michael Brown and Eric Garner were among the demonstrators in the heart of the US capital Washington for the "Justice For All March," part of a growing protest movement sparked by the fatal August shooting of the unarmed Brown, 18. A grand jury decision last month not to indict police officer Darren Wilson over the killing in Ferguson, Missouri, was followed by another that also declined to charge another white policeman in the Staten Island "chokehold" death of father-of-six Garner. Their deaths, and that of 12-year-old Tamir Rice -- shot dead last month by Cleveland police as he brandished a toy gun -- unleashed simmering resentment of police tactics in the United States and underlined the distrust many African American men feel toward law enforcement.
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| China rules: Why the pope ducked meeting with Dalai Lama Posted: 13 Dec 2014 01:55 PM PST  Pope Francis may be known for championing dialogue, but faced with the certainty of riling China, analysts say, he ducked out of a meeting with the Dalai Lama. Sensitivities over the fate of the Catholic minority in China were foremost on the pope's mind when he decided against greeting the Tibetan spiritual leader, according to observers. A spokesman for the Holy See confirmed Thursday that the pope would not meet the Dalai Lama -- whom the Argentinian pontiff "obviously holds... in very high regard" -- despite the Tibetan's presence at a meeting in Rome of Nobel peace laureates. His predecessor Benedict XVI met the Dalai Lama in 2006 but declined follow-up visits in 2007 and 2009.
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| Lazio moves provisionally 3rd with 3-0 win Posted: 13 Dec 2014 01:53 PM PST  ROME (AP) — Stefano Mauri scored twice as Lazio beat Atalanta 3-0 to move provisionally into a tie for third with Genoa in Serie A on Saturday.
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| Protest in Colombia against amnesty for rebels Posted: 13 Dec 2014 01:51 PM PST  BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — More than 5,000 people have marched through the streets of Colombia's capital to protest possible amnesty for leftist rebels as part of peace negotiations.
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| Fingers pointed as climate talks deadlock Posted: 13 Dec 2014 01:35 PM PST  Accusations flew at deadlocked UN climate talks in Lima on Saturday, as the United States warned that failure to compromise could doom the 22-year-old global forum. Running deep into an unscheduled 13th day, the negotiations got mired in a row between rich and poor countries over sharing out responsibility for cutting climate-altering greenhouse gases. US envoy Todd Stern said the stalemate put an envisioned 2015 climate pact at risk, as well as the credibility of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) -- an offshoot of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. "The success of this COP here in Lima is at stake," he said, using the jargon for the UNFCCC's annual Conference of Parties.
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| Jumblatt in joint statement: legalise hash in Lebanon Posted: 13 Dec 2014 01:31 PM PST  Lebanon's controversial and outspoken Druze leader Walid Jumblatt called in a "joint statement" on Twitter Saturday for the cultivation of marijuana to be legalised. "It's time to allow hash to be grown and to overturn arrest warrants against people sought for doing so," the veteran politician wrote in Arabic on his Twitter account. Jumblatt, long famed for his blunt manner and role as Lebanon's kingmaker, became an instant must-follow after opening a Twitter account. According to cannabis growers in Lebanon, the conflict in Syria has turned the state's attention away from the problem at home and boosted traffic with the border now less secure.
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| French chip stand gets up nose of British ex-boss of L'Oreal Posted: 13 Dec 2014 01:23 PM PST  A chip shop camped outside his luxury French ski apartment is getting up the nose of British former L'Oreal CEO Lindsay Owen-Jones. On Tuesday, the millionaire ex-cosmetics boss and three of his neighbours will ask a court in the Alps town of Albertville to shut down La Cabane chip stand for causing "olfactory pollution". The 68-year-old Briton, who stepped down as CEO of L'Oreal in 2011 and withdrew from its board last year, owns an apartment at the foot of the slopes in the upmarket Val d'Isere resort. The plaintiffs will ask the court to order La Cabane's owner, Valerie Maertens, to pack up her fryers or face a fine of 50 euros ($62) a day.
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| Americans, Belgians mark Bulge anniversary Posted: 13 Dec 2014 01:19 PM PST  BASTOGNE, Belgium (AP) — Braving snowy weather, Americans and Belgians gathered in the Ardennes region of Belgium on Saturday to mark the 70th anniversary of one of the biggest and bloodiest U.S. battles of World War II_the Battle of the Bulge.
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| Nantes pounces on Bordeaux errors for 2-1 win Posted: 13 Dec 2014 01:19 PM PST PARIS (AP) — Reserve goalkeeper Azbe Jug cost his side two goals as Bordeaux lost 2-1 at Nantes in the French league on Saturday and saw its push for Champions League places come to a halt. |
| Pope discusses Italy's economic, social woes with PM Posted: 13 Dec 2014 01:14 PM PST  Pope Francis met Saturday with Prime Minister Matteo Renzi of Italy, whose "economic and social" problems topped the agenda, the Vatican said. "Attention focused on, among other issues, the current context of persistent difficulties of an economic and social nature, with negative consequences especially in relation to youth employment," the Holy See said in a statement. Youth unemployment in Italy reached 43.3 percent in October.
