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Man Haron Monis: Who is Sydney cafe siege gunman?

Roy Siemens
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Man Haron Monis: Who is Sydney cafe siege gunman?

The man who seized hostages inside Lindt cafe in Sydney, Australia, has been identified by police as Man Haron Monis.

The self-styled Muslim cleric was born in Iran and sought political asylum in Australia in 1996.

Man Haron Monis is well known to the Australian police and is currently on bail for being an accessory to the murder of his ex-wife.

He is also facing more than 40 s**ual and indecent assault charges.

These relate to time allegedly spent as a self-proclaimed “spiritual healer” who dealt with so-called black magic at a premises in western Sydney, Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Man Haron Monis has previously been convicted of sending offensive letters to the families of deceased Australian soldiers.

There are reports that one of his demands is that an Islamic State flag be delivered to the Lindt cafe in Martin Place.Man Haron Monis Sydney siege gunman

However, Man Haron Monis has no known links to jihadist groups, and commentators have suggested he is likely to be working alone.

Iranian-born Man Haron Monis, also known as Sheikh Haron and Mohammad Hassan Manteghi, wrote on his website that he used to be Shia but is no longer.

He said he “used to be a Rafidi, but not any more”, using a pejorative term that some hard-line Sunni Muslims use to refer to Shias.

Man Haron Monis denied the criminal charges against him, saying they were politically motivated. He compared the accusations of sexual assault against him to the case of Julian Assange, founder of the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks.

His website had been suspended by the time his identity was revealed in the media in connection with the siege.

Man Haron Monis’ former lawyer, Manny Conditsis, told ABC News that Monis was an isolated figure.

“His ideology is just so strong and so powerful that it clouds his vision for common sense and objectiveness,” he said.

Manny Conditsis, who represented Man Haron Monis in 2013 when he was charged with being accessory to the murder of ex-wife Noleen Hayson Pal, said he thought the suspect might feel “he’s got nothing to lose”.

“Hence participating in something as desperate and outrageous as this,” he said.

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Sydney Lindt cafe siege: Suspected gunman Man Haron Monis dead as police storm Martin Place cafe

Roy Siemens
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Sydney Lindt cafe siege: Suspected gunman Man Haron Monis dead as police storm Martin Place cafe

Police have stormed Sydney’s Lindt cafe, ending a 16-hour siege by a gunman identified as an Iranian refugee who took dozens of hostages.

Paramedics carrying stretchers raced towards the cafe moments after the commandos entered the building. Several people were injured.

Unconfirmed local reports say two people, including the gunman, died.

The centre of the city has been in lockdown since the gunman seized the hostages early on Monday morning.

Early in the siege, hostages were forced to hold up a black Islamic banner at the window.

The cafe is located in Martin Place, a busy shopping area in Sydney’s financial district.

Australia’s PM Tony Abbott said it was “profoundly shocking” that people were being “held hostage by an armed person claiming political motivation”.

Shortly after 2AM local time on December 16, several hostages fled from the building.Man Haron Monis Sydney siege

Minutes later, army commandos with assault rifles and wearing helmets and body armor could be seen piling into the cafe, tossing stun grenades ahead of them, and apparently opening fire.

Hostages ran to safety with their hands in the air. A man and a woman were seen being carried to safety by emergency services.

New South Wales police announced the end of the siege at 02:44AM local time in a tweet, promising details later.

The commandos who stormed the building were from the Royal Australian Regiment.

As many as 40 customers and staff were taken hostage. Five managed to escape through a fire exit on Monday afternoon.

Suspected gunman Man Haron Monis, 49, received political asylum in Australia in 1996 and was on bail facing a number of charges.

On a website, now suspended, Man Haron Monis describes himself as a Shia Muslim who converted to Sunni Islam.

The self-styled cleric was described by his former lawyer as an isolated figure.

One of Man Haron Monis’ demands was to have a flag of Islamic State, the Sunni militant group which recently seized territory in Syria and Iraq, to be delivered to the cafe.

Martin Place is home to the state premier’s office and the headquarters of major banks.

At the nearby Sydney Opera House, evening performances were cancelled as shops and offices in the area shut early due to the security situation.

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Exodus: Gods and Kings tops US box office on its debut weekend

Sonia Pantiss
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Exodus: Gods and Kings tops US box office on its debut weekend

Ridley Scott’s Exodus: Gods and Kings has topped the US box office with takings of $24.5 million on its debut weekend.

