| Iraq summons Turkey's ambassador over troop deployment near Mosul Posted: 05 Dec 2015 09:42 AM PST  By Ahmed Rasheed and Ayla Jean Yackley BAGHDAD/ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Iraq's Foreign Ministry summoned the Turkish ambassador on Saturday to demand that Turkey immediately withdraw hundreds of troops deployed in recent days to northern Iraq, near the Islamic State-controlled city of Mosul. The ministry said in a statement the Turkish forces had entered Iraqi territory without the knowledge of the central government in Baghdad, and that Iraq considered such presence "a hostile act".
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| Chad says suicide blasts kill at least 15 in Lake Chad Posted: 05 Dec 2015 01:15 PM PST  By Madjiasra Nako N'DJAMENA (Reuters) - Four female suicide bombers attacked the Chadian island of Koulfoua on Lake Chad on Saturday, killing at least 15 people and injuring 130 in an attack blamed by security sources on militant Islamist group Boko Haram. The swampy maze of islands in the border areas between Chad, Niger, Cameroon and Nigeria has become one of the main targets of Boko Haram fighters who can find easy cover in the waterways. The militants are based mostly in Nigeria but have become a wider security threat for the region.
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| Climate talks enter next phase, toughest decisions ahead Posted: 05 Dec 2015 11:38 AM PST  By David Stanway and Richard Valdmanis PARIS (Reuters) - Global climate change talks in Paris moved into a new, tougher phase on Saturday as negotiators agreed on a draft accord, albeit one that still leaves hundreds of points of dispute for ministers to resolve next week. While a largely procedural step in the four-year quest for a binding deal to slow global warming, the fact that senior officials from almost 200 nations agreed on a draft marks an advance over the last, failed summit in Copenhagen six years ago. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius warned that much work lay ahead to reach an accord by the end of the conference on Dec. 11 that will bind both rich and poor nations to combat global warming beyond 2020.
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| Taliban releases audio message to show leader alive Posted: 05 Dec 2015 12:51 PM PST  By Mirwais Harooni and Jibran Ahmed KABUL/PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - The Taliban released an audio message on Saturday it said was from its leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour to counter widespread reports that he had been wounded or killed in a shootout in Pakistan this week. The 16-minute message said that the reports had been deliberately spread to create divisions in the Taliban. It was not possible to verify whether the voice was really that of Mansour although some senior Taliban members said it appeared to be his.
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| U.S. Secretary of State warns of collapse of Palestinian Authority and its consequences Posted: 05 Dec 2015 02:33 PM PST  By Idrees Ali WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday said there were questions about how long the Palestinian Authority (PA) could survive and warned of the impact it would have on Israel. "President Abbas spoke more despairingly my friends, than I have ever heard him about the sense of hopelessness that the Palestinian people feel," Kerry said in a speech at the Brookings Institution. Israeli forces have killed 102 Palestinians in the same period, of whom 63 were identified by Israel as assailants or caught on camera carrying out assaults.
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| One worker killed, 30 missing after Azeri oil rig fire: government Posted: 05 Dec 2015 11:49 AM PST  By Nailia Bagirova BAKU (Reuters) - At least one worker was killed and 30 others were missing on Saturday after an Azeri oil platform caught fire during high winds in the Caspian Sea on Friday, state energy company SOCAR said. As hopes of finding survivors faded, SOCAR said a severe storm was hampering rescue efforts at its platform in the Guneshli oil field. "One body was found and a search-and-rescue operation for 30 missing workers is under way," it said in a statement, adding that 32 workers had been safely evacuated.
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| Kerry warns Israel about collapse of Palestinian Authority Posted: 05 Dec 2015 04:23 PM PST  US Secretary of State John Kerry warned Saturday about the consequences of any collapse of the Palestinian Authority, saying it would be a threat to Israel. Since October 1, almost daily assaults and clashes between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers and violence between Palestinians and Israeli settlers have killed 109 Palestinians, including an Israeli Arab, 17 Israelis, an American and an Eritrean, according to an AFP count. Palestinians are frustrated by the failure of decades of peace talks and the ongoing occupation of the West Bank and east Jerusalem, with many also losing faith in the leadership of president Mahmud Abbas.
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| Greek Parliament passes 2016 budget Posted: 05 Dec 2015 04:21 PM PST  ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece's Parliament has approved the 2016 budget that includes deep spending cuts and tax hikes amid economic recession.
