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LaLiga’s table-toppers, along with several Premier League clubs including Liverpool and Arsenal, have been linked with the 23-year-old six-time France international, whose contract with PSG ends in June. Barcelona say only contact over Adrien Rabiot has been with PSG Barcelona have issued a statement denying they have breached any rules regarding the possible signing of PSG midfielder Adrien Rabiot. "The only contact made was during the month of August and one week ago. In both case, the contact was made with the sporting managers of PSG in order to express Barcelona’s interest in the player Adrien Rabiot. "FC Barcelona have always wanted to work with the utmost transparency in their dealings with PSG and with any other club. “Barcelona deny the existence of any type of agreement with PSG players Adrien Rabiot.” Rabiot graduated from the PSG academy and, having made his senior debut for the Parisians in 2012, has appeared over 200 times for the Ligue 1 club, winning the French title four times.</s>Due to forecasts of protests by radical separatists, security in the prosperous northeastern region, normally in the hands of the Catalan police, was reinforced with hundreds of anti-riot national police officers. BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Spain’s prime minister and the leader of Catalonia emerged from a meeting Thursday with an agreement to find a solution to the political crisis that has festered since the region’s failed secession attempt last year. Sanchez and Torra sat down for the first time last July in an initial step by the Spanish prime minister to mend relations with Catalonia’s separatist leaders since they both took power earlier this year. Meanwhile, former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont announced in Geneva that he and five allies were filing a complaint with the U.N.’s Human Rights Committee contending Spain violated their democratic rights as elected officials.

A French man is detained in Barcelona, Spain, upon entering the Sagrada Familia with a suitcase containing ammunition. The Catalan police do not consider it an act of terrorism.

Seventeen people were killed as violence kept many voters away from the polls STRINGER/REUTERS Violence and accusations of vote-tampering marred the election in Bangladesh yesterday, as its Election Commission announced that the prime minister had won a third consecutive term.</s>DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — The Latest on parliamentary elections in Bangladesh (all times local): News reports in Bangladesh say there have been deadly clashes related to the country's general election. Local media including the country's leading Bengali-language daily, Prothom Alo, say up to 10 people were killed in clashes between rival partisans and police in six districts across the country as voting took place Sunday. Police officials did not immediately return calls seeking comment. The Associated Press received more than 50 calls on Sunday from people across the country who identified themselves as opposition supporters complaining of intimidation and threats, and being forced to vote in front of ruling party men inside the polling booths. DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — People in Bangladesh voted Sunday in parliamentary elections seen as a referendum on what critics call Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s increasingly authoritarian rule, amid complaints from both ruling party and opposition… DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — People in Bangladesh voted Sunday in parliamentary elections seen as a referendum on what critics call Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s increasingly authoritarian rule, amid complaints from both ruling party and opposition activists of attacks on supporters and candidates. Ms Hasina’s main rival is former prime minister Khaleda Zia, the leader of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, whom a court deemed ineligible for the race for office because she is in prison for corruption. In Ms Zia’s absence, opposition parties have formed a coalition led by Kamal Hossain, an 82-year-old Oxford-educated lawyer and former member of Ms Hasina’s Awami League party. The election campaign has been marred by the arrests and jailing of what the opposition says are thousands of Hasina opponents, including six candidates for Parliament. While rights groups have sounded the alarms about the erosion of Bangladesh's democracy, Hasina has promoted a different narrative, highlighting an ambitious economic agenda that has propelled Bangladesh past larger neighbors Pakistan and India by some development measures.

Voters in Bangladesh head to the polls to elect 299 representatives to parliament. Seventeen people were killed in deadly clashes between supporters and opponents of the country's ruling party.

Previous elections had been marred by low turnout, but there were queues at polling stations this morning INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP At least a dozen people have been killed as Bangladeshis vote in parliamentary elections largely seen as a referendum on the prime minister’s performance. Sheikh Hasina is seeking a third consecutive term but faces opposition from another former prime minister Khaleda Zia, leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, who has been ruled ineligible to run because she is in prison for corruption. The two women have been in and out of power — and prison — for decades. In Ms Zia’s absence, opposition parties have formed a coalition led by Kamal Hossain, an 82-year-old Oxford-educated lawyer and former member of Ms Hasina’s Awami League party. The election campaign has been marred by the arrests and jailing of what the opposition says are thousands of Hasina opponents, including six candidates for Parliament. Local media including the country's leading Bengali-language daily, Prothom Alo, say up to 10 people were killed in clashes between rival partisans and police in six districts across the country as voting took place Sunday. Both sides are hoping to avoid a repeat of 2014, when Zia and the BNP boycotted elections and voter turnout in the South Asian nation of 160 million people was only 22 percent. More than half of the 300 parliamentary seats were uncontested. The Awami League's landslide victory was met by violence that left at least 22 people dead. This time, some 106 million people are eligible to vote, including many young, first-time voters. While rights groups have sounded the alarms about the erosion of Bangladesh's democracy, Hasina has promoted a different narrative, highlighting an ambitious economic agenda that has propelled Bangladesh past larger neighbors Pakistan and India by some development measures.</s>Bangladesh's ruling alliance won virtually every parliamentary seat in the country's general election, according to official results released on Monday, giving Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina a third straight term despite allegations of intimidation and the opposition disputing the outcome. The coalition led by Hasina's Awami League party won 288 out of 300 seats – 96% – in Sunday's polls, Election Commission Secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed said. Ahmed said the ruling Awami League-led alliance won 288 seats while Jatiya Party led by former president H.M.Ershad had 20 seats. An opposition alliance led by prominent lawyer Kamal Hossain had only seven and others got three out of 300 seats. Alamgir had said Sunday he was rejecting any outcome, but it was unknown after his win was declared what he would do now. The results mean Hasina will form the government for the third consecutive time, even as the opposition claims her leadership has become increasingly authoritarian. The opposition has rejected the election results, with Hossain calling the election farcical and demanding that a new election be held under the authority of a “nonpartisan government.” More than a dozen people were killed in election-related violence on Sunday and the campaign preceding the vote had been dogged by allegations of arrests and jailing of thousands of Hasina’s opponents. More than a dozen people were killed in election-related violence on Sunday and the campaign preceding the vote had been dogged by allegations of arrests and jailing of thousands of Hasina's opponents. Hossain said a few hours after voting ended that about 100 candidates from the alliance had withdrawn from their races during the day. He said the alliance would hold a meeting Monday to decide its next course. "We call upon the Election Commission to declare this election void and demand a fresh election under a nonpartisan government," Hossain told reporters at a nationally broadcast news conference. Calls to several Hasina aides seeking comment were not immediately returned. A headline in the country's leading English-language newspaper, the Daily Star, read, "Hat-trick for Hasina, BNP found missing in polling; atmosphere festive, tuned only to ruling party", referring to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. In the run-up to the election, activists from both the ruling party and the opposition complained of attacks on supporters and candidates. On Sunday, The Associated Press received more than 50 calls from people across the country who identified themselves as opposition supporters complaining of intimidation and threats, and being forced to vote in front of ruling party men inside polling booths. Hasina has expressed confidence in the outcome, inviting election observers and foreign journalists to her official residence on Monday, when the results were expected to be known. While rights groups have sounded the alarms about the erosion of Bangladesh's democracy, Hasina has promoted a different narrative, highlighting an ambitious economic agenda that has propelled Bangladesh past larger neighbors Pakistan and India by some development measures. Voters "will give us another opportunity to serve them so that we can maintain our upward trend of development, and take Bangladesh forward as a developing country," Hasina said after casting her ballot along with her daughter and sister in Dhaka. Hasina's main rival for decades has been former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, the leader of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, whom a court deemed ineligible to run for office because she is in prison for alleged corruption. In Zia's absence, opposition parties formed a coalition led by Hossain, an 82-year-old Oxford-educated lawyer and former member of Hasina's Awami League party. Both sides were hoping to avoid a repeat of 2014, when Zia and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party boycotted elections and voter turnout in the South Asian nation of 160 million was only 22 percent. More than half of the 300 parliamentary seats were uncontested. Hasina said the victory was "nothing for her personal gain, rather it is a great responsibility toward the country and people". On Sunday, some 104 million people in the Muslim-majority country were eligible to vote, including many young, first-time voters, in Bangladesh's 11th general election since independence from Pakistan. About 600,000 security officials, including army and paramilitary forces, were deployed to contain violence in Bangladesh's 11th general election. The country's telecommunications regulator shut down mobile internet services nationwide to prevent possible protests from organizing. The normally traffic-clogged streets of the capital were largely empty because of a ban on vehicles for everyone except election observers and journalists. Many Dhaka residents had left days earlier to vote in their hometowns.

The Awami League led by Sheikh Hasina is declared as the winner of the election with Hasina to serve her third consecutive term as Prime Minister of Bangladesh.

More than 10,000 people lined up in Beni to stage their own presidential election, after the electoral commission made the surprise decision to bar more than 1 million voters in Beni and Butembo last week — cities in eastern Congo affected by a deadly Ebola outbreak. Image copyright AFP Image caption President Joseph Kabila is stepping down after 17 years in power The decision triggered violent clashes, as the opposition accused Mr Kabila of trying to cling on to power. The election had been delayed since late 2016, prompting the Opposition to assert that Mr Kabila was trying to stay on past his mandate. Lengthy voting delays and four deaths were reported across Congo on Sunday, marring the presidential election the country hoped would be its first peaceful, democratic transfer of power since independence in 1960. Image copyright AFP/Reuters Image caption Opposition candidates Martin Fayulu (L) and Felix Tshisekedi (R) face Emmanuel Shadary (C), the former interior minister There are 21 candidates, but three frontrunners: Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary , a former interior minister and Kabila loyalist, who was hit by European Union sanctions for his role in the violent suppression of opposition protests in 2017 , a former interior minister and Kabila loyalist, who was hit by European Union sanctions for his role in the violent suppression of opposition protests in 2017 Martin Fayulu , a former oil executive who has promised "a dignified and prosperous Congo", but who poor Congolese feel may not advance their cause , a former oil executive who has promised "a dignified and prosperous Congo", but who poor Congolese feel may not advance their cause Felix Tshisekedi Tshilombo, the son of a late veteran opposition leader who has promised to make the fight against poverty his priority Regional observers monitored the vote but international observers, who had concluded previous elections in the country had lacked credibility, have not been invited. "We declare the polling station open" said Francoise Ntadianga Tshiela, head of the the Gombe Institute voting center in the heart of Kinshasa, surrounded by embassies and government offices.</s>As this huge Central African nation swings toward a Dec. 30 election that could be its first peaceful, democratic transfer of power, a vocal opposition fears that the long-delayed vote will be rigged in favor of Kabila’s ruling party. The Post’s View: Why Congo’s election on Sunday will be a travesty Kambale Musavuli: While Kabila’s lobbyists cleanse his image abroad, his repression in Congo continues Max Boot: Democracy is in crisis around the world. Kabila’s handpicked successor, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, is running for the ruling coalition and faces strong challenges from opposition alliances headed by Felix Tshisekedi and Martin Fayulu.

Voters in the Democratic Republic of the Congo head to the polls to determine a successor to incumbent President Joseph Kabila. Elections are also held for the National Assembly and local councils.

Local media reports that an identified male was seen dropping a box outside the busy South Seas Mall shopping centre in the city, which is located in the Philippines' southern region of Mindanao. In a text message to Rappler, Philippine National Police (PNP) Cotabato Spokesperson Senior Inspector Roel Zafra said the explosion occurred at about 1:49 pm along Magallanes St outside the South Seas Mall complex. PNP Cotabato Spokesperson Senior Inspector Roel Zafra says the explosion occured outside the South Seas Mall complex after an unidentified male person dropped a wrapped box MANILA, Philippines – A deadly explosion rocked a mall in Cotabato City and injured 11 people, some of whom were children, as residents were set to celebrate New Year’s Eve on Monday, December 31. Zafra added that a second, smaller improvised explosive device was discovered in the second-floor baggage area of the mall, and was detonated safely by authorities. Another IED was also found inside a hair gel container in the 2nd floor of the malls’ baggage counter after an investigation was conducted by the EOD team and the Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO), according to Zafra.</s>COTABATO, Philippines (AP) — Suspected Muslim militants remotely detonated a bomb near the entrance of a mall in the southern Philippines on Monday as people did last-minute shopping ahead of New Year’s Eve celebrations, killing… COTABATO, Philippines (AP) — Suspected Muslim militants remotely detonated a bomb near the entrance of a mall in the southern Philippines on Monday as people did last-minute shopping ahead of New Year’s Eve celebrations, killing at least two and wounding nearly 30, officials said. The bomb went off near the baggage counter at the entrance of the South Seas mall in Cotabato city, wounding shoppers, vendors and commuters. Authorities recovered another unexploded bomb nearby as government forces imposed a security lockdown in the city, military and police officials said. Maj. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana said by phone that an initial investigation showed the design of the bomb was similar to those used in the past by local Muslim militants who have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group.

A bomb explosion outside a busy shopping mall in the city of Cotabato, Philippines, kills 2 people and injures 34 others.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Manchester stabbing: Police restrain suspect The stabbing of three people - including a police officer - in Manchester is being treated as a terrorist investigation, police say. IN PICTURES: Three injured in knife attack at Victoria The full text of Greater Manchester Police's latest statement said: "The 25 year old man arrested last night (31 January 2018) following the incident at Manchester Victoria Station has been assessed by specialist medical staff and detained under the Mental Health Act. In a statement, Greater Manchester Police also said: "There is nothing to suggest the involvement of other people in this attack, but confirming this remains a main priority for the investigation." “The search of the address in Cheetham Hill continues.” British Prime Minister Theresa May joined British Transport Police in commending the emergency services for containing the threat during the incident, which occurred at around 9pm on Monday at Manchester Victoria Station. He added: "We are treating this as a terrorist investigation which is being led by counter terrorism officers with support from Greater Manchester Police. Witnesses to last night's events have praised the British Transport Police officer who was stabbed in the shoulder after 'bravely and immediately' confronting the attacker during a routine patrol. Witness Sam Clack, who came within touching distance of the attacker, said he heard the man shout 'Allah' as he launched the attack. BBC 5 live producer Sam Clack, who had been at the station at the time, said he saw a man stabbed on a tram platform at the station "feet from me". They were "fearless, running towards danger and preventing further harm coming to passengers," he said. A British Transport Police spokesperson said the woman has injuries to her face and abdomen and the man has injuries to his abdomen, while a BTP officer has a stab wound in his shoulder - all of which are described as 'serious but not life-threatening'. The three victims - a woman and a man in their 50s, and a British Transport Police (BTP) sergeant in his 30s - were taken to a nearby hospital in a "serious" condition but their injuries are not thought to be life-threatening. Image copyright AFP Image caption A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder He added he was "close to jumping on the tracks" as the attacker had a "long kitchen knife".</s>It’s time we realised that good mental health is as important as being physically fit. People suffering from depression and anxiety need to be heard. They need to be told that they’re loved. The year 2018 has been an eye opening year. The increasing number of suicide cases compelled people to have meaningful talks on the disease. Young people whose smiling faces hid inexplicable pain took their lives after struggling from depression. This year we need to take pledge to convince people who are struggling with mental health issues to seek help and live a life with good mental health.

Three people are injured after being stabbed in an attack at Manchester Victoria station. The attacker shouted "Allah" during the attack. The attack is being treated as a terror-related incident, police have confirmed, and due to concerns over his mental health, the suspect is being held under the Mental Health Act.

The tropical depression, locally named Usman, brought heavy rains on Saturday, causing catastrophic flooding and triggering deadly landslides, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management agency said Monday. The people, including a three-year-old boy, were reported dead as of Sunday morning, said disaster agency spokesman Edgar Posadas, after a tropical cyclone barrelled through the eastern Visayas and Bicol regions on Saturday.</s>The number of deaths continues to rise as search and retrieval operations are underway MANILA, Philippines – The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) raised to 75 as of Tuesday, January 1, the number of fatalities of Tropical Depression Usman though it said they were still validating the deaths reported. As of 8 pm on December 30, there were also 18 people recorded missing and 12 others who injured from the same regions. According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), the casualties come from Mimaropa, Bicol Region, and Eastern Visayas. (LOOK: Heavy rain due to Usman floods Libon town) According to PNP Bicol spokesperson Maria Calubaquib, a landslide occurred at about 9 pm on Saturday, December 29, in Barangay Sugod, Tiwi, Albay. As search and rescue operations continued, officials retrieved more bodies from areas in Albay and Camarines Sur, which were hit badly by landslides. In an updated report from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Disaster Response and Management Bureau (DRMB), 3,488 families or 13,469 persons were moved to 112 evacuation centers. The residents come from 457 barangays in Bicol region, Eastern Visayan, Calabarzon, and Mimaropa. According to data from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the low pressure area which used to be Tropical Depression Usman dumped large volumes of rainfall in parts of Luzon and the Visayas in just two days. (READ: How much rain did Tropical Depression Usman bring?) Daet, Camarines Norte; Legazpi City, Albay; and Catarman, Northern Samar, had the most rain from Friday, December 28, to Saturday, December 29. Heavy rains prompted local officials to declare a state of calamity in Camarines Sur, Albay, and Sorsogon. Usman left the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Sunday, but the northeast monsoon or amihan is still affecting Luzon. – with reports from Rambo Talabong, Sofia Tomacruz, Rhadyz Barcia, and Mavic Conde/Rappler.com

At least 69 people are reported dead from flooding caused by Tropical Depression Usman in the Philippines.

