| Gun attack kills at least 35 at Istanbul nightclub Posted: 31 Dec 2016 04:55 PM PST  By Humeyra Pamuk and Ece Toksabay ISTANBUL/ANKARA (Reuters) - A gunman shot his way into an Istanbul nightclub packed with New Year's revelers early on Sunday, killing at least 35 people and wounding more than 40 in what the provincial governor described as a terrorist attack. The assailant shot a police officer and a civilian as he entered the Reina nightclub before opening fire at random inside.
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| Two suicide attackers kill at least two in Syria's Tartous: state TV, monitors Posted: 31 Dec 2016 04:42 PM PST Two suicide bombers detonated their explosives, killing at least two security officers in the Syrian coastal city of Tartous, Syrian state television reported after midnight on Sunday. British-based monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said there had been explosions from suicide bombers in Tartous and that at least two people were killed. Tartous has not been targeted for several months, and has largely escaped the violence that has engulfed other areas of the country. |
| U.N. Security Council welcomes Syria truce, rebels warn they could abandon it Posted: 31 Dec 2016 04:41 PM PST  By John Davison BEIRUT (Reuters) - The United Nations Security Council on Saturday welcomed a ceasefire in the Syrian civil war, but rebel groups threatened to abandon the two-day-old truce if violations persisted. The deal, brokered by Russia and Turkey, which back opposing sides, reduced violence, but firefights, air strikes and shelling went on in some areas. A twin suicide bombing killed at least two people in the Syrian coastal city of Tartous in an area under government control and in President Bashar al-Assad's coastal heartland shortly after midnight on Sunday, state media and monitors reported.
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| Baghdad blasts kill 29 as Mosul fighting intensifies Posted: 31 Dec 2016 07:32 AM PST  By Kareem Raheem and Ahmed Rasheed BAGHDAD/ERBIL, Iraq (Reuters) - Three bombs killed 29 people in Baghdad on Saturday as fighting intensified in the northern city of Mosul, where Iraqi government forces are trying to rout Islamic State militants from their last major stronghold in the country. A pro-Islamic State news agency said the target was Shi'ite Muslims, whom the militants regard as apostates. Islamic State has continued to launch attacks in the heavily fortified capital, even after losing most of the northern and western territory it seized in 2014.
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| Senator McCain says U.S. stands with Ukraine against Russia Posted: 31 Dec 2016 05:32 PM PST  Republican U.S. Senator John McCain promised on Saturday continued support for Kiev in the face of aggression from Moscow, as he spent New Year's Eve on the front line in Ukraine's eastern conflict zone. McCain was one of a bipartisan group of 27 U.S. senators who sent a letter to President-elect Donald Trump in December, urging him to take a tough line against Russia over what they termed its "military land grab" in Ukraine. "I send the message from the American people - we are with you, your fight is our fight and we will win together," McCain was quoted as saying by Ukrainian President Poroshenko's press service.
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| German police screen hundreds of North Africans at Cologne station Posted: 31 Dec 2016 04:00 PM PST German police said they screened hundreds of North Africans on New Year's Eve at the main railway station in the western city of Cologne, where hundreds of women were sexually assaulted and robbed during celebrations a year ago. Last year's attacks in Cologne, where police said the suspects were mainly of North African and Arab appearance, fueled criticism of Chancellor Angela Merkel's decision to allow over a million asylum seekers into Germany in 2015 and 2016. |
| US states, leery of Russia malware, re-examine cybersecurity Posted: 31 Dec 2016 05:23 PM PST  BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — Several states around the country on Saturday asked cybersecurity experts to re-examine state and utility networks after a Vermont utility's laptop was found to contain malware U.S. officials say is linked to Russian hackers.
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| US beat Canada 3-1 in world junior hockey Posted: 31 Dec 2016 05:12 PM PST  TORONTO (AP) — Colin White and Jordan Greenway scored early power-play goals and Joseph Woll made 25 saves to help the United States beat Canada 3-1 on Saturday for the top spot in Group B in the world junior hockey championship.