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| London Tube stabbings 'terrorist incident': police Posted: 05 Dec 2015 04:08 PM PST  British police are investigating as a "terrorist incident" the stabbing of three people at a London Underground train station on Saturday, which left a pool of blood in the ticket hall. One eyewitness at Leytonstone station shouted "You're no Muslim" at the lone male suspect as he was pinned down by police officers, amateur video footage showed. Britain's Counter-Terrorism Command is investigating the stabbings.
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| At climate talks, African nations pledge to restore forests Posted: 05 Dec 2015 04:07 PM PST  JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Tree by tree, more than a dozen African governments pledged to restore the continent's natural forests at the United Nations climate talks on Sunday.
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| UK police say stabbing treated as 'terrorist incident' Posted: 05 Dec 2015 04:04 PM PST LONDON (AP) — A stabbing at a London Underground station is being treated as "terrorist incident," the London police said Saturday. |
| 'I'm alive': Afghan Taliban issue message from 'leader' Posted: 05 Dec 2015 03:26 PM PST  The Afghan Taliban released an audio message Saturday it said was from leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour, vehemently rejecting reports of his death in a firefight with his own commanders as "enemy propaganda". The 16-minute file said those "rumours" had been deliberately planted to weaken the Taliban, which has seen a new resurgence under the firebrand supremo despite its internal divisions. "I have recorded this message to let everyone know that I am alive," the man purported to be Mansour says in a relaxed drawl.
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| Three injured in knife attack 'terror incident' in London metro Posted: 05 Dec 2015 03:26 PM PST A man with a knife stabbed another in an east London metro station on Saturday evening, reportedly screaming "this is for Syria", before police used a stun gun on the attacker and detained him. "We are treating this as a terrorist incident," Richard Walton, who leads the London police's Counter Terrorism Command, said in a statement. Police were called to reports of a number of people stabbed at the Leytonstone Underground station in east London and a man threatening other people with a knife. |
| Far-right eyes big gains in French regional elections Posted: 05 Dec 2015 03:13 PM PST  By Ingrid Melander PARIS (Reuters) - France goes to the polls in high-stakes regional elections on Sunday, just three weeks after deadly Islamic State militant attacks in Paris that could bring strong gains for the far-right National Front. The National Front (FN) may lead in as many as six out of 13 regions after the first round on Sunday. Like other anti-immigration, anti-Europe parties across Europe, the FN is also likely to benefit from worries over the refugee crisis to win at least one region, and possibly more, in a conclusive run-off on Dec.13, opinion polls show.
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| One dead, 30 missing in Azerbaijan oil rig fire in Caspian Sea Posted: 05 Dec 2015 03:08 PM PST  One person was killed and 30 oil workers were missing Saturday after the rig they were working on in the Caspian Sea was engulfed by a fire, Azerbaijan's state energy firm SOCAR said. The office of President Ilham Aliyev said one person had died in the blaze that broke out on Friday, with the rescue operation to retrieve the other staff hampered by a violent storm. The storm had on Friday damaged a gas line on platform number 10 in the deepwater Guneshli section of the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli offshore oil field, causing the fire, SOCAR said in a statement.
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| Fuelling its growth with coal, India champions the poor in Paris Posted: 05 Dec 2015 03:07 PM PST  By Alister Doyle and Tommy Wilkes PARIS/NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's hardline position in global climate talks has made it a potential villain for Western nations as it warns that its greenhouse emissions, mostly from burning dirty coal, may keep rising past the middle of the century. Its little-known team came to Paris with a mission to force rich nations to lead the way in curbing emissions. Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the summit that "climate justice" meant poor nations needed "room to grow".
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| Lyon beaten 2-0 in final league match at the Stade Gerland Posted: 05 Dec 2015 03:06 PM PST  Lyon bid a disappointing farewell to its famous stadium as it lost 2-0 to Angers in its last Ligue 1 match at the Stade Gerland on Saturday.
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| Colombia finds treasure galleon, ending 300-year mystery Posted: 05 Dec 2015 03:04 PM PST  Colombia says it has found the shipwreck of a storied Spanish galleon laden with gold and precious stones, three centuries after it was sunk by the British in the Caribbean. "This is the most valuable treasure that has been found in the history of humanity," declared President Juan Manuel Santos on Saturday, speaking from the northern port city of Cartagena, close to where experts made the hugely valuable find. Treasure hunters had searched for the ship for decades, and although they found plenty of other wrecks, the San Jose's final resting place had remained a mystery until now.
