| U.S. allies caution Trump on Syria strategy Posted: 09 Dec 2016 02:40 PM PST  By Warren Strobel, Yara Bayoumy and John Irish WASHINGTON/PARIS (Reuters) - Key U.S. allies in Europe are quietly expressing concern over President-elect Donald Trump's approach to Syria, warning that his pledge to work more closely with Russia, Damascus' main backer, will do little to diminish the terrorist threat emanating from Syria. The diplomatic persuasion campaign has taken on new importance in recent days as the Syrian army, backed by Russia, Iran and Shi'ite militias, appears poised to retake all of Aleppo city in a major defeat for Western-backed rebels. Moscow and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are expected to cast Aleppo's fall as the end of a revolt against Assad that began in March 2011, although Western analysts predict the civil war, which has killed more than 300,000 people and made more than half of Syrians homeless, will continue, perhaps for years.
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| Syrian government forces press attack in east Aleppo Posted: 09 Dec 2016 04:14 PM PST  By Laila Bassam and Lisa Barrington ALEPPO, Syria/BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian army pressed an offensive in Aleppo on Friday with ground fighting and air strikes in an operation to retake all of the city's rebel-held east that would bring victory in the civil war closer for President Bashar al-Assad. The Syrian army and its allies had recaptured 32 of east Aleppo's 40 neighborhoods, about 85 percent of the area, he said. There were no reports the Syrian army had made significant gains.
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| South Korean parliament votes overwhelmingly to impeach President Park Posted: 09 Dec 2016 08:34 AM PST  By Ju-min Park and Jack Kim SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean lawmakers voted overwhelmingly on Friday to impeach President Park Geun-hye over an influence-peddling scandal, setting the stage for her to become the country's first elected leader to be expelled from office in disgrace. The impeachment motion was carried by a wider-than-expect 234-56 margin in a secret ballot in parliament, meaning more than 60 of Park's own conservative Saenuri Party members backed removing her. The Constitutional Court must now decide whether to uphold the impeachment, a process that could take up to 180 days.
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| Drone strike kills militant linked to Charlie Hebdo attack: U.S. Posted: 09 Dec 2016 02:31 PM PST  A U.S. drone strike in Syria has killed an Islamic State militant linked to the Jan. 7 2015 attack on satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo in Paris, defense officials said on Friday. Boubaker el Hakim was killed late last month in Raqqa, the Islamic State's defacto capital in Syria, the officials said, adding he was believed to be involved with planning the attack. Charlie Hebdo, known for its satirical covers gleefully ridiculing political and religious leaders, lost many of its top editorial staff when brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi, armed with assault rifles and other weapons, broke into an editorial meeting and killed 12 people and wounded 11 others.
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| Gambia's President Jammeh says rejects outcome of Dec. 1 election Posted: 09 Dec 2016 04:08 PM PST  Gambia's President Yahya Jammeh said on Friday he rejects the outcome of last week's election that he lost to opposition leader Adama Barrow and called for fresh elections. The announcement made on state television throws the future of the West African country into doubt after an unexpected election result that ended Jammeh's 22-year rule and was widely seen as a moment of democratic hope. Jammeh's announcement presents an unexpected and severe challenge to the incoming Barrow administration, which was already grappling with how to take the reins of power and deal with the army that for two decades was loyal to the president.
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| Iraq says it destroys Mosul car bomb factories Posted: 09 Dec 2016 12:21 PM PST  By Dominic Evans BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi forces captured a neighborhood in east Mosul on Friday, pushing deeper to the heart of Islamic State's Iraq stronghold and destroying three sites where it produced car bombs used in waves of suicide attacks, the campaign's commander said. Lieutenant-General Abdul Ameer Rasheed Yarallah said Counter Terrorism Service forces spearheading the seven-week operation to retake Mosul seized the Tamim district halfway between the city's eastern edge and the River Tigris running through its center.
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| Top Asian News 1:35 a.m. GMT Posted: 09 Dec 2016 05:35 PM PST SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Large crowds were expected to gather in South Korea's capital on Saturday to celebrate the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye over an explosive corruption scandal that saw millions protest in previous weeks. Protesters were planning to march near the Seoul presidential palace where the notoriously aloof Park will remain mostly alone for up to six months until the Constitutional Court rules whether she should step down permanently. On Friday, South Korean lawmakers impeached Park, a stunning and swift fall for the country's first female leader. The vote came weeks after state prosecutors accused Park of colluding with a longtime friend to extort money and favors from companies and to give that confidante extraordinary sway over government decisions. |
| Large crowds to celebrate S. Korean president's impeachment Posted: 09 Dec 2016 05:35 PM PST  SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Large crowds were expected to gather in South Korea's capital on Saturday to celebrate the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye over an explosive corruption scandal that saw millions protest in previous weeks.
