| U.N. council backs Libya peace deal, no Western air strikes sought Posted: 23 Dec 2015 01:19 PM PST  By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council on Wednesday endorsed a U.N.-brokered agreement among Libya's warring factions to form a national unity government, a deal Western powers hope will bring stability and help to combat a growing Islamic State presence. Libya's U.N. ambassador, Ibrahim Dabbashi, said Libyan authorities have no plans to request Western air strikes against Islamic State militants anytime soon, if at all. The unanimously adopted resolution, drafted by Britain, made clear that Libya's future unity government should be the sole representative for the North African country, where competing governments have long vied for power.
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| Iraqi troops expected to drive ISIS from Ramadi in days: state TV Posted: 23 Dec 2015 07:55 AM PST  By Maher Chmaytelli BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's army chief was quoted on Wednesday as saying he needed only days to drive Islamic State from Ramadi, the city whose fall in May exposed the weakness of the Baghdad government and dampened hopes of restoring control in the north and west. Iraqi troops began advancing on Tuesday in an offensive complicated by rivalries and suspicions harbored by local Sunni tribes and by Shi'ite militia backed by Iran. U.S. officials, concerned also by militant operations over the border in Syria, have expressed frustration at delays in seizing back the city.
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| Syrian government ready to join U.N. talks to end conflict: Assad aide Posted: 23 Dec 2015 09:15 AM PST  A close adviser to Syrian President Bashar al Assad said on Wednesday Damascus was ready to join U.N.-sponsored peace talks with its position bolstered by both Russian backing and the West's retreat from a hardline anti-Assad approach. Bouthaina Shaaban said her government approved of U.N. resolutions passed last week endorsing an international road map for a Syria peace process, a rare display of unity among global powers on a conflict that has killed more than 250,000 people. The resolutions gave U.N. blessing to a plan negotiated earlier in Vienna that calls for a ceasefire, talks between the Syrian government and opposition, and a roughly two-year timeline to create a unity government and hold elections.
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| Somber Christmas for Iraq's Christians under threat from Islamic State Posted: 23 Dec 2015 12:38 PM PST  By Saif Hameed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - With Christmas falling this year a day after Prophet Mohammad's birthday, the city of Baghdad is holding Christmas celebrations in a sign of brotherhood with Iraq's hard-pressed Christian community. Fireworks will illuminate the Tigris river every night of the week and a 25-metre (82 feet) Christmas tree has been set up in Zawraa public park. In Zayuna camp, in the east of the city, children listened to Christmas carols on Wednesday and danced with Santa Claus to Iraqi songs. But, though grateful, many Christians say the gesture comes too late to improve their lot in Iraq, their homeland for nearly 2,000 years, but where Islamic State is making their future increasingly bleak. "I saw some nice gestures from many people on Facebook and this made me happy, to be honest, that people are celebrating Christmas together with us in defiance of Daesh," said Mariam, a 29-year-old school teacher in Baghdad, referring to Islamic State.
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| Italian president offers pardons in CIA rendition convictions Posted: 23 Dec 2015 12:22 PM PST  By Crispian Balmer ROME (Reuters) - Italy has partially pardoned the former CIA Milan station chief Robert Seldon Lady who was convicted for his role in the kidnapping of an Egyptian Muslim cleric under the U.S. "extraordinary rendition" program. Another U.S. citizen found guilty in the case, Betnie Medero, was also granted a pardon by Italian President Sergio Mattarella, his office said in a statement. Lady and Medero were among 26 Americans convicted for snatching Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr from a street in Milan in 2003 and whisking him away to be questioned in Egypt.
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| Cameron's office to probe why British Muslim family barred from U.S. Posted: 23 Dec 2015 12:40 PM PST  British Prime Minister David Cameron's office said on Wednesday it was looking into the case of a family of 11 British Muslims who were refused permission to board a flight from London to Los Angeles to visit Disneyland. The family of two adults and nine children were told by a U.S. official that their right to travel had been revoked as they waited in the departure lounge of Gatwick airport last Tuesday. The source declined to offer further information about the identity of the family member who was barred, or the reason why.
