| Pope says Christmas 'hostage' to materialism, God in shadows Posted: 24 Dec 2016 02:25 PM PST  By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis said on Saturday that Christmas had been "taken hostage" by dazzling materialism that puts God in the shadows and blinds many to the needs of the hungry, the migrants and the war weary. Francis, leading the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics into Christmas for the fourth time since his election in 2013, said in his Christmas Eve homily that a world often obsessed with gifts, feasting and self-centeredness needed more humility. "If we want to celebrate Christmas authentically, we need to contemplate this sign: the fragile simplicity of a small newborn, the meekness of where he lies, the tender affection of the swaddling clothes.
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| Russian jets step up raids on rebel-held Idlib and rural Aleppo Posted: 24 Dec 2016 02:33 PM PST  Russian jets stepped up strikes on several towns in Syria's rebel-held Idlib province and rural Aleppo two days after the evacuation of rebels from their last pocket in the northern city of Aleppo, rebels and residents said on Saturday. Idlib province for months has been a target of Russia's heavy bombing campaign against rebel-held areas. It came even while the former eastern part of Aleppo under insurgent control faced an escalation in aerial raids and shelling until its defenses collapsed and the rebels were forced to agree to an evacuation deal.
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| Tunisian security forces arrest three for links to Berlin market attack suspect Posted: 24 Dec 2016 08:26 AM PST  Tunisian security forces have arrested three suspected militants after uncovering their links to Anis Amri, the Tunisian national believed responsible for the Berlin Christmas market attack that killed 12 people, the interior ministry said on Saturday. The nephew had been communicating with Amri about declaring allegiance to Islamic State and had also sent him money using a false name, it said. In Spain, intelligence services are investigating a possible connection via Internet between Amri and a Spanish resident on Dec. 19, Interior Minister Juan Ignacio Zoido told radio station COPE on Saturday.
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| French-Swiss aid worker kidnapped in Mali town of Gao Posted: 24 Dec 2016 03:47 PM PST By Adama Diarra BAMAKO (Reuters) - A female French-Swiss aid worker was kidnapped in the city of Gao in northern Mali on Saturday afternoon, a spokesman for the Ministry of Security said. It was not clear who was responsible for the act, or why the aid worker was taken, said Commandant Baba Cissé. The desert nation has been beset by attacks from resurgent Islamist groups like al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) this year, especially in the north. |
| South Koreans protest for ninth straight weekend for Park to step down Posted: 24 Dec 2016 03:46 AM PST  By Yun Hwan Chae SEOUL (Reuters) - A large crowd of South Koreans took to the streets of central Seoul on Saturday for the ninth weekend in a row to demand the immediate resignation of President Park Geun-hye, who has been impeached by parliament over a corruption scandal. About 200 young people dressed as Santa Claus gave out gifts to some of around 200,000 people taking part in the rally, many of whom brought their children. "It'll be a Merry Christmas if Park Geun-hye steps down!" the crowd chanted.
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| Snow storm bears down on western U.S. as holiday travelers hit the roads Posted: 24 Dec 2016 05:38 PM PST  By Brendan O'Brien MILWAUKEE (Reuters) - A winter storm was taking aim on Saturday at the U.S. West and Midwest where it was expected to dump heavy snow and freezing rain, causing headaches for millions of holiday travelers who were hitting the road over the weekend, forecasters said. Winter storm and blizzard warnings and watches were in effect from Nevada and Colorado up through the Dakotas and into northern Minnesota as 2 inches (5 cm) to 15 inches (38 cm) of snow along with strong gusts were in the forecast on Saturday and Sunday, the National Weather Service said. "Blizzard conditions are possible across portions of the northern plains on Christmas Day, where snow along with winds gusting in excess of 60 mph could create very dangerous travel conditions," the weather service said.
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| Conte revels in Chelsea's Christmas cheer Posted: 24 Dec 2016 05:29 PM PST  Antonio Conte's first few months as Chelsea manager could hardly have gone any better as his side head into the holiday period six points clear at the Premier League summit. The west London club face Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on Monday seeking a 12th successive league victory, which would leave them two wins short of equalling Arsenal's all-time top-flight record. After an inconsistent start, Conte has made his mark on the club and while he accepts the extent of Chelsea's recent success has been unexpected, he believes it is fully merited.
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| Top Asian News 1:14 a.m. GMT Posted: 24 Dec 2016 05:14 PM PST MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A powerful typhoon was heading for a Christmas Day collision with the central Philippines. Nock-Ten has intensified into a super typhoon with maximum sustained winds of 175 kilometers (108 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 215 kph (133 mph) and it heads for landfall over Cataduanes Island in the central Bicol region. It's then forecast to drag across the southern portion of the main Luzon island as it passes close to the capital, Manila, and begins to weaken. Heavy rainfall, damaging winds and battering waves are threatening heavily populated areas, where the Philippine weather bureau raised storm signals and warned that sea travel is risky along the eastern seaboard. |
| Cambodia's explanation for killing of activist draws doubt Posted: 24 Dec 2016 05:14 PM PST  PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Kem Ley, a poor rice farmer's son turned champion of Cambodia's have-nots, was sipping his usual iced latte in the same chair he had occupied most mornings for years. Eyewitnesses say a former soldier walked into the Caltex gas station cafe, fired a semi-automatic Glock pistol into his chest and head and casually walked away.