Rescuers scrambled amid freezing temperatures to recover people trapped in the rubble of a Russian city apartment block that collapsed in a gas explosion on Monday, killing at least four people and leaving dozens missing, news agencies reported. The blast, thought to have been caused by a gas leak, damaged 48 apartments in a nine-storey building in Magnitogorsk, an industrial city in the Urals some 1,700 km (1,050 miles) east of Moscow, the emergencies ministry said. At least four people were killed and dozens of others remained unaccounted for early Monday after a suspected gas explosion ripped through a 10-story residential building in the Russian city of Magnitogorsk.</s>Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Magnitogorsk: Russian rescuers pull baby from rubble An 11-month-old boy rescued from the ruins of a collapsed apartment block in the Russian city of Magnitogorsk is said to be conscious but in an "extremely serious" condition. Officials in the city, in the Urals region, say a gas leak caused the blast. They say 79 people are missing. Image copyright EPA/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN POOL Image caption Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the city to assess the situation How did the explosion occur? The building was home to 120 people, and 48 flats collapsed in the blast. It is a race against time to find survivors, as the temperature in the industrial city is -17C. The blast, at 06:02 local time (01:02 GMT) is thought to have ripped through the first floor, which houses some offices, and the seven storeys above then collapsed. Nearby flats were also damaged. He was found wrapped in a blanket and in his cot in the Urals region city, about 1,695km (1,053 miles) east of Moscow, where the daytime temperature is about -17C.

An explosion caused by a gas leak devastated a block of flats in Magnitogorsk, Russia, killing 14 people while 27 others are missing.

In a short statement Monday, Russia’s Tass news agency said authorities arrested American Paul Whelan “in Moscow while on a spy mission” and that he faces a sentence of up to 20 years in prison if convicted. “On December 28, staff members of the Russian Federal Security Service detained U.S. citizen Paul Whelan in Moscow while on a spy mission,” the FSB, the successor to the Soviet-era KGB service, said in a statement on its website. The statement said a criminal case has been registered under Article 276 of the Russian Criminal Code, which allows for sentences up to 20 years in prison. A State Department spokesperson said the department has been “formally notified of the detention” and has requested access to Whelan. More: Maria Butina pleads guilty to conspiracy as agent of Russia in USA More: 'Does not fit any spy': What made accused Maria Butina different The Russian announcement came one day after President Vladimir Putin released a holiday greeting to President Donald Trump that stressed the importance of Russia-U.S. relations in "ensuring strategic stability and international security." The arrest comes amid the conviction of Russian citizen Maria Butina in the United States for acting as a Russia state agency, infiltrating conservative political groups, BBC reported.</s>Image copyright Getty Images Russia's FSB state security agency says it has arrested a US citizen "caught spying" in Moscow. It named him as Paul Whelan, saying he was arrested in Moscow on 28 December and charged with "espionage". The FSB gave no further details. The US state department says it has requested consular access for the man held in Moscow, Reuters news agency reports. The US has not confirmed his name, but says it has been officially notified about the arrest. If found guilty, he faces between 10 and 20 years in jail, Russia's Tass news agency reports. Spying accusations have been a persistent feature of Russia's relations with the US and UK this year. Associates of President Donald Trump are under investigation in connection with Robert Mueller's special counsel inquiry into possible Russian ties to the Trump presidential campaign. Earlier this month a Russian gun rights activist held in the US, Maria Butina, pleaded guilty to conspiracy. US prosecutors say she acted as a Russian state agent, infiltrating conservative political groups. In March the UK and its Western allies expelled more than 100 Russian diplomats, in response to the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury. The UK government accused the Russian state of carrying out the nerve agent attack. Russia denied this and retaliated by expelling dozens of Western diplomats.

Russia's FSB state security agency says it has arrested a U.S. citizen "caught spying" in Moscow. According to former CIA officials the arrest was done as a retaliation for the arrest of alleged Russian spy Maria Butina.

WASHINGTON — Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren announced the formation of an exploratory committee for a presidential run, making her the highest profile Democrat to formally move toward a bid for the White House in 2020. "If we organize together, if we fight together, if we persist together, we can win. We can and we will" Warren told supporters in a video posted online Monday morning. Warren has long been viewed as a potential 2020 candidate. The former law professor is expected to be part of a large field of Democratic contenders that could include former Vice President Joe Biden, Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke and Sen. Bernie Sanders, the runner-up in the 2016 Democratic primary.</s>(CNN) Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren took a major step toward a presidential run on Monday, announcing in a video message and email to supporters that she is forming an exploratory committee ahead of an expected campaign for the Democratic nomination in 2020. She started as a visiting professor and eventually landed a role as the Leo Gottlieb Professor of Law, specializing in bankruptcy law. Warren is a searing critic of the President, and Trump has responded by openly mocking her Native American heritage and referring to her as “Pocahontas.” Her decision in October to respond to Trump and other critics by releasing the results of a DNA test aimed at proving her ancestry fell flat with many Democrats and overshadowed her midterm message. Cignoli offered that while federal law bars candidates actively running for two different federal offices from transferring money between their separate campaign accounts, “there is so much that you can do with your exploratory (committee) that will benefit the campaign itself.” “Certainly it’s separate accounts, but the money, the time, the energy that you put into the exploratory it’s very much like being in the early stages of an actual, full-blown campaign,” he said. Warren’s national profile, which traces back to her work as a watchdog following the 2008 bank bailouts, immediately places her among the favorites, alongside former Vice President Joe Biden, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and rising star Beto O’Rourke, the departing Texas congressman who just lost a bid for the US Senate. The Cherokee Nation responded to the results at the time by arguing that “a DNA test is useless to determine tribal citizenship.” "Current DNA tests do not even distinguish whether a person’s ancestors were indigenous to North or South America," Cherokee Nation Secretary of State Chuck Hoskin Jr. said in a press release.

Joining several other Democrats in the race, Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts announces the formation of a presidential exploratory committee for running in the 2020 presidential election.

They have attacked the city many times in the past, but this time the threat is more serious.” The Taliban confirmed the attacks on the northern Afghan province, claiming that they had captured three checkpoints and killed or wounded 50 members of the security forces. In the north, the Taliban launched two blistering attacks on police outposts in Sar-e-Pul province on Monday night, killing 15 policemen and wounding 21, the latest in near-daily assaults by the insurgents against Afghanistan’s beleaguered security forces. Zabihullah Amani said that Afghan security forces, including police and intelligence operatives, deployed to the facility on the outskirts of the provincial capital, also called Sar-e-Pol, repulsed Monday night's attack by the Taliban. Zabihullah Amani, a spokesman for the provincial governor, said at least 21 local forces, including police and intelligence, were killed and another 23 wounded in the raids, which he said were aimed at seizing control of several oil wells on the outskirts of the provincial capital city of Sar-e Pul. Fierce gun battles raged for several hours late on Monday in the centre of Sayyad district and outside the provincial capital, Sar-e-Pul, provincial council chief Mohammad Noor Rahmani said. The Afghan government has not offered any reaction to the militant claims The United States has recently stepped up diplomatic efforts to seek a political resolution to the Afghan war and held several rounds of talks with Taliban representatives in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.</s>MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan — At least 27 members of security forces in northern Afghanistan were killed by the Taliban in a series of coordinated attacks on Tuesday, officials said, and dozens of others were wounded. The deadliest violence took place in Sar-i-Pul province, where the Taliban attacked Afghan security forces in three areas, killing a total of 21 people, officials said. The officials did not provide a breakdown of casualties. Zabihullah Amani, the spokesman for the governor of Sar-i-Pul, said the Taliban had simultaneously attacked the centre of Sayad District, security outposts along the highway linking Sar-i-Pul with Jowzjan, and a village with oil wells. “It was a very strong attack,” Mr. Amani said. “Two security outposts were captured by the Taliban; 25 members of security forces were also wounded during the clashes.” The Taliban’s main goal, he said, was to take control of the oil wells in the village of Qashqari. They did not succeed, he added. Insurgents attacked the centre of Sayad from three directions, said Hayatullah Sayadi, the district governor, killing seven local police officers and wounding eight others. Reinforcements, including the police and intelligence chiefs of the province, were called in to help, but they too were ambushed by the Taliban. It was not clear if there were any casualties in the subsequent ambush. Separately, in the northern province of Balkh, the Taliban struck a security outpost in the Chemtal District, killing six police officers and wounding seven others, said Rahmatullah Khan, a local police commander. "The Taliban seized all weapons and equipment in the outpost," he said. Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he had ordered half of the 14,000 American troops in Afghanistan home, even as the 17-year war continues to rage and the Taliban threaten much of the country. For many in the Afghan leadership, the news of the withdrawal was a betrayal. The timing is likely to complicate the American push for peace talks with the Taliban, which require maintaining pressure on the battlefield.

The Taliban kills 27 members of the Afghan National Security Forces in a series of coordinated attacks in northern Afghanistan after refusing to discuss peace in the region with government officials.

LORALAI: Four security officials were martyred and two others were wounded while staving off a terrorist attack on a training centre of a paramilitary force in central Balochistan on Tuesday. Four security personnel were martyred during an attempt by terrorists to storm the residential and administration compound inside a Frontier Corps (FC) training centre in Balochistan's Loralai district on Tuesday, an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement said. The attackers apparently intended to hit a residential compound at a training centre of the paramilitary Frontier Corps in Loralai district but were challenged at the entrance, according to a statement from Inter Services Public Relations, the main military communications unit. Four security personnel including Subedar Major Munawar, Havildar Iqbal Khan, Havildar Bilal and Sepoy Naqshab were martyred in firing of the assailants. A man blew himself up during the clearance operation, the ISPR said, adding that the terrorists were stopped at the entrance of a residential area inside the training camp. "The valiant and timely action of security forces denied entry of terrorists into [the] residential area which would have resulted into more number of casualties," read the ISPR statement.</s>QUETTA, Pakistan — Pakistan's military and a Taliban spokesman say four militants stormed a security forces facility in the southwestern town of Loralai, triggering a battle that left four security forces and the attackers dead. In a statement, the military said the "terrorists," who included a suicide bomber, failed Tuesday to enter a main residential area where families of the soldiers and security forces live. The assailants instead entered another compound near a security checkpoint, the statement said, where three of the assailants were shot and killed by troops and the fourth, the suicide bomber, detonated his explosives. Mohammad Khurasani, spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack without giving details.

Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan gunmen attack a security base in the Loralai area of Pakistan, resulting in the deaths of four security guards and four terrorists, including a suicide bomber. Two guards were also injured in the attack.

The landslide that plunged down surrounding hills just before sunset Monday buried 30 houses in Sirnaresmi village in West Java’s Sukabumi district. National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said soldiers, police and volunteers fanned out Tuesday across a damaged village of Sirnaresmi in West Java’s Sukabumi district to search the dislodged earth for possible victims. More than 500 rescuers were sent to the area and retrieved eight bodies and the injured from mounds of mud, including an infant who died in the hospital, disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said. Authorities struggled to bring tractors and other heavy equipment over washed-out roads after torrential rains sent mud and rocks crashing onto the hilly hamlets. Seasonal rains and high tides in recent days have caused dozens of landslides and widespread flooding across much of Indonesia, a chain of 17,000 islands where millions of people live in mountainous areas or near fertile flood plains close to rivers. The landslide occurred during New Year's Eve celebrations less than two weeks after a deadly volcano and tsunami disaster.</s>At least nine people were killed and 34 went missing after a landslide buried more than 30 houses in the western part of the Java island in Indonesia, authorities said on Tuesday. National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho tweeted that rescue operations were going on in the city of Sukabumi, where the landslide took place on Monday night.

At least nine people are killed and 34 others are missing after a landslide strikes a village in Sukabumi, West Java, in Indonesia.

A car has rammed pedestrians on a busy Tokyo street that was closed to traffic for New Year festivities. A 21-year-old man initially confessed to a terrorist act but later recanted, leaving investigators puzzled about his motives. The car, which was driving in a wrong lane, bulldozed into revelers in Japan’s capital city as it swerved into a shopping street bustling with people just after midnight, NHK reported. The ramming is believed to have been intentional, as the street had been closed to traffic due to the New Year celebrations. Hundreds of people were heading to a nearby shrine to pray for good luck in the new year. Eight people were injured in the incident, including one male university student who was taken to hospital in critical condition. Teenagers and adults in their 50s are among the victims. The driver was identified as 21-year-old Kazuhiro Kusakabe. He initially attempted to flee the scene on foot but was located and apprehended by police some 20 minutes after the incident. Kusakabe repeatedly changed his story when questioned about his motives. Initially, the 21-year-old claimed that he had carried out a terrorist attack. However, he then backtracked on that, saying instead that he had attempted a murder. Shortly after, Kusakabe again changed his tune, claiming that he rammed the people in response to executions. It is unclear if he was referring to the system of capital punishment that exists in Japan, or to specific executions. Japan executed 15 people in 2018, its highest number in one year since 2008. Death penalties are carried out with no advance warning to an inmate, his or her family or their legal representative. Earlier this year, Japan executed 13 members of the Aum Shinrikyo sect that had carried out a sarin chemical attack on Tokyo subway in 1995. Their deaths rekindled the debate on capital punishment, with the US and Japan being the only countries among the G7 group that still have recourse to it. Last week, Japan executed two prisoners who had been on death row since 2004, charged with robbery and murder.</s>The suspect, 21, Kazuhiro Kusakabe, was… TOKYO (AP) — A minivan slammed into pedestrians early Tuesday on a street where people had gathered for New Year’s festivities in downtown Tokyo, injuring eight people, police said. The suspect, 21, Kazuhiro Kusakabe, was arrested and being questioned, Tokyo Metropolitan Police said on customary condition of anonymity. READ MORE: 3 injured after New Year’s Eve stabbing at Manchester, U.K. train station NHK TV footage showed a small van with the entire front end smashed and officers and ambulance workers rushing to the scene. The car barreled down the narrow street, which was packed with pedestrians, slamming into a number of them, police said. The crash occurred early Tuesday on Takeshita Dori, a road well known to tourists and pop culture and fashion fans that runs right by Meiji Shrine in Harajuku, Shibuya ward. The road was closed to traffic over the New Year, largely because of its proximity to the Meiji Shrine, which is a popular destination for people on New Year’s Eve — many Japanese visit local or famous shrines over the new year period to pray for good fortune in the coming year.

A car plows into New Year's celebrators in Tokyo, Japan, injuring eight. A ninth person was assaulted by the driver after he got out of the vehicle. Police believe the incident to be intentional.

Car Attacks In Japan And Germany Mar New Year's Celebrations A dozen people have been injured in two separate car attacks, after authorities say motorists deliberately plowed through New Year's crowds celebrating in Germany and Japan just after the clock struck midnight. In Western Germany, Münster Police say a 50-year-old man apparently set out on a rampage to kill foreigners in the first hour of 2019 in the city of Bottrop. First he drove into a group of people who managed to leap out of the way, police said. He then headed toward the city center where he slammed his silver Mercedes into another group, injuring at least four. Syrian and Afghan nationals were among those seriously injured. Next, the man drove to the nearby city of Essen where he tried and failed to hit people waiting at a bus stop, according to authorities. He was then placed under arrest, when police said he made "xenophobic remarks." Police said there are also signs the unidentified man is suffering from a mental illness. And in Tokyo a 21-year-old man is under arrest after authorities say he deliberately slammed into revelers gathered in a bustling downtown district early Tuesday, hitting eight. A ninth person was hurt after the driver jumped out of his vehicle and punched him, reports The Associated Press. The man fled on foot, but police found him shortly after in a park, according to The Japan Times. The newspaper reports the man told authorities that he had perpetrated the act "in retaliation for an execution." It would not be the first time a vehicle was weaponized in Tokyo. In 2008, a man killed several people after driving into a crowd of pedestrians, before jumping out and stabbing people with a knife, Reuters reports. Germany has also seen recent vehicle attacks. In April, a van driver killed two and injured twenty after accelerating into a crowd in Münster, police said. And in 2016 in Berlin, 12 were killed and dozens were injured when a driver barreled his truck into a Christmas Market. The worst such incident on record occurred in Nice, France, on Bastille Day, 2016, when a truck driver mowed down scores of people, killing more than 80.</s>A man injured four people in Germany after driving into a group celebrating the new year, in what police described on Tuesday as an anti-migrant attack. "The authorities think that this is a targeted attack, motivated by the driver's hostility to foreigners," said the Essen prosecutors office and Muenster police. They also said they thought the 50-year-old suspect has mental health issues. The man "clearly intended to kill foreigners," said North Rhine-Westphalia state interior minister Herbert Reul. The incident took place a little after midnight in the town of Bottrop, about 12 kilometres (eight miles) north of Essen in Germany's west. The driver first tried to run over a person, but they managed to get out of the way. He then drove into a group setting off fireworks in the street, as many people do when celebrating the new year in Germany. Four people were injured, some of them seriously, said police, adding that they were of Afghan and Syrian origin. The interior ministry said a woman was among the seriously wounded. A little later, the driver attempted another attack in a town close to Essen, without managing to injure anyone. He made "remarks hostile to foreigners" while being arrested by police, officials said. There was a similar incident in Japan, where a man deliberately ploughed his car into crowds celebrating New Year's Eve along a famous Tokyo street, injuring nine people. According to national broadcaster NHK, the man told police he was acting in "retribution for the death penalty" without giving more precise details.

Five people are injured after a man intentionally drives a car into multiple crowds of people in the cities of Bottrop and Essen, Germany. Police say the incident appears to be a xenophobic, far-right attack.