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| Chilean Congress OKs law for free university education Posted: 23 Dec 2015 04:59 PM PST SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Chile's Congress has approved a law granting free university education to many of the South American country's students. |
| Rough conditions expected on 1st night of Sydney to Hobart Posted: 23 Dec 2015 04:58 PM PST SYDNEY (AP) — Forecast southerly winds of up to 35 knots (65 kilometers per hour, 40 mph) will create a blustery first night for 109 yachts entered in this year's Sydney to Hobart race which begins Saturday. |
| Top Asian News 12:34 a.m. GMT Posted: 23 Dec 2015 04:34 PM PST KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Afghan military has rushed reinforcements to a southern district threatened for days with takeover by the Taliban, the country's defense minister said Wednesday as he appealed for stepped-up NATO assistance and military support. In a besieged army base in the embattled district of Sangin, an Afghan soldier described a dire situation, saying a handful of Afghan troops inside were fighting to the last, trying to keep the Taliban out. Meanwhile, at an air base outside of Kabul, U.S. troops saluted fallen comrades during a memorial ceremony Wednesday for six American soldiers killed in a Taliban attack this week. |
| Thai court set to rule in murder of British backpackers Posted: 23 Dec 2015 04:33 PM PST KOH SAMUI, Thailand (AP) — A Thai court was to deliver its verdict Thursday in the high-profile murder case of two British backpackers found bludgeoned on a resort island last year, a gruesome crime that focused global attention on tourist safety and police conduct in the country. |
| Behind the scary headlines, 2015 gives reason for optimism Posted: 23 Dec 2015 04:22 PM PST By Joseph D'Urso LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - This year may be remembered for barrel bombs, beheadings and the Bataclan massacre, but according to a Harvard psychologist, a remarkable long term downward trend in violence is continuing. Wars are far less common and deadly than in the recent past, terrorism is rare, and the European refugee crisis is nothing new, said Steven Pinker, a bestselling science author. "The news is a systematically misleading way to understand the world," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in an interview. |
| Severe weather menaces central and southern U.S., snarls holiday traffic Posted: 23 Dec 2015 04:07 PM PST  (Reuters) - One person was killed as severe storms menaced the southern and central United States on Wednesday, pelting a region home to tens of millions of people with heavy rain and hail and snarling roads as holiday travel began in earnest for the Christmas weekend. An 18-year-old Arkansas woman died and a toddler was injured when a tree crashed into her house after being uprooted by powerful winds during a storm, according to emergency officials. In California, 11 million people were planning to travel by car between Dec. 23 and Jan. 3, and another million were planning to fly to their destinations.
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| UN Security Council backs Libya unity accord Posted: 23 Dec 2015 03:51 PM PST  The UN Security Council gave its backing Wednesday to the new national unity government in embattled Libya, a move it hopes will help stem mass migration to Europe and reverse gains made by jihadists from the Islamic State group. The 15-nation council gave its support to the deal signed last week in the Moroccan town of Skhirat between representatives of strife-torn Libya's two competing regimes. "This is just the start of a process to deliver a prosperous and stable future for all Libyans," Rycroft declared.
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| Aussie Smith pinching himself after player award Posted: 23 Dec 2015 03:47 PM PST  Australia captain and batting supremo Steve Smith Thursday admitted it has been "a hell of a ride" from his Test debut as a leg-spinner to be named ICC cricketer of the year. "You don't think about these awards and these accolades," the dashing right-hander told the Cricket Australia website. Given his prolific recent output with the bat, it is easy to forget that he made his Test debut as a leg-spinner against Pakistan at Lord's in 2010, batting well down the order.
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| 1 dead, 7 injured in Mexico gathering fuel near pipeline tap Posted: 23 Dec 2015 03:44 PM PST MEXICO CITY (AP) — A fire broke out as people gathered fuel left near an illegal tap on an oil pipeline in southern Mexico, and at least one person died and seven others were injured, authorities said Wednesday. |
| Williams: African roots thriving in Spain's Basque region Posted: 23 Dec 2015 03:43 PM PST  BILBAO, Spain (AP) — Inaki Williams is not the type of soccer player you would expect to see at Athletic Bilbao, the traditional Spanish club which only fields players from Bilbao and its neighboring Basque regions.
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| CONCACAF suing California company over alleged kickbacks Posted: 23 Dec 2015 03:39 PM PST LOS ANGELES (AP) — CONCACAF is suing a California company for at least $50 million in an alleged kickback scheme involving two former executives of the soccer body. |
| Giants Odell Beckham Jr. loses appeal of 1-game suspension Posted: 23 Dec 2015 03:33 PM PST  NEW YORK (AP) — Odell Beckham Jr. is going to have to serve his one-game suspension.
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| Montreal Impact hope to keep Didier Drogba for 2016 season Posted: 23 Dec 2015 03:33 PM PST MONTREAL (AP) — Major League Soccer's Montreal Impact hopes to keep Didier Drogba for next season and prevent his return to Chelsea. |
| Kooyong to host Australia's Davis Cup clash with US Posted: 23 Dec 2015 03:32 PM PST  Australia's first-round Davis Cup World Group clash with the United States in March will be played on grass at Kooyong in Melbourne in a tie marking Lleyton Hewitt's debut as captain. The former home of the Australian Open Grand Slam will host its first Davis Cup showdown in 10 years from March 4-6 on a portable grass court, organisers said Thursday. "To play Davis Cup in Melbourne, the home of tennis in Australia, at a club like Kooyong with so much tennis history is a privilege," said Hewitt.
