| Evacuation of Damascus militants delayed after rebel leader killed Posted: 26 Dec 2015 10:02 AM PST  By Suleiman Al-Khalidi BEIRUT (Reuters) - A U.N.-brokered deal to evacuate more than 2,000 Islamic State fighters and other militants from rebel-held suburbs of Damascus on Saturday has been delayed after the killing of an insurgent leader, an organization that monitors the Syrian war said. The United Nations said it aimed to convene peace talks in Geneva on Jan. 25 to try to end nearly five years of civil war and it appealed to the warring parties not to allow events on the ground to derail the process. The evacuation from Damascus had been expected to take place early on Saturday but was delayed as there was now no secure territory for the militants to pass through, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an independent British-based monitoring group that tracks violence across Syria.
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| Iraqi troops close in on Islamic State redoubt in Ramadi Posted: 26 Dec 2015 06:27 AM PST  By Ahmed Rasheed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi troops have pushed deeper into the heart of the last remaining district held by Islamic State in the city of Ramadi, despite being slowed by bombs and booby traps, army spokesmen said on Saturday. Recapturing Ramadi, which fell to the militants in May, would be one of the most important victories achieved by Iraq's armed forces since Islamic State swept across a third of the country in 2014. Soldiers advanced overnight in the Hoz neighborhood that houses the provincial government compound, the target of an attack that started on Tuesday, joint operations command spokesman Brigadier Yahya Rasool said.
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| Austrian police say European capitals have been warned of possible attack Posted: 26 Dec 2015 10:13 AM PST  Vienna police said on Saturday a "friendly" intelligence service had warned European capitals of the possibility of a shooting or bomb attack before New Year, prompting police across the continent to increase security measures. "Several possible names of potential attackers were mentioned, which were checked, and the investigation based on (these checks) has so far yielded no concrete results," Vienna police said in a statement, some six weeks after 130 people were killed in Islamist bombing and shooting attacks in Paris. "In the days before Christmas a warning was sent out by a friendly (intelligence) service to numerous European capitals, saying that it could come to an attack involving explosives or a shooting between Christmas and the New Year in crowded spaces." The police asked Austrians for their understanding of the need for more security controls.
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| U.N. Syria mediator aims to convene peace talks on January 25 Posted: 26 Dec 2015 08:05 AM PST  By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations said on Saturday it aims to bring together Syria's warring parties on Jan. 25 in Geneva to begin talks to try to end nearly five years of civil war. U.N. Syria mediator Staffan de Mistura plans to convene representatives of the Syrian government and "the broadest possible spectrum of the Syrian opposition and others," his spokesman said in a statement. The U.N. Security Council unanimously approved a resolution on Dec. 18 endorsing an international road map for a Syria peace process, in a rare show of unity among major powers.
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| Islamic State 'gets tougher' in face of air strikes: audio message Posted: 26 Dec 2015 09:11 AM PST  A new message purporting to come from the leader of Islamic State said air strikes by Russia and a U.S.-led coalition had failed to weaken the group. The more intense the war against it, the purer it becomes and the tougher it gets," said the audio recording, described as by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The authenticity of the message, posted on Saturday on Twitter accounts that have published Islamic State statements in the past, could not be verified.
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| Over 100,000 flee flooding in Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay Posted: 26 Dec 2015 12:45 PM PST  By Mariel Cristaldo and Sarah Marsh ASUNCION/BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - More than 100,000 people have had to evacuate from their homes in the bordering areas of Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil and Argentina due to severe flooding in the wake of heavy summer rains brought on by El Niño, authorities said on Saturday. In the worse affected country, Paraguay, around 90,000 people in the area around the capital city of Asuncion have been evacuated, the municipal Emergencies Office said. Many are poor families living in precarious housing along the banks of the River Paraguay.
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| I could quit Man Utd, says embattled Van Gaal Posted: 26 Dec 2015 04:49 PM PST  Stoke-on-Trent (United Kingdom) (AFP) - Louis van Gaal said that he could jump before he is pushed after his position as Manchester United manager became even more precarious following a fourth successive defeat. The under-fire Dutchman, 64, looked like a condemned man throughout United's sorry 2-0 loss to Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday and then in the inquest that took place afterwards. When grilled about the firestorm of speculation surrounding his likely sacking and the possible appointment of Jose Mourinho, Van Gaal intimated that he may be about to walk away from a job that has undergone a dramatic downturn in fortunes in the past month.
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| City's Kompany suffers fresh injury setback Posted: 26 Dec 2015 04:39 PM PST  Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany faces another spell out of action after aggravating a calf injury just eight minutes into his comeback, manager Manuel Pellegrini revealed after his side's 4-1 thrashing of Sunderland. Belgium centre-back Kompany had missed eight successive matches with the problem before returning as a substitute after 62 minutes of City's stroll at Eastlands on Saturday. "Vincent is not the best news.