Mali has been in turmoil since Tuareg rebels and loosely allied Islamists took over its north in 2012 BAMAKO, Jan 1 (Reuters) - Armed men killed 37 Fulani civilians on Tuesday in central Mali, where ethnic violence cost hundreds of lives last year, the government said. The government said the attackers, who were dressed as traditional Donzo hunters, raided the village of Koulogon in the central Mopti region around 5 a.m. (0500 GMT) and that some of the victims were children.</s>State television broadcast a government announcement that men dressed as Dozo… BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Mali’s government said that armed men attacked a central village, killing 37 civilians, in what appeared to be ethnic violence. The Fulani Association head Tabital Pulaaku said those killed were from the Fulani ethnic group and included the village chief. The violence highlights the continuing tensions in central Mali between the Fulani, who are accused of being linked to al-Qaida, and the Dozo militia. Mali’s government has started a disarmament campaign to take weapons from the rival groups. This attack is expected to make local groups unhappy to give up their arms. Several human rights groups have reported several hundred civilians killed in central Mali because of attacks by armed groups. Copyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Armed men believed to be traditional hunters have killed at least 37 people in an attack on a village in central Mali.

The mass shooting takes place 10 minutes after midnight as Sucheep Sornsung joined his wife's family to ring in the New Year in the southern province of Chumphon BANGKOK, Thailand – A Thai man who felt slighted by his in-laws shot dead 6 family members including his two young children at a New Year's Eve party before turning the gun on himself, police said Tuesday, January 1. Sucheep was "heavily" drunk when he pulled out his pistol at the table in the beauty parlour where the party was being hosted in Phato district, police said. Holiday carnage returns to Thailand’s roads as 182 people die in just three days “All of the victims were his family members including his nine-year-old son and six-year-old daughter,” said Lieutenant Colonel Larp Kampapan of Phato police. “They were shot either in the head or the torso … he was angry that as the son-in-law, he was not being made welcome by his wife’s family.” The gunman then turned the weapon on himself. The gunman then turned the weapon on himself. The other four victims were two men and two women aged between 47 and 71.</s>A man has opened fire after he felt disrespected by his in-laws at a New Year’s Eve party in southern Thailand, killing six people before turning the gun on himself, local officials say. The horrific incident occurred 10 minutes after midnight, when a “heavily” drunk man, identified as Sucheep Sornsung, opened fire on his family members apparently after feeling slighted by his in-laws during the New Year’s party. “The (suspect) went to a party with his friends then came home to see his wife’s family and they started arguing before he used his gun to shoot them,” Police Major General Saharat Saksilapachai, commander of Chumphon provincial police, told Reuters. The victims included his 6-year-old daughter and a 9-year-old, as well as two men and two women aged between 47 and 71, who were family members of Sucheep’s wife, who survived.

A Thai man kills six members of his family before killing himself in a drunken shooting spree.

Austria’s defence minister has said his nation will not be involved in the developing pan-European army, a pet project of leading globalists like Germany’s Angela Merkel and France’s Emmanuel Macron, saying the continent should concentrate on cooperation, not integration. The comments from populist-right Freedom Party defence minister Mario Kunasek comes just weeks after French president Macron caused concerns among NATO allies by calling for a EU army to protect the continent from the United States, among other identified threats. Speaking with the Austria Press Agency about achievements made by Austria during its now-completed possession of the rotating EU presidency and the future of European defence, Kunasek said Austria could not be part of a single EU army with a “command, a uniform, a leadership.” Indeed, if the EU pushed through a single army regardless Austria would not “play” along, Kunasek saying the nation “will not be there.” Europe needs “security and defence policy worthy of the name. But that is not comparable to a EU army… What we do not need is a large, closed formation of an army, but more cooperation,” said Kunasek. Instead of integrating European armed forces into a single body, European leaders should look to cooperate more and utilise what strong defence structures already exist — such as NATO. The minister said: “We all say yes to good, common structures, joint missions, joint exercises, cooperation and joint financing fund, but no to an EU army, as the citizen may imagine.” “Many EU countries are NATO members. It would be illogical to build duplication. There will be strong cooperation with NATO in the future, but if we are serious about the EU, we need to think about common defence.” The creation of a pan-European army was once dismissed as a febrile nightmare of British Eurosceptics, who heralded its coming as a clear sign of European integration that was working to subordinate the nations of Europe to a single federal superstate. Former British deputy prime minister Nick Clegg dismissed warnings of a single EU army by Brexit leader Nigel Farage as “a dangerous fantasy” during a debate in April 2014. Fast-forward to 2017, over a year after the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, and member states signed up to a European Defence Union. In November 2017, the unified EU Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini said the bloc was working at “full speed” to create a “continental scale” defence force. Globalist leaders Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel both turned up the rhetoric on creating an EU army in 2018. Germany called on France to give up their permanent seat on the UN security council — even as they campaigned to get their own seat — so EU headquarters Brussels could have it instead. Meanwhile, France’s Macron used an event commemorating the centenary of the end of the Great War to herald a Franco-German alliance that would in his opinion prevent the world descending into “chaos”. U.S. President Donald Trump reacted poorly to Macron’s plans, however, calling “insulting” Macron’s assertion that Europe needed a single army to defend itself from the United States. Oliver JJ Lane is the editor of Breitbart London — Follow him on Twitter and Facebook

Same-sex marriage becomes legal in Austria.

Intersex people have historically been subject to unnecessary and traumatic medical interventions, and requiring medical approval also prevents the third gender law from being more inclusive of transgender and nonbinary people who don't identify as men or women. Vanja, whose case was supported by advocacy group, “Dritte Option” or, the Third Option, told CNN that having to decide between being a woman or a man on official documents left them feeling “left out and overlooked.” While Vanja’s official identification documents said they were female, this led to “a lot of irritations with people” because they presented — or physically appeared in society — as male. It means intersex people will be able to register themselves as ‘various’ on driving licenses, passports and birth certificates. Intersex people — and parents of intersex babies — will be able to register as “divers,” or miscellaneous, on birth certificates, instead of having to choose between male or female. Several other countries have provided gender-neutral options on passports and official documents such as the census or ID cards, including Argentina, Bangladesh, Canada, Denmark, India, Malta, Nepal, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Pakistan. Between 0.5% and 1.7% of the global population are born with intersex traits, and are at risk of human rights violations that include surgery, discrimination and torture, according to the UN. Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Jeanette was 50 when she discovered the truth about her own body Germany previously allowed intersex people to opt out of choosing either male or female as a gender in 2013. It came after the 2017 constitutional court ruling in favor of an intersex person’s right to change their birth certificate from female to “divers.” The court ruled that Vanja — an intersex person who goes by a one-name pseudonym and uses the gender-neutral pronouns “they” and “them” — had their “right to positive gender recognition” violated and found that the current law was unconstitutional. Approved by parliament on 14 December, the law extends legal recognition to intersex individuals on documents such as birth certificates, making Germany the first country in the European Union to do so, reports CNN.</s>pic.twitter.com/we4TbCVdhJ — NYC Mayor's Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) December 29, 2018 New York City residents have a new option for denoting gender on their birth certificates: gender "X. The measure passed earlier this year. It allows people to change their birth certificates to “X″ by attesting that it reflects their “true gender identity.” Parents also can choose “X″ for newborns. Parents also can choose "X'' for newborns.New York City is joining California, Oregon, Washington state in allowing an undesignated gender option on birth certificates. A similar provision takes effect in New Jersey in February.- READ MORE A similar provision takes effect in New Jersey in February.In 2014, New York City eliminated a policy that allowed birth certificate gender changes only if people underwent gender reassignment surgery.Instead, the city required an attestation from a medical or mental health professional. The new law nixes that requirement.

A law recognising a third gender that can be administered for intersex people takes effect in Germany.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption President Bolsonaro calls for an end of corruption in his inauguration speech Brazil's far-right President Jair Bolsonaro has used his inaugural speech to promise to build a "society without discrimination or division". With Donald Trump and the so-called "Trump of the Tropics" exchanging tweets about their mutual support for each other and commitment to work together, the bromance with one of the world's most powerful presidents has begun. The 63-year-old comfortably won an October election against Fernando Haddad, a candidate from the leftwing Workers Party that was in power between 2003 and 2016 but is now reviled after a series of graft scandals.</s>President Cyril Ramaphosa has conveyed on behalf of the Government and people of South Africa, his sincere greetings and best wishes to President Jair Bolsonaro, on the occasion of his Presidential inauguration on 1 January 2019, as he assumes his role and official duties as the 38th President of the Federative Republic of Brazil. It […] President Cyril Ramaphosa has conveyed on behalf of the Government and people of South Africa, his sincere greetings and best wishes to President Jair B... Source : http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Appa-sourceTheAfric...

Jair Bolsonaro is inaugurated as the 38th president of Brazil, succeeding Michel Temer.

“As acting secretary of defense, I now look forward to working with President Trump to carry out his vision alongside strong leaders including the service secretaries, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the combatant commanders, and senior personnel in the Office of the Secretary of Defense.” On Dec. 20, a day after Trump abruptly called for the withdrawal of US troops from Syria, Mattis announced he would step down – writing a two-page letter of resignation in which he rebuked the president’s defense and foreign policies. Mattis intended to stay on until Feb. 28 to allow the president ample time to find “a secretary of defense whose views are better aligned with yours," he wrote, but just days after the resignation letter was circulated, President Trump announced he was pushing Mattis out early, with Shanahan assuming acting secretary duties Jan. 1. In his farewell memo Monday, Mattis encouraged all Defense Department employees to “keep the faith and hold fast.” “Our Department’s leadership, civilian and military, remains in the best possible hands,” wrote Mattis, who had been widely regarded as a moderating force against the president’s volatility. “We have deep respect for Secretary Mattis’ lifetime of service, and it has been a privilege to serve as his deputy secretary,” he continued.</s>Shanahan said Wednesday in a statement that he has tapped David Norquist, an undersecretary of defense who serves as comptroller, to perform the duties of the deputy defense secretary while Shanahan moves up from that position to serve as acting defense secretary. By The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Jim Mattis says Trump deserves a defense secretary ‘whose views are better aligned with yours,’ says he’s stepping down.

Patrick M. Shanahan becomes the acting United States secretary of defense following the resignation of Jim Mattis.

The Latest: Trump again calls for complete wall at border WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on a partial government shutdown over money for President Donald Trump's border wall (all times local): President Donald Trump says the southern border is "like a sieve," and he's lamenting how U.S. authorities fired tear gas into Mexico during the first hours of the new year to repel about 150 migrants trying to breach the border fence in Tijuana. At a cabinet meeting prior to the briefing, Trump warned that parts of the government would could remain closed for a “a long time” without a deal. Three confidants of President Donald Trump, including his departing chief of staff, are indicating that the president’s signature campaign pledge to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border would not be fulfilled as advertised. “While one White House official says they’re willing to compromise, another says the president is holding firm at no less than $5 billion for the wall. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times published on Sunday, Kelly said, “To be honest, it’s not a wall.” “The president still says ‘wall’ - oftentimes frankly he’ll say ‘barrier’ or ‘fencing,’ now he’s tended towards steel slats. Democratic and Republican congressional leaders are expected to attend a briefing on border security at the White House as the government remains partially shut down and President Donald Trump asks in a tweet, “Let’s make a deal?” The shutdown began Dec. 22. The Democratic legislation will mark the first major battle pitting the incoming Democratic House majority led by Nancy Pelosi against Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has said his chamber will not consider any legislation Trump would not support.</s>As the partial government shutdown continues into its second week, President Trump has invited a bipartisan group of top lawmakers to the White House for talks, two congressional sources say. "The President has invited Republican and Democrat leaders in Congress to the White House for a border security briefing from senior Department of Homeland Security officials on Wednesday, and he remains committed to reaching an agreement that both reopens the government and keeps Americans safe," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement Tuesday. The White House has not responded to questions about the invitation, which was first reported by Politico. But President Trump hinted at the talks in a New Year's Day tweet. "Border Security and the Wall 'thing' and Shutdown is not where Nancy Pelosi wanted to start her tenure as Speaker! Let's make a deal?" Trump asked. Replying to Trump's tweet, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, who is set to take over as speaker, wrote that the president "has given Democrats a great opportunity to show how we will govern responsibly & quickly pass our plan to end the irresponsible #TrumpShutdown." Trump has insisted on $5.7 billion for a southern border wall, but Democratic congressional leaders have stood firm against the funding. The House is expected to vote on a funding bill to end the partial government shutdown on Thursday. That's the first day of the new Congress, when Democrats will take control of the chamber and are expected to elect Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., as speaker. According to a Democratic leadership aide, the legislation will include the full-year appropriations for six of the seven outstanding funding bills. And it would provide stopgap funding until Feb. 8 for the Department of Homeland Security, which is where the fight over border wall funding is contained. About 800,000 federal employees are furloughed during the partial shutdown or are working without pay. On Friday, Trump issued an executive order freezing the salary rates for civilian federal workers.

U.S. President Donald Trump requests a bipartisan meeting with lawmakers to discuss the wall as a partial government shutdown enters its second week.

Based on its circular orbit, as opposed to the elliptical orbits of the planets, Ultima Thule formed 4 billion miles away in the middle of the Kuiper Belt. The space object is actually called (486958) 2014 MU69 and is believed to have formed more than four billion years ago during the very beginning of our solar system’s history, so is a relic of a bygone age which could help scientist unravel the mystery of how all the planets formed. The principal investigator of the mission, Alan Stern, called the accomplishment “a technical success beyond anything ever attempted before in spaceflight.” Ultima Thule is, as early occultation studies suggested with remarkable success, what’s called a contact binary object, composed of two individual objects fused together likely through impact billions of years ago — and it’s the first ever photographed up close. ‘Because of where it was formed and the fact that Ultima is not large enough to have a geologic engine like Pluto and larger planets, we expect that Ultima is the most well-preserved sample of a planetary building block ever explored. ‘In effect, Ultima should be a valuable window into the early stages of planet formation and what the solar system was like over 4.5 billion years ago.’ The New Horizons probe reached the closest point of its flyby at 05:33 British time on New Year’s Day, passing Thule at more than 30,000 miles per hour and coming within 2,200 miles of the surface of the 19 mile-wide object. “We think what we’re looking at is perhaps the most primitive object that has yet been seen by any spacecraft, and may represent a class of objects that are the oldest and most primitive objects that can be seen anywhere in the solar system,” said NASA Ames’s Jeff Moore, geology and geophysics lead on New Horizons. Since this will be the farthest exploration of any object in space in history, I like to call our flyby target Ultima, for short, symbolizing this ultimate exploration by NASA and our team.” Once the flyby happens and mission scientists understand more about just what Ultima Thule is, NASA will choose a formal name to submit to the International Astronomical Union.</s>— Thirty-three minutes into the new year, scientists, engineers and well-wishers here at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory celebrated the moment that NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft made its closest approach to a small, icy world nicknamed Ultima Thule. Ultima Thule, the name that the mission team selected for the object from more than 34,000 suggestions from the public, means “beyond the borders of the known world.” (Thule is pronounced “TOO-lee.”) In the early years of the Solar System, some 4.5 billion years ago, a large, congested disk of these planetesimals came together to form the planets and moons we now recognize in the inner Solar System.

New Horizons makes a flyby of Kuiper belt object 2014 MU69, nicknamed Ultima Thule, at 05:33 UTC, becoming the farthest object in the solar system visited by a spacecraft. It is a contact binary.

“I think there are a heck of a lot of U.S. companies that have a lot of sales in China that are basically going to be watching their earnings be downgraded next year.” Economic deceleration in China had caught Apple off guard and trade tensions between Washington and Beijing were starting to hurt consumer spending on smartphones in China, Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said on Wednesday. Cook told CNBC that Apple products have not been targeted by the Chinese government, though some consumers may have elected not to buy an iPhone or other Apple device because it is an American company. Apple on Wednesday lowered its forecast to US$84 billion in revenue for its fiscal first quarter ended Dec. 29, below analysts' estimate of US$91.5 billion, according to IBES data from Refinitiv. The company lowered its revenue guidance to $84 billion, compared with its previous revenue estimate of between $89 billion and $93 billion. "While we anticipated some challenges in key emerging markets, we did not foresee the magnitude of the economic deceleration, particularly in Greater China," Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said in a letter to investors. Global financial markets felt the shockwaves as Apple shares logged their biggest intra-day percentage fall in six years, sending the company's stock market value to under $700 billion (554 billion pounds), well below its $1.1 trillion October peak. In November, the Cupertino, California-based company said it would quit disclosing unit sales data for iPhones and other hardware items, leading many analysts to worry that a drop in iPhone sales was coming. On Apple's earnings call in November, Cook cited slowing growth in emerging markets such as Brazil, India and Russia for the lower-than-anticipated sales estimates for the company`s fiscal first quarter. On Wednesday, China`s central bank magazine said the country`s economic growth could fall below 6.5 percent in the fourth quarter as companies face increased difficulties there. It also comes as the Trump administration and the Chinese are trying - without success - to resolve a simmering trade conflict that has already put nearly half of all Chinese exports to the United States under tariff. "Until it changes this pricing strategy, it is unlikely to see market share growth and will most likely see a gradual contraction as iPhone users upgrade at slower rates," said Richardson.</s>In a letter to investors that spooked the market and wiped $55 billion off the value of the tech colossus, Cook suggested the company may have missed as much as $9 billion in sales for the quarter. EXCLUSIVE: After cutting Q1 expectations, Apple CEO Tim Cook tells CNBC that the shortfall is primarily in Greater China as trade tensions put pressure on the Chinese economy https://t.co/iOf79ebo17 pic.twitter.com/Lm7Wyp1VOX — CNBC Now (@CNBCnow) January 2, 2019 Per Cook’s letter, “Lower than anticipated iPhone revenue, primarily in Greater China, accounts for all of our revenue shortfall to our guidance and for much more than our entire year-over-year revenue decline.” Cook notes that other divisions of Apple have actually risen by almost 19 percent year over year, but the truth remains that the iPhone has long been Apple’s core business, and if Apple can’t sell enough of them, the whole company struggles. Apple CEO Tim Cook published a letter to investors today warning of weaker than expected first-quarter earnings, citing “fewer iPhone upgrades than we had anticipated.” The weakened demand came primarily from China, although Cook notes that “in some developed markets, iPhone upgrades also were not as strong as we thought they would be.” People just aren’t buying as many new iPhones as Apple hoped In his letter, Cook offers several explanations for the lower earnings guidance: earlier launch timing of the iPhone XS and XS Max compared to the iPhone X, the strength of the US dollar, supply constraints due to the number of new products Apple released in the fall, and overall economic weakness in some markets.