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| South American left in retreat as economic crisis deepens Posted: 23 Dec 2015 03:26 PM PST  BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — After a decade on the advance, the left in South America is in retreat.
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| Russia issues arrest warrant for Kremlin foe Khodorkovsky Posted: 23 Dec 2015 03:23 PM PST  Russia said on Wednesday it had issued an international arrest warrant for top opposition leader Mikhail Khodorkovsky, as Moscow ramped up the pressure on a leading critic of President Vladimir Putin. The announcement from the Investigative Committee, a top law enforcement body which reports directly to Putin, came nearly two years to the day since the Kremlin strongman stunned Russia by announcing that his political enemy, who had spent a decade in prison, would be pardoned and set free. Khodorkovsky said he might apply for asylum in Britain, and that the arrest warrant showed Putin still saw him as a threat.
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| Airlines prep for holiday crush: More flights, bigger planes Posted: 23 Dec 2015 03:11 PM PST  DALLAS (AP) — Airlines are shifting the timing of thousands of flights, even adding dozens of redeyes, as they try to avoid delays while hauling millions of passengers from now through the Christmas weekend.
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| Trump laps Republican field in latest 2016 poll Posted: 23 Dec 2015 03:03 PM PST  American billionaire Donald Trump, the dominant Republican no one can stop talking about heading into the 2016 presidential election, is leaving his rivals far behind in the polls. The provocative real estate magnate and political neophyte remains at the center of campaign firestorms, roiling the Republican establishment and leading the GOP pack as it gears up for the post-New-Year gallop to Iowa and the first voting in the nominations process on February 1. Trump's campaign trail bombast -- including extraordinary comments, among them a vulgar attack on Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton that stunned many observers -- appears to have done him little if any harm in the polls as he solidifies the frontrunner status he has maintained since late July.
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| Under-pressure Van Gaal walks out of United news conference Posted: 23 Dec 2015 02:43 PM PST  MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Louis van Gaal walked out of a news conference on Wednesday after becoming annoyed about speculation regarding his future as Manchester United manager.
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| Severe pre-Christmas weather menaces central, southern United States Posted: 23 Dec 2015 02:41 PM PST (Reuters) - One person was killed as severe storms menaced the southern and central United States on Wednesday, pelting a region home to tens of millions of people with heavy rain and hail, while states from Louisiana to Illinois were under a tornado watch. The bad weather threatened to scramble plans for many holiday travelers, even as dreams of a white Christmas melted in northeastern parts of the country, which were experiencing unseasonably warm temperatures. An 18-year-old Arkansas woman died and a toddler was injured when a tree crashed into her house after being uprooted by powerful winds during a storm, according to emergency officials. |
| Robshaw regret at Wales World Cup penalty blunder Posted: 23 Dec 2015 02:40 PM PST  Chris Robshaw admits he regrets his costly decision not to kick a penalty against Wales in the World Cup defeat that eventually sealed his team's humiliating pool stage exit. Speaking for the first time since England crashed out of the World Cup on home soil, captain Robshaw said opting for an attacking line-out instead of taking a shot at goal was the wrong call. If Owen Farrell had made the kick in the closing moments the game would have been drawn and England would have reached the quarter-finals.
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| Beatles end streaming boycott in time for Christmas Posted: 23 Dec 2015 02:40 PM PST  The Beatles, the top-selling band in musical history yet a persistent holdout on new technology, announced Wednesday they would end a boycott of streaming in time for Christmas. The Fab Four's full catalogue will be available on all major services including leader Spotify, removing the most glaring musical absence from the booming sector of streaming that allows unlimited on-demand music online. "Happy Crimble, with love from us to you," said a statement, employing a slang term for Christmas used by The Beatles.
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| Guinea PM steps down after president Conde re-elected Posted: 23 Dec 2015 02:28 PM PST  Guinea's prime minister on Wednesday stepped down in order to make way for a new administration after President Alpha Conde was sworn in for a controversial second five-year term, the presidency said in a statement. While accepting Mohamed Said Fofana's resignation, Conde asked the government to continue exercising its functions until a new cabinet is formed, the statement added. The constitutional court last month formally confirmed Conde's re-election with 57.8 percent of the vote, dismissing opposition claims of vote rigging and fraud.