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| Israel's Netanyahu lashes out at Obama over UN vote Posted: 24 Dec 2016 05:03 PM PST  JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's prime minister lashed out at President Barack Obama on Saturday, accusing him of a "shameful ambush" at the United Nations over West Bank settlements and saying he is looking forward to working with his "friend" President-elect Donald Trump.
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| Super typhoon heads for Christmas Day blow to Philippines Posted: 24 Dec 2016 04:51 PM PST  MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A powerful typhoon was heading for a Christmas Day collision with the central Philippines.
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| Conte, Guardiola brace for Boxing Day football baptisms Posted: 24 Dec 2016 04:50 PM PST  Chelsea's Antonio Conte and his Manchester City counterpart Pep Guardiola are among the Premier League managers who will sample England's Boxing Day football extravaganza for the first time on Monday. With Chelsea six points clear at the summit and chasing a 12th consecutive win, which would set a new club record, Conte is approaching the visit of Bournemouth with a spring in his step. "This is the first experience for me and my family, to work, to play football (at this time of year)," said the Italian.
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| Veteran racer hopes to be on cue in King George Posted: 24 Dec 2016 04:44 PM PST  Doughty stayer Cue Card will endeavour to show his precociously talented novice stablemate Thistlecrack there's still life in the old legs in the King George VI Chase on Monday. Cue Card has two years and many top class wins under his belt over his fellow Colin Tizzard-trained star but Thistlecrack has taken to the larger obstacles -- he had no peers over hurdles last season -- with such élan he could even start favourite. For Cue Card though victory will put him one win away -- in the blue riband The Cheltenham Gold Cup in March next year -- for a million pound bonus having already won the first of the 'Triple Crown' the Betfair Lancashire Chase earlier this term.
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| Venezuela opposition says won't resume talks in January Posted: 24 Dec 2016 04:38 PM PST  Venezuela's opposition said Saturday it would not resume stalled talks with the government next month over their country's grave crisis because a number of demands had not been met. "Conditions do not exist for the return to direct dialogue between the parties on January 13," the secretary of the MUD opposition coalition, Jesus Torrealba, said. Such language would imply early elections to replace Maduro -- something the president has fiercely resisted despite him suffering deep unpopularity.
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| Slingsby looks to add Sydney to Hobart to race win resume Posted: 24 Dec 2016 04:36 PM PST  SYDNEY (AP) — Australian sailor Tom Slingsby has won the America's Cup and an Olympic gold medal. Still missing from his career resume is a line honors' victory in the Sydney to Hobart race.
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| After Berlin attack, Europe weighs freedom against security Posted: 24 Dec 2016 04:24 PM PST  PARIS (AP) — Open borders symbolize liberty and forward thinking for many Europeans — but they increasingly look like the continent's Achilles' heel.
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| Asylum seekers riot at Papua New Guinea detention camp Posted: 24 Dec 2016 04:16 PM PST By Harry Pearl SYDNEY (Reuters) - Asylum seekers held at a Papua New Guinea detention center briefly took control of two compounds and expelled guards following the death of a refugee who fell ill at the center, Papua New Guinea police said on Sunday. Senior Sergeant Thomas Lelepo, from Lorengau Police Station on Manus Island, said guards at the Manus Island regional processing center were expelled by residents last night. A 27-year-old Sudanese man, who was identified as Faysal Ishak Ahmed by refugee advocates, collapsed at the center and was evacuated to hospital in Australia this week. |
| UN Israel vote to make peace negotiations 'much harder': Trump Posted: 24 Dec 2016 04:02 PM PST  US President-elect Donald Trump said Saturday that the UN vote demanding Israel halt settlements in Palestinian territory would make a peace deal "much harder," but said it could happen anyway. "The big loss yesterday for Israel in the United Nations will make it much harder to negotiate peace.Too bad, but we will get it done anyway!" Trump said in a message on Twitter. The Security Council passed the measure after the United States abstained, enabling the adoption of the first UN resolution since 1979 to condemn Israel over its settlement policy.
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| Sunday's NFL Capsules Posted: 24 Dec 2016 03:14 PM PST  CLEVELAND, Ohio (AP) — The Browns are winless no more.
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| Germans must leave home Xmas morning as WWII bomb is defused Posted: 24 Dec 2016 02:22 PM PST  FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — More than 54,000 people in the southern German city of Augsburg will have to leave their homes Christmas morning while authorities defuse a giant 1.8-ton aerial bomb from World War II.
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| Bolivia president pardons 1,800 prisoners Posted: 24 Dec 2016 02:14 PM PST  La Paz (AFP) - Bolivian President Evo Morales pardoned around 1,800 prisoners on Saturday, including pregnant women, handicapped people, inmates with minor sentences and those in custody awaiting trial.