American electronics maker Apple warns that iPhone sales are slowing significantly and the product is in weak demand, blaming trade tensions with China. The company says that it has lowered its expected fiscal earnings for the first quarter as a result, citing disappointing holiday sales figures, and that it could lose $9 billion due to the decline.

Image copyright EPA Image caption One of the freight train's trailers was seen badly damaged by the collision Eight people are now confirmed dead after Wednesday's train crash in Denmark, making it the country's worst rail accident in decades. fottodk/iStock(LONDON) — Six people have died and 16 more were injured in Denmark after debris detached from a cargo train and hit a passenger express train on the Great Belt Bridge, authorities said Wednesday. The passenger train was heading towards the capital when it was hit by objects or tarpaulin from a freight train, according to Banedanmark, which is responsible for maintenance and traffic control of the railway network. Kasper Elbjorn, a spokesman for Carlsberg, told ABC News the company would be doing “everything to help.” “Deutsche Bahn Cargo, the shipper of our goods has unfortunately confirmed to us that cargo train carrying our goods was involved in the accident,” Elbjorn said. “The morning’s tragic accident on the Great Belt Bridge with many fatalities and wounded has shaken us all together,” Rasmussen said in a statement. Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said his thoughts were with the victims and their families and he thanked the authorities for their response to the accident. The accident involving a freight train and a passenger train took place at 7.35 am local time on the lower section of the Great Belt Bridge between the islands of Zealand and Funen.</s>Six people were killed and 16 others injured on Wednesday morning after a train accident on a bridge linking the Danish islands of Zealand and Funen. According to Danish media reports cited by Agence France-Presse news agency, the roof of a cargo train blew off in heavy winds and hit a passenger train crossing the Great Belt Bridge in the opposite direction, towards Copenhagen, prompting it to brake suddenly. Other outlets described the object as a "tarpaulin." A police spokeswoman said the passenger train "hit an unknown object," but did not further comment. There were at least 131 passengers and three employees on board the train when the accident happened at around 7:30 a.m. CET (0630 UTC), reported the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR). "There was a loud crash and the windows started smashing onto our heads. We flew down onto the floor, and then the train stopped," passenger Heidi Langberg Zumbusch told DR. Photos published by TV 2 News showed damage to the interior of the passenger train. A severe storm in Denmark initially made it difficult for emergency services to reach the train. The bridge, linking Denmark's two major islands, was closed to traffic, and it was unclear when it would reopen. There were several helicopters at the scene of the accident, reported Denmark's TV 2. Police and the Danish Accident Investigation Board are investigating the incident. A crisis center has been opened in the nearby city of Nyborg to care for injured passengers. Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.

An express train crashes into an object dropped from a cargo train on the Great Belt Bridge between Funen and Zealand in Denmark, killing at least eight people and leaving several injured.

</s>COPENHAGEN — Norwegian officials say four people from Sweden and Finland are missing after an avalanche in northern Norway but strong winds, heavy snowfall and poor visibility are hampering rescue efforts. A woman from Sweden and three men from Finland were last heard from on Wednesday afternoon. A search-and-rescue operation was launched after a 300-meter (990-foot) wide avalanche was reported in the Tamok valley, near the northern city of Tromsoe, where the party had gone skiing. Police spokesman Morten Pettersen says "there was little chance to get a helicopter into the area." He told a news conference Thursday in Tromsoe that "we cannot take that risk." Baard Rannestad of the University Hospital of North Norway told reporters at the news conference that the skiers' "chances to survive diminish with every passing minute."

Four skiers—three Finnish men and a Swedish woman—are killed in an avalanche near the Blåbærfjellet mountain in Troms, Norway.

Why would he not do it?” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has already said the bill is a “non-starter,” and Trump invited congressional leaders to return to the White House on Friday to continue negotiations. Likely incoming Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said Democrats will not give President Donald Trump funding for his desired wall along the US southern border. Pelosi was responding to a question from anchor Savannah Guthrie, who asked if Democrats were "willing to come up and give him some of this money for the wall?" The White House last week proposed roughly $2.1 billion in wall funding plus hundreds of millions more for general border security, but Democratic leaders did not respond to the proposal. The interview will air on Thursday — which is both day 13 of a partial government shutdown that has centered around funding for the wall, and the day that the Democrats take control of the House of Representatives. The problem is, without a Wall there can be no real Border Security.” But he seemed to shift tactics later in the day, appealing to Pelosi, who is expected to take over as speaker when the new Congress convenes. Chief of staff John Kelly told the Los Angeles Times in an interview published Sunday that Trump abandoned the notion of “a solid concrete wall early on in the administration.” The Democratic package to end the shutdown would include one bill to temporarily fund the Department of Homeland Security at current levels — with $1.3 billion for border security, far less than the $5 billion Trump has said he wants for the wall — through Feb. 8 as talks continued.</s>President Donald Trump gave a preview of his border wall plans on Monday, saying that the choice of materials is being shaped by input from the Border Patrol. During his 2016 campaign for the White House, Trump often spoke of his vision of a 30-foot concrete barrier that would reduce illegal immigration across America’s Southern Border. On Monday, he said that his initial vision has evolved thanks to the help of those who guard the border. He also responded to media coverage of a Los Angeles Times interview with outgoing Chief of Staff John Kelly that was published Sunday where Kelly downplayed the idea of a solid concrete “wall” on the border of the United States and Mexico. “An all concrete Wall was NEVER ABANDONED, as has been reported by the media. Some areas will be all concrete but the experts at Border Patrol prefer a Wall that is see through (thereby making it possible to see what is happening on both sides). Makes sense to me!” Trump tweeted. The composition of the border wall became a media tempest after Kelly said that the massive, concrete, sea-to-sea barrier often envisioned by Trump supporters is not in the cards. “To be honest, it’s not a wall,” Kelly told the Los Angeles Times. Kelly, who served as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security at the start of the Trump administration, said Border Patrol agents told him a variety of approaches were needed across the vastly different terrain of the border. “They said, ‘Well we need a physical barrier in certain places, we need technology across the board, and we need more people,’” he said. “The president still says ‘wall’ — oftentimes, frankly, he’ll say ‘barrier’ or ‘fencing,’ now he’s tended toward steel slats. But we left a solid concrete wall early on in the administration, when we asked people what they needed and where they needed it.” Although Kelly and Trump might use different words, in the interview, Kelly said that the purpose remained the same. She added that “everything indicates” a “president can be indicted after he is no longer president of the United States.” On negotiating with Trump, Pelosi said “you have to ... stipulate to some fact.” “It’s hard to do that with the president because he resists science, evidence, data, truth,” Pelosi said. White House counselor Kellyanne Conway told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday that while “wall” remains the administration’s word of choice to describe the final product, there has been no secret that Trump’s expectation is more nuanced than massive slabs of concrete end to end. The interview is here. The “wall” discussion starts about the 5-minute mark. “I think many people who don’t want to fess up to border security and get Congress to do its job and close the loopholes insist it’s a wall, wall, wall,” she told CNN. “The president has said, he said last week, and he tweeted out pictures of steel slats. Things are already happening in California in terms of that.” Conway said the goal is to get the job done. “It really depends on what Customs and Border Patrol says they need. And they have said they need barriers. The president says a wall — barriers, the president says they need steel slats. They need technological enhancements,” she said. We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

President Trump and congressional leaders fail to resolve their political differences over federal funding for the border barrier, with Pelosi stating that the president will receive "nothing for the wall" from her party.

RIO DE JANEIRO/BRASILIA (Reuters) - New Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro issued an executive order on Wednesday making the Agriculture Ministry responsible for deciding on lands claimed by indigenous peoples, in a victory for agribusiness that will likely enrage environmentalists. REUTERS/Sergio Moraes/File Photo The temporary decree, which will expire unless it is ratified within 120 days by Congress, strips power over land claim decisions from indigenous affairs agency FUNAI. It hands it to the Agriculture Ministry, which will now be responsible for “identification, delimitation, demarcation and registration of lands traditionally occupied by indigenous people.” The move is likely to stoke concern among environmentalists and rights groups that the far-right new president, who took office on Tuesday, will open up the vast Amazon rainforest and other ecologically sensitive areas of Brazil to greater commercial exploitation. The executive order also moves the Brazilian Forestry Service, which promotes the sustainable use of forests and is currently linked to the Environment Ministry, under the control of the Agriculture Ministry. In addition to the indigenous lands decree, the new administration issued decrees affecting the economy and society on Wednesday, while forging closer ties with the United States. Bolsonaro, who enjoys strong support from Brazil’s powerful agribusiness sector, said during his campaign he was considering such a move, arguing that currently protected lands should be opened to commercial activities. Brazil’s 900,000 indigenous people make up less than 1 percent of the population, but live on lands that stretch for 106.7 million hectares (264 million acres), or 12.5 pct of the national territory. “Less than a million people live in these isolated places in Brazil, where they are exploited and manipulated by NGOs,” Bolsonaro tweeted, referring to non-profit groups. Together we will integrate those citizens and give value to all Brazilians.” The agriculture minister did not mention indigenous tribes in her first speech on the job Wednesday, which she used to criticize those that in her view consider the Latin American nation “a transgressor to be incriminated” when it comes to climate change. The temporary decree mandates that the office of the Government Secretary, Carlos Alberto Dos Santos Cruz, “supervise, coordinate, monitor and accompany the activities and actions of international organizations and non-governmental organizations in the national territory.” GOOD NEWS FOR FARM LOBBY After she was sworn in on Wednesday, new Agriculture Minister Tereza Cristina Dias defended the farm sector from accusations it has grown at the expense of the environment, adding that the strength of Brazil’s farmers had generated “unfounded accusations” from unnamed international groups. “Our country is a model to be followed, never a transgressor to be punished.” In comments to reporters after her speech, she said that decisions over land rights disputes were a new responsibility for the Agriculture Ministry. Observatorio do Clima, a network of 45 Brazilian civil society groups, criticized the executive orders, calling them “only the first step on meeting Bolsonaro’s campaign promises of dismantling environmental governance, stripping indigenous peoples of their rights and opening up indigenous lands for business.” “The attack on FUNAI goes beyond the wildest dreams of the rural caucus, who had tried for years to pass a constitutional amendment transferring the demarcation of indigenous lands from the president to Congress,” the nonprofit said. “The new rules will be interesting to the farmers and the Indians, some of whom are already producing soybeans. The Indians want to be productive too,” he added. “Let us together integrate these citizens and value all Brazilians.” Critics say Bolsonaro’s plan to open indigenous reservations to commercial activity will destroy native cultures and languages by integrating the tribes into Brazilian society. Environmentalists say the native peoples are the last custodians of the Amazon, which is the world’s largest rainforest and is vital for climate stability. SAO PAULO (AP) — Newly installed President Jair Bolsonaro targeted Brazil’s indigenous groups, descendants of slaves and the LGBT community with executive orders in the first hours of his administration, moving quickly after a campaign… SAO PAULO (AP) — Newly installed President Jair Bolsonaro targeted Brazil’s indigenous groups, descendants of slaves and the LGBT community with executive orders in the first hours of his administration, moving quickly after a campaign in which the far-right leader said he would radically overhaul many aspects of life in Latin America’s largest nation. “We are very afraid because Bolsonaro is attacking indigenous policies, rolling back environmental protections, authorizing the invasion of indigenous territories and endorsing violence against indigenous peoples,” said Dinamã Tuxá, a member of Brazil’s Association of Indigenous Peoples. Bolsonaro’s order is raising uncertainties about FUNAI by shifting it to a new ministry for family, women and human rights that is headed by an ultraconservative evangelical pastor. Slideshow (2 Images) A former army captain and longtime member of Congress, Bolsonaro said at his inauguration on Tuesday that he had freed the country from “socialism and political correctness.” An admirer of Donald Trump, Bolsonaro has suggested he will follow the U.S. president’s lead and pull out of the Paris climate change accord.</s>SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazil’s newly inaugurated President Jair Bolsonaro has issued an executive order saying that the ministry of agriculture will be responsible for indigenous land in a victory for agribusiness that is likely to enrage environmentalists, according to the official gazette on Wednesday. During his presidential campaign, far-right Jair Bolsonaro said he was considering placing Indigenous affairs under the Ministry of Agriculture, alleging lands should be opened to commercial activities that are currently banned. Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro has decreed the FUNAI agency in charge of indigenous affairs will no longer have a say over creating and defining the boundaries of lands occupied by indigenous people (AFP Photo/CARL DE SOUZA) Brasília (AFP) - Brazil's new president, Jair Bolsonaro, has stripped an agency of the responsibility to demarcate indigenous lands in a move that has unsettled native rights groups and even some farm businesses that will benefit. A former army captain, Bolsonaro took office in Brazil on Tuesday saying he had freed the country from "socialism and political correctness."

President of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro issues a decree to place the responsibility for "identification, delimitation, demarcation and registration of lands traditionally occupied by indigenous people" on the Ministry of Agriculture, instead of the indigenous peoples affairs agency, FUNAI. The management of public forests also goes to the agriculture ministry. The move is seen as a big win for the industrial agribusiness lobby.

Deir Ezzor, SANA- Ten civilians among them children were killed after the US-led coalition shelled al-Kishkiah town in Deir Ezzor , less than 24 hours after its massacre against civilians al-Sha’afa village. Local sources told SANA reporter that a house in al-Kishkiah was razed when warplanes of the US-led coalition launched an aggression on the town located on the left bank of the Euphrates River in the southeastern countryside of Deir Ezzor under the pretext of combating Daesh terrorists in Syria and Iraq, killing ten civilians , including four children. "Today's massacre adds to tens of previous massacres perpetrated by the said coalition on Deir Ezzor countryside."</s>The coalition's activities in Syria are not authorized by the Syrian government, nor by the UN Security Council.The Thursday airstrike by the US-led coalition on Syria's eastern province of Deir ez-Zor, Syrian state broadcaster Al Ikhbariya reported. The coalition has pounded the town of Sha'afa.In November, the Syrian Arab News Agency reported that the US-led coalition had used internationally prohibited cluster bombs in airstrikes on Hajin and Sha'afa. Previously, multiple Syrian media reports alleged that toxic white phosphorus munitions had also been used in the coalition's repeated attacks in the region.The US Defense Department has dismissed the allegations as false, maintaining that the coalition's airstrikes in Syria conform with the laws of armed conflict.The Syrian authorities have repeatedly urged the United Nations to take measures targeting the perpetrators of the attacks and put an end to the coalition's unauthorized presence in Syria.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and Syrian state media say that a U.S.-led coalition aerial attack killed 11 civilians in Deir ez-Zor Governorate.

NEW YORK: New York-based pharmaceutical giant Bristol-Myers Squibb on Thursday (Jan 3) announced it would buy US biotech firm Celgene in a US$74 billion cash-and-stock deal, instantly creating a rival to the world's largest drug manufacturers. Bristol makes an immunotherapy drug called Opdivo that accounts for roughly a quarter of its sales but that has trailed a rival medication from Merck & Co. Celgene, meanwhile, has been looking for a follow-up for its blockbuster blood-cancer therapy Revlimid. The merger plans underscored the companies' efforts to diversify in the field of cancer treatments, with investors in recent months questioning their growth prospects. Amid clinical setbacks and other missteps, Bristol-Myers shares fell 15.2 percent in 2018 while Celgene plunged nearly 40 percent last year. Last year, Celgene bought experimental cancer drug developer Juno Therapeutics for $9 billion, betting on its chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, known as CAR-T, in a bid to reduce reliance on its mainstay drug, Revlimid. Celgene shareholders will also receive one tradeable contingent value right for each share held, which will entitle them to receive a one-time potential payment of $9 in cash upon regulatory approval of ozanimod and liso-cel by Dec. 31, 2020 and bb2121 by March 31, 2021.</s>Bristol-Myers Squibb is spending $74 billion on fellow drugmaker Celgene in a deal aimed at stocking the combined company's development pipeline with cancer, immunology and cardiovascular treatments. Bristol would gain the cancer treatment Revlimid in the cash-and-stock deal announced Thursday, as well as inflammatory disease treatments and several products close to launching. The combined company will have nine products with more than $1 billion in annual sales. Bristol Chairman and CEO Giovanni Caforio said in a prepared statement that the combination will create a deep product portfolio that drives growth. It was a hard sell, however, in premarket trading Thursday. Shares of Bristol plunged more than 15 percent. Celgene soared 31 percent. Under terms of the deal, shareholders of Celgene Corp., based in Summit, N.J., will receive one share of Bristol-Myers Squibb plus $50 in cash for each share they own. They'll also receive one tradeable contingent value right for each Celgene share, allowing the holder to receive a payment when future regulatory milestones are hit. The cash-and-stock portion of the deal total $102.43, based on Wednesday's closing price of $52.43 for Bristol shares. That represents a premium of nearly 54 percent to Celgene's closing price of $66.64. Shareholders of Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., based in New York City, would own about 69 percent of the company, with Celgene shareholders owning about 31 percent. Follow @ChiTribBusiness on Facebook and @ChiTribBiz on Twitter.

Pharmaceutical company Bristol-Myers Squibb proposes the takeover of cancer drug company Celgene for US$95 billion, including debt, the biggest biopharma deal ever.