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| Nana Akufo-Addo wins Ghana presidential election Posted: 09 Dec 2016 05:34 PM PST  Challenger Nana Akufo-Addo won Ghana's national election on Friday, tapping into an electorate fed up with a sputtering economy and ready for change. Incumbent John Mahama conceded defeat in the evening two days after a hotly contested race that was seen as a test of the country's democracy in a region plagued by dictators and coups. Mahama called to congratulate opposition leader Akufo-Addo, whose New Patriotic Party (NPP) supporters had been gathering for hours outside his house after local media gave him a clear lead following the Wednesday vote.
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| Post-election, Trump closes companies tied to Saudi Arabia Posted: 09 Dec 2016 05:30 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump shut down some of his companies in the days after the election, including four that appeared connected to a possible Saudi Arabia business venture, according to corporate registrations in Delaware.
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| U.S. condemns Gambian President Jammeh's rejection of election results Posted: 09 Dec 2016 05:28 PM PST The United States on Friday condemned a statement from Gambia's President Yahya Jammeh rejecting the result of a Dec. 1 election that spelled the end of his 22-year rule. Jammeh had initially accepted the result and called his opponent Adama Barrow to concede defeat on state television. "This action is a reprehensible and unacceptable breach of faith with the people of The Gambia and an egregious attempt to undermine a credible election process and remain in power illegitimately," said Mark Toner, deputy spokesman at the U.S. Department of State. |
| Gambia's Jammeh rejects election results a week after conceding defeat Posted: 09 Dec 2016 05:24 PM PST  Gambia's President Yahya Jammeh said on Friday he would not recognise the results of December 1 elections and called for fresh polls, a week after he conceded defeat. "In the same way that I accepted the results faithfully believing that the Independent Electoral Commission was independent and honest and reliable, I hereby reject the results in totality," he said in a statement broadcast on state television. Jammeh pointed to an accounting error, identified by the IEC, which awarded victory to his opponent Adama Barrow but with a slimmer margin than initially announced.
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| Germans see refugees as biggest problem despite falling numbers Posted: 09 Dec 2016 05:08 PM PST  A record 890,000 mainly Muslim migrants from the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere arrived in Europe's largest economy in 2015, prompting concerns about security and integration. Chancellor Angela Merkel's popularity has waned since migrants started arriving in large numbers last summer and she expects next year's federal election, in which she plans to run for a fourth term, to be "tough like no other".
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| Sources: Google to give Cubans faster access to content Posted: 09 Dec 2016 05:05 PM PST  HAVANA (AP) — Google and the Cuban government have struck a deal giving Cubans faster access to the internet giant's content, two people familiar with the agreement said Friday.
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| Longtime Gambian ruler now refuses to step aside Posted: 09 Dec 2016 05:00 PM PST  DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Gambia's ruler of more than 22 years announced late Friday that he no longer accepts defeat in the country's presidential election, reversing course a week after he conceded to his rival.
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| Senegal calls for U.N. Security Council meeting over Gambia Posted: 09 Dec 2016 04:50 PM PST DAKAR (Reuters) - Senegal on Saturday called for an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council after Gambia's President Yahya Jammeh announced he was rejecting the results of a Dec. 1 election which he lost to President-elect Adama Barrow. Senegal's Foreign Minister, Mankeur Ndiaye, speaking on television station TFM, also asked Jammeh to respect the election verdict and "solemnly" warned him not to harm Senegal's interests or its citizens in the West African country. Senegal is currently a non-permanent member of the Security Council. ... |
| Feathered dinosaur tail found encased in amber Posted: 09 Dec 2016 04:50 PM PST  Researchers have discovered the partial tail of a feathered dinosaur that was preserved in amber some 99 million years ago, according to a study released Thursday. "This is a new source of information that is worth researching with intensity and protecting as a fossil resource," said Ryan McKellar, one of the scientists who worked on the study published in the US journal Current Biology.
