| A hug and high tea: Indian PM makes surprise visit to Pakistan Posted: 25 Dec 2015 10:58 AM PST  By Mehreen Zahra-Malik and Krishna N. Das ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a surprise stopover in Pakistan on Friday to meet his counterpart, Nawaz Sharif, the first time an Indian premier has visited the rival nation in over a decade. The visit, requested by Modi just hours earlier before he flew back home from Afghanistan, raised hopes that stop-and-start negotiations between the nuclear-armed neighbors might finally make progress after three wars and more than 65 years of hostility. Sharif hugged Modi after he landed at the airport in the eastern city of Lahore and the two left by helicopter for Sharif's nearby family estate.
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| Pope calls in Christmas message for unity against militant atrocities Posted: 25 Dec 2015 05:28 AM PST  By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis urged the world in his Christmas message on Friday to unite to end atrocities by Islamist militants that he said were causing immense suffering in many countries. Security was tight at the Vatican as Francis, marking the third Christmas since his election in 2013, read his traditional Christmas Day "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and the world) address from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica. After calling for an end to the civil wars in Syria and Libya, the pope said: "May the attention of the international community be unanimously directed to ending the atrocities which in those countries, as well as in Iraq, Libya, Yemen and sub-Saharan Africa, even now reap numerous victims, cause immense suffering and do not even spare the historical and cultural patrimony of entire peoples." He was clearly referring to Islamic State militants who have carried out numerous attacks in those countries and destroyed many cultural heritage sites.
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| Top Syrian rebel leader killed in air strike in Damascus suburb Posted: 25 Dec 2015 01:01 PM PST  By Suleiman Al-Khalidi BEIRUT (Reuters) - A top Syrian rebel leader and head of the most powerful insurgent group in the eastern suburbs of Damascus was killed in an aerial raid that targeted the group's headquarters, rebel sources and the Syrian army said on Friday. The death of Zahran Alloush, 44, head of Jaysh al Islam, is a big blow to rebel control of the rural eastern suburban area of Damascus known as al Ghouta, the rebels said. Defense experts say the disarray among the rebel forces could also consolidate Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's control over the rest of the area.
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| Exclusive: Islamic State sanctioned organ harvesting in document taken in U.S. raid Posted: 25 Dec 2015 09:52 AM PST  By Warren Strobel, Jonathan Landay and Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Islamic State has sanctioned the harvesting of human organs in a previously undisclosed ruling by the group's Islamic scholars, raising concerns that the violent extremist group may be trafficking in body parts. For a U.S. government translation of the document, click http://graphics.thomsonreuters.com/doc/document.pdf Reuters couldn't independently confirm the authenticity of the document. U.S. officials say it was among a trove of data and other information obtained by U.S. special forces in a raid in eastern Syria in May. "The apostate's life and organs don't have to be respected and may be taken with impunity," says the document, which is in the form of a fatwa, or religious ruling, from the Islamic State's Research and Fatwa Committee. "Organs that end the captive's life if removed: The removal of that type is also not prohibited," Fatwa Number 68 says, according to a U.S. government translation. The document does not offer any proof that Islamic State actually engages in organ harvesting or organ trafficking.
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| Israeli police say they killed Palestinian attempting ramming attack Posted: 25 Dec 2015 10:56 AM PST  Israeli border police shot dead a Palestinian woman who tried to ram them with her car in the West Bank on Friday, the police said, as a 12-week surge in street violence showed no sign of abating. A police spokesman said the car accelerated in the direction of the border police officers, who took cover and fired at the vehicle. One Palestinian witness, Suhail Hamed, 39, said the police opened fire when the car was 150 metres (yards) away from them.
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| Iraqi forces consolidate position in Ramadi ahead of final push against Islamic State Posted: 25 Dec 2015 07:08 AM PST  Iraqi troops who have fought their way deep into the Islamic State stronghold of Ramadi were consolidating their positions on Friday ahead of a planned final assault to capture the city.Soldiers were clearing bombs from roads and homes in districts of Ramadi they had already taken since launching their assault on the city on Tuesday, state TV said. Successfully recapturing Ramadi, a provincial capital in the fertile Euphrates River valley just two hours drive from Baghdad, would be one of the most important victories achieved by Iraq's armed forces since Islamic State militants swept across a third of the country in 2014. Shi'ite militia units backed by Iran, which have played a major part in other government offensives, have been kept away from the battlefield in Ramadi to avoid angering Sunni Muslim residents.
