| U.S. issues global travel alert as manhunt continues for Paris attackers Posted: 23 Nov 2015 04:26 PM PST  By Arshad Mohammed and Chine Labbé WASHINGTON/PARIS (Reuters) - Citing "increased terrorist threats" from militant groups in various regions of the world, the U.S. State Department issued a global travel alert on Monday following deadly militant attacks in France and Mali. "Current information suggests that (Islamic State), al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, and other terrorist groups continue to plan terrorist attacks in multiple regions," the State Department said in a warning posted on its website. Although it did not mention the Nov. 13 Paris attacks claimed by the Islamic State group in which 130 died, the department noted that militants had carried out attacks in France, Nigeria, Denmark, Turkey, and Mali during the past year. "Authorities believe the likelihood of terror attacks will continue as members of (Islamic State) return from Syria and Iraq," it said. "Additionally, there is a continuing threat from unaffiliated persons planning attacks inspired by major terrorist organizations but conducted on an individual basis.
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| Iran leader hosts Putin, says U.S. policies threaten Tehran, Moscow Posted: 23 Nov 2015 12:02 PM PST  By Bozorgmehr Sharafedin DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran's supreme leader, at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Tehran, said on Monday U.S. policies in the Middle East region were a threat to both countries and called for closer ties between Tehran and Moscow. The civil war in Syria has evolved into a wider proxy struggle between global powers, with Russia and Iran supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad while Western powers, Turkey and Gulf Arab states want him out.
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| 'Rambo' appeal, not the mosque, lures Brussels youths to IS Posted: 23 Nov 2015 10:54 AM PST  By Alissa de Carbonnel BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Khalid Ben Larbi lived a hedonistic lifestyle similar to other European youths and rarely went to the mosque in Molenbeek, the mainly Muslim Moroccan immigrant area where he and three of the suspected Paris attackers grew up in Brussels. It was the same inner-city disenchantment that leads other youths to drugs and crime, not the preachings of a radical imam, that neighbors, local social workers and imams say changed Ben Larbi from raucous adolescent to Islamic State foot soldier, drawn by the promise of adventure and glory. The families in Molenbeek and other areas are often shocked to discover their children have been recruited by a mix of back street preachers, social media and a growing network of hometown jihadists spreading tales of derring-do in Syria.
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| Quake in Mexico shakes capital, no reported damage or injuries Posted: 23 Nov 2015 01:49 PM PST  A 5.5 magnitude quake hit Mexico City on Monday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), shaking buildings and forcing office towers to be evacuated, although there were no initial reports of damage or injuries. The USGS said the 5.5. Mexico City Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera tweeted that there were no reports of damage or injuries.
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| French jets strike Islamic State as Britain offers help Posted: 23 Nov 2015 03:28 PM PST  By Leigh Thomas PARIS (Reuters) - French jets from the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier struck Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria on Monday while Britain offered France the use of an air base in Cyprus to hit the militants group behind the Paris attacks. French President Francois Hollande met British Prime Minister David Cameron in Paris on Monday as part of efforts to rally support for the fight against Islamic State and Hollande is also due to visit Washington and Moscow this week.
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| U.N. chief Ban says 'positive signs' from Pyongyang on North Korea visit Posted: 23 Nov 2015 03:22 PM PST  U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said he was discussing with North Korea the dates for his visit to the isolated state but no decision has been made in his first public comments on the trip since news reports last week said he would go soon. Ban, who is South Korean, said he received "positive signs" from Pyongyang recently following his talks with the North's foreign minister, in comments made to South Korean reporters at the United Nations and carried by YTN TV early on Tuesday. "We are discussing when would be the good time for me to visit the North, but so far nothing has been decided," he said, adding he is working to make the trip "at the earliest time." The United Nations had denied news reports about Ban's visit to Pyongyang last week or this week.
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| White House asks allies to step up in IS campaign Posted: 23 Nov 2015 04:46 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House urged allies on Monday to do more in the campaign against the Islamic State, while President Barack Obama faced pressure in return to show the U.S.-led coalition will intensify efforts in response to the Paris attacks, even without a major shift in strategy.