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| Istanbul nightclub 'Santa attack' kills 35 Posted: 31 Dec 2016 04:54 PM PST  At least 35 people were killed and 40 wounded in a "terror" attack in Istanbul Sunday when gunmen reportedly dressed as Santa stormed an elite nightclub where partygoers were celebrating the New Year, the latest carnage to rock Turkey after a bloody 2016. Two gunmen entered the venue dressed as Santa and spraying bullets at random inside the Reina nightclub, one of the city's most exclusive party spots, Dogan news agency said. One was a police officer.
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| Colombia's ELN rebels free captive businessman Posted: 31 Dec 2016 04:45 PM PST  Colombia's National Liberation Army, which has been fighting the government for more than five decades, on Saturday freed a businessman it had held since March. The ELN released Octavio Figueroa in a rural part of eastern Colombia. "My father was released by the ELN around midday in La Guajira, a village near Maicao, close to Venezuela," Armando Figueroa, son of the businessman abducted March 16, told AFP.
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| Top Asian News 12:40 a.m. GMT Posted: 31 Dec 2016 04:40 PM PST As 2016 draws to a close, revelers around the world are bidding a weary adieu to a year filled with political surprises, prolonged conflicts, deadly attacks at gatherings and deaths of legendary celebrities. Here's a look at how people are ushering in the new year: ___ AUSTRALIA Sydney sent up a dazzling tribute to 2016's fallen icons with a New Year's Eve fireworks display honoring the late singer David Bowie and late actor Gene Wilder, becoming the first major city to bid a bittersweet adieu to a turbulent year. The glittering display over Sydney's harbor and bridge featured Saturn- and star-shaped fireworks set to "Space Oddity," the classic song by Bowie, among the seemingly endless parade of beloved entertainers who died in 2016. |
| Bowl Capsules Posted: 31 Dec 2016 04:38 PM PST  ATLANTA (AP) — Alabama is heading back to the national championship game.
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| Deal reached to end DRCongo political crisis Posted: 31 Dec 2016 04:22 PM PST  The government and opposition parties in the DR Congo on Saturday clinched a hard-won deal over President Joseph Kabila's fate, ending a political crisis that sparked months of deadly unrest. Under the terms of the deal, Kabila will stay until the "end of 2017" but a transition council will be established, headed by opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi. The talks were launched by the Roman Catholic Church to ward off violence as Kabila's second and final mandate ended on December 20 with no sign of him stepping down and no election in sight.
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| Istanbul governor: at least 35 people killed in nightclub attack Posted: 31 Dec 2016 04:20 PM PST ISTANBUL (AP) — Istanbul governor: at least 35 people killed in nightclub attack. |
| Pope urges the faithful to help youth find purpose Posted: 31 Dec 2016 03:55 PM PST  VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis strolled through St. Peter's Square Saturday evening during the last frigid hours of 2016, exchanging New Year's Eve greetings with the faithful.
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| Congo president to leave after 2017 vote under new deal Posted: 31 Dec 2016 03:36 PM PST  KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Political parties in Congo signed a deal late Saturday that calls for President Joseph Kabila to leave power after an election that now will be held by the end of next year instead of mid-2018 as his party originally proposed.
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| Long gas lines, price hike mar holiday season in Mexico Posted: 31 Dec 2016 03:30 PM PST  MEXICO CITY (AP) — The holiday season has been a little less merry for car owners in Mexico as gasoline shortages in many parts of the country have forced grumbling customers to contend with hours-long lines.
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| Government, opposition sign DR Congo crisis deal Posted: 31 Dec 2016 03:20 PM PST  The government and opposition parties in the Democratic Republic of Congo signed a deal Saturday to end a political crisis over President Joseph Kabila's fate that has caused months of deadly unrest. Under the terms of the deal, Kabila will stay until the "end of 2017" but a transition council will be established, headed by opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi. The talks were launched by the Roman Catholic church to ward off violence as Kabila's second and final mandate ended on December 20 with no sign of him stepping down and no election in sight.