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| Hiddink frustrated at Costa blow Posted: 26 Dec 2015 04:34 PM PST  Guus Hiddink admits the absence of Diego Costa is a major blow to Chelsea's hopes of taking advantage of Manchester United's struggles when they travel to Old Trafford on Monday. Hiddink took charge of his first game since being installed as Chelsea interim manager, overseeing a frustrating 2-2 draw against Watford at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. The result left Chelsea in 15th place and came at the cost of a fifth booking of the season for Costa, who will now miss the meeting with United while he serves a one-match ban.
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| Tornado, flood deaths reach 18 in U.S., more storms ahead Posted: 26 Dec 2015 04:10 PM PST  (Reuters) - The death toll from tornadoes and flooding this week in the southern United States climbed to 18 on Saturday, according to officials and local media, as the nation braced for more stormy weather during the busy post-holiday travel weekend. The bodies of a man and a woman missing in Benton County, Mississippi, since being caught in a tornado on Wednesday, were found by search and rescue teams on Saturday morning, said Greg Flynn, spokesman for Mississippi Emergency Management Agency. The cause of their deaths was not disclosed, but they brought the total dead from tornadoes in Mississippi to 10, in addition to 56 people injured, officials said.
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| More boats out of Sydney to Hobart as Americans lead Posted: 26 Dec 2015 03:41 PM PST  Strong winds knocked out more Sydney to Hobart competitors Sunday, joining eight-time line honours winners Wild Oats XI, as sailors battled wild weather off Australia's east coast, officials said. Cookson 12 Pazazz (mainsail damage), Hanse 495 Takani (rudder damage) and Brindabella (mainsail damage) were the latest retirements as the 108-strong fleet that set sail from Sydney Harbour on Saturday was whittled down to 95. The retirement of Wild Oats XI -- which holds the race record of one day, 18 hours, 23 minutes and 12 seconds set in 2012 -- left the race in the hands of American challengers Comanche and Rambler, the organising Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) said.
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| Guinea's Conde names new PM: decree Posted: 26 Dec 2015 03:32 PM PST  Guinea's President Alpha Conde on Saturday appointed a new prime minister, he said in a decree, after being sworn in earlier this week for a controversial new five-year term. Mamady Youla, an economist who has worked both for private sector firms and the government, replaces Mohamed Said Fofana, who stepped down Wednesday, according to the decree that was read out on public television. The fact that Youla has worked for private sector companies "sends a strong signal to national and international financial decision makers," the statement said.
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| Costa Rica moves to deport 56 Cuban migrants Posted: 26 Dec 2015 03:06 PM PST SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) — Authorities in Costa Rica have begun deportation proceedings for 56 Cuban migrants who entered that Central American nation after it stopped issuing special transit visas for Cubans who are trying to get to the United States. |
| 49ers bring back Aussie Hayne Posted: 26 Dec 2015 03:00 PM PST  Australian Jarryd Hayne, the former rugby league star who jumped to American football this season was recalled Saturday to the active roster of the injury-hit San Francisco 49ers. Hayne, a two-time player of the year in Australia's National Rugby League, made headlines worldwide when he claimed a spot on the 49ers' season-opening active roster as a kick returner and running back.
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| Van Gaal could quit United; Arsenal routed by Southampton Posted: 26 Dec 2015 02:53 PM PST  STOKE, England (AP) — Arsenal and Manchester United were embarrassed and Chelsea drew on another erratic day in the Premier League. And despite losing at Liverpool, Leicester's surprise lead was maintained on Saturday.
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| Boko Haram kills at least 14 in Christmas Day attack in Nigeria Posted: 26 Dec 2015 02:50 PM PST  At least 14 people were killed and several others injured by Boko Haram gunmen in a Christmas Day attack on a village in northeastern Nigeria, vigilantes said Saturday. "The gunmen killed 14 people and burnt the whole village before they fled," Mustapha Karimbe, a civilian assisting the military in fighting Boko Haram, told AFP. "Not a single house was spared in the arson," another vigilante, Musa Suleiman, said after visiting the razed village.
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| California wildfire burns 1,200 acres northwest of Los Angeles, closes highway Posted: 26 Dec 2015 02:46 PM PST  By Patrick T. Fallon VENTURA, Calif. (Reuters) - A wildfire northwest of Los Angeles burned about 1,200 acres of land, forced the closure of parts of a major highway and led to evacuations on Saturday, fire officials said. More than 600 firefighters battled the blaze in the Solimar Beach area of Ventura County, and parts of U.S. Highway 101 were closed for part of the day, county fire department officials told a news conference. No injuries have been reported, fire officials said.