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| Israel strikes Gaza in response to rocket fire Posted: 23 Nov 2015 04:46 PM PST  Israel's army launched an air raid on the Gaza Strip on on Monday evening after Hamas fired a rocket into southern Israel, said sources from both sides, adding that no one was hurt. "This morning, a rocket was fired from the Gaza Strip into an uninhabited area of southern Israel... without causing any injuries," the Israeli military said in a statement.
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| Brussels extends terror alert, fourth suspect charged over Paris attacks Posted: 23 Nov 2015 04:33 PM PST  Brussels will stay at the highest security threat level for another week over fears of an imminent attack, the Belgian government said Monday, as authorities charged a fourth suspect in connection with the terror assaults in Paris. As Brussels remained under lockdown, the United States issued a worldwide travel alert warning American citizens of "increased terrorist threats" in "multiple regions". France meanwhile launched its first strikes against Islamic State from a newly deployed aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean, as the country ramped up its fight against the jihadist group that has claimed the November 13 gun and suicide bomb attacks.
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| Britain's Cameron pressures MPs over Syria strikes vote Posted: 23 Nov 2015 04:23 PM PST  British Prime Minister David Cameron vowed Monday to make his case for Britain joining air strikes on Syria this week as he unveiled a new defence strategy stressing counter-terrorism and intelligence. Cameron said he would make a statement in the House of Commons on Thursday as he steps up pressure for MPs to back joining international action against Islamic State jihadists following the November 13 attacks in Paris, which killed 130 people. "As the murders on the streets of Paris reminded us so starkly, ISIL (another term for Islamic State) is not some remote problem thousands of miles away -- it is a direct threat to our security at home and abroad," Cameron said.
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| Canada to announce plan to bring 25,000 refugees on Tuesday Posted: 23 Nov 2015 04:22 PM PST TORONTO (AP) — Canada's new Liberal government will announce details of how it intends to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees on Tuesday. |
| Suicide vest found in Paris raises possible link to suspect Posted: 23 Nov 2015 04:15 PM PST  PARIS (AP) — A street cleaner on Monday found an explosive vest similar to those used in the Paris attacks near the place where a fugitive suspect's cellphone was found, raising the possibility that he aborted his mission, either ditching a malfunctioning vest or fleeing in fear.
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| VP Biden to attend meetings with Southeast European leaders Posted: 23 Nov 2015 04:13 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Joe Biden will travel to Croatia on Wednesday for meetings with Southeast European leaders. |
| Detroit, Austin welcome Syrian refugees despite governors Posted: 23 Nov 2015 04:03 PM PST DETROIT (AP) — The mayors of Detroit and Austin said Monday they are welcoming Syrian refugees despite pushback by their states' Republican governors following the deadly attacks in Paris. |
| "25" sells 2.3M copies in 3 days; Adele set to smash NSYNC record Posted: 23 Nov 2015 03:53 PM PST  Adele's album "25" was set Monday to smash through the opening-week record in the United States, with at least 2.3 million copies sold in the first three days alone. Nielsen Music said that "25," released on Friday, would by late Monday match the record of 2.41 million sales in a first week set in 2000 by Justin Timberlake's boy band NSYNC. Billboard magazine, which runs the benchmark US chart, predicted that "25" would sell around 2.9 million copies in its first week in the United States.
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| Winter storm may boost California snowpack but impede holiday travel Posted: 23 Nov 2015 03:47 PM PST  By Sharon Bernstein SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Reuters) - A winter storm could bring up to 18 inches of snow to California's Sierra Nevada mountains this week, forecasters said, bolstering the state's drought-diminished snowpack but prompting warnings of possible hazards for holiday travelers. The storm, expected to hit the mountain range north of Yosemite, would be the latest of several to pummel the region this fall. "We've got more snow so far than we have in the last couple of years," said Nathan Owen, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sacramento.
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| Weather disasters have doubled in recent decades, UN reports Posted: 23 Nov 2015 03:41 PM PST  The UN on Monday detailed a doubling in weather-related disasters over the last three decades, a week before nearly 140 world leaders gather in terror-struck Paris to thrash out a crucial climate pact. More than 600,000 lives have been lost since 1995 to flooding, landslides and other weather-induced catastrophes, the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction said, with the number of such events doubling between 1985-1994 and the decade ending in 2014. The report "underlines why it is so important that a new climate change agreement emerge from the COP21," said UNISDR chief Margareta Wahlstrom, using the acronym -- "Conference of the Parties" -- for the global talks that open next Monday.