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks went into a steep slide Thursday morning after Apple reported a slowdown in iPhone sales over the holidays in China, a hugely important market for the company. The rare warning of disappointing results from Apple reinforced investors’ fears that the world’s second-biggest economy is losing steam and that trade tensions between Washington and Beijing are making things worse. The Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged as much as 677 points about an hour into trading, then began climbing back, but was still down more than 600 points at 3 p.m. The benchmark S&P 500 index was down 2.4 percent as of 10:45 a.m. Apple stock plummeted 9.7 percent, erasing $72 billion in value. Other big exporters, including technology and heavy-machinery companies, also took big losses. Some of the worst drops were at chipmakers that make components used in smartphones and other gadgets. The U.S.-China trade dispute, nearly a year old, threatens to snarl their supply lines and reduce demand for their products. Apple's warning, its first since 2002, deepened concerns about the Chinese economy, which had been showing signs of stress. In a letter to shareholders on Wednesday, Apple CEO Tim Cook said iPhone demand was waning in China and would hurt revenue for the October-December quarter. Cook said Apple expects revenue of $84 billion for the quarter. That's $7 billion less than analysts expected, according to FactSet. The S&P 500 dropped 60 points to 2,449. The Dow slid 602 points, or 2.6 percent, to 22,743. The Nasdaq composite, which has a high concentration of tech stocks, retreated 185 points, or 2.8 percent, to 6,482. "For a while now there's been an adage in the markets that as long as Apple was doing fine, everyone else would be OK," said Neil Wilson, chief markets analyst at Markets.com. "Therefore, Apple's rare profit warning is a red flag for market watchers. The question is to what extent this is more Apple-specific.” Investors were also unsettled by a report Thursday that showed signs of weakness in U.S. manufacturing. Apple's warning couldn't have come at a worse time for stocks given the wipeout in late 2018. Apple's warning couldn't have come at a worse time for stock market investors given the wipeout in late 2018, when many global indexes posted their worst performances in a decade amid concerns about the global economy and the prospect of further U.S. interest rate hikes. A weak report Thursday on U.S. manufacturing also weighed on the market. The Institute for Supply Management said its index of manufacturing fell to its lowest level in two years, and new orders have fallen sharply since November. Manufacturing is still growing, but at a slower pace than it has recently. U.S. government bond prices jumped, sending yields to their lowest level in almost a year, and gold and high-dividend stocks like utilities also rose as investors looked for safer places to put their money. Apple stock has slumped 38 percent since early October as investors feared a sales slowdown in China. The company also recently announced that it would stop disclosing how many iPhones it sold each quarter, and many investors felt that suggested the company was trying to hide signs that its sales were cooling off. Apple stock had fallen to $143.58 at mid-morning. Microsoft shed 1.6 percent to $99.46. In the chip industry, Intel fell 4.1 percent to $45.17, and Qualcomm lost 2.4 percent to $56.04, while Skyworks skidded 7.6 percent to $62.77. Among big industrial companies, Caterpillar gave up 3.5 percent to $121.90, and Deere lost 2.5 percent to $144.93. Companies that make heavy machinery such as construction equipment are facing less demand as China's economy, the largest in the world after the U.S., loses strength. They are also dealing with higher costs for metals as a result of import taxes. Bonds prices jumped. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.58 percent from 2.66 percent late Wednesday, a large move. Markets overseas held up a bit better. Germany’s DAX dropped 1.5 percent and the French CAC 40 fell 1.7 percent, and Britain’s FTSE 100 gave up 0.6 percent. In Asia, tech-related stocks suffered most. South Korea's Kospi ended 0.8 percent lower and Hong Kong's Hang Seng gave up 0.3 percent. Oil prices were little changed. U.S. crude rose 1.2 percent to $47.09 a barrel in New York and Brent crude rose 1.9 percent to $55.95 a barrel in London. Oil prices have nosedived almost 40 percent since early October, and investors' fears about falling demand in China and elsewhere were a key reason for the decline. The dollar weakened. It fell to 107.46 yen from 109.21 yen. The euro rose to $1.1403 from $1.344. Copper, which is used in construction and wiring, fell 2.1 percent to $2.57 a pound. Gold also rose, by 0.6 percent to $1,291 an ounce. Some experts believe that the market volatility could eventually lead to changes in the policies that are concerning investors. The Federal Reserve, for example, could slow the pace of its interest rate increases if markets continue to drop. And U.S. President Donald Trump could become more open to settling the trade dispute with China. "It is a well-known fact that Trump perceives the markets as a true barometer of his presidency," said Piotr Matys, a strategist at Rabobank International. Pan Pylas contributed to this story from London. AP Markets Writer Marley Jay can be reached at http://twitter.com/MarleyJayAP The Associated Press contributed to this report.</s>(Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures tumbled on Thursday after Apple Inc (AAPL.O) stunned investors with a rare sales warning that inflamed fears that the Sino-U.S. trade war and a slowing China economy would eat into corporate profits more than expected. “This provides solid evidence of how slowing economic growth and a trade war make the best death cocktail for sentiment,” said Naeem Aslam, chief market analyst at Think Markets UK Ltd in London. ET, Dow e-minis 1YMc1 were down 324 points, or 1.39 percent. S&P 500 e-minis ESc1 were down 34.25 points, or 1.36 percent and Nasdaq 100 e-minis NQc1 were down 134 points, or 2.1 percent. Apple’s slide is a gloomy omen for Wall Street bulls hoping for an early gift in 2019 following December’s steep selloff, which President Donald Trump has called a “glitch”. Though the selloff has made stocks cheaper, with the S&P 500’s valuation now at 14 times expected earnings from 18 times a year earlier, earnings estimates have also been sharply cut. Analysts on average expect S&P 500 companies to increase their earnings per share by nearly 7 percent this year, down from a forecast of 10 percent at the start of October and far below their expectations of 24 percent EPS growth for 2018, according to Refinitiv’s IBES. A weak report Thursday on U.S. manufacturing also weighed on the market. ET, the Institute of Supply Management is expected to report its index of national factory activity fell to a reading of 57.9 in December from 59.3 in November.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average drops 660 points following a warning from Apple on weak demand and trade relations between the United States and China.

MOSCOW (AFP) - The number of people confirmed dead in a New Year's Eve gas explosion that caused a Russian apartment block to partially collapse has risen to 37, officials said on Thursday (Jan 3), with four people still missing. The Soviet-era apartment block was home to about 1,100 people and the explosion left dozens homeless over the New Year - the biggest holiday of the year in Russia.</s>MOSCOW - Twenty-eight bodies have been recovered from the debris of an apartment block in Russia that partially collapsed in an apparent explosion, while 13 people remained unaccounted for, the regional emergencies ministry said on Wednesday. The blast initially thought to have been caused by a gas leak, damaged 48 apartments in a 10-storey building in the industrial city of Magnitogorsk in the early hours on Monday, 1,700 km east of Moscow. A baby boy was found alive on Tuesday after 35 hours spent in freezing cold in the rubble, in what emergency officials described as a miracle. The emergencies ministry said more than 900 people were carrying out the search and rescue operation at the site. It said six people have been rescued. The reason behind the collapse of the apartment block is still being investigated, the Investigative Committee, which probes into major cries, said on its website. It said no trace of explosives materials had been found so far on the site. The initial reports put a possible gas leak behind the collapse. There have been several similar incidents in the country in recent years due to ageing infrastructure and poor safety regulations about gas usage. In a separate incident in the same street late on Tuesday, three people died when a minibus became engulfed in flames, TASS news agency reported citing the local government office. Video footage purporting to show the incident, posted on social media sites, shows a burning vehicle and some bangs are heard. A police spokesman declined to comment when contacted by phone.

The death toll of an explosion caused by a gas leak that devastated a block of flats in Magnitogorsk, Russia, rises to 39. Rescuers end their search efforts at the collapse site as there are no more missing people.

The Netherlands has announced it was prepared to welcome some of the 32 refugees and migrants waiting to disembark from a Dutch-flagged vessel in the Mediterranean, if other countries did the same. "The Netherlands has indicated a readiness to possibly take in a proportional number of migrants who are on board Sea-Watch 3, on condition that other European countries do the same," said Lennart Wegewijs, the security and justice ministry spokesman, on Wednesday. And late Wednesday, Malta's navy announced that authorities would allow two German NGO ships — the Sea-Watch 3 and Sea-Eye — carrying migrants to "take shelter" in Maltese waters due to the deteriorating conditions on board. The Dutch had at first joined Italy, Malta and Spain in refusing to accept the refugees and migrants who were rescued on December 22 by Sea-Watch 3, which is operated by a German charity and have been stranded off Malta. “We are seeking a solution to this situation.” The 32 migrants who were plucked from a makeshift boat in international waters, include three young children, three unaccompanied adolescents and four women from Nigeria, Libya and Ivory Coast. The Sea-Eye, the second ship, has also been stranded in the Mediterranean with 17 refugees on board. In Berlin, a government spokesman said Saturday that Germany would only accept some of the migrants if other European countries also agreed to do so. Separately, Spanish coastguards reported on Wednesday they had rescued 401 refugees trying to cross the Mediterranean over the first two days of the New Year. The news comes just days after a charity rescue vessel carrying 311 mainly African migrants plucked off the coast of Libya docked in Spain, ending a traumatic journey which saw them spend Christmas at sea. With Italian ports closed to refugees by the government in Rome since June, Spain has become a leading destination. A spokeswoman for Spain's coastguards told AFP they had rescued 111 migrants on Tuesday. She added 290 more were saved on Wednesday, and coastguards were searching for another boat in distress. More than 1,300 refugees and migrants died trying to reach Italy or Malta via the central Mediterranean last year, according to the International Organization for Migration.</s>Both Italy and Malta are refusing to let the Sea-Watch 3, a ship operated by a German non-governmental organization (NGO), dock and set down the migrants who were rescued off Libya on Dec. 22. This week almost two dozen humanitarian groups, including Amnesty International and the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration, called on the European Union to offer a safe port to both vessels. Until June last year, Italy took in almost all of the migrants rescued by humanitarian groups, but since then the new populist government’s Interior Minister Matteo Salvini has closed the ports to rescue ships. ROME (Reuters) - Naples is ready to defy Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini and let in a charity-run ship carrying 32 migrants that is blocked in the stormy Mediterranean, the city mayor said on Thursday.

The mayor of Naples offers to berth a NGO-operated ship with 32 migrants who were rescued on 22 December in the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Libya.

Containers with items including flat-screen televisions have washed up on Dutch islands in the North Sea. Dozens of containers with items including flat-screen televisions have washed up on Dutch islands in the North Sea after a ship lost part of its cargo in heavy seas, bringing a windfall for local treasure hunters. The Dutch Coast Guard said up to 270 containers had fallen off the Panamanian-flagged MSC ZOE, one of the world's biggest container ships, in rough weather near the German island of Borkum and floated southwest toward Dutch waters. Containers broke open on the shores of the Dutch islands of Terschelling and Vlieland. Others were floating or stranded off the coasts of Ameland and Schiermonnikoog, part of a chain of islands that guard the Dutch coast. The Coast Guard warned ships in the area to beware of floating containers. Three containers holding hazardous materials have not yet been located, the Coast Guard said. Dutch media reported that local treasure hunters had found an array of items from containers whose contents had spilled, including light bulbs, car parts, Ikea furniture, clothing and toys. Local media carried pictures of groups of people congregating around beached blue containers and one carrying off what appeared to be a flatscreen TV still packed in foam. Such material is considered flotsam, and residents of the islands have a centuries-old tradition of collecting it. It was unclear if the goods were water-damaged. The mayor of the island of Vlieland, Tineke Schokker, said that the municipality doesn't mind scavenging. "It's just really nice of people," she told local news agency ANP. "Processing it would cost more than the stuff is worth, and anyway with the two officers we have it would be impossible to guard, the stuff is littered over the whole beach." A spokesman for the ship's operator, MSC, had no immediate comment. Get Breaking news, live coverage, and Latest News from India and around the world on NDTV.com. Catch all the Live TV action on NDTV 24x7 and NDTV India. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram for latest news and live news updates.</s>“Unfortunately, a number of the containers were damaged or lost overboard amid very difficult conditions.” The Swiss-based containership owner has appointed a salvage company to coordinate the retrieval of cargo and beach clean-up operations and is also deploying specialised ships equipped with sonar to search for missing cargo at sea. The MSC Zoe, one of the world's largest cargo ships, lost some of its cargo on Tuesday as it navigated stormy waters on its way from Antwerp in Belgium to Bremerhaven in Germany. The Central Command for Maritime Emergencies said six containers so far have been sighted in German waters, while more than 20 have washed ashore in the Netherlands or are drifting off the Dutch island of Terschelling.

The Dutch Coast Guard says 270 containers fell off MSC Zoe in heavy seas near the German island of Borkum and floated towards the Netherlands. Treasure hunters revel on the West Frisian islands of Terschelling and Vlieland. Three containers containing hazardous materials are still missing and ships are warned for floating containers.

The wreck happened… FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Two big rigs and two passenger vehicles collided and spilled diesel fuel across a Florida highway Thursday, sparking a massive fire that killed seven people, authorities said. Several others were taken to the hospital, some with critical injuries, the Gainesville Sun reported. Emergency crews extinguished the fire and said they were treating the crash as a homicide investigation, but didn’t say why. Authorities extinguished the fire, but the aftermath caused a portion of the interstate to be closed in both directions, causing massive delays Thursday evening. The Florida Highway Patrol says two tractor-trailer rigs and… GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Highway officials say six people have died after a crash and diesel fuel spill sparked a massive fire on a Florida interstate. Two tractor-trailer rigs and two passenger vehicles were involved in the wreck on Interstate 75 about a mile (1.6 kilometers) south of Alachua, near Gainesville, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. The fire was ignited after about 50 gallons (189 liters) of diesel spilled onto the highway, authorities said. The fire has been extinguished. Eight others have been taken to the hospital. The Gainesville Sun reports some of the injuries were critical. A helicopter landed on scene to search for any victims who may have been in the woods along the crash scene, which Alachua County Sheriff’s officials described as “extensive.” Authorities extinguished the fire, but the aftermath caused a portion of the interstate to be closed in both directions, causing massive delays Thursday evening.</s>Six people are dead and eight people have been transported from the scene of a fiery multivehicle crash on Interstate 75 southbound near Gainesville, Florida, according to Alachua County Fire Rescue. Some of the eight patients transported from the scene have critical injuries, according to the fire and medical service.

Seven people are killed after a crash and diesel fuel spill sparked a massive fire on Interstate 75 in Gainesville, Florida, United States.

Read more: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo axes plan to shut down the L Train, saves Brooklynites from commuting hell New York City will instead adopt a new technology previously used for tunnel construction in Europe. Read more: New York's Cuomo is killing a plan that would shut down an entire subway line for 15 months and leave hundreds of thousands struggling to find transportation The city had planned to close the subway line, which runs between Brooklyn and Manhattan, for 15 months beginning in April to repair two tunnels that run beneath the East River. He said not fully closing the L train would be a “phenomenal benefit to the people of New York City.’’ The alternative plan was recommended by a panel of experts convened by Mr. Cuomo, who called the new design a “major breakthrough’’ that had been used in Europe but had not been tried in the United States. The decision, he said, would be a “phenomenal benefit to the people of New York City.” Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office, however, sounded a note of caution, saying the whiplash move by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which oversees the subway, “was certainly no way to run a railroad.” “So long as this new strategy proves to be real, the mayor thinks this is great news for L-train riders,” Eric Phillips, a spokesman for the mayor, said in a statement. Andrew M. Cuomo announced on Thursday that the L train subway tunnel would not fully shut down in April as planned in what would have been one of the biggest transit disruptions in New York City’s recent history. • New York Governor Andrew Cuomo axes plan to shut down the L Train, saves Brooklynites from commuting hell • New York’s governor just killed a plan to shut down one of the most crowded subway lines in NYC – and people are freaking out • New York’s governor called Tesla to see if the company could help fix NYC’s subway system • New York Governor Andrew Cuomo killed a controversial plan that would have caused commuting hell for thousands of people – but it’s terrible news for people moving to the area • Lyft says it is ‘optimistic’ about Andrew Cuomo’s solution to the L train shutdown after the ride-sharing service ran an ad campaign targeting stranded subway riders “It has been implemented in Europe, but has never been implemented in a tunnel restoration project.</s>NEW YORK (Reuters) - More than two years after the announcement that one of New York City’s busiest subway lines would stop running between Manhattan and Brooklyn to allow for repairs, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Thursday that service would not be halted after all. The expected closure of the L train tunnel under the East River for at least 15 months had dismayed residents of the Brooklyn communities of Williamsburg, Bushwick and beyond, who were bracing themselves for squeezing onto other already crowded lines or into promised new bus services. Some even moved out of their neighborhoods. Cuomo told a news conference that engineering experts from Cornell and Columbia universities had looked at the plans over the last few weeks drawn up by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the state agency that runs the subway, and found them needlessly disruptive. “The simple fact is you have roughly 250,000 people who would need another way to get to work,” Cuomo said. Under the new plan, work would take place only on nights and weekends, with trains running on limited service through one of the two tubes inside the tunnel. Fernando Ferrer, the MTA’s acting chairman, said at the news conference the MTA would adopt the academics’ plan and that, beginning in the spring, it will take 15 to 20 months to complete. Asked whether he would promise that work would not exceed 20 months, Cuomo said: “I can’t promise,” before chiding the reporter for asking what he called “a silly question.” The repairs were necessary to fix damage caused by Hurricane Sandy in 2012, one of the most devastating storms ever to hit the U.S. East Coast. Although the century-old tunnel is structurally sound, salt water from the East River leaks inside, corroding electrical switches and power lines. “Salt water and electronics do not mix,” Cuomo said. One of the biggest changes in the new plan is that the MTA will no longer remove and replace all 32,000 feet of benchwall, a gangway-like walkway that allows workers, or evacuating passengers, to walk along the edge of the tunnel. Instead, weakened parts of the benchwall will be patched up with strengthened, industrial-use plastic. The cables that currently run inside the benchwall will instead be suspended from racks higher up the tunnel wall.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announces that a complete shutdown of the 14th Street Tunnel in New York City, proposed to allow for subway repairs caused by damage from Hurricane Sandy, has been halted. Cuomo says that engineers will use a new technology from Europe to make critical repairs to the tunnel without having to close it entirely. The complete shutdown would have closed the tunnel, which is used by nearly 225,000 people each weekday, for an expected 15 months.