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| Conte wants Chelsea to underline title credentials Posted: 09 Dec 2016 04:45 PM PST  Antonio Conte has called on Chelsea to underline their status as favourites for the Premier League title with an dominant display against West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. Conte's side are three points clear at the top after a blistering run of eight successive victories including last weekend's impressive triumph at title rivals Manchester City. The Blues have scored 22 goals and conceded just two in their winning streak, but Chelsea boss Conte believes he will have a clearer picture of his team's title chances at the end of the busy Christmas programme.
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| Biden urges Canada to fight climate change despite Trump Posted: 09 Dec 2016 04:42 PM PST  OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Outgoing U.S. Vice President Joe Biden urged Canadian leaders Friday to continue to treat efforts to combat climate change urgently despite the incoming administration of Donald Trump.
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| Canada agrees to first national carbon price: PM Trudeau Posted: 09 Dec 2016 04:37 PM PST  By David Ljunggren OTTAWA (Reuters) - The government on Friday agreed a deal with eight of Canada's 10 provinces to introduce its first national carbon price, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters. Trudeau has said the move will help Canada meet its international climate change obligations. The energy-producing province of Saskatchewan did not sign up, saying the cost would be too great.
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| Ghana's president concedes election defeat after tense day Posted: 09 Dec 2016 04:30 PM PST  By Matthew Mpoke Bigg and Kwasi Kpodo ACCRA (Reuters) - Opposition leader Nana Akufo-Addo won Ghana's national election, becoming president elect at the third attempt and cementing the country's reputation as a standard bearer of democracy in a region that has been blighted by civil wars and coups. Akufo-Addo defeated President John Mahama by 53.8 percent to 44.4 percent, electoral commissioner Charlotte Osei said late on Friday, sparking scenes of celebration in the capital Accra. Supporters of his New Patriotic Party (NPP) broke into cheers and dancing and car horns blared and fireworks erupted across the city, witnesses said, following an anxious day in which his victory had been broadly accepted but there were no official results.
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| Ghana's opposition leader Akufo-Addo wins presidential election Posted: 09 Dec 2016 04:30 PM PST ACCRA (Reuters) - Ghana's main opposition leader Nana Akufo-Addo won Wednesday's national election, defeating President John Mahama, electoral commissioner Charlotte Osei said on Friday. "It is my duty and my privilege to declare Nana Akufo-Addo as the president elect of Ghana," she told a news conference in the capital. (Reporting by Kwasi Kpodo; editing by John Stonestreet) |
| France's court annuls Kazakh banker's extradition to Russia Posted: 09 Dec 2016 04:17 PM PST  PARIS (AP) — A top French court refused to hand over a Kazakh banker-turned-dissident to Russia despite accusations he embezzled millions, saying it considered the extradition request from Moscow to be "politically motivated."
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| Bomb blasts kill 30 in northeast Nigeria; Boko Haram blamed Posted: 09 Dec 2016 04:13 PM PST  YOLA, Nigeria (AP) — Two women suicide bombers blew themselves up at a bustling market in northeast Nigeria's Madagali town on Friday morning, killing at least 30 people and wounding 67, an army spokesman told The Associated Press.
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| Solomon Islands rocked by another major earthquake Posted: 09 Dec 2016 04:10 PM PST The Solomon Islands were rattled by a 6.9 magnitude earthquake on Saturday, just a day after hundreds of people along the coast fled into the hills following a 7.8 magnitude tremor. The latest quake initially triggered a fresh tsunami warning for the Solomon Islands, but that was lifted by authorities a short time later. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre (PTWC) said the threat had largely passed and only small waves were recorded along the coastline. |
| Mexican girl gets TV, trip offers after viral party invite Posted: 09 Dec 2016 03:52 PM PST MEXICO CITY (AP) — A rural Mexican girl whose 15th birthday party invitation went viral is being showered with offers of a TV show, free airplane tickets and hotel stays. |
| Wasteland revealed after battle for Aleppo's Old City Posted: 09 Dec 2016 03:49 PM PST By Laila Bassam ALEPPO, Syria (Reuters) - At the side of the road sat a woman in her late 20s, veiled, dressed in black, and weeping as she cradled her baby. "My milk is dry from fear and panic." After the Syrian army fought rebels in Aleppo's Old City, hungry and terrified civilians have emerged from their cellars into a wasteland of ruins. The rubble and shrapnel on the streets around Bab al-Hadeed district on Friday revealed the ferocity of the battle this week that gave Syria's army control of the historic area, bringing it close to its biggest victory after nearly six years of war. |
| Syrian government forces press attack in east Aleppo Posted: 09 Dec 2016 03:49 PM PST  By Laila Bassam and Lisa Barrington ALEPPO, Syria/BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian army pressed an offensive in Aleppo on Friday with ground fighting and air strikes in an operation to retake all of the city's rebel-held east that would bring victory in the civil war closer for President Bashar al-Assad. The Syrian army and its allies had recaptured 32 of east Aleppo's 40 neighborhoods, about 85 percent of the area, he said. There were no reports the Syrian army had made significant gains.