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| Tornado causes significant damage in Birmingham, Alabama: NWS Posted: 25 Dec 2015 04:36 PM PST (Reuters) - A tornado struck Birmingham, Alabama, on Friday, causing some "significant damage" to the southwestern portion of town, a National Weather Service forecaster said. National Weather Service meteorologist Jody Aaron said the twister was confirmed at about 5 p.m. local time, adding, "There does appear to be some significant damage." Further details were not immediately available. Alabama has been hit with storms and heavy rain since Wednesday. (Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco) |
| West Indies wins toss, bowls in second test vs. Australia Posted: 25 Dec 2015 04:31 PM PST MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — West Indies captain Jason Holder won a rain-delayed toss and sent Australia in to bat in the second test at a cool and damp Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday. |
| Report: Israeli windsurfers denied visas to go to Malaysia Posted: 25 Dec 2015 04:04 PM PST KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — The Malaysian government said it has accepted the withdrawal of two Israeli windsurfers from the ISAF world youth sailing championships. |
| Air strike kills Syria rebel chief ahead of peace talks Posted: 25 Dec 2015 03:59 PM PST  Powerful Syrian rebel chief Zahran Alloush was killed in an air strike claimed by the regime on Friday, dealing blows to both the nearly five-year uprising and a fragile peace process. Alloush, 44, was the commander of the Jaish al-Islam (Army of Islam) movement, the predominant opposition faction in the Eastern Ghouta rebel bastion east of Damascus. Hours after Alloush was killed, leading members of Jaish al-Islam elected Abu Himam al-Buwaydani as a replacement, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told AFP.
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| Imprisoned reporter in Iran allowed longer visit with family Posted: 25 Dec 2015 03:39 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Post correspondent being held by the Iranian government for more than 500 days has been allowed a Christmas Day visit with his wife and mother. |
| NBA Capsules Posted: 25 Dec 2015 03:35 PM PST MIAMI (AP) — Chris Bosh had 30 points and 10 rebounds, Dwyane Wade added 19 points to move into No. 3 on the NBA's Christmas Day list and the Miami Heat survived some shaky moments to beat the New Orleans Pelicans 94-88 in overtime Friday. |
| Late-night earthquake rattles Pakistani capital, Afghanistan Posted: 25 Dec 2015 03:30 PM PST ISLAMABAD (AP) — A strong earthquake shook parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan, rattling buildings and forcing sleeping residents out of their homes. |
| Protesters ransack Muslim prayer hall on Corsica Posted: 25 Dec 2015 02:42 PM PST  Demonstrators ransacked a Muslim prayer hall and set fire to copies of the Koran on the French island of Corsica Friday, police said, in an attack condemned by the government. The violence came on Christmas day amid heightened security measures for the holiday, and nationwide fears after the November 13 attacks in Paris by jihadists that killed 130 people. French Prime Minister Manuel Valls wrote on Twitter that the break-in in the city of Ajaccio was "an unacceptable desecration".
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| Top Asian News 10:26 p.m. GMT Posted: 25 Dec 2015 02:26 PM PST ISLAMABAD (AP) — India's Narendra Modi made a surprise visit to Pakistan on Friday, his first such trip as prime minister to this Islamic nation that has been India's long-standing archrival in the region. The previously unannounced visit is a potential sign of thawing relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. The two heads of government also had an unscheduled meeting at the Paris climate change talks earlier this month. Since gaining independence from Britain in 1947, India and Pakistan have fought three wars, two of them over Kashmir, the Himalayan region that both countries claim. Modi landed on Friday afternoon in the eastern city of Lahore and met with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif, state-run media reported. |
| Serena Williams wins AP Female Athlete of Year for 4th time Posted: 25 Dec 2015 02:12 PM PST  Serena Williams spent a good portion of 2015 deflecting questions about whether she could complete the Grand Slam. After coming oh-so-close, she can acknowledge how much she cared about the rare feat.
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| Valeant chief hospitalized for pneumonia Posted: 25 Dec 2015 02:11 PM PST  The chief executive of embattled Canadian pharmaceutical company Valeant, J. Michael Pearson, has been admitted to hospital for "severe" pneumonia, a spokeswoman said Friday. "Mike Pearson was recently admitted to the hospital and is receiving treatment for a severe case of pneumonia," spokeswoman Laurie Little said by email, without providing further details about his condition. Valeant has rejected all accusation that it has engaged in deceptive business practices.