The foreign affairs ministry said in a statement late on Tuesday that Nicholas Haysom, the Special Representative of the U.N. Secretary-General for Somalia, “is not required and cannot work in this country”, effectively declaring the official persona non grata. Read more: Life in Somalia under peacekeepers and al-Shabab threats Haysom cited a number of concerns about the situation surrounding Robow in his letter to the interior security minister, including "the alleged involvement of UN-supported Somali security forces in the arrest of Mukhtar Robow on December 13, the deaths of 15 civilians ... on 13, 14, and 15 December ... and the arrest of approximately 300 people involved in the demonstrations on 13, 14, and 15 December." Mr Haysom raised questions in a December 30 letter about the involvement of UN-supported Somali security forces in the arrest of a former militant of the Islamist al Shabaab group, who was blocked from running in a recent regional election. The Internal Security Ministry said that Robow was arrested on suspicion that he had brought militants and weapons back to the southern city of Baidoa, the capital of South West region where he is running for president. The move sparked deadly clashes between factions loyal to him and Somali forces. Ethiopian troops who are part of the African Union force in Somalia and Somali police arrested Robow days before the regional election in which Robow had been a leading candidate. Haysom had questioned the legal basis used in the arrest last month of Mukhtar Robow, a former al-Shabab spokesman who defected from the group in 2017, and whether U.N.-funded regional police in Southwest state were involved.</s>The Secretary-General has full confidence in Mr. Haysom, an experienced and respected international civil servant who has distinguished himself in numerous senior leadership roles, in the field and at United Nations Headquarters.

Somalia expels Nicholas Haysom, the most senior United Nations diplomat in the country, after accusing him of "acting like the country's ruler".

More: Exclusive: President Trump vows to send as many troops to the border ‘as necessary’ to stop caravan More: US troops deployed to border will aid, not replace, agents More: US border agents fire tear gas across Mexico border to stop 'rock throwers' This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump's DHS requests more support from military troops along U.S.-Mexico border If approved by Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan, the addition of troops to enhance the fencing could extend the military's current deployment at the border until the end of September, based on the rate of construction, according to two officials. The request would extend the military's operation at the border, which is set to end on Jan. 31, and deploy additional engineers to erect 160 more miles of concertina wire.</s>Troops To Be Deployed To Border To Build 160 Miles Of Fencing More troops are expected to be deployed to the southern border to construct or upgrade 160 miles of fencing and provide medical care to a steady stream of migrant families arriving from Central America, according to military sources. The deployment and fence construction along the California and Arizona borders would be paid for by the Pentagon, from the Department of Defense’s discretionary funding. More troops are expected to be deployed to the Southern border toto a steady stream of migrant families arriving from Central America, according to military sources.The move comes as President Trump continues to demand more than $5 billion from Congress for border security and a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Congressional Democrats oppose the move, and parts of the federal government have been shut down because of the impasse. The Department of Defense has not been affected by the shutdown. A few days later, Trump repeated his intention to have the Defense Department do the job, saying in another tweet that because of crime and drugs flowing through the border “the United States Military will build the Wall!” The Department of Homeland Security — which has had to cease some operations, although not border security — made the request for more troops to shore up the border with Mexico. The request will very likely mean the deployment of more forces, including combat engineers and aviation units. -NPR The request for more troops to shore up the US-Mexico border was made by the Department of Homeland Security - which will add to the deployment of some 2,300 active duty troops on the border as well as 2,100 National Guard troops. The original active-duty deployment announced in November was slated to be completed at the end of January, with Guard troops scheduled to remain until September. The request will very likely mean theThe active-duty deployment was scheduled to be completed at the end of January, while the Guard troops are scheduled to remain until September.A senior military official said the new request could include thousands more troops and that installing the fencing could take months.

The Department of Homeland Security requests more American troops be deployed to the Mexico-United States border in order to add 160 miles of concertina wire alongside existing border fencing.

Gao Chengyong, 54, nicknamed the “Jack the Ripper of China”, was sentenced to death in March by Baiyin Intermediate People’s Court in northwestern Gansu province for robbery, rape, murder and defiling the dead. Gao Chengyong, 54, was sentenced to death in March during a court appearance in Baiyin, China, for robbery, rape, murder, and defiling the dead, according to the South China Morning Post. Gao targeted young women wearing red and followed them home, sometimes mutilating his victims, said the report. Before Gao was arrested 12 years later, the case was regarded by authorities as one of the country’s most notorious series of unsolved crimes. In a statement released after his sentencing, the court denounced Gao’s “perverted desire to dishonour and sully corpses” and described his actions as “despicable.” It’s not clear how the execution was performed, although China typically uses lethal injection or a firing squad to carry out death sentences.</s>Image copyright Reuters Image caption Gao's first killing took place in 1988, he was only caught years later in 2016 A Chinese serial killer convicted of murdering 11 girls and women between 1988 and 2002 has been executed. China's 'Jack the Ripper' Gao Chengyong executed for 11 homicides in Baiyin City Chinese grocer Gao Chengyong might seem like an unassuming candidate to be China's "Jack the Ripper", but a local court says the 53-year-old was responsible for the brutal murders of 11 women and girls. Gao targeted young women wearing red and followed them home, often cutting their throats and mutilating their bodies, according to state media reports. The first victim, a woman aged 23, was found with 26 stab wounds to her body in 1998. Some victims had their reproductive organs removed, the Beijing Youth Daily said when Gao was arrested in 2016. His youngest victim was eight years old. He gave a DNA sample which police then linked to the crimes, determining they must have been committed by a relative - which was later confirmed to be Gao. Gao admitted to the acts in Baiyin city in Gansu Province and Baotou city in the northern region of Inner Mongolia and was sentenced to death in March 2018. The court in the northwest city of Baiyin, Gansu province, which handed him the death sentence in March last year announced on the Twitter-like Weibo that it had been carried out.

China executes serial killer Gao Chengyong, who murdered eleven girls and women between 1988 and 2002.

Russia says France has extradited a former regional finance official to face trial on multiple counts of fraud, misuse of funds, and money laundering following a long legal battle. The French law enforcement “have complied with the extradition request,” the Russian Prosecutor General's office said in a statement, adding that the former official, identified as Aleksey Kuznetsov, arrived to Russia on January 3, accompanied by the Russian Interpol agents and the officers of the Federal Penal Correction Service. The former finance minister, who had also served as the regional government's deputy head, had already fled Russia by the time he faced the charges, so the Russian authorities put him on an international wanted list. Prosecutors believe the former minister, who faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted, embezzled 14 billion rubles ($202.7 million) with his accomplices. Kuznetsov was arrested in southern France in the summer of 2013 and appealed against his extradition in French courts over the following years. In January 2018, a Russian court convicted Kuznetsov's former wife, Janna Bullock, of large-scale fraud and money laundering and sentenced her to 11 years in prison after a trial in absentia.</s>MOSCOW, January 3. /TASS/. Former Moscow Region Finance Minister Alexei Kuznetsov accused of fraud and embezzlement to the tune of 14 bln rubles ($ 201.3 mln) has been extradited from France to Russia, the press service of the Russian Prosecutor-General’s Office informed TASS. "The French competent authorities have complied with the request of the Russian Prosecutor-General’s Office concerning the extradition of former Moscow Region Finance Minister Alexei Kuznetsov for criminal prosecution under Part 4 of Section 159, Part 4 of Section 160 and Part 3 of Section 174.1 of Russia’s Criminal Code. Kuznetsov is accused of committing fraud (ten crimes), embezzlement (three crimes) and legalizing property acquired as a result of committing crimes (nine crimes)," the Prosecutor-General’s Office said. According to investigators, Kuznetsov and his accomplices inflicted damage on the Moscow Region government, housing and utility enterprises and the Mosobltransinvest company to the tune of over 14 bln rubles. On January 3, Kuznetsov accompanied by officers of Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service and the Russian Interpol Bureau was extradited to Russia. "This became possible due the fact that the senior officials of the Russian Prosecutor-General’s Office place special emphasis on international cooperation and are actively involved in it. Permanent cooperation with our French counterparts makes it possible for us to overcome the existing barriers caused by differences in our legal systems," the Prosecutor-General’s Office noted.

The Prosecutor General of Russia Yury Chaika says that France today extradited Alexei Viktorovich Kuznetsov [ru], a former Finance Minister of the Moscow Region who is accused of fraud and embezzlement amounting to 14 billion Russian rubles (US$200 million).

This post was originally published on this site U.S. NEWS Texas man arrested after allegedly killing three young children, shooting woman in the head https://linewsradio.com/texas-man-arrested-after-allegedly-killing-three-young-children-shooting-woman-in-the-head/ http://abcnewsradioonline.com/national-news/ (TEXAS CITY, Texas) — Police arrested a Texas man who allegedly murdered three young children and shot a woman in the head Thursday. Police discovered the victims at the Pointe Ann Apartments in Texas City, Texas, about 40 miles southeast of Houston, while responding to a welfare concern at around 6:15 p.m., the Texas City Police Department said in a statement. Mehmood was taken into custody Thursday night on an unrelated warrant after the children were found dead and 24-year-old Kimaria Nelson was found shot in the head in their apartment in Texas City. Junaid Mehmood, 27, allegedly killed an infant and two children — believed to be 2 years old and 5 years old — at a Texas City apartment complex and left a woman there to die, according to police. He was The woman was in stable condition and receiving treatment at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston with a gunshot wound to the head.</s>(Photo: Texas City Police Department) A Texas man turned himself into law enforcement Thursday night after police found three young children dead and a woman with a gunshot wound to her head in an apartment. Person of interest in slaying of 3 Texas children jailed TEXAS CITY, Texas (AP) — Police say a person of interest in the fatal shooting of three children and the wounding of a woman has been arrested on an unrelated warrant in Southeast Texas. Police in Texas City, 48 miles (77 kilometers) south-east of Houston on the Gulf Coast, went to Pointe Ann Apartments on Thursday evening on a welfare check and discovered the children along with a woman with a gunshot wound to the head. One of the children was an infant, another was 2 years old and the third was 5 years old, police said in a statement. The woman was in stable condition and receiving treatment at a Galveston hospital, according to a police press release. The police statement doesn't describe the warrant nor explain the relationship between Mehmood, the wounded women and the children. He was apprehended peacefully in Houston, said Houston police officer Ben Starr. A man described as a person of interest gave himself up and is in police custody. Texas City police Lt. Kenneth Brown told the Houston Chronicle that the woman is unable to speak to investigators because of her severe injuries. “It’s a very intense scene over there,” he told the newspaper. “Everybody involved is either deceased or injured.” Houston police officer Ben Starr said the suspect called authorities late Thursday saying he wanted to surrender.

A man shoots three children to death and wounds a woman in Texas City, Texas, United States. The suspect has not been apprehended.

DUBAI: Iran's health minister has resigned over proposed budget cuts, the official news agency IRNA reported, amid an economic crisis wrought by the reimposition of U.S. sanctions on Tehran. IRNA said on Thursday President Hassan Rouhani accepted the resignation of Hassan Ghazizadeh Hashemi, widely seen as the key official behind the 2014 launch of an ambitious plan for universal medical insurance sometimes dubbed “Rouhanicare.” Hashemi had repeatedly complained about delays in payments of budgeted funds in the past and about cuts in his ministry’s budget under the new state spending plans, IRNA said. The $47.5 billion budget is less than half the size of last year’s, mainly due to the severe depreciation of the local currency following President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.</s>Iranian President also appointed Saeed Namaki as the caretaker of Ministry of Health and Medical Education in absence of a minister.

Iran's health minister Hassan Ghazizadeh Hashemi resigns in protest against a medical budget. His resignation was accepted by President Hassan Rouhani.

President Donald Trump on Thursday congratulated Democrat Nancy Pelosi on her election as House speaker and insisted on the need for a wall along the US-Mexico border. In a surprising, albeit brief, appearance before reporters, his first of the year, Trump hailed the "tremendous achievement" of Pelosi, who at age 78 once again takes leadership of the House of Representatives, a post she held from 2007-2011.

The 116th United States Congress, which contains a record number of women and minorities, is sworn in at the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. Democrat Nancy Pelosi becomes the Speaker of the House of Representatives for the second time, the first being from 2007–2011.

Beijing: A Chinese lunar rover successfully landed on the far side of the moon on Thursday, becoming the world’s first spacecraft to survey the moon’s uncharted mysterious side, a giant leap in cosmic exploration and a major boost to the Communist giant’s quest to become a space superpower. The Chang’e-4 probe touched down and sent a photo of the so-called “dark side” of the moon to the Queqiao satellite, which will relay communications to controllers on Earth, state broadcaster CCTV said. 2019 China science look-ahead: from moon landing to an AI arms race, four things to expect in the year ahead Chang’e 4 was launched atop a Long March 3B carrier rocket on December 8 from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in southwest China’s Sichuan province. It landed on the Von Karman crater in the South Pole-Aitken basin and then sent back a picture of the landing site shot by one of the monitor cameras on the probe’s lander, marking the world’s first image taken on the moon’s far side. “Since the far side of the moon is shielded from electromagnetic interference from the Earth, it’s an ideal place to research the space environment and solar bursts, and the probe can ‘listen’ to the deeper reaches of the cosmos,” Tongjie Liu, deputy director of the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center for the China National Space Administration, was quoted by CNN. As the Moon is tidally locked to Earth, one side of it always points towards our planet, and the other – the far side – always points away. A major challenge for such a mission was communicating with the robotic lander: as there is no direct “line of sight” for signals to the far side of the moon. The China National Space Administration (CNSA) said the mission had “lifted the mysterious veil” from the far side of the moon, which is permanently blocked from view from Earth, and “opened a new chapter in human lunar exploration”. “China's Chang'e-4 probe lands successfully on far side of the moon,” the CGTN wrote on Twitter, “marking the first ever soft-landing in this uncharted area.” Chang’e 4 is the second lander and rover China has sent to the Moon, after the twin Chang’e 3 mission in 2013. “Odds of the next voice transmission from the Moon being in Mandarin are high.” China’s last lunar rover — named Yutu, or Jade Rabbit — ceased operation in August 2016 after 972 days of service on the moon’s surface as part of the Chang’e 3 mission. The Moon takes 28 days to rotate, giving most regions 14 days of sunlight and 14 days of night.</s>Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Far side of Moon captured by Chinese spacecraft China says it has successfully landed a robotic spacecraft on the far side of the Moon, the first ever such attempt and landing. Previous Moon missions have landed on the Earth-facing side, but this is the first time any craft has landed successfully on the unexplored and rugged far side. To communicate with the Chang'e 4 mission on the moon's surface, the Chinese space agency launched the Queqiao relay satellite into a halo orbit over the dark side of the moon in May. "The U.S. sees pretty much everything China does in space -- including things the U.S. has done in space -- as threatening." China's Chang'e 4 spacecraft achieved the milestone on Jan. 3, with the country's space agency landing its lunar probe in Von Kármán crater on the moon's mysterious far side. "This space mission shows that China has reached the advanced world-class level in deep space exploration," Zhu Menghua, a professor at the Macau University of Science and Technology who has worked closely with China's space administration, told The New York Times.

China National Space Administration's robotic lander Chang'e 4 successfully lands at the Von Kármán lunar crater on the far side of the Moon.

Asian Cup 2019: 5 footballers who might be playing their last continental Cup The AFC Asian Cup 2019 is all set to begin from January 5 and will go on until February 1, with 24 nations participating in the mega event of the Asian continent.</s>DOHA: A Qatari official who helped organise the Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates was prevented from flying there on Thursday for the tournament, sources said, as a rift between the two Gulf states showed no signs of abating. The United Arab Emirate has, in a politically-motivated move, prevented Qatari Vice President of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Saud al-Muhannadi from taking part in the AFC Asian Cup tournament, which is to start on Saturday. A Qatari official told Reuters that Mohannadi was on Thursday stopped from boarding an Oman Air flight to Abu Dhabi from Muscat. He was told by the airline that his name was not on a list held at Abu Dhabi airport, another source said. Mohannadi said last month that he would run for president of the 47-country AFC in April. Political tensions between Qatar and a number of its Arab neighbours began last year after Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt officially accused it of sponsoring terrorism and cut off diplomatic ties with the country. They accuse Qatar of supporting terrorism, a charge that Doha denies. The decision by the UAE to bar the Qatari official from the tournament came shortly after FIFA President Gianni Infantino said some of Qatars neighbouring countries may be called on to host a few matches of the 2022 FIFA World Cup if studies show a 48-team tournament in four years time is feasible. Qatar has said it will only decide on any expansion of the World Cup after seeing a FIFA feasibility study expected by March. The AFC is one of six continental football confederations that make up FIFA. The Asian Cup, held every four years and running until Feb. 1, is considered a key gathering point to lobby AFC members for votes.

Saoud al-Mohannadi, vice president of the Asian Football Confederation, is banned from traveling to the United Arab Emirates from Oman.