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| Russia gets UN backing for Syria truce, Kazakhstan talks Posted: 31 Dec 2016 03:06 PM PST  A ceasefire held across most of Syria on Saturday as Russia and Turkey secured unanimous passage of a UN resolution backing their efforts to "jumpstart" talks aimed at ending the nearly six-year conflict. The Security Council resolution aims to pave the way for talks next month in Kazakhstan's capital Astana, under the aegis of Russia and Iran -- both Syrian government supporters -- and of rebel backer Turkey.
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| Congo rulng party, opposition sign deal for Kabila to step down Posted: 31 Dec 2016 03:02 PM PST  By Benoit Nyemba and Aaron Ross KINSHASA (Reuters) - Congo's opposition leaders signed a deal with the party of President Joseph Kabila on Saturday that will require him to step down after elections that must take place before the end of 2017. Mediators from the Congo's Catholic church had been heaping pressure on both sides for weeks to sign an agreement aimed at averting a slide into anarchy and possibly another civil war over Kabila's decision not to step down despite his mandate expiring more than a week ago. If they stick to it, the agreement will deliver Democratic Republic of Congo's first peaceful transfer of power since independence from Belgium in 1960.
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| Chelsea defeats Stoke to claim 13th successive EPL win Posted: 31 Dec 2016 02:28 PM PST  LONDON (AP) — Willian scored twice as leader Chelsea overcame Stoke 4-2 to equal an English Premier League record for 13 straight wins in a single season.
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| New UN chief wants consensus but faces antagonistic Trump Posted: 31 Dec 2016 02:25 PM PST  UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Antonio Guterres takes the reins of the United Nations on New Year's Day, promising to be a "bridge-builder" but facing an antagonistic incoming U.S. administration led by Donald Trump who thinks the world body's 193 member states do nothing except talk and have a good time.
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| No big New Year's celebrations for Iraq's displaced Posted: 31 Dec 2016 01:54 PM PST  BARTELLA, Iraq (AP) — There were no big New Year's celebrations for the Iraqi men, women and children who narrowly escaped the fighting in Mosul, only to wait for hours under armed guard while the fighting-age males among them were cleared of links to the Islamic State.
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| UN backs Russian-Turkish Syria efforts as cease-fire wavers Posted: 31 Dec 2016 01:28 PM PST  BEIRUT (AP) — The U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution Saturday supporting efforts by Russia and Turkey to end the nearly six-year conflict in Syria and jump-start peace negotiations, as a fragile country-wide cease-fire wavered.
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| AP Photos: People around the world ring in 2017 Posted: 31 Dec 2016 01:26 PM PST  Revelers around the world have been welcoming 2017 with crackling fireworks displays and loud cheering, saying goodbye to a year filled with political surprises, prolonged conflicts and the deaths of several beloved performers.
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| 'It is Usain Bolt' _ Olympic champ calls into Man United TV Posted: 31 Dec 2016 01:12 PM PST  MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester United's in-house television channel received a shock when Usain Bolt called up to discuss Saturday's 2-1 win over Middlesbrough in the English Premier League.
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| Italy president says electoral law needed before new vote Posted: 31 Dec 2016 01:07 PM PST  Italian President Sergio Mattarella said on Saturday that the country must adopt a new electoral law before a national vote can be called. Italy's president is largely a ceremonial figure, but he does have the power to pick prime ministers and dissolve parliament. When Matteo Renzi resigned as prime minister in early December after losing a referendum over his flagship constitutional reform, many party leaders called for a snap election.
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| Ban Ki-moon buoyed by climate accord but laments conflicts Posted: 31 Dec 2016 12:58 PM PST  UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Ban Ki-moon ends 10 years at the helm of the United Nations lamenting the "fires still burning" from Syria to South Sudan but buoyed by a global agreement to combat climate change and new U.N. goals to fight poverty and inequality.