Biblical epic Exodus: Gods and Kings cost a reported $140 million.

The movie, which stars Christian Bale as Moses, overtook the third installment of The Hunger Games, following three weeks at number one.

However, the film, also starring Joel Edgerton, Sigourney Weaver and Sir Ben Kingsley, has had mixed reviews.Exosus Gods and Kings

The film’s opening fell well short of other modern biblical epics, including Darren Aronofsky’s Noah which took $43.7 million on its opening weekend in March and 2004’s The Passion of the Christ, which took $83.3 million.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part One remains at No 2 in the box office charts, although ticket sales were down 40% on the previous week, at $13.2 million.

The latest chapter in the franchise, which stars Jennifer Lawrence, has so far has earned a total of $277.4 million over its four-week run in US cinemas.

Spin-off animation, The Penguins of Madagascar, is number three at the box office, with takings of $7.3 million – just ahead of the weekend’s other major new entry, Chris Rock comedy Top Five, which took an estimated $7.2 million.

Awards contenders Wild, starring Reece Witherspoon, and The Theory of Everything, about physicist Stephen Hawking, both took spots in the top 10.

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Russian ruble reaches new low against US dollar

Clyde K. Valle
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Russian ruble reaches new low against US dollar

The Russian ruble has fallen to a new low against the US dollar, as falling oil prices and Western sanctions continue to weigh on the country.

As of December 15, it takes more than 60 rubles to buy a single dollar.

The 60 mark is considered a “psychological barrier” for Russia’s national currency.

Since the beginning of 2014, the ruble has lost more than 45% of its value against the dollar.

Russia’s central bank has tried unsuccessfully to stabilize the currency, buying roubles in the markets and raising its main lending rate to 10.5%.

However, those efforts have been overwhelmed by the fall in the price of crude oil – one of the country’s main exports – and by concerns that international sanctions over Ukraine might be stepped up.

Russian authorities appear unable to bring down inflation either – prices are expected to be 10% higher by the end of the year.Russian ruble December 2014

In November, Russia’s central bank announced it was going ahead with a free float of the ruble by abolishing its unofficial link to the euro and the US dollar.

It also announced it was ending automatic interventions to support the currency, instead propping it up only when it was deemed necessary.

The bank had previously supported the ruble when the exchange rate against the euro and dollar exceeded certain limits.

However, last week, the bank admitted it intervened to support the ruble in foreign currency markets, spending a total of $4.53 billion.

The ruble has been heavily affected by the price of oil, which has been in steady decline in recent months.

On December 15, Brent crude fell to almost $60 per barrel – a five-year-low – before recovering to just above $61.

The dip came after the head of oil cartel OPEC reiterated at the weekend that the group would not reduce production to help shore up oil prices.

Russia’s central bank has warned that the country’s gross domestic product could contract by approximately 4.5% next year, if oil remains at $60 a barrel.

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Sony Pictures hack attack: Studio contacts news outlets to limit damage

Sonia Pantiss
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Sony Pictures hack attack: Studio contacts news outlets to limit damage

In an attempt to limit the damage caused by the hacking of its internal computer system last month, Sony Pictures’ legal team has reportedly contacted some news outlets.

The studio, its letter informed them, “does not consent to your possession… dissemination, publication… or making any use of the stolen information”.

Script details, salary data and private email correspondence have been leaked in the wake of the huge cyber attack.

A group calling itself Guardians of Peace has claimed responsibility.

It is believed that the attack was triggered by Sony’s new film The Interview, a comedy that features a plot to assassinate North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un.Sony Pictures hack attack

North Korea has denied being involved in the attack, but has described it as a “righteous deed” that may have been carried out by its “supporters and sympathizers”.

Variety, the New York Times and the Hollywood Reporter are among the publications understood to have been contacted by Sony’s legal team.

A New York Times spokeswoman said its coverage would “take into account both the significance of the news and the questions of how the information emerged”.

Some of the emails released have contained embarrassing exchanges about some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, among them Angelina Jolie and Leonardo DiCaprio.

The producers of the new James Bond film Spectre have also confirmed that an early version of its script was stolen and “illegally made public by hackers”.