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| Pope Francis urges compassion for children at Christmas Posted: 24 Dec 2016 02:07 PM PST  Pope Francis urged the world's 1.2 billion Catholics to feel compassion for children, notably victims of war, migration and homelessness in his Christmas Eve mass but also those "not allowed to be born". "Let us allow the child in the manger to challenge us, but let us also allow ourselves to be challenged by the children of today's world," he said, speaking in St. Peter's Square. Many children have died this year while attempting the perilous Mediterranean migrant crossing to Europe which has claimed more than 5,000 lives in 2016 alone.
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| Explosion rocks east Aleppo in Syria as residents return Posted: 24 Dec 2016 02:06 PM PST  BEIRUT (AP) — An explosion rocked eastern Aleppo on Saturday as some residents were returning to their homes after the government assumed full control of the city earlier this week, state TV reported while fresh airstrikes on a rebel-held town near Aleppo killed at least five people.
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| In Christmas message, pope laments children in war, poverty Posted: 24 Dec 2016 01:49 PM PST  VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis urged Christians to celebrate the birth of Jesus by thinking about the plight of today's children, bemoaning how some must escape bombs or flee in migrant boats and how others are prevented from being born at all.
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| In Christmas Eve speech, king urges Spaniards to stay united Posted: 24 Dec 2016 01:40 PM PST MADRID (AP) — In his Christmas Eve speech, King Felipe VI of Spain urges respect for the rule of law and calls on Spaniards to remain united. |
| Malian authorities say Swiss aid worker abducted in Gao Posted: 24 Dec 2016 01:30 PM PST GAO, Mali (AP) — Authorities in northern Mali say a Swiss aid worker has been abducted in the town of Gao. |
| Santa Claus on track to deliver gifts despite storm: U.S. military Posted: 24 Dec 2016 01:30 PM PST  By Keith Coffman DENVER (Reuters) - A powerful Christmas Eve snowstorm descending on much of North America will not slow Santa Claus as he delivers presents to good girls and boys, U.S. military officials who track his annual flight said on Saturday. "Santa is an excellent pilot and since he lives on the North Pole he knows how to navigate through adverse weather conditions," said John Cornelio, spokesman for the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), based at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs. The National Weather Service has issued winter storm and blizzard warnings and watches for the western United States all the way up to northern-tier states.
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| Thousands of faithful celebrate Christmas in Bethlehem Posted: 24 Dec 2016 01:27 PM PST  BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — Thousands of pilgrims and tourists from around the world together with local Christians gathered in the biblical town of Bethlehem to celebrate Christmas Eve in the traditional birthplace of Jesus, with spirits lifted by a slowdown in recent violence and cool, clear weather.
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| Franco-Swiss woman kidnapped in Mali: officials Posted: 24 Dec 2016 01:23 PM PST  A woman with French and Swiss nationality was kidnapped Saturday in Gao, the biggest city in Mali's restive north, officials said. "We immediately launched a search," a security source said on condition of anonymity, without revealing her identity or how she was abducted. Two elected officials in Gao, more than 1,200 kilometres (750 miles) from the capital Bamako, confirmed the kidnapping.
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| Sri Lanka claims world's tallest artificial Christmas tree Posted: 24 Dec 2016 01:22 PM PST  COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka unveiled a towering Christmas tree on Saturday, claiming to have surpassed the world record for an artificial Christmas tree despite constructions delays and a shorter-than-planned finished product.
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| Tunisians protest against return of jihadists Posted: 24 Dec 2016 11:54 AM PST  Hundreds of people gathered outside Tunisia's parliament on Saturday to protest against letting jihadists who fought overseas to return to the country. "No to freedom for terrorist groups!" protestors chanted. It was held on the same day authorities said they had arrested three alleged jihadists connected to the suspected Berlin Christmas market attacker, Tunisian Anis Amri.
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| Tunisians protest against the return of jihadis like Amri Posted: 24 Dec 2016 11:44 AM PST  TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — About 200 people have protested in the Tunisian capital against the return of Tunisian jihadis who have fought abroad.
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| Investigators seek supply network for slain Berlin attacker Posted: 24 Dec 2016 11:41 AM PST  MILAN (AP) — Investigators on Saturday worked to determine if the Berlin Christmas market attacker got any logistical support to cross at least two European borders and evade capture for days before being killed in a police shootout in a Milan suburb.
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| Column: Shifting gears, Bears peddle hacked emails to media Posted: 24 Dec 2016 11:41 AM PST  PARIS (AP) — The message dropped unsolicited into my private Twitter inbox.
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| Tunisia arrests Berlin attacker's nephew Posted: 24 Dec 2016 11:26 AM PST  Tunisia on Saturday said it had arrested the nephew of Anis Amri, the suspected Berlin truck attacker gunned down by Italian police, as Germany searched for the jihadist's possible accomplices. Tunisia's interior ministry said the nephew and two other suspects, aged between 18 and 27, were detained on Friday and were members of a "terrorist cell" connected to Tunisian-born Amri. It made no direct link between the trio and the Berlin assault on Monday, when Amri is believed to have hijacked a truck and used it to mow down people at a Christmas market, killing 12.
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