But to see the Huskies lose in the regular season is downright nutty, and that’s exactly what happened Thursday night when eighth-ranked Baylor scored a 68-57 home win over top-ranked U-Conn., snapping its streak of 126 straight regular season victories. They hadn’t lost a regular season game in regulation since a loss to the defending national champion Lady Bears on Feb. 18, 2013. The Huskies’ last loss between November and March took place on Nov. 17, 2014, when they lost in overtime to Stanford. I just want to win the next game.” Flustered by Baylor’s length — especially 6-foot-7 Kalani Brown (22 points, 17 rebounds) — the Huskies shot just 29.4 percent (20 of 68), which ESPNW’s Mechelle Voepel says is their worst outing in the past 20 seasons. So yeah, taking down Geno Aueriemma’s team is a pretty big deal, even if Baylor Coach Kim Mulkey tried to claim it was just another game on the schedule. The Lady Bears had lost each of the previous three such meetings, including UConn's last visit to Waco nearly five years ago. Baylor: The Lady Bears have won 28 consecutive home games, and extended their non-conference home winning streak to 45 games since a home loss to UConn on Jan. 13, 2014</s>8 Baylor 68-57, ending regular-season winning streak at 126 games WACO, Texas (AP) — Top-ranked UConn women lose to No. 8 Baylor 68-57, ending regular-season winning streak at 126 games.

In women's college basketball, Baylor defeats top-ranked Connecticut 68–57, handing the Huskies their first regular-season loss since November 2014 and ending their NCAA-record regular-season winning streak at 126 games.

• Jamel Ahmed Mohammed Ali Al-Badawi, who has been on the FBI’s list of most wanted terrorists, was killed in the strike, US officials confirmed to CNN and Voice of America. VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - The brother of a Sailor who died in the 2000 attack on the Norfolk-based USS Cole spoke with News 3 after U.S. officials said the man responsible for the attack had been killed. The terrorist behind the 2000 attack on the USS Cole is believed to have been killed in a US airstrike in Yemen on Tuesday, according to a US administration official. Although the government hadn’t officially confirmed his death Friday afternoon, administration officials said Al-Badawi, an al-Qaueda operative who was on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorist list, was alone in a vehicle in Yemen's Ma'rib Governorate during Tuesday's airstrike. The administration official said that al-Badawi was struck while driving alone in a vehicle and that the US assessed there was not any collateral damage. Suicide bombers pulled up to the Cole in a small boat packed with explosives when it stopped for refueling in Adlen Yemen – in a foreshadowing of the 9/11 attacks on the U.S. a year later. Aftermath of the bombing of the USS Cole on Oct. 12, 2000 AP Photo/Dimitri Messinis Al-Badawi has been picked up by Yemeni authorities multiple times since the bombing; however, he has repeatedly managed to escape justice. Al-Badawi was arrested by Yemeni authorities in December of 2000 and held in connection with the Cole attack but he escaped from a prison in Yemen in April of 2003. The State Department’s Rewards for Justice Program had previously offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest.</s>WASHINGTON — An al-Qaida operative who was allegedly involved in the attack on the USS Cole 18 years ago, in which 17 sailors were killed including two from the Coastal Bend, was the target of a U.S. airstrike in Yemen on New Year's Day, according to the Associated Press. The spokesman, Navy Capt. Bill Urban, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command, said Friday that a precision airstrike in Yemen's Marib governorate on Tuesday targeted Jamal al-Badawi, one of six al-Qaida operatives convicted of the bombing and a fugitive on the FBI Most Wanted Terrorists list. RELATED: 17th anniversary of the USS Cole bombing that killed two Coastal Bend Sailors 22-year-old Ronchester M. Santiago of Kingsville, Texas, and 26-year-old Gary Swenchonis Jr. of Rockport, Texas, were both on the USS Cole on the day of the attack. Al-Badawi is wanted in the United States for his role in the Oct. 12, 2000 attack on the Cole in the Yemeni port of Aden. A military spokesman said the Jan. 1 airstrike targeted Jamal al-Badawi, who was indicted by a federal grand jury in 2003 and charged with 50 counts of various terrorism offenses, including murder of U.S. nationals and murder of U.S. military personnel.

The United States Central Command announces that a U.S. airstrike in Ma'rib Governorate, Yemen, has killed Jamal Ahmad Mohammad Al Badawi, who is believed to have masterminded the 2000 USS Cole bombing that killed 17 American sailors.

YANGON: Buddhist Rakhine fighters killed seven Myanmar security forces in attacks on four police posts in Myanmar's troubled Rakhine state on Friday (Jan 4) as the country marked Independence Day, spokesmen for the military and the armed group said. Militants from the Arakan Army (AA), who are seeeking greater autonomy for their Buddhist ethnic group, swarmed four police stations in northern Rakhine state early on Friday "killing 13 police and wounding nine others," according to a statement released late Friday by the army chief's office. It was also in the restive western state that a military-led crackdown in 2017, following attacks by Rohingya Muslim insurgents, prompted hundreds of thousands of Rohingya to flee westwards to neighboring Bangladesh. The separate conflict between the military and Arakan Army rebels forced 2,500 civilians from their homes by the end of last year, according to the United Nations. The official Myanmar News Agency said four police posts in the Buthidaung area in northern Rakhine came under attack from hundreds of Arakan Army fighters after daybreak on Friday. Myanmar military spokesman Zaw Min Tun told Reuters security forces were responding to Friday's attacks, which targeted police posts in the northern parts of Buthidaung and Maungdaw townships, a rugged area near the border with Bangladesh. "These police posts are there to protect the national races in the area so (Arakan Army rebels) shouldn't attack them," Zaw Min Tun said, referring to mostly Buddhist ethnic groups in the area who are, unlike Rohingya Muslims, considered Myanmar citizens. Khine Thu Kha, spokesman for the rebels, told AFP news agency, that AA fighters retrieved seven corpses of "enemies" and took 14 members of the security forces captive during the raids. He told Reuters later that the rebels had freed at least 12 members of the security forces it detained in the fighting. The attacks, he added, came in response to a Myanmar military offensive against the Arakan Army in recent weeks that had also targeted civilians. The Myanmar military last month announced a four-month halt to fighting in the north and northeast of the country to kick-start peace talks with multiple armed groups seeking ethnic autonomy, but that announcement excluded Rakhine state. Friday's violence erupted shortly after the national flag was raised across the southeast Asian country to mark 71 years since independence from Britain, but the Arakan Army spokesman denied any connection between the attacks and the anniversary. An independent kingdom ruled in the coastal area until the 18th century. Today is not our Independence Day," he said, referring to the Rakhine who he said faced discrimination in Myanmar.</s>The Arakan Army is… YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Thirteen policemen were killed and nine injured in early morning attacks Friday on police outposts in Myanmar’s Rakhine state by the insurgent Arakan Army, state media reported. The Arakan Army is a rebel group seeking autonomy for Rakhine state from Myanmar’s central government. It has no links with the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, a Muslim insurgent group whose similar attacks in 2017 sparked a bloody government counterinsurgency campaign against the area’s Muslim Rohingya minority, driving more than 700,000 to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh. While the Muslim ARSA group has become virtually inactive, the Arakan Army, which is aligned with the state’s Buddhist population, has taken advantage of the area’s instability to increase its military activities after training its guerrillas in regions controlled by other insurgent groups, including the Kachin in northern Myanmar. There has been an upsurge in sporadic fighting between the Arakan Army and government forces since last month. The state Myanmar News Agency said a total of 250 members of the Arakan Army took part in the attacks on three outposts in Buthidaung and Maungdaw townships. While such numbers are sometimes inflated by the defenders, the rebel group is generally estimated to have several thousand well-armed and organized uniformed members, in contrast to the ragtag ARSA. The report said two of the outposts were successfully defended by government forces, but seemed to indicate that the third was temporarily overrun and occupied by the rebels, who were finally driven out with the help of air support. According to the report, the attackers were able to carry away 40 small weapons, ammunition and a walkie-talkie. A photo posted on social media by Arakan Army sympathizers claimed to show 14 government security personnel captured by the rebels, along with ammunition and other equipment.

The Arakan Army attacks four police posts in Rakhine State, Myanmar, killing 13 policemen and injuring 9 others.

They were 15-year-old girls Five 15-year-old girls died in a fire that broke out on Friday in an escape room in Koszalin, northern Poland. Initially described as a 25-year-old, the hospital said he was 26. • While you were sleeping: More of our recent overnight world desk roundups • News, sports and more any time at montrealgazette.com • Five children heading to Disney World killed in fiery Florida crash The bodies of the 15-year-old victims were found Friday in Koszalin, in northern Poland, after firefighters extinguished a blaze in an adjacent room. Faulty wiring likely cause of Escape Room fire in Poland: Polish firefighters on Saturday blamed substandard electrical wiring and lax security procedures at an Escape Room for a fire that killed five teenage girls and injured a man. The 15-year-old girls were participating in an escape room game in Koszalin, northern Poland when a fire broke out around 5 p.m. local time (4 p.m. GMT and 11 a.m. EST), according to the BBC. Read more:A burglar allegedly broke into an escape room — but he had to call 911 on himself when he couldn't get out The cause of the escape room fire is unknown, but Polish officials are now carrying out safety checks on similar games across the country, where the escape rooms are popular. A day of mourning has been called for Koszalin, while a number of local events have been cancelled, with Polish President Andrzej Duda calling the fire an "appalling tragedy." "Five joyful girls starting out in life have had life torn away from them," he tweeted. Fire service: extremely tragic New Year's Eve; 5 people died in fires During the New... czytaj dalej » The victims of the fire are 15-year-old girls who were celebrating birthday of one of them; the families have been offered psychological help, the Minister of the Interior and Administration, Joachim Brudziński said on Friday.</s>Earlier: Five teenage girls killed in escape room game tragedy in Poland Five teenage girls have been killed and one man hurt in a fire that broke out at an Escape Room game location in northern Poland, officials have said. The country's interior minister Joachim Brudzinski said the girls were all 15 years old. A police spokeswoman in the city of Koszalin, Monika Kosiec, said Friday the victims were probably celebrating one of their birthdays. A 25-year-old man has been taken to hospital with burns and could not be immediately questioned by investigators who are probing the cause of the fire, she said. Police said the dead were found after firefighters put out the blaze, which began around 5 p.m. at an "Escape Room" venue in Koszalin. The Polish state news agency PAP said it had learned unofficially that the girls died from carbon monoxide asphyxiation. Mr Brudzinski ordered fire safety controls in all Escape Rooms, which are very popular with teenagers across Poland. Highly popular with teenagers across Poland, the "Escape Room" game has players locked inside a room or building and they must find clues that help them get out. President Andrzej Duda said on Twitter it was a “crushing tragedy” that five young girls died so early in their lives. Koszalin Mayor Piotr Jedlinski announced that Sunday would be a day of mourning in the city.

Five 15-year-old girls are killed in a fire at an escape room in Koszalin, Poland.

A group of Latin American countries says they will not recognize Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's mandate for a new six year term (AFP Photo/Francisco BATISTA) Lima (AFP) - Foreign ministers from Latin America and Canada said Friday their governments would not recognize Nicolas Maduro as Venezuela's president when he is sworn in for a second six-year term next week. The 14-member Lima Group - with the exception of Mexico - said last Friday it would not grant recognition to Mr Maduro's hardline socialist government, after meeting in the Peruvian capital to discuss ways to step up international pressure on the regime, which has presided over the oil-rich country's economic collapse. Peru's Foreign Minister Nestor Popolizio said the group had delivered "a strong political message" ahead of Maduro's second-term inauguration on January 10. Mr Maduro was re-elected last May 20 in a ballot boycotted by the main opposition parties and widely condemned by the international community, including the United States which called it a "sham". "The main message is undoubtedly the non-recognition of the Venezuelan regime's new term," Mr Popolizio told reporters. "It is very important that the Lima Group has issued this statement to continue exerting pressure with a view to the restoration of democracy in Venezuela," the Peruvian minister said. The Lima Group, of which Canada is a member, said Mr Maduro should temporarily transfer power to the opposition-controlled National Assembly until free elections can be held. "Nicolas Maduro is urged not to assume the presidency, to respect the powers of the assembly and to temporarily transfer power until new elections are held," Mr Popolizio said. Venezuela hit back at the Lima Group, accusing it of fomenting a coup at the behest of the US, which has sanctioned Venezuelan officials and entities. Caracas expressed its "great bewilderment at the extravagant declaration of a group of countries of the American continent which, after receiving instructions from the United States through a videoconference, have agreed to encourage a coup d'etat," according to a statement read by Venezuela's foreign minister, Jorge Arreaza. The regional group -- created in 2017 after more than 125 people died in anti-Maduro protests in Venezuela -- has refused to recognize the May elections, which were marred by irregularities as well as an opposition boycott. Officials said earlier that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would participate in the meeting by video conference -- even though Washington is not a member of the 14-nation body. The arrival in power of a new far-right government in Brazil under President Jair Bolsonaro is likely to harden regional opposition to Maduro. Bolsonaro, who has aligned himself with Washington by expressing hostility towards "authoritarian regimes," said Thursday he was open to discussing his country's becoming home to a US military base "in the future." Venezuela recently hosted the Russian Air Force, including long-range nuclear bombers, for joint military exercises -- a move that stoked regional tensions. The Lima Group action coincides with a statement from Venezuela's opposition-dominated but toothless National Assembly, which said it would not recognise the "illegitimate" Maduro when he takes office. "We are facing a man who stole an election. We will not have more than a usurper (as president). Neither Venezuelans nor foreigners can recognise Maduro as president," opposition deputy Delsa Solorzano told AFP. Separately, the secretary-general of the Organisation of American States, Mr Luis Almagro, has called on Twitter for the international community not to recognise Mr Maduro. Maduro, who was handpicked by Socialist president Hugo Chavez to succeed him when he died in 2013, was re-elected in May after early elections called by the Constituent Assembly, a body created by Maduro which has in practice replaced the legislature. The Lima Group statement reiterated its support for the National Assembly, which it recognises as Venezuela's "constitutionally elected body." Washington has recently stepped up contacts with South American states dealing with the influx of migrants - around one million to Colombia alone - from Venezuela's worsening economic crisis. Pompeo was in Cartagena earlier this week for talks with Colombian President Ivan Duque. Both officials have denounced Maduro's "dictatorship" and agreed to step up efforts to isolate his government diplomatically.</s>REUTERS/Mariana Bazo LIMA (Reuters) - Mexico declined to join its regional peers on Friday in urging Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro not to take office this month, the first time it has not signed a declaration by the Lima Group bloc created to pressure Caracas to make democratic reforms. Pompeo this month made a visit to Latin America during which he attended the inauguration of Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro and then stopped in Colombia to meet with President Iván Duque. Chile's Foreign Minister Roberto Ampuero, Canada's Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrew Leslie and Brazil's Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo attend a meeting of the Lima Group to discuss Venezuela's situation and the inauguration of President Nicolas Maduro's second term, in Lima, Peru January 4, 2019. The 13 remaining countries in the Lima Group that signed Friday’s statement, which include Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Colombia, called Maduro’s new term “illegitimate” and urged him to hand power over to the National Assembly until democratic elections can be held. Thirteen of the group's members will not recognise Maduro's new term and will also bar high-ranking Venezuelan officials from entering their territory as much as their domestic laws allow, the statement said.

The Lima Group announces that from January 10, 2019, the government of Nicolás Maduro will no longer be recognized by the governments which compose the multilateral body.

While it’s true that, as one foreign-policy commentator recently noted, Trump’s Syria decision took place without an “interagency review, an often-prolonged process that methodically develops options,” or even “major deliberations with allies,” the idea that Trump’s decision shocked Washington’s foreign-policy machinery needs to be rethought. The officials were briefing reporters ahead of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s trip to the Middle East starting Tuesday, visiting eight countries in seven days as he seeks to reassure Arab allies about the U.S. withdrawal and galvanize support to continue the administration’s campaigns against ISIS and Iran. official https://linewsradio.com/no-timeline-for-us-withdrawal-from-syria-state-dept-official/ http://abcnewsradioonline.com/world-news/ omersukrugoksu/iStock(WASHINGTON) — As of now, there’s “no timeline for military forces to withdraw” from Syria, a senior State Department official said Friday, adding to the repeatedly changing administration accounts concerning President Donald Trump’s abrupt decision to pull all U.S. troops out of the war-ravaged country. The officials said a Syria withdrawal would be done “in a deliberate, heavily coordinated way with allies and partners” in order to “maintain pressure on ISIS throughout and … not open any vacuums for terrorists to exploit.” Trump originally said 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria would be leaving “now” and ABC News and other news organizations initially reported that the Pentagon was making plans for withdrawal that could happen within 30 days. On Dec. 3, 2018, just weeks before Trump’s withdrawal announcement, Jeffrey made it clear that the United States had “one mission” in Syria, which was the “enduring defeat of ISIS/Daesh,” but then “for some reason, he got off script,” as it was described to me, by insisting that the United States would disengage only when all of its conditions were met—which included “the withdrawal of all Iranian-commanded forces from the entirety of Syria and an irreversible political process.” In fact, as senior State Department officials noted, Jeffrey’s other conditions involved the United States in a rhetorical slippery slope, pushing for outcomes that not only had never been mentioned by Trump, but that were also impossible to obtain. WASHINGTON (AP) — Brett McGurk, the U.S. envoy to the global coalition fighting the Islamic State group, has resigned in protest over President Donald Trump’s abrupt decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria, joining Defense… WASHINGTON (AP) — Brett McGurk, the U.S. envoy to the global coalition fighting the Islamic State group, has resigned in protest over President Donald Trump’s abrupt decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria, joining Defense Secretary Jim Mattis in an administration exodus of experienced national security figures. ‘FINAL BLOWS’ The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, which include Kurdish fighters, captured the Syrian town of Kashmah on Jan. 2 after retaking the town of Hajin on Dec. 25, Pentagon spokesman Navy Commander Sean Robertson told Reuters.</s>James Jeffrey, pictured in 2014, will serve as American envoy to the international coalition against the Islamic State jihadist group (AFP Photo/ALEX WONG) Washington (AFP) - America's Syria pointman James Jeffrey will also serve as the United States envoy to the international coalition against the Islamic State jihadist group, the State Department said on Friday. “With this additional responsibility, Ambassador Jeffrey will lead and coordinate U.S. Department of State relations with the Global Coalition to defeat ISIS and department efforts to implement President Trump’s announcement of a responsible U.S. troop withdrawal from Syria that is coordinated with our global allies and partners consistent with U.S. goals for Syria and Iraq, including the enduring defeat of ISIS,” State Department deputy spokesperson Robert Palladino said in a statement announcing Jeffrey’s new role. Jeffrey, a former US ambassador to Iraq and Turkey, will replace Brett McGurk as anti-IS envoy, a post from which he resigned following US President Donald Trump's controversial decision in December to withdraw American forces from Syria.