George Clooney is the latest movie star to have had his personal emails disseminated, revealing he was personally stung by the critical reaction to his recent film The Monuments Men.

The revelation that Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Adams were paid less than their male co-stars in American Hustle has also been widely reported.

Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin is among those to have criticized the media’s apparent complicity with the hackers, accusing it of being “morally treasonous”.

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Belgium: Four gunmen take hostage in Ghent apartment

Roy Siemens
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Belgium: Four gunmen take hostage in Ghent apartment

Four gunmen have entered a flat in the Belgian city of Ghent and police have sealed off the surrounding area.

Unconfirmed reports suggested that the four had taken a man hostage and police urged residents to remain indoors for their own safety.

The gunmen burst into the flat in the Dampoort area of the city, in northern Belgium.

“They’re in the building but it’s not clear what’s going on inside,” a police spokesman said.

Photo AP
Photo AP

The head of Ghent police Filip Rasschaert told De Standaard website that they were carrying out the operation carefully because of the potential involvement of a hostage.

Federal authorities were now in control of the siege, he said.

“They have all they need to bring a successful end to a hostage-taking,” he said.

Belgian TV said that another siege had taken place in Ghent in October, involving a man implicated in an earlier hostage-taking. That incident involved an unpaid debt, it reported.

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Miss World 2014 winner: Miss South Africa Rolene Strauss wins London finale

Lisa.Felice
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Miss World 2014 winner: Miss South Africa Rolene Strauss wins London finale

Miss South Africa Rolene Strauss has been crowned Miss World 2014 during London finale at the ExCel centre on Sunday, December 14.

Miss Hungary Edina Kulcsar was the runner-up and Miss USA Elizabeth Safrit took third place.

The winners were announced on December 14 after a lengthy competition involving contestants from more than 120 countries.Miss South Africa Rolene Strauss crowned Miss World 2014

Each had won the right to represent their country in a series of local and regional competitions.

The 2014 contest was marred by the murder last month of Miss Honduras and her sister in that country.

The first Miss World contest was held 63 years ago in Britain.

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Steve Smith named Australia cricket captain for India Test series

Clyde K. Valle
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Steve Smith named Australia cricket captain for India Test series

Steve Smith has become Australia’s new captain for the rest of the Test series against India, Cricket Australia has announced.

He replaces Michael Clarke, who suffered a serious hamstring injury during the first Test in Adelaide.

Steve Smith, 25, will become Australia’s 45th and third-youngest Test captain when the second Test starts in Brisbane on December 17.Steve Smith Australia cricket captain

“It’s something that I’ve always dreamt of doing,” he said.

“It’s an amazing thrill.”

Wicketkeeper Brad Haddin, who was expected to get the captaincy, has been named as vice-captain.

Chairman of selectors Rod Marsh said Steve Smith was highly regarded not just for his batting but and also his “maturity and clear leadership potential”.

Steve Smith, who has played just 23 Tests and has previously captained New South Wales, scored 162 not out and 52 not out in the recent first-Test victory over India in Adelaide.

Sydney Lindt cafe siege: Gunman holding 40 hostages in Martin Place cafe

Roy Siemens
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Sydney Lindt cafe siege: Gunman holding 40 hostages in Martin Place cafe

Staff and customers at a Lindt cafe in Sydney, Australia, are being held hostage by a gunman.

The Lindt cafe in the city centre is surrounded by armed police. Officers have made contact with the gunman.

Five people have been seen running from the building. It is not clear how many remain inside. A black Islamic flag has been displayed at the window.

Australia’s PM Tony Abbott said it was “profoundly shocking” that people were being “held hostage by an armed person claiming political motivation”.

He was speaking after chairing a meeting of the national security committee in Canberra.

Earlier Tony Abbott said: “Australia is a peaceful, open and generous society – nothing should ever change that and that’s why I would urge all Australians today to go about their business as usual.”

Senior police officers say they are on a footing “consistent with a terrorist event”.

The incident began as people were arriving for work in Martin Place on December 15. Witnesses saw a man with a bag and gun walk into the Lindt chocolate shop and cafe.

Lindt said about 10 employees and 30 customers were thought to be inside at the time. Nearby offices were evacuated and police asked people to remain indoors and away from open windows.

An enormous police operation is in place, on a scale few Sydney residents will have seen.