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| Olympiakos beats Panthrakikos 4-3 in Greek league Posted: 05 Dec 2015 02:52 PM PST ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Olympiakos earned a record-setting 12th straight win by beating host Panthrakikos 4-3 in the Greek league Saturday. |
| Liang to face Robertson for UK snooker title Posted: 05 Dec 2015 02:49 PM PST  China's Liang Wenbo fought back to reach the final of the UK Championship with a 6-4 victory over surprise semi-finalist David Grace on Saturday. Liang was in danger of a shock exit against Grace when the part-time snooker club table cleaner moved into a 4-2 lead. Liang will face Australia's Neil Robertson, who whitewashed world number one Mark Selby 6-0, in Sunday's final.
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| Benzema scores 2 as Real Madrid beats Getafe 4-1 in Spain Posted: 05 Dec 2015 02:45 PM PST  MADRID (AP) — Karim Benzema scored his first goals since being implicated in a blackmail case, helping Real Madrid beat Getafe 4-1 Saturday and move closer to leader Barcelona in the Spanish league.
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| Yemen peace talks to convene December 15, Yemeni minister tells Saudi TV Posted: 05 Dec 2015 02:42 PM PST  United Nations-backed peace talks aimed at ending eight months of civil war in Yemen between an Iranian-allied militia group and the embattled Saudi-backed government will convene on Dec. 15, Saudi-owned TV quoted Yemen's foreign minister as saying. "Consultations on the implementation of Resolution 2216 will be held on Dec. 15," the network quoted Abdel-Malek al-Mekhlafi as saying in a news flash, referring to a U.N. Security Council decision calling for Yemen's dominant Houthi militia to quit major cities. The U.N. envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, met President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi on Saturday to discuss prospects for peace talks between his embattled Aden-based government and Houthi forces, the president's office said.
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| Man killed as Storm Desmond lashes Britain Posted: 05 Dec 2015 02:37 PM PST  One man was killed Saturday as Storm Desmond whipped across Britain, bringing heavy rain, strong winds and flooding to parts of the country. A 90-year-old man died near a north London Underground station. Meanwhile in northwest England, towns and villages were flooded, with the water reaching waist height in some places.
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| Inter goes provisionally top of Serie A with another 1-0 win Posted: 05 Dec 2015 02:36 PM PST  MILAN (AP) — Inter Milan moved provisionally back atop Serie A with a 1-0 win over Genoa on Saturday, while Roma's poor run of results continued as Torino snatched a 1-1 draw against Rudi Garcia's side.
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| Three types of marijuana to hit Uruguayan pharmacies in 2016 Posted: 05 Dec 2015 02:26 PM PST By Malena Castaldi MONTEVIDEO (Reuters) - Uruguayans will be able to choose from three varieties of state-sanctioned cannabis when marijuana starts being sold in pharmacies in the small South American country next year, the National Drug Board said Saturday. "There will be three options with indications about the effects of each that point beginners toward starting with the lowest level" of THC, Romani told Reuters on the sidelines of the marijuana forum Expocannabis 2015. Uruguay became the first country to legalize the cultivation and distribution of marijuana in late 2013, aiming to wrest control of the trade from gangs while regulating and taxing its consumption. |
| Nigeria to face hosts Senegal for Rio ticket Posted: 05 Dec 2015 02:25 PM PST  Nigeria could only draw 0-0 with Group B winners Algeria in Dakar Saturday and must face hosts Senegal in the semi-finals of the African 2016 Olympic Games qualifying tournament. With a ticket to Rio at stake next Wednesday, Nigeria would have preferred Group A runners-up South Africa, a country they traditionally dominate at all levels of football. Instead, tournament surprise side Algeria will face the South Africans in the second part of a Dakar double-header.
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| New low for Chelsea as Bournemouth stuns Mourinho's champs Posted: 05 Dec 2015 02:21 PM PST  LONDON (AP) — Not long ago Chelsea losing to Bournemouth in the Premier League would have been inconceivable. Actually impossible.