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| Nigeria's opposition leader slams Boko Haram 'reign of terror' Posted: 13 Dec 2014 01:11 PM PST  Nigeria's main opposition leader Mohammadu Buhari on Saturday condemned deadly Boko Haram attacks this weeks in two cities repeatedly hit by the extremist group which seeks to impose an Islamist state in the mainly Muslim north. On Wednesday four people lost their lives in Kano, northern Nigeria's largest city when two female bombers detonated their explosives in a market. The attack came less than two weeks after a horrific attack at Kano's central mosque that left some 120 dead. "I condemn, unreservedly and with every strength in me, the recent terrorist attacks in Kano and Jos, the two historic cities that are known for their rich cultural and religious heritage," Buhari said in a statement.
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| Sudan's Bashir hails ICC decision to halt Darfur probe Posted: 13 Dec 2014 01:02 PM PST  Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir Saturday hailed the International Criminal Court's suspension of its investigations into alleged war crimes in Darfur, accusing it of trying to "humiliate and subjugate" his country. Bashir is wanted by the ICC over alleged war crimes in the western region, where the government has been trying to crush an insurgency since 2003. The ICC's prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said on Friday she was halting investigations, and criticised the UN Security Council for failing to push for Bashir's arrest.
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| Olympiakos beats Levadiakos 2-1; point behind PAOK Posted: 13 Dec 2014 01:01 PM PST ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Ibrahim Affelay scored a second-half goal and set up the injury-time winner to allow defending champion Olympiakos to overcome an early deficit and beat host Levadiakos 2-1 in the Greek league on Saturday. |
| Chelsea recovers to stay 3 points clear of City Posted: 13 Dec 2014 01:00 PM PST  LONDON (AP) — Chelsea produced an instant response to its first loss in the English Premier League by beating Hull 2-0, and Arsenal also responded to a setback by overpowering Newcastle 4-1 on Saturday.
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| 438 Egypt Islamists face military trial over violence Posted: 13 Dec 2014 12:58 PM PST  Egypt's authorities referred 438 supporters of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi to military courts Saturday over violence that followed the bloody dispersal of Cairo sit-ins last year, judiciary sources said. Since ex-army chief and now President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi deposed Morsi in July 2013, his followers have been the target of a relentless crackdown by the authorities, who are also accused of exploiting the judiciary in their fight against the Islamist opposition. In the first case referred to military tribunals, 139 Morsi backers are set for trial over the deaths of three policemen in the southern province of Minya, an official from the attorney general's office said. In the second, 299 Morsi supporters will be tried for the deaths of five civilians in clashes between Islamist protesters and security forces and the burning of Beheira provincial government headquarters at Damanhur, north of Cairo.
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| Chelsea, Arsenal win but Barcelona held in Spain Posted: 13 Dec 2014 12:58 PM PST  While Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal were victorious in the English Premier League, Barcelona experienced a setback in its pursuit of the Spanish title.
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| Britain confirms 'hundreds' of extra trainers for Iraq Posted: 13 Dec 2014 12:53 PM PST  London (AFP) - Britain is likely to increase the number of its forces in Iraq on a training mission to "the very low hundreds", Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said in comments published by the Daily Telegraph Saturday.
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| Libyan forces repel Islamist attack on oil region Posted: 13 Dec 2014 12:43 PM PST  Islamist fighters launched a three-pronged attack Saturday on a key oil region in eastern Libya but were pushed back by pro-government forces, military officials said. The attack came as Islamist militias in the eastern town of Derna say they have formed a new coalition ahead of an expected assault by pro-government forces. More than three years after a NATO-backed uprising ousted and killed long-time dictator Moamer Kadhafi, the country remains awash with weapons and powerful militias, and has rival governments and parliaments. Islamists have seized Tripoli and second city Benghazi in the east, and forces loyal to international recognised Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thani are fighting to regain control of them.
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| Bayern routs Augsburg 4-0, Dortmund loses again Posted: 13 Dec 2014 12:37 PM PST  BERLIN (AP) — Arjen Robben scored twice as Bayern Munich routed third-place Augsburg 4-0 to provisionally increase its Bundesliga lead while Borussia Dortmund slumped to a 1-0 defeat at Hertha Berlin on Saturday.
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| Kenya's 'Maasai Olympics' fights dwindling lion numbers Posted: 13 Dec 2014 12:33 PM PST  Leaping high into the air and hurling spears instead of javelins, traditional lion hunters in Kenya tested their skills Saturday in a special "Maasai Olympics" organised to save the endangered animals. For generations, Maasai warriors proved their manhood by killing a lion, but a campaign led by Kenyan Olympic champion David Rudisha is working to swap spearing for sport. Rudisha, the 800 metres gold medallist and world record-holder -- and himself a Maasai -- is patron of the games. They also hurled the Maasai's heavy wooden fighting club instead of discus, with the winner determined by the accuracy of the throw.
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