About six hours into the siege, three people were seen running from the building housing the cafe. Two more people followed about an hour later. It is not clear whether they escaped or were released.

New South Wales Police deputy commissioner Catherine Burn said: “Those people are now being assessed to make sure their health is okay and then police will talk to them.”

“Our approach is to resolve this peacefully. It might take a bit of time but that is our priority,” she added.

Police negotiators were in contact with the gunman, Catherine Burn confirmed. The suspect also contacted local media and reportedly issued demands.

In a statement on Facebook, Lindt said it was “deeply concerned over this serious incident”.Sydney Lindt cafe siege

An armed man wearing a backpack and a bandana could be seeing walking around inside the cafe.

TV footage showed at least three people, thought to be employees and who were visibly distressed, holding up to the window a black flag bearing the declaration of Islamic faith, which reads: “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger.”

The flag is similar to those used by jihadist groups, but is different from the one used by Islamic State militants in the Middle East.

Martin Place is home to the state premier’s office and the headquarters of two of the nation’s largest banks. The state parliament house is also only a few streets away.

Australia – which has sent fighter jets to join the US-led coalition conducting air strikes against Islamic State in Iraq – raised its terror threat level in September.

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Heather Cho visits flight attendants to apologizes in person over nut rage

Nancy Clayson
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Heather Cho visits flight attendants to apologizes in person over nut rage

Former Korean Air VP Heather Cho has tried to apologize in person to two flight attendants for the way she treated them over how she was served nuts.

Heather Cho, also known as Cho Hyun-ah visited the homes of the pair – but both were out, so she left them a note instead.

She had ordered the head steward be removed from a flight after being served nuts in a bag, not on a plate.

The incident forced the flight to Seoul to be delayed. She resigned from her posts in the company afterwards.Korean Air VP Heather Cho apology

The head steward, Park Chang-jin, has alleged that Heather Cho forced him and a female attendant to kneel and beg forgiveness.

However, Heather Cho has denied this: “I’ve never heard such thing. I don’t know anything about it,” AFP quoted her as saying.

Heather Cho told a news conference on Friday that she was sorry for her behavior.

Her father, Korean Air chairman Cho Yang-Ho, also apologized for what he called his daughter’s “foolish act”.

Heather Cho said his daughter would step down from all her posts in companies under the Cho family-owned Hanjin Group, which also owns Korean Air. She had been head of in-flight service for the airline.

The Hanjin Group is one of South Korea’s top family conglomerates, called chaebol.

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Japan elections 2014: Shinzo Abe re-elected in low turnout polls

Diane A. Wade
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Japan elections 2014: Shinzo Abe re-elected in low turnout polls

PM Shinzo Abe’s ruling coalition has won a new two-thirds majority in Japan’s parliamentary elections seen as a referendum on his economic policy.

Japanese media reported that Shinzo Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) retained its House of Representatives majority.

The LDP will govern with the Buddhist-backed Komeito party after the parties won 325 seats out of 475.

Shinzo Abe called the snap vote to secure support for his “Abenomics” economic reforms.

The LDP had won 290 seats, with Komeito taking 35, public broadcaster NHK said.Shinzo Abe wins snap elections 2014

The main opposition party, the Democratic Party of Japan, won 73 seats, an increase of 11, NHK said.

Shinzo Abe was elected in 2012 and has tried to revive the economy by raising public spending and printing money.

After an initial burst of growth, Japan slipped back into recession in the second half of this year, which many economists have blamed, at least in part, on an increase in sales tax, from 5% to 8% in April.

The tax increase was legislated by the previous government in 2012 to curb Japan’s huge public debt, which is the highest among developed nations.

Shinzo Abe says he called the election to get a mandate to delay a second increase in the tax to 10%, scheduled for 2015.

“My <<Abenomics>> policies are still only half-way done,” he said on Decemebr 14, adding that his government would not become “complacent”.

“I am aware that there are still a lot of people who are still not feeling the benefits. But it’s my duty to bring [benefits] to those very people, and I believe this election made that clear.”

Japan is the third-largest economy in the world, according to the World Bank, but it has struggled in recent years.

Voters were choosing who sits in the 475-seat lower house of Japan’s parliament, the Diet.

Reports said turnout at polling stations was low due to voter apathy and heavy snowfall in parts of the country. The government said turnout was at just 35%, two hours before polls closed.