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| Fischer brace helps Ajax to 5-2 win over Heerenveen Posted: 05 Dec 2015 02:14 PM PST AMSTERDAM (AP) — Viktor Fischer scored twice as Eredivisie leader Ajax beat Heerenveen 5-2 Saturday to go four points clear of defending champion PSV Eindhoven. |
| Simin Feng opens 5-shot lead in LPGA Tour Q-school Posted: 05 Dec 2015 02:11 PM PST DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — China's Simin Feng shot a 3-under 69 on Saturday on the Hills Course to take a five-stroke lead into the final round of the LPGA Tour Qualifying Tournament. |
| Austria's Hirscher wins super-G, holds off 2 Americans Posted: 05 Dec 2015 02:05 PM PST  BEAVER CREEK, Colo. (AP) — That Marcel Hirscher finished first and Ted Ligety right behind him wasn't a big surprise.
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| Cautious hopes as UN adopts draft climate change deal Posted: 05 Dec 2015 01:55 PM PST  Negotiators from 195 nations agreed on a draft Saturday for a pact to save mankind from disastrous global warming, raising hopes that decades of arguments will finally end with a historic deal in Paris. The planned pact would aim to break the world's dependence on fossil fuels, slashing the greenhouse gas emissions from burning oil, coal and gas that are causing temperatures to rise dangerously. UN negotiations dating back to the early 1990s have failed to forge unity between rich and poor nations, and the Paris talks are being described as the "last, best chance" to save mankind.
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| Watson ties course record and takes 2-shot lead in Bahamas Posted: 05 Dec 2015 01:48 PM PST NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — The first time Jordan Spieth saw Albany Golf Club, he predicted Bubba Watson would love the place because it looked so open off the tee. |
| Nigeria police make arrests over Boko Haram 'sleeper cells' in Abuja area Posted: 05 Dec 2015 01:28 PM PST  Nigeria's secret police on Saturday said they had arrested a dozen suspects linked to the discovery of "sleeper cells" operated by Boko Haram Islamists in and around the capital Abuja. The Department of State Services said those arrested had travelled from the restive northeast of the country to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and were planning on staging attacks in Abuja during the year-end festivities. "Boko Haram... has continued to establish and operate sleeper cells whose (sole) mandates are to conduct surveillance and carry out subsequent attacks in the FCT," the DSS said in a statement.
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| Erin Hamlin leads US luge World Cup sweep at Lake Placid Posted: 05 Dec 2015 01:22 PM PST  LAKE PLACID, N.Y. (AP) — Erin Hamlin paused between runs of the women's World Cup luge race at Mount Van Hoevenberg to ponder the unthinkable — an American sweep of the podium.
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| Bournemouth stuns Chelsea; Leicester takes surprise EPL lead Posted: 05 Dec 2015 01:11 PM PST  LONDON (AP) — In a Premier League season where the usual narrative has been ripped up, there was no shortage of surprises on Saturday.
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| Taliban leader denies being wounded in internal dispute Posted: 05 Dec 2015 01:09 PM PST KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — New Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansoor has denied being wounded in a dispute with another commander, calling it a "baseless claim" that is part of the "agenda of the enemy." |
| Lives depend on climate deal as islands bear brunt of health impact Posted: 05 Dec 2015 12:59 PM PST  By Barbara Lewis PARIS (Reuters) - Small islands that bear the brunt of rising sea levels also face the greatest risk of diseases linked to a warmer planet, health leaders said on Saturday, as 13 million medical professionals added to the calls for a global climate pact. Hundreds of thousands more people will die every year from heat stroke and tropical illnesses unless negotiators in Paris can agree a strong global deal to cap global warming, the Global Climate and Health Alliance said. The alliance, formed at U.N. climate talks in Durban in 2011, met in central Paris on Saturday as U.N. negotiators on the outskirts of the city sought to hammer out a new climate change pact.
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| Paris attacks spotlight turns on Britain Posted: 05 Dec 2015 12:57 PM PST  The fallout from last month's Paris attacks spread to Britain on Saturday, as media reported that at least one of the perpetrators had previously contacted extremists in London and Birmingham. Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the alleged mastermind of the November 13 jihadist attacks, had links with "several" people based in Birmingham in central England's West Midlands region, the Wall Street Journal newspaper said, citing anonymous Western officials. Abaaoud, a Belgian of Moroccan descent, was killed in a police raid five days after the November 13 Paris attacks, along with a cousin and an unidentified third person, according to French authorities.
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| Fourcade wins biathlon World Cup sprint event in Sweden Posted: 05 Dec 2015 12:54 PM PST  OSTERSUND, Sweden (AP) — Martin Fourcade of France dominated a men's sprint race Saturday for his first biathlon World Cup victory of the season, while Gabriela Soukalova of the Czech Republic won the women's race.
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