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| Ghana TV: President concedes defeat to opposition leader Posted: 09 Dec 2016 03:41 PM PST  ACCRA, Ghana (AP) — Ghana's longtime opposition leader Nana Akufo-Addo won the presidency late Friday on his third run for the office, a race that was largely seen as a referendum on how the incumbent party had managed the economy in this long stable democracy.
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| Gambia's President Jammeh says rejects outcome of December 1 election Posted: 09 Dec 2016 03:31 PM PST Gambia's President Yahya Jammeh said on Friday he rejects the outcome of last week's election that he lost to opposition leader Adama Barrow and called for fresh elections. The announcement made on state television throws the future of the West African country into doubt after an unexpected election result that ended Jammeh's 22-year rule and was widely seen as a moment of democratic hope. Human rights groups said Jammeh's government detained, tortured and killed opponents during his rule and his defeat sparked wild celebrations. |
| Trump team memo on climate change alarms Energy Department staff Posted: 09 Dec 2016 03:30 PM PST  By Timothy Gardner WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump's Energy Department transition team sent the agency a memo this week asking for the names of people who have worked on climate change and the professional society memberships of lab workers, alarming employees and advisors. The memo sent to the Energy Department on Tuesday and seen by Reuters on Friday, contains 74 questions including a request for a list of all department employees and contractors who attended the annual global climate talks hosted by the United Nations within the last five years. It asked for a list of all department employees or contractors who have attended any meetings on the social cost of carbon, a measurement that federal agencies use to weigh the costs and benefits of new energy and environment regulations.
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| Harris English, Matt Kuchar take Shootout lead Posted: 09 Dec 2016 03:27 PM PST NAPLES, Fla. (AP) — Harris English and Matt Kuchar shot a 6-under 66 in windy modified alternate shot play Friday to take the second-round lead in the Franklin Templeton Shootout. |
| 3 detectives killed, burned in southern Mexico Posted: 09 Dec 2016 03:16 PM PST  MEXICO CITY (AP) — The charred remains of three federal detectives were found Friday in the bed of a burning pickup truck in the southern Mexico resort of Zihuatanejo.
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| Mexican actor lured to death in revenge killing Posted: 09 Dec 2016 03:07 PM PST MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican authorities say TV and movie actor Renato Lopez was lured to his death by an offer of work in an apparent revenge killing. |
| Former top draft pick Phil Bickford suspended 50 games Posted: 09 Dec 2016 03:06 PM PST  NEW YORK (AP) — Milwaukee right-hander Phil Bickford, the 18th overall pick in baseball's 2015 amateur draft, has been suspended for the first 50 games of next season following a second positive test for a drug of abuse under the sport's minor league drug program.
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| Saints' sinner Hartley red-carded after six minutes Posted: 09 Dec 2016 02:51 PM PST  England captain Dylan Hartley was red-carded after just six minutes on the pitch as his Northampton Saints slumped to a 37-10 defeat to Leinster in the European Champions Cup on Friday. Hartley, who had started on the bench following autumn international duty, replaced Mikey Haywood after 50 minutes for his 50th appearance in the tournament. As well as helping to condemn 2000 champions Northampton to a second defeat in three games in Pool 4 and allow Leinster cement top spot, the incident could dent Hartley's hopes of captaining the British and Irish Lions in New Zealand next year.
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| Nigeria suicide attacks toll reaches 45: emergency service Posted: 09 Dec 2016 02:45 PM PST  "From our updated records we have 45 dead and 33 injured in the twin suicide bomb explosions in Madagali," said Sa'ad Bello of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in Adamawa state. While there was no immediate claim of responsibility, the blasts bore all the hallmarks of Boko Haram, which regularly uses women and young girls to carry out suicide attacks in its seven-year insurgent campaign in the troubled region.
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| Medvedeva begins Grand Prix Final defense with world record Posted: 09 Dec 2016 02:41 PM PST  MARSEILLE, France (AP) — Defending champion Evgenia Medvedeva began the defense of her Grand Prix Final title in emphatic style, thrilling the crowd with a world record score in the short program on Friday.
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