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| U.N. Security Council council welcomes Syria ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey Posted: 31 Dec 2016 12:55 PM PST The United Nations Security Council on Saturday unanimously adopted a resolution welcoming a ceasefire in the Syrian civil war brokered by Russia and Turkey. Russia and Turkey announced the ceasefire this week, the third truce this year seeking to end the nearly six years of war in Syria. |
| The Latest: Russia envoy urges settlement of Syria conflict Posted: 31 Dec 2016 12:48 PM PST The latest on the conflict in Syria, and the Russia and Turkey brokered cease-fire agreement between Syria's government and opposition rebels. All times local. |
| Hamas armed wing releases mock video of Israel soldier Posted: 31 Dec 2016 12:32 PM PST  Hamas's military wing on Saturday released videos of a mock birthday party for Israeli soldier Oron Shaul, who the army believes was killed in the 2014 Gaza war. The Al-Qassam Brigades said in a New Year's Eve statement that it had posted online "two video clips to mark the 23rd birthday of the Zionist soldier and prisoner Oron Shaul". The statement went on to say the Al-Qassam Brigades had previously announced that it had killed 14 Israeli soldiers and abducted Shaul in eastern Gaza on July 20, 2014.
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| Hollande to visit French troops in Iraq Monday Posted: 31 Dec 2016 12:26 PM PST  President Francois Hollande said he would on Monday visit French troops fighting Islamic State jihadists in Iraq, as he warned that the terrorist threat within France was still live. France has around 500 troops fighting alongside coalition forces in Iraq, backed by Rafale fighter jets. In the last New Year message of his presidency, Hollande paid tribute to those killed in terror attacks in France this year, including the 86 mown down in the Bastille Day attack in Nice and smaller-scale attacks on a priest and two police officers.
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| Venezuela frees ex-presidential candidate, five other dissidents Posted: 31 Dec 2016 12:15 PM PST  Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Saturday released six dissidents, among them former presidential candidate Manuel Rosales, opposition leaders said. "I have been freed, along with other political prisoners," Rosales, 64, wrote on Twitter following his release after more than two months of house arrest. Opposition groups said that those freed in addition to Rosales were Skarlyn Duarte, Yeimi Varela, Nixon Leal, Angel Contreras and Gerardo Carrero.
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| Man arrested after shouting 'bomb' at Berlin New Year party Posted: 31 Dec 2016 12:14 PM PST BERLIN (AP) — German police say they have arrested a man who shouted "bomb, bomb, bomb" at Berlin's massive open-air New Year's party. |
| U.N. Security Council welcomes Syria truce, rebels warn they could abandon it Posted: 31 Dec 2016 12:12 PM PST By John Davison BEIRUT (Reuters) - The United Nations Security Council on Saturday welcomed a ceasefire in the Syrian civil war, but rebel groups threatened to abandon the two-day-old truce if violations persisted. The deal, brokered by Russia and Turkey, which back opposing sides, reduced violence, but firefights, air strikes and shelling went on in some areas. Factions belonging to the Free Syrian Army (FSA) - a loose alliance of militias excluding more radical Islamist groups - said government forces and Iranian-backed Lebanese Hezbollah fighters had been trying to push rebels back in the Wadi Barada valley, northwest of Damascus. |
| Willian extends Chelsea run, Liverpool down Manchester City Posted: 31 Dec 2016 12:06 PM PST  Willian scored twice as Chelsea claimed a record-equalling 13th consecutive Premier League victory by beating Stoke 4-2, while Liverpool kept in touch with the leaders after a 1-0 win over Manchester City. Stoke twice hit back to level after falling behind at Stamford Bridge, but Willian's second goal and a late Diego Costa strike saw Chelsea match Arsenal's run of 13 wins within the same season from 2001-02. Antonio Conte's side remain six points clear of second-placed Liverpool heading into 2017.
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| Russian hackers penetrate Vermont utility system: report Posted: 31 Dec 2016 11:53 AM PST  Washington (AFP) - A code connected to Russian hacking efforts has been discovered in a utility system in Vermont, The Washington Post reported.
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