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| Sri Lanka wins toss, bats in 1st ODI vs New Zealand Posted: 25 Dec 2015 02:05 PM PST CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (AP) — Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat on Saturday in the first of five one-day internationals against New Zealand. |
| Corsica violence injures firefighters; prayer hall damaged Posted: 25 Dec 2015 01:55 PM PST PARIS (AP) — A crowd vandalized a Muslim prayer room in Corsica a day after an ambush left firefighters injured on the French island. |
| US reporter jailed in Iran allowed Christmas visit by family Posted: 25 Dec 2015 01:53 PM PST  Jason Rezaian, the Washington Post journalist who has been held by Iran's government for nearly 18 months, was allowed a rare visit with relatives for several hours on Christmas Day, the daily said Friday. The Iranian-American reporter, convicted of espionage by a secretive Iranian court and serving an unspecified prison sentence, marked his 500th day in the notorious Evin prison earlier this month. "This is the first time in the year that I have been visiting him in Evin prison that I could spend an extended time there and bring him his first home cooked meal in months," his mother Mary Rezaian said in an email to the newspaper.
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| Former FIFA official pleads guilty to charges in Uruguay Posted: 25 Dec 2015 12:59 PM PST  MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) — A former top FIFA official caught up in a U.S. probe of corruption in soccer has pleaded guilty to fraud and money laundering charges in his native Uruguay.
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| Two dead as hundreds of migrants try to enter Spanish territory Posted: 25 Dec 2015 12:51 PM PST  Two migrants drowned and 12 others were injured Friday when they tried to enter into the tiny Spanish territory of Ceuta in North Africa by swimming from Morocco or scaling a barbed-wire fence, officials in both nations said. Just before 4:00 am (0300 GMT) a group of over 300 migrants tried to get into the Spanish city which borders Morocco and is located across the Strait of Gibraltar from mainland Spain, the Spanish government authority in Ceuta said in a statement. Moroccan forces intercepted over 120 migrants but 182 others managed to get into Ceuta by climbing over the fence or swimming into the territory, it said.
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| Chile eyes construction of permanent Antarctica pier Posted: 25 Dec 2015 12:27 PM PST  Chile is carrying out a feasibility study for the construction of a permanent pier at one of its bases in Antarctica, an official was quoted as saying Friday. The move, being explored by the Ministry of Public Works, would facilitate access to the far-flung area for both scientists and tourists. The ministry said the first stage was to scout out a suitable place for the pier in Fildes Bay on King George Island where the small town of Villa Las Estrellas, part of the Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva base, is located.
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| Strong earthquake hits northeast Afghanistan Posted: 25 Dec 2015 12:27 PM PST A 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit northern Afghanistan and Pakistan late on Friday, two months after more than 300 people were killed by a quake in the same mountainous region. Strong shocks were felt in the Afghan capital Kabul at 11:14 p.m. local time (1914 GMT) and in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, waking sleeping people and driving them out of their houses. The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake, initially reported as magnitude 6.4, was at a depth of 126.5 miles (203 km) and centered 51 miles (82 km) southeast of the town of Feyzabad, capital of the Afghan province of Badakhshan. |
| Top Syrian rebel killed in airstrike near Damascus Posted: 25 Dec 2015 12:16 PM PST BEIRUT (AP) — An airstrike near the Syrian capital on Friday killed top rebel commander Zahran Allouch, the head of one of the most powerful Saudi-backed insurgent groups fighting against President Bashar Assad's government near the seat of his power Damascus, opposition activists said. |
| Guam governor to appeal tax refunds case to Supreme Court Posted: 25 Dec 2015 12:12 PM PST HAGATNA, Guam (AP) — Guam Gov. Eddie Calvo is continuing to challenge a federal court order that requires the U.S. territory to pay tax refunds no later than six months after the tax-filing deadline. |
| C. Africa elections postponed to December 30 Posted: 25 Dec 2015 12:11 PM PST  Long-delayed elections in volatile Central African Republic that are key to ending years of brutal sectarian unrest were postponed Friday for three days until December 30. The postponement was due to problems sending ballot papers to voting centres outside the capital Bangui in time for an election this weekend -- a reflection of the difficulties the poverty-stricken country faces in its bid to return to peace and normalcy. "For technical reasons the first round of the presidential and legislative elections scheduled for Sunday 27 December 2015 is delayed until Wednesday December 30 2015," the country's National Election Authority (ANE) said Friday.
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| Nigerian gas plant blast claims 'tens' of lives, president says Posted: 25 Dec 2015 12:03 PM PST  Lagos (AFP) - "Tens" of people were killed in a huge Christmas Eve blast at an industrial gas plant in southeastern Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari said Friday. In an emailed press statement, Buhari said he was "greatly shaken and shocked by such large scale loss of human lives in a single industrial accident". Nnewi resident Ilochonwu Prince, who lives near the plant, said he thought a house had collapsed when he heard the blast at around 11:30 am on Thursday.