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| Final 'Hunger Games' movie opens to franchise low Posted: 23 Nov 2015 03:33 PM PST  The fourth and final "Hunger Games" movie ruled the North American box office over the weekend but failed to do as well as the two previous films in the series, industry figures showed Monday. "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay -- Part 2" raked in $102.7 million in ticket sales in its opening weekend in the United States and Canada, box office tracker Exhibitor Relations said. In second place at the box office was "Spectre," the latest James Bond movie, with gross sales of $15 million.
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| Mali in mourning as siege hotel yields clues Posted: 23 Nov 2015 03:32 PM PST  French and UN investigators joined a Mali police probe into a jihadist siege at a luxury hotel that left at least 20 dead, as flags were lowered Monday for three days of mourning. Security was tightened at hotels in the capital, Bamako, while neighbouring nations Senegal, Mauritania and Guinea joined in the three days of mourning over Friday's bloodshed. Benin's President Thomas Yayi Boni said after visiting the Radisson Blu hotel, where the killings took place, that the "odious attack" was aimed at "frightening off international investors".
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| Top Asian News 11:23 p.m. GMT Posted: 23 Nov 2015 03:23 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Impoverished migrant workers in Thailand are sold or lured by false promises and forced to catch and process fish that ends up in global food giant Nestle SA's supply chains. The unusual disclosure comes from Geneva-based Nestle SA itself, which in an act of self-policing announced the conclusions of its yearlong internal investigation on Monday. The study found virtually all U.S. and European companies buying seafood from Thailand are exposed to the same risks of abuse in their supply chains. Nestle SA, among the biggest food companies in the world, launched the investigation in December 2014, after reports from news outlets and nongovernmental organizations tied brutal and largely unregulated working conditions to their shrimp, prawns and Purina brand pet foods. |
| US issues global travel alert due to 'increased terrorist threats' Posted: 23 Nov 2015 03:17 PM PST  The United States issued a worldwide travel alert on Monday warning American citizens of "increased terrorist threats" in the wake of the Paris attacks. A massive manhunt is underway in France and Belgium for Belgian-born Salah Abdeslam, suspected of playing a role in the coordinated shooting and suicide bombings of November 13 claimed by the Islamic State group. The United States has been on heightened alert in the wake of the attacks, which killed 130 people.
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| France strikes IS targets as Syria diplomacy hits 'high gear' Posted: 23 Nov 2015 03:16 PM PST  France on Monday launched the first air strikes from its aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean as global efforts to combat the Islamic State group gathered pace and world leaders met for talks on the Syrian conflict. British Prime Minister David Cameron said he would make his case to parliament on Thursday to join the coalition striking IS in Syria. In the first sorties from the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier on Monday, newly deployed in the eastern Mediterranean, France bombed IS targets in the Iraqi cities of Ramadi and Mosul, followed by air raids in Syria.
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| No discrimination against Syrian refugees, UN urges Posted: 23 Nov 2015 03:11 PM PST  The United Nations took aim Monday at politicians who want to end the resettlement of Syrian refugees following the Paris attacks, saying the "rhetoric" showed disrespect and that there can be no discrimination. The US House of Representatives voted last week to ban Syrian and Iraqi refugees from entering the United States until tougher screening measures are in place. Right-wing politicians in the United States and Europe have argued that Syrians must be denied entry out of fear that Islamic State fighters could use asylum as a cover to enter the country and stage attacks.
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| Marinos to return as SANZAR chief executive Posted: 23 Nov 2015 03:04 PM PST WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Southern hemisphere rugby organization SANZAR has reappointed South Africa-based Andy Marinos as its chief executive. |
| Vatican puts 2 journalists on trial for reporting on leaks Posted: 23 Nov 2015 03:04 PM PST VATICAN CITY (AP) — Two Italian journalists who wrote books detailing Vatican mismanagement go on trial Tuesday in a Vatican courtroom along with three people accused of leaking them the information in a case that has drawn scorn from media watchdogs around the world. |
| U.N. panel to review airport security after Egypt plane crash Posted: 23 Nov 2015 02:58 PM PST  By Allison Lampert MONTREAL (Reuters) - The United Nations' aviation agency said on Monday its panel of security experts will review ways to better protect airports from terrorism following concerns of lax security raised after a Russian plane was destroyed on Oct. 31. The International Civil Aviation Organization-led panel, which is to meet in March 2016, will emphasize airport security following the crash of a Metrojet airline in Egypt, ICAO Council President Olumuyiwa Bernard Aliu told reporters Monday. "This will address aviation security issues, the existing standards and to see where there are gaps and to see where we need to develop additional guidance material to assist our member states," said Aliu on the sidelines on a global aviation forum in Montreal.