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Turkey: 24 people arrested in police raids on Zaman newspaper and Samanyolu TV station

Diane A. Wade
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Turkey: 24 people arrested in police raids on Zaman newspaper and Samanyolu TV station

EU officials have sharply criticized a mass arrest of media representatives in Turkey.

Foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini and the commissioner heading EU enlargement talks said the arrests went “against European values”.

At least 24 people were arrested in police raids on leading newspaper Zaman and Samanyolu TV station said to have close links with opposition parties.

Those detained are accused of trying to seize control of the state.

The Zaman newspaper and Samanyolu TV channel both have ties to US-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, the spiritual leader of the Hizmet movement.

A former ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Fethullah Gulen – who lives in self-imposed exile – is accused of running a “parallel state” within Turkey.

In a statement, Federica Mogherini and EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn said any move towards EU membership depended on “full respect for the rule of law and fundamental rights”.

The raids and arrests “are incompatible with the freedom of media, which is a core principle of democracy,” the pair said in a statement.

“We expect that the principle of presumption of innocence will prevail and recall the inalienable right for an independent and transparent investigation.”

The raids come days after Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged a fresh campaign against Fethullah Gulen’s supporters.Turkey media raids

Journalists, producers, scriptwriters and an eastern Turkey police chief were all arrested, among them the editor-in-chief of Zaman newspaper and the chairman of Samanyolu TV.

Staff at Zaman reported on the incident as police mounted a Sunday morning raid on their offices.

Staff and supporters held placards and chanted “free press cannot be silenced” as police raided the building.

Editor-in-chief Ekrem Dumanli smiled and studied police documents before being led through the newspaper’s headquarters to applause from staff crowded onto balconies.

“Let those who have committed a crime be scared. We are not scared,” Ekrem Dumanli said as he was led into a waiting police car, according to Reuters.

The chairman of Samanyolu TV, which also has links to Fethullah Gulen, was detained in a separate raid in Istanbul.

Hidayet Karaca told reporters the operation was “a disgrace for Turkey” before his arrest.

“Sadly in 21st Century Turkey this is the treatment they dish out to a media group with tens of television and radio stations, internet media and magazines,” the English edition of Zaman quoted him as saying.

Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of Turkey’s main opposition party, called the raids “a coup”.

Staff at Zaman had been expecting the raid after details of the swoop were leaked by a Twitter user known as Fuat Avni, who has previously leaked advance details of police operations.

Spectre script stolen by hackers in Sony Pictures cyber attack

Sonia Pantiss
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Spectre script stolen by hackers in Sony Pictures cyber attack

A version of the script for the new James Bond film, Spectre, has been stolen by hackers during last month’s attack on Sony Pictures.

The producers of Spectre have confirmed that the screenplay was taken as part of a cyber attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment in November.

In a statement on the film’s official website, Eon Productions said they were concerned the script may be published online.

Spectre is due to be released in November 2015.

The statement said: “Eon Productions, the producers of the James Bond films, learned this morning that an early version of the screenplay for the new Bond film SPECTRE is amongst the material stolen and illegally made public by hackers who infiltrated the Sony Pictures Entertainment computer system.

“Eon Productions is concerned that third parties who have received the stolen screenplay may seek to publish it or its contents.”Spectre script stolen

Filming for Spectre began this month after the title and cast were unveiled in London.

A new car was shown off, but few details were given about the plot for the film.

A Sony spokesman denied reports that the cyber attack had forced the studio to stop production.

“Productions are still moving forward,” Robert Lawson told the Reuters news agency.

The James Bond franchise is a valuable asset for Sony Pictures, with Skyfall making $1.1 billion worldwide.

On November 24 hackers disabled the computer network at California-based Sony Pictures.

They also released salary and Social Security numbers for thousands of Sony employees – including celebrities

North Korea has denied being behind the attack in retaliation for a film depicting the country’s leader but praised it as a “righteous deed”. The FBI has confirmed that it is investigating.

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Haiti: PM Laurent Lamothe steps down amid violent protests

Diane A. Wade
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Haiti: PM Laurent Lamothe steps down amid violent protests

Haiti’s PM Laurent Lamothe has resigned amid violent anti-government protests over delayed elections.

“I am leaving the post of prime minister this evening with a feeling of accomplishment,” Laurent Lamothe said in a televised address.