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| Basque Country beats Catalonia 1-0 in friendly Posted: 26 Dec 2015 02:37 PM PST BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Aritz Aduriz scored to help the Basque Country beat Catalonia 1-0 in a friendly between the Spanish regions on Saturday. |
| Arsenal misses chance to go top in 4-0 rout by Southampton Posted: 26 Dec 2015 02:34 PM PST  SOUTHAMPTON, England (AP) — Title-chasing Arsenal was thrashed 4-0 by a Southampton side that had been on a five-game winless run in the Premier League on Saturday.
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| Austria police step up security amid terror warning Posted: 26 Dec 2015 02:07 PM PST  Austrian police said Saturday they stepped up security in Vienna and other cities after receiving a warning of possible attacks during the holiday season. "In the lead-up to Christmas, a friendly intelligence service sent a warning to numerous European capitals saying potential bomb or gun attacks could take place in areas with large crowds between Christmas and New Year," Vienna police said in a statement. In response to the alert, police officials said they would increase security at public events and tighten controls on roads in Vienna and elsewhere in Austria.
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| American yachts lead Sydney-Hobart, defending champion out Posted: 26 Dec 2015 01:57 PM PST  HOBART, Australia (AP) — Rambler 88 led by six nautical miles over fellow American yacht Comanche early Sunday in a Sydney to Hobart race hit by overnight storms that forced the retirement of more than a dozen entries, including eight-time and defending champion Wild Oats XI.
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| Floods hit parts of England as government scrambles to respond Posted: 26 Dec 2015 01:57 PM PST  Heavy rains triggered floods in parts of northern England on Saturday, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of homes and the deployment of army personnel to shore up overwhelmed defences. Lancashire in northwest England and Yorkshire in the northeast were the worst affected, with environment officials issuing more than 300 alerts in those areas, including 31 warnings of possible deadly floods. Underscoring the severity of the deluge, Prime Minister David Cameron is expected to visit the flood-hit region on Monday after chairing an emergency government COBRA committee meeting on Sunday.
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| US beats Canada 4-2 in world junior hockey opener Posted: 26 Dec 2015 01:54 PM PST  HELSINKI (AP) — Louis Belpedio and Auston Matthews scored in a 41-second span late in the third period to give the United States a 4-2 victory over Canada 4-2 on Saturday in their first round-robin game in the world junior hockey championship.
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| Niners promote rugby star Jarryd Hayne from practice squad Posted: 26 Dec 2015 01:39 PM PST SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers have promoted former Australian Rugby League star Jarryd Hayne from the practice squad. |
| Argentine activist to keep hunting for missing granddaughter Posted: 26 Dec 2015 01:26 PM PST  A 92-year-old activist in Argentina who has spent decades searching for a granddaughter abducted during the country's 1976-1983 military dictatorship plans to resume her search -- after being misinformed the woman had been found. Mariani is one of the country's best known rights activists, and the Christmas Eve news that she had finally found her granddaughter -- who was abducted as an infant when regime agents killed her mother -- was the feel-good story of the season. Mariani, who is nearly blind, "is extremely sad, and in pain," spokesman Juan Martin Padilla said Saturday.
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| Van Gaal raises prospect of quitting after 4th loss in a row Posted: 26 Dec 2015 01:19 PM PST  STOKE, England (AP) — Louis van Gaal raised the prospect of quitting as Manchester United manager after Stoke condemned the club to a fourth straight loss for the first time in 54 years on Saturday.
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| Escaped prisoner's severed head found in Jamaica Posted: 26 Dec 2015 12:59 PM PST SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Jamaican officials say the severed head of a murder suspect who escaped from jail has been found along railroad tracks in a city west of the capital. |
| French soldier dies in wingsuit jump from Le Brevent Posted: 26 Dec 2015 12:49 PM PST  A 39-year-old French soldier was killed Saturday while attempting a wingsuit jump in the Alps, the latest casualty in what is regarded as one of the most dangerous extreme sports, a rescue worker said. The man died after jumping off the 2,525 metre-high (over 8,000-feet) summit of Le Brevent in the French Alps. American daredevil Johnny Strange died in the Swiss Alps in October while also attempting a jump in a wingsuit.
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| 6 killed in Islamist attack on Mali ex-rebel base Posted: 26 Dec 2015 12:42 PM PST  Six former fighters were killed this week in an attack claimed by an Islamist group linked to Al-Qaeda in northeastern Mali, the country's main ex-rebel group and a UN source told AFP on Saturday. Six of our fighters were killed," Moussa Ag Tinflou, a member of the Coordination of Movements of Azawad (CMA), told AFP. The CMA was one of northern Mali's main rebel factions, and Islamist groups are branded "terrorist" in this region.