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| Kremlin critic Khodorkovsky may seek UK asylum: report Posted: 23 Dec 2015 02:27 PM PST  Top Russian opposition leader Mikhail Khodorkovsky on Wednesday said he might apply for political asylum in Britain after Moscow issued an international warrant for his arrest. Khodorkovsky, once Russia's richest man but later imprisoned for 10 years after falling foul of President Vladimir Putin, told the BBC the Russian leader still saw him as a threat. "Definitely I'm considering asking for asylum in the UK," said the Kremlin critic, who already spends much of his time in London.
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| Leicester: The team that feared relegation now tops EPL Posted: 23 Dec 2015 02:25 PM PST  LONDON (AP) — Leicester reburied a medieval monarch and then its soccer team came back from the dead to become surprise contenders for the Premier League crown.
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| Canada to review extradition of mother to US Posted: 23 Dec 2015 02:23 PM PST  Canada's attorney general said Wednesday she would review the case of a Canadian woman facing extradition to the United States for allegedly stealing her children from their abusive American father. "I have decided to reconsider this case," Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould said in a statement, citing possible new facts in the years-long domestic dispute. The woman, known only as "M" in court documents, has been fighting extradition since her arrest in 2010, and reportedly went on a brief hunger strike after Canada's top court ruled earlier this month that she could be sent to the US state of Georgia to face prosecution for interstate interference of a child custody order.
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| 'Vatileaks' priest freed from jail, put under house arrest Posted: 23 Dec 2015 02:19 PM PST  A Spanish priest accused of leaking secret documents to journalists in the so-called Vatileaks scandal was released from prison and placed under house arrest, a spokesman for the Holy See said Wednesday. Spanish Monsignor Lucio Vallejo Balda was arrested in November over accusations he leaked confidential documents to the Italian press, along with his assistant Nicola Maio and Francesca Chaouqui, a former PR consultant to the Vatican. Vallejo Balda was released from jail Tuesday and is being housed in a small flat in a convent located above the Vatican police station, spokesman Ciro Benedettini told AFP, adding that he was barred from leaving the city-state.
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| EU warns Poland to protect 'rule of law' over judicial crisis Posted: 23 Dec 2015 02:09 PM PST  The European Union warned eastern European powerhouse Poland to avoid endangering the rule of law with controversial reforms that former president Lech Walesa said undermined democracy and made the country a laughing stock. The EU's executive arm "attaches great importance to preventing the emergence of situations whereby the rule of law in (a) member state could be called into question," according to the letter. Parliament on Tuesday adopted -- by 235 votes to 181 with four abstentions -- reforms to the Constitutional Court which have provoked an avalanche of criticism at home and abroad.
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| Guatemala disputes stranded Cubans need humanitarian access Posted: 23 Dec 2015 02:07 PM PST  Guatemala on Wednesday rejected an argument by Costa Rica that thousands of stranded US-bound Cuban migrants should be allowed to travel through Central America on humanitarian grounds. The Cubans have been stuck in Costa Rica since mid-November, when Nicaragua closed its border to them.
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| Don Howe, England player turned respected coach, dies at 80 Posted: 23 Dec 2015 02:03 PM PST  LONDON (AP) — Don Howe, a former England defender who became a key member of the England coaching staff, has died. He was 80.
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| Venezuela's lame duck congress approves high court judges Posted: 23 Dec 2015 01:58 PM PST  CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela's lame duck congress approved the appointment of 13 Supreme Court justices Wednesday in a move that the opposition said is meant to undermine its landslide victory in this month's legislative elections.
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| British Muslim family barred from flying to Disneyland Posted: 23 Dec 2015 01:55 PM PST  Prime Minister David Cameron was urged to intervene Wednesday after a British Muslim family was prevented from flying to the United States for a visit to Disneyland. The family of 11 was stopped from boarding their flight to Los Angeles at London's Gatwick airport on Tuesday last week by immigration officials. Mohammad Tariq Mahmood, who was travelling with his brother and nine of their children, said the officials gave no reason for blocking their travel plans.
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| Nordic countries in annual contest to claim real Santa Posted: 23 Dec 2015 01:54 PM PST  HELSINKI (AP) — Most kids learn that Santa Claus comes from the North Pole, but children in Scandinavia are taught he lives a bit further south. Where exactly is a matter of much debate, with businesses in Finland, Sweden and Norway competing to cash in on the cachet that comes with claiming Santa's hometown.
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| Republicans, administration spar on visa travel for Iran Posted: 23 Dec 2015 01:53 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — Top GOP lawmakers accused the Obama administration Wednesday of ignoring congressional intent and the spirit of the law in offering reassurances to Iran about new visa rules.
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