Protesters had called for President Michel Martelly and Laurent Lamothe to resign.

Michel Martelly was to have called polls in 2011, but they were postponed in a stalemate over electoral law.

Opposition politicians accuse Michel Martelly of wanting to rule by decree and that legislation that would authorize the vote unfairly favors the government.Haiti PM Laurent Lamothe resigns

The government argues that opposition politicians are dragging their feet in the hope of extending their time in office without elections.

Parliament’s mandate expires in January, and unless elections are held, Michel Martelly would rule by decree.

A commission set up to break the stalemate said on December 12 that PM Laurent Lamothe should resign, along with the head of the Supreme Court and the country’s election commission.

Michel Martelly said earlier that the accepted the commission’s findings, and would meet government officials on December 15 to discuss them.

Haiti is also still struggling to recover from a devastating 2010 earthquake.

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Lima climate change talks 2014: UN delegates reach agreement

James J. Williams
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Lima climate change talks 2014: UN delegates reach agreement

UN delegates at Lima talks in Peru have reached an agreement on how countries should tackle climate change.

They have approved a framework for setting national pledges to be submitted to a summit next year.

Differences over the draft text caused the talks in Lima to overrun by two days.

Environmental groups have criticized the deal as a weak and ineffectual compromise, saying it weakens international climate rules.

The talks proved difficult because of divisions between rich and poor countries over the scale and scope of plans to tackle global warming.

None of the 194 countries attending the talks walked away with everything they wanted, but everybody got something.Lima climate change talks 2014

Peru’s environment minister, Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, who chaired the summit, told reporters: “As a text it’s not perfect, but it includes the positions of the parties.”

The agreement was adopted hours after a previous draft was rejected by developing countries, who accused rich nations of shirking their responsibilities to fight global warming and pay for its impacts.

The final draft is said to have alleviated those concerns with by saying countries have “common but differentiated responsibilities”.

“We’ve got what we wanted,” Indian environment minister Prakash Javedekar told reporters, saying the document preserved the notion that richer nations had to lead the way in making cuts in emissions.

It also restored a promise to poorer countries that a “loss and damage” scheme would be established to help them cope with the financial implications of rising temperatures.

However, it weakened language on national pledges, saying countries “may” instead of “shall” include quantifiable information showing how they intend to meet their emissions targets.

Sam Smith, chief of climate policy for the environmental group WWF, said: “The text went from weak to weaker to weakest and it’s very weak indeed.”

The talks followed last month’s agreement on emissions targets between the US and China, but hopes soon faded after delegates began the talks in Lima on December 1 that it would encourage wider global agreement.

On December 14, US climate envoy Todd Stern had warned that the deadlock in the negotiations threatened the chances of a new global deal in 2015.

“Failing to produce the decision before us will be seen as a major breakdown, and will deal a serious blow to the confidence of the parties and others as we approach Paris. And indeed to the hope of a Paris agreement,” Todd Stern said.

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China building collapse kills three children in Hebei

Diane A. Wade
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China building collapse kills three children in Hebei

A kindergarten building has collapsed in northern China killing three children, state media says.

The children were taken to hospital but died of their injuries, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

Three other children were injured in the incident, in Yongqing county, in Hebei province, Xinhua added.Hebei kindergarten collapse

Safety standards of school buildings have been a public concern in China since many collapsed during a devastating earthquake in 2008.

Thousands of school children were among the almost 90,000 dead, leading to a public outcry over shoddy construction and the lack of safety measures.

Five children were killed earlier in the week in eastern China, when the wall at the side of a basketball court suddenly collapsed, officials said.

Japan snap elections 2014: Shinzo Abe’s coalition expected to win majority

Diane A. Wade
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Japan snap elections 2014: Shinzo Abe’s coalition expected to win majority

Japan is voting in a snap election called by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to boost support for his economic reforms.

Voters will be choosing who sits in the 475-seat lower house of Japan’s parliament, the Diet.

Recent surveys show Shinzo Abe’s coalition is likely to win a majority, even though his popularity has dipped.

He was elected in 2012 and has tried to revive the economy by raising public spending and printing money.

After an initial burst of growth, Japan slipped back into recession in the second half of this year.

Japan is the third-largest economy in the world, according to the World Bank, but it has struggled in recent years.