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| Gunmen kill Yemen intelligence officer: security source Posted: 25 Dec 2015 11:26 AM PST  Assailants shot dead a senior Yemeni intelligence officer in Marib city east of the capital Sanaa on Friday, a security source said. Commander Jarallah Salhi was gunned down in the centre of the city controlled by forces loyal to the government in the conflict against Iran-backed Shiite Huthi rebels. The Huthis seized Sanaa last year and then advanced south to the second city of Aden, forcing President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi to flee to Saudi Arabia.
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| Colombia captures 8 members of ELN guerrilla group Posted: 25 Dec 2015 11:18 AM PST BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Authorities captured eight members of the National Liberation Army and rescued a minor who also belonged to the guerrilla group, Colombia's top security official said Friday. |
| Palestinian woman tries to ram car into Israel border guards, is killed Posted: 25 Dec 2015 11:13 AM PST  A Palestinian woman tried to ram a car into Israeli border guards in a village in the occupied West Bank on Friday, before being shot dead, the police said. "An attempted attack to ram a car into border guards deployed in the village of Silwad (northwest of Ramallah) failed. The border guards spotted the terrorist... fired on her and killed her," a police spokesman said in a statement.
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| Turkey's Erdogan talks man on bridge out of suicide Posted: 25 Dec 2015 10:46 AM PST  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan used his celebrated rhetorical skills to save a life on Friday, preventing a man from jumping off Istanbul's Bosphorus Bridge. The man was apparently preparing to jump to his death when Erdogan's motorcade was passing over the bridge linking Europe with Asia after Friday prayers. News footage showed Erdogan's bodyguards bringing the sobbing man, who appeared to be in his early 30s, to talk to him through the window of his car.
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| Erdogan's office says he stopped man from jumping off bridge Posted: 25 Dec 2015 10:44 AM PST  ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's office says Erdogan has talked a man out of jumping off a bridge.
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| Cypriot leaders issue joint festive peace message Posted: 25 Dec 2015 10:44 AM PST  Rival Cypriot leaders have issued a joint festive message across the divided island in each other's language, in a show of unity as they push for peace in 2016. Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades and his Turkish Cypriot counterpart Mustafa Akinci expressed hopes for reunification in the Christmas Eve televised message which was also posted on YouTube. "I wish the new year will allow us... to live once more peacefully in a reunited country," Anastasiades said in Turkish, the first time he has spoken the language in public.
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| India's Modi on surprise 'goodwill' Pakistan visit Posted: 25 Dec 2015 10:41 AM PST  Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a surprise "goodwill" visit to arch-rival Pakistan on Friday, with the first such trip in a decade seen as a step towards normalising ties between the nuclear-armed neighbours. Modi, who announced the trip via Twitter while in Kabul, met in Lahore with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif, who was celebrating his birthday and the wedding of a grand-daughter, for a two-and-a-half hour visit seen by analysts as a positive step. A meeting of their top diplomats is now set for January in Islamabad, indicating a potential thaw in ties between two countries that have fought three wars, along with countless close calls, since gaining independence from Britain in 1947.
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| A Radiohead Christmas surprise -- an unused Bond song Posted: 25 Dec 2015 10:21 AM PST  Art-house rockers Radiohead offered a Christmas surprise Friday -- a new song, initially intended for the latest James Bond film. "It didn't work out, but became something of our own, which we love very much," Radiohead wrote on its website. "As the year closes we thought you might like to hear it," Radiohead said, offering Christmas greetings and releasing the track free of charge.
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| Ousted Russian Orthodox Church cleric assails Russian elites Posted: 25 Dec 2015 10:18 AM PST  MOSCOW (AP) — A conservative priest who lost his high-level job at the Russian Orthodox Church assailed Russia's "immoral elites" Friday and predicted a national catastrophe if the country fails to allow free public discussion.
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| In Christmas message, pope speaks out on conflicts, migrants Posted: 25 Dec 2015 10:17 AM PST  Pope Francis offered a Christmas message Friday of mitigated hope for an end to the world's conflicts, backing recent accords on Syria and Libya and praising those who shelter migrants. Delivering his Christmas message from the balcony of St Peter's Basilica, the 79-year-old pontiff touched on several other conflict zones, including Iraq, Yemen, the DR Congo, Burundi and South Sudan following a year of violence and suffering that forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes. After a year that saw more than one million migrants reach Europe, Francis praised those who shelter them, asking God to "repay all those, both individuals and states, who generously work to provide assistance and welcome" to them.
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