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| Floods force mass evacuations in 4 South American countries Posted: 26 Dec 2015 12:25 PM PST  BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Widespread floods have forced nearly 140,000 people from their homes in Paraguay, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil following days of torrential rains that drenched a region where the countries border each other.
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| Israel says Palestinian killed as he tries to stab policemen Posted: 26 Dec 2015 12:25 PM PST  JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli policemen shot and killed a Palestinian as he tried to stab them in Jerusalem on Saturday, police said, while another Palestinian was shot dead in the West Bank after ramming his vehicle into a checkpoint, the military said, in the latest incidents in over three months of unrelenting violence.
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| German navy 'rescued over 10,000 migrants' in 2015 Posted: 26 Dec 2015 12:23 PM PST  Germany's navy said Saturday it rescued over 10,000 migrants at sea this year, including more than 500 people off the coast of Libya on Christmas day. "The German navy's ships rescued 10,528 people since May 7, 2015," when its fleet launched a rescue operation, the Bundeswehr said on its website. One ship went into action at Christmas on Friday some 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the Libyan coast, rescuing 539 people on board three inflatable boats and a wooden vessel.
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| New Corsica protest day after Muslim prayer hall attacked Posted: 26 Dec 2015 12:20 PM PST  Dozens of angry Corsicans staged a fresh protest on the French Mediterranean island on Saturday, a day after demonstrators vandalised a Muslim prayer hall and trashed copies of the Koran after an assault on firefighters. As condemnation poured in from Muslim authorities and French officials over Friday's anti-Arab protests, around 100 demonstrators shouting "We're still here" turned out in the same low-income neighbourhood of the capital Ajaccio where the Christmas day violence took place. Despite a heavy police presence, one demonstrator managed to smash three glass entrance doors in the Jardins de l'Empereur housing estate perched on an Ajaccio hillside as protesters shouted "This is our home!" and "Arabs get out".
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| Tottenham beat Norwich 3-0 to cling to 4th in EPL Posted: 26 Dec 2015 12:18 PM PST  LONDON (AP) — Harry Kane became Tottenham's highest scorer in a calendar year in the English Premier League when his pair propelled them to 3-0 over Norwich on Saturday.
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| Top rebel's death in Syria reshuffles deck ahead of talks Posted: 26 Dec 2015 12:12 PM PST  BEIRUT (AP) — The assassination of a top Syrian rebel commander who led one of the most powerful groups battling President Bashar Assad's forces has dealt a significant setback to the opposition that could reshuffle the lineup of key players on the ground ahead of the planned peace talks in Geneva next month.
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| Error in ID of stolen baby from Argentine dictatorship era Posted: 26 Dec 2015 12:10 PM PST BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — A member of a group searching for loved ones who disappeared during Argentina's dictatorship says this week's revelation that a missing granddaughter had been found was erroneous. |
| De Klerk attacks plan to remove Rhodes statue from Oxford college Posted: 26 Dec 2015 12:04 PM PST  South Africa's last white president, F. W. de Klerk, on Saturday criticised a campaign to remove a statue of British colonialist Cecil Rhodes from an Oxford college. The move to remove the statue follows a similar campaign at the University of Cape Town, where a statue of Rhodes has already been taken down, and whose "Rhodes Must Fall" initiative now aims to tackle institutional racism. De Klerk described the student-led plan, whose British arm is called "Rhodes Must Fall in Oxford" as "folly".
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| Leicester boss blasts television match official system Posted: 26 Dec 2015 11:52 AM PST  Leicester boss Richard Cockerill lashed out at the influence of the television match official (TMO) system on Saturday, claiming technology is having a detrimental effect on the referee's decision-making. Cockerill was angry that both Telusa Veainu and Mat Tait had first-half scores ruled out after consultation with the TMO despite his team cruising to a 22-10 win over Newcastle. "Mat Tait's try could have gone either way, but you have the referee saying I can't see anything wrong with it but then the TMO is saying it's a knock-on so I don't know who's refereeing the game any more," said director of rugby Cockerill.
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| Recovery underway after storms kill 17 in southern US Posted: 26 Dec 2015 11:52 AM PST  Millions of residents in the southern United States struggled Saturday to recover from fierce storms and floods that officials say have left at least 17 people dead in Mississippi, Tennessee and Arkansas. With more severe weather expected across the central United States, forecasters are warning of airport delays and flooded roads as travelers return home after the Christmas holiday. Feeding on unseasonably warm air, storms left a trail of destruction in rural communities from Alabama to Illinois.
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