However, Shinzo Abe has insisted that his policies, known as “Abenomics”, can get Japan back on track.

“I promise to make Japan a country that can shine again at the centre of the world,” he said in a recent campaign speech.Japan snap elections 2014

He has vowed to help more Japanese women enter and remain in employment by tightening anti-discrimination laws and setting employment targets.

The prime minister has also promised to amend the law to allow the Japanese military to engage in collective self-defense alongside allies who are threatened.

Economists say an increase in sales tax from 5% to 8% in April knocked consumer spending and helped to halt growth.

The tax increase was legislated by the previous government in 2012 to curb Japan’s huge public debt, which is the highest among developed nations.

Shinzo Abe called the election to seek a mandate to delay a second increase in the tax to 10%, scheduled for 2015.

Several surveys in recent weeks have pointed to a win for Shinzo Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party.

Observers say this is partly due to the lack of a real political alternative, with the opposition in disarray.

The Banri Kaieda-led opposition Democratic Party is expected to pick up a handful of seats, but not enough to affect the parliamentary balance.

A total of 1,191 candidates are competing for 475 seats.

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Washington DC march against police killings

Diane A. Wade
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Washington DC march against police killings

Thousands of people have protested in Washington DC against the recent killings of unarmed black people by police.

Relatives of Michael Brown, shot dead in the Missouri town of Ferguson, and Eric Garner, who died being restrained in New York, were among them.

Both died after encountering police, but grand juries decided not to bring charges, sparking anger and unrest.

Another demonstration in New York also drew thousands despite chilly weather.

Speakers at the Capitol called for changes to US legislation.

Lesley McSpadden, mother of Michael Brown, told the crowd: “What a sea of people. If they don’t see this and make a change, then I don’t know what we got to do. Thank you for having my back.”

The mood in Washington DC was described as calm but defiant, with a large number of police on standby.

Photo Reuters
Photo Reuters

Earlier in the day, a small group of protesters from Missouri disrupted the schedule by taking to the stage at the starting-point, on Freedom Plaza, and blowing a bullhorn.

They complained that the protest, which was organized by long-established civil rights groups, was staid and ineffective.

Michael Brown, 18, was shot dead on August 9 during an altercation with a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri.

Eric Garner, 43, died while being held down by a white police officer on July 17.

He had been challenged over the alleged sale of loose cigarettes on a street in Staten Island, New York.

The event was caught on camera and his dying plea of “I can’t breathe” has become a slogan of the protesters. It echoes the adoption of “Hands up! Don’t Shoot!” – a Ferguson refrain alleging that Michael Brown was surrendering to police when the fatal shots were fired.

Relatives of three other black people killed in controversial shootings were also expected to attend the march, according to the National Action Network:

  • Akai Gurley, 28, was shot dead by New York police on November 20
  • Tamir Rice, 12, was shot dead in a Cleveland, Ohio, park on November 22 while carrying a pellet gun
  • Trayvon Martin, 17, was shot dead on February 26, 2012, by a neighborhood watch volunteer in Sanford, Florida

Marchers crowded Pennsylvania Avenue for the walk from Freedom Plaza to the Capitol, but the actual numbers were not immediately clear.

Some in the crowd, which was made up of both black and white people, held banners saying: “Stop racist police”, “I can’t breathe”, and “President Obama seize this moment. The ancestors are watching.”

The Rev Al Sharpton, a leading civil rights advocate, called for “legislative action that will shift things both on the books and in the streets”.

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Prince George Christmas photos released by his parents

Lisa.Felice
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Prince George Christmas photos released by his parents

Prince William and Kate Middleton have released three official Christmas pictures of Prince George.

The photos were taken in late November and show Prince George in a courtyard at Kensington Palace.

The third-in-line to the throne celebrated his first birthday in July, and is now almost 17 months old.Prince George 2014 Christmas photo

The shots of Prince George were taken by Prince Harry’s private secretary Ed Lane Fox, who has also worked as a freelance photographer.

Prince William and Kate Middleton are releasing the images, in part, as a thank you to the media, who have not published any of the paparazzi pictures that have been taken of the prince.

The couple are said to be grateful that their request for their son to grow up without intrusion continues to be honored.

Prince William and Kate Middleton announced in September the Duchess of Cambridge was pregnant with a second child.