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| Canada PM Trudeau faces split at national climate change summit Posted: 23 Nov 2015 02:40 PM PST  By David Ljunggren OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday met the country's provinces to hammer out a national climate change strategy, but two major players signaled they had reservations about the idea. Trudeau's Liberals won an election last month promising a radical change on the environment from the previous Conservative administration, which was widely criticized for not doing enough to combat global warming. The half-day Ottawa summit brought together Trudeau and the premiers of the 10 provinces to work out a common position ahead of a United Nations environmental summit in Paris next week.
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| Todd Blackadder to step down as Crusaders coach Posted: 23 Nov 2015 02:30 PM PST WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Crusaders Super Rugby coach Todd Blackadder says he will step down at the end of the 2016 season after eight years in charge. |
| Benitez hanging on at Real Madrid; Zinedine Zidane next? Posted: 23 Nov 2015 02:22 PM PST  MADRID (AP) — Real Madrid fans vividly showed their dissatisfaction, frantically waving white "goodbye" handkerchiefs and loudly jeering.
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| Sunderland beats Crystal Palace 1-0 in Premier League Posted: 23 Nov 2015 02:19 PM PST  LONDON (AP) — Jermain Defoe pounced on a defensive blunder to score into an open net in the 80th minute and give struggling Sunderland a 1-0 win at Crystal Palace on Monday in the Premier League.
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| S. Sudan army begins withdrawal from Juba as deadline nears Posted: 23 Nov 2015 02:18 PM PST  The South Sudanese army, loyal to President Salva Kiir, said Monday it had begun withdrawing from the capital Juba ahead of a peace deal deadline agreed with the rebels of former deputy president Riek Machar. The peace accord, signed on August 26, requires the withdrawal of all military forces within a 25-kilometre (15-mile) radius of the city within 90 days, a period which ends later this week. The South Sudanese army "is implementing the security arrangements and the ceasefire agreement that stipulated the redeployment of forces from Juba to a distance of 25 km outside Juba town," army spokesman Colonel Philip Aguer told reporters.
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| A partial list of victims of the Paris attacks Posted: 23 Nov 2015 02:11 PM PST Here is a partial list of victims of Friday's attacks in Paris confirmed by The Associated Press and other media: |
| Laser burns pilot's eye as plane lands in London Posted: 23 Nov 2015 01:57 PM PST  A "military strength" laser caused significant damage to the eye of a British Airways co-pilot when it was shone into his cockpit as the plane was landing, a trade union said Monday. The unnamed victim was taken to hospital in Sheffield, northern England, following the incident at London's Heathrow Airport in the spring and has not returned to work since. "His retina was burnt on one of his eyes," said Jim McAuslan, general secretary of the British Airline Pilots Association, adding that he assumed the laser was "military strength" due to the damage it caused.
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| Dundee, Celtic consider playing Scottish fixture in USA: report Posted: 23 Nov 2015 01:56 PM PST  Dundee are considering the possibility of playing a Scottish Premiership match against Celtic in the United States, according to reports on Monday. It is believed Dundee and Scottish champions Celtic have held talks about the prospect of playing a top-flight fixture in the USA, with Boston and Philadelphia mentioned as possible venues. The BBC reported the only remaining requirement is the approval of the Scottish Professional Football League and a formal proposal is set to be put before the organisation in the next few weeks.
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| Magnitude-5.5 earthquake shakes Mexican capital Posted: 23 Nov 2015 01:52 PM PST MEXICO CITY (AP) — An earthquake rattled central Mexico on Monday, swaying buildings in Mexico City. Some office workers rushed to the streets in the capital. |