The United States Department of State announces that U.S. Special Representative for Syria Engagement James Jeffrey also assumes the position of Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, succeeding Brett McGurk. Separately, a State Department official says that there is no timeline for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria.

© Getty/Mark Schiefelbein-Pool Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to prepare for battle on Friday, as Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-Wen called for international support to defend the island’s democracy amid renewed threats of unification from the mainland. President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan responded vigorously to a speech this week by Chinese Communist Party chief Xi Jinping announcing that China would no longer tolerate Taiwan’s sovereignty, urging Xi to “bravely move towards democracy” and “face the reality of the existence of the Republic of China.” In his speech on Tuesday, Xi called Taiwanese independence a “dead end” and warned that, in 2019, China would no longer accept the status quo. Tsai condemned Xi’s comments and rejected the Chinese President’s “one country, two systems” proposal, telling reporters in Taipei: “We hope that the international community takes it seriously and can voice support and help us.” If a democratic country under threat does not receive assistance, “we might have to ask which country might be next?” Tsai said. Tensions between Taiwan and Beijing, which claims the self-governing island as part of Chinese territory, have emerged as one of the region’s flash points. Four senior figures from the hardline faction of Tsai’s pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) endorsed an open letter, published on Thursday in several local newspapers, which warned of a party split if she insisted on standing again. The comments come just days after Xi declared that Taiwan is absolutely a part of China, encouraged unification between the two territories and reserved the right to use force to bring the self-ruled island under the mainland's control.</s>TAIPEI, TAIWAN—President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan on Saturday called for domestic and international support of the island's de facto independence, days after China's leader, Xi Jinping, warned that unification with China was inevitable. Last Friday, Xinhua reported that Mr Xi - who is also chairman of the CMC - called on the military units to "correctly understand major national security and development trends, strengthen their sense of urgency, crisis and battle, and firmly do the work of preparing for military conflict".

Chinese Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping orders the country's armed forces to be ready for battle following President of the Republic of China (Taiwan) Tsai Ing-wen's call for international support to defend the self-ruled island’s democracy after rejecting of the one country, two systems principle.

Lee Pomeroy, would have been 52-yesterday, but died on Friday afternoon when he was stabbed in the neck during a brief argument with a fellow passenger on a train in Surrey. It was confirmed on Friday evening that the 51-year-old victim of the incident had been travelling onboard the South Western Trains service with his 14-year-old son. He said the man’s son was “present at the start of the argument”, adding: “He was certainly present throughout the aftermath.” “A young boy has been present when his father has lost his life and we are doing all that we can to support where we can,” O’Callaghan added. ‘He was a loving husband and father, he will be deeply missed by all his family.’ Following the attack, the suspect went on the run but he was detained at an address in the Farnham area at around 6am this morning on suspicion of murder. Mr O'Callaghan also said detectives are confident with the arrests they have made and no-one else was being sought in connection with the killing at this time. ‘The family are appealing for privacy at this difficult time as they come to terms with their loss.’ BTP Assistant Chief Constable Sean O’Callaghan said earlier: ‘We now know from inquiries we’ve been doing overnight and from witnesses that the two men were involved in a verbal discussion, that discussion lasted three to four minutes, it moved through one carriage from where they first boarded into another carriage, and that argument escalated to the unprovoked violent attack that sadly resulted in the death.’ ‘The attack happened on the 12.58 service between Guildford and London Waterloo on Friday. Both the suspect and victim boarded the train at London Road station east of Guildford, with the altercation taking place almost immediately after.</s>"We know that this was an incredibly frightening incident for passengers travelling on the train," said Detective Superintendent Gary Richardson from British Transport Police. The victim, 51, was on the 12.58 from Guildford, in Surrey, to London Waterloo when he suffered the fatal injury in front of terrified commuters. Google Street View The suspect involved in Friday's incident departed the train at Clandon station in Surrey, police said. Detectives were called to Horsley station in Surrey after reports that a man had been stabbed shortly before 1pm on a South Western train from Guildford to Waterloo. Officers are scouring Clandon, the village where the train stopped before arriving at Horsley, in their hunt for the attacker. One train passenger last night praised rail staff, saying: “I was on this train, how those guards and especially that train driver went into action was nothing short of incredible.” Witnesses said punches were thrown and the victim was then stabbed in the neck.

A 51-year-old man is stabbed to death on a train in Guildford, Surrey, United Kingdom.

By The Associated Press TORRANCE, Calif. (AP) — The Latest on a deadly shooting at a California bowling alley (all times local): 5:10 a.m. Police say three men were shot and killed in a fight at a bowling alley… TORRANCE, Calif. (AP) — The Latest on a deadly shooting at a California bowling alley (all times local): Police say three men were shot and killed in a fight at a bowling alley in Torrance, California, a coastal Los Angeles suburb. Authorities have not released details about what led to the shooting, but witnesses said it stemmed from a fight between two large groups of people at the bowling alley. Wes Hamad, a 29-year-old Torrance resident, was at the bowling alley with his 13-year-old niece and cousin when he saw a "huge fight" break out. Hamad said the brawl, which lasted about five minutes, blocked the entrance of Gable House Bowl and devolved into "complete chaos." An officer also said there had been a shooting in the parking lot, while there were said to be around three or five people down. Three dead, four injured after shooting at California bowling alley The Torrance Police Department said in a tweet there were "reports of shots fired with multiple victims down" at Gable House Bowl. Police are urging people to "stay away from the area" near the bowling alley. Multiple victims were found with gunshot wounds inside Gable House Bowl, which is described on its website as a gaming venue that offers bowling, laser tag and a full arcade. Media reports and eyewitnesses said the shootings stemmed from a fight at the bowling alley in the city of Torrance, about 32 kilometers from Los Angeles.</s>× Three dead, four injured in California bowling alley shooting (CNN) Torrance, CA — A shooting at a bowling alley left three men dead and four people injured in Southern California late Friday, authorities said. The shooting took place in Torrance, California — about 20 miles from Los Angeles — due to an argument in the Gable House Bowl bowling alley, according to USA Today. Police responded to a report of shots fired and arrived on the scene after the gunfire had ceased. TRENDING: Conservative Radio Host Michael Savage Goes to Secret Location After Disturbing Death Threat “The people that were still bowling on the lanes were on the floors, underneath the seats, behind the benches,” witness Dana Scott said. The Torrance Police Department said that it was “working to identify the suspect(s) involved.” California Sen. Kamala Harris responded to the incident with an apparent call for stronger gun control.

Three people are killed and four others are injured in a mass shooting in a bowling alley in Torrance, California, United States.

A federal judge has extended by up to six months the authorization for the grand jury that special counsel Robert Mueller is using to conduct his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and other issues, including ones related to people in President Donald Trump's orbit. "I can confirm that grand jury 17-1 has been extended, can continue to sit," said Lisa Klem, administrative assistant to Judge Beryl Howell, chief judge of U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. The term of the grand jury, which began reviewing evidence and taking testimony in July 2017, was set to expire Sunday, according to CNN. Grand juries typically serve for 18 months, but the court may extend that term no more than six months if deemed to be public interest, according to the federal rules of criminal procedure.</s>A federal judge on Friday extended special counsel Robert Mueller’s grand jury for up to six months, the U.S. District Court in D.C. announced. Mr. Mueller is using the 23-person federal grand jury to conduct his investigation into Russian interference and other matters, leading to the indictment of some of President Trump’s campaign officials. The grand jury, based in Washington, DC, was seated for an 18-month term that began in July 2017 and was set to expire in the coming days. Chief Judge Beryl Howell of the DC District Court, who oversees the Mueller grand jury, granted the extension. Judge Howell does not sit in on the grand jury’s sessions. Under federal rules, the court is able to extend a grand jury’s term for another six months if it is “in the public interest.” Grand jury activity is secret, except following the 23-person group’s approval of criminal indictments. They have been reviewing evidence and hearing testimony from witnesses. Their work has resulted in multiple criminal cases against people connected to Mr. Trump, including former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, and campaign adviser George Papadopoulos. Mr. Trump’s first national security adviser Michael Flynn was also indicted by the grand jury.

Chief United States District Judge Beryl Howell extends grand jury "17-1" for up to six months; the original 18-month authorization was set to expire Sunday.

Assistant Chief Constable Sue Southern was responding to questions following a briefing, in which she read a statement on behalf of West Midlands Police regarding the fatal shooting of a man named locally as Sean Fitzgerald. “They classed it as going wrong considering arrests don't usually end in a shoot-out.” Two others were arrested at the scene in Coventry on suspicion of a drugs offence following an intelligence-led operation on Friday evening, West Midlands Police said. Loved ones have paid tribute to Mr Fitzgerald, who lived locally, as the police watchdog opened an investigation into the shooting that followed the execution of a warrant at about 6.20pm. One, who gave his name as Ali, said he had been with the “very, very good guy” shortly before he visited the home in Burnaby Road where he was killed. Ali said he believed his friend presented “no threat or danger”, and added: “He’s served for all of us – the police, everybody – in the Army up until last year.” A family member wrote online that she was “absolutely gutted” by the death of Mr Fitzgerald, who another friend described as a “one of a kind” who “would be there for anyone”. The police watchdog is investigating the shooting with officials from the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) seeking to examine footage from officers’ body cameras and local CCTV. “Body-worn video has been examined and there will be a full forensic postmortem, and the findings of that will form part of the independent IOPC investigation.” Police arrested two other 26-year-old men at the scene of the shooting on suspicion of involvement in the production of cannabis following a “long-running criminal investigation”. “But it was the sheer number of police officers at the scene that caused initial concern.” The area around the scene remained cordoned off on Saturday morning. The men, both aged 26, have been held on suspicion of being concerned in the production of cannabis and remain in police custody today.” The victim’s next-of-kin have been informed.</s>Police say officers were… LONDON (AP) — British police say a 31-year-old man has been shot dead by armed officers in central England, and two others were detained at the scene following an “intelligence-led” operation. Police say officers were acting on a warrant at a residence in the city of Coventry, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) southeast of Birmingham, late Friday. They didn't provide details about the nature of the operation, or why officers opened fire. It has not been revealed if the operation was terrorism related – but witnesses described seeing a large number of officers in the area, including a significant number of police vehicles as officers executed a warrant at the address at 6.20pm. The death of Mr Fitzgerald, believed to be a former serviceman, has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which will examine footage from body cameras being worn officers involved as well as CCTV. Police officers attend the scene in the city of Coventry, central England, Saturday Jan. 5, 2019, after British police say a 31-year-old man was shot dead by armed officers, and two others were detained at the scene following an "intelligence-led" operation.

Sean Fitzgerald, 31, is shot dead by police officers during a raid on a house in Coventry, England, United Kingdom. Two 26-year-old men were arrested during the same raid, in connection with cannabis production.

The decree, granting "autocephaly," was signed by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew at a service with the head of the Ukrainian church Metropolitan Epifaniy and President Petro Poroshenko in St George's Cathedral in Istanbul. The spiritual head of Orthodox Christians worldwide formally granted independence to the Ukrainian church on Saturday, marking an historic split from Russia which Ukrainian leaders see as vital to the country's security. The move comes as fighting continues in eastern Ukraine between government forces and Russia-backed rebels and it forces clergy and believers in Ukraine to choose between belonging to Moscow-backed churches or the new Ukrainian Orthodox one. Last month, Ukrainian Orthodox leaders approved the creation of a new, unified church split from the Moscow Patriarchate and elected 39-year-old Metropolitan Epiphanius I to lead it. The patriarch also entreated that the new church “strive for unity and peace” with clergy who remain under Moscow’s orbit and help reconciliation to “help them understand that Ukraine deserves a united church body.” Following Bartholomew I’s October decision for independence, the Russian church severed ties with Istanbul, the center of the Orthodox world. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko attended Saturday's signing, which many in his country see as one more step toward independence from Moscow, as NPR's Peter Kenyon reports.</s>Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader, handed a Tomos containing a decree of independence to the newly appointed Metropolitan Epiphanius of Ukraine, cleaving millions of Ukrainians from the Russian Orthodox Church. But for President Petro O. Poroshenko of Ukraine, who stood before an elevated throne throughout the ceremony in Istanbul, the occasion was an affirmation of independence from Russian influence in his embattled country and a boost ahead of elections in March. The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, the leading authority in Orthodox Christianity, signed the decree known as Tomos at a ceremony in Istanbul. ISTANBUL — The spiritual leader of Eastern Orthodox Christians worldwide recognized the independence of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine in a four-hour ceremony in Istanbul on Sunday, formalizing a split with the Russian church to which it had been tied for more than four centuries. Then in December a historic council of Orthodox bishops in Kiev created the independent body and chose 39-year-old Metropolitan Yepifaniy as its head, whose secular name is Sergiy Dumenko. Yepifaniy, whose secular name is Sergiy Dumenko, has been a critic of Moscow’s religious influence in Ukraine and has supported Kiev’s army against pro-Russian rebels. The Russian Orthodox Church cut ties with the Constantinople Patriarchate in protest at the move, which dealt a huge blow to Moscow’s spiritual authority in the Orthodox world. Ukraine and Russia have been at loggerheads since 2014, when Kiev street protests calling for Ukraine’s integration with Europe led to the fall of pro-Moscow president Viktor Yanukovych. Russia subsequently annexed Crimea and has supported Russian-speaking separatists in Ukraine’s east, in a conflict that has claimed the lives of more than 10,000 people.

Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I signs the independence decree ('tomos') officially separating the Ukrainian Orthodox Church from the Russian Orthodox Church as autocephalous Church.

The electoral commission had said that Cenco was attempting to “brainwash the population” through its comments about the possible victor in the 30 December elections, according to a letter from Corneille Nangaa, the electoral commission’s chief. Most foreign election observers were either not invited or not accredited, but the vote was overseen at least partially by 40,000 observers from Congo’s powerful Catholic Church. The electoral commission responded with anger to the statement from the observer mission, saying it was “likely to brainwash the population while preparing an insurrection that CENCO alone will be responsible for.” The ruling coalition called CENCO’s statement “irresponsible and anarchic,” adding that only the election commission was legally allowed to release results. The Church had been vocal in its opposition to the extension of President Joseph Kabila's rule. He is stepping down after 17 years in office and has promised DR Congo's first orderly transfer of power since it gained independence from Belgium in 1960. The head of the commission, Corneille Nangaa, said on Saturday that less than half of all the votes had been counted. “It’s not possible to publish results on Sunday,” said electoral commission president Corneille Nangaa, according to the AFP news agency. “We are making progress, but we do not have everything yet,” he added, without giving more detail on the expected date. Image caption The Catholic Church says it knows who won the election but declined to name the winner On Thursday, the National Episcopal Conference of Congo (Cenco) - which deployed some 40,000 election observers on voting day - said there was a clear winner based on its tally of the votes. The ruling FCC (Common Front for the Congo) told the BBC only the electoral commission is officially allowed to announce results. Image copyright AFP/Reuters Image caption Opposition candidates Martin Fayulu (L) and Felix Tshisekedi (R) face Emmanuel Shadary (C), the former interior minister There are 21 candidates, but three frontrunners: Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary , a former interior minister and Kabila loyalist, who was hit by European Union sanctions for his role in the violent suppression of opposition protests in 2017 , a former interior minister and Kabila loyalist, who was hit by European Union sanctions for his role in the violent suppression of opposition protests in 2017 Martin Fayulu , a former oil executive who has promised "a dignified and prosperous Congo", but who poor Congolese feel may not advance their cause , a former oil executive who has promised "a dignified and prosperous Congo", but who poor Congolese feel may not advance their cause Felix Tshisekedi Tshilombo, the son of a late veteran opposition leader who has promised to make the fight against poverty his priority What's the background?</s>KINSHASA, Congo — Congo's government Sunday postponed the release of the results of last weekend's presidential election, fuelling suspicions President Joseph Kabila's ruling party is manoeuvring to cling to power. The winner of the Dec. 30 election will not be made public Sunday as expected, the head of the national electoral commission Corneille Nangaa told The Associated Press. Electoral officials have compiled 53 per cent of the votes and will not release any information until all the ballots have been tallied, said Corneille Nangaa, head of the electoral commission. The postponement in announcing the winner may increase tensions, as some Congolese see it as a way for President Joseph Kabila's ruling party to manipulate the results in order to cling to power. The Catholic Church, an influential voice in this heavily Catholic nation, has turned up the pressure by saying it already knows there is a clear victor, based on data compiled by the church's 40,000 election observers. "We are aware this process has always been surrounded by distrust," he said, referring to calls from the Catholic Church, the African Union, the U.S. and other diplomats for the government to announce accurate results. Internet and text messaging services were cut off the day after the election in an apparent effort by the government to prevent social media speculation about the results.

The Congolese election commission delays announcing the results of the recent election, claiming that only half the ballots have been counted.