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Marriage proposal ends with crane smashing IJsselstein house

Nancy Clayson
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Marriage proposal ends with crane smashing IJsselstein house

A man’s plan to propose to his girlfriend has ended with a mobile crane smashing the roof of a house and forcing the evacuation of two others in the Dutch town of IJsselstein.

The man had wanted to surprise his partner by descending in front of her bedroom to sing her a song and pop the question.

The unsecured crane he used instead toppled into a neighbor’s house.

Photo AP
Photo AP

The woman still said yes, Dutch media report, and the couple are now said to be celebrating in Paris.

Following the initial impact, more damage was done when the crane fell again during an attempt to right it.

Residents in nearby properties were evacuated but no one was injured.

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Sarah Ferguson weight loss 2014: How Fergie dropped 5 lbs in 5 months

Lisa.Felice
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Sarah Ferguson weight loss 2014: How Fergie dropped 5 lbs in 5 months

Sarah Ferguson has shed an incredible 50 lbs in just five months.

Fergie, formally known as the Duchess of York, showed off her noticeable weight loss in a sheer black dress at The Theory of Everything UK premiere on December 9.

Sarah Ferguson, a former Weight Watchers ambassador, has always been public about her struggles with weight, and recently revealed to Hello! magazine the motivation behind her newly slimmed-down physique.Sarah Ferguson weight loss

Fergie, 55, says that she knew she had to make a change when she discovered that she weighed almost the same as when pregnant with her first daughter, Princess Beatrice, who is now 25.

“That’s what really frightened me,” she says.

“Beatrice was an 8lb 8oz baby and I was only 6lb off my full-blown pregnancy weight. I decided to make a change.”

Sarah Ferguson dropped the extra pounds by cutting out sugar and sticking to a “straightforward” exercise regime.

“I used to be so angry,” Fergie tells the magazine about her initial struggle.

“I believed I was never going to lose the weight, that I had lost control. I couldn’t fit into any of my clothes. I was just drowning in eating, drowning in food.”

Nanjing massacre commemorated for first time in 77 years

Diane A. Wade
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Nanjing massacre commemorated for first time in 77 years

President Xi Jinping has presided over China’s first state commemoration of the Nanjing massacre.

China says 300,000 civilians were massacred when Nanjing was occupied by Japan’s troops in 1937, although some Japanese nationalists dispute this.

President Xi Jinping told survivors that to deny a crime was to repeat it but insisted the ceremony was to promote peace, not prolong hatred.

Relations between China and Japan have been strained in recent years.

They have clashed over island territory in the East China Sea as well as over Japan’s insistence on honoring its war dead, including convicted war criminals, at the Yasukuni shrine.

The ceremony, which came on the 77th anniversary of the massacre, is part of three new public holidays intended to mark the conflict between the two countries.Nanjing massacre commemoration 2014

A crowd of about 10,000 people attended the event in Nanjing, taking part in a minute’s silence to honor those killed. They included survivors of the massacre, as well as soldiers and students.

In a speech at the event, President Xi Jinping criticized Japanese nationalists for denying the atrocity took place.

“Anyone who tries to deny the massacre will not be allowed by history, the souls of the 300,000 deceased victims, 1.3 billion Chinese people and all people loving peace and justice in the world,” the president said.

Xi Jinping added that China should not “bear hatred against an entire nation just because a small minority of militarists launched aggressive wars,” according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.

Millions of Chinese people were killed when Japan occupied China in the 1930s and 1940s.

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Dolly Parton becomes honorary member of Rotary Club in UK

Sonia Pantiss
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Dolly Parton becomes honorary member of Rotary Club in UK

Dolly Parton has accepted an invitation to join a branch of the Rotary Club in the UK.

The country singer supports a children’s library in the seaside resort, in partnership with the Cleethorpes organization.

Dolly Parton has become an honorary member of the town’s branch of the charity, the first she has joined outside the US.

Former club president Rolf Sperr said the members were surprised when Dolly Parton agreed to join.Dolly Parton Rotary Club

“We wrote to her and we never actually expected this,” he said.

“All of a sudden we got an email saying Dolly accepted to be an honorary member of our club.

“We couldn’t believe it, to be really honest.”

Dolly Parton is behind a literacy scheme to encourage pre-school children to read.

One of her Imagination Libraries opened at Cleethorpes’ Little Stars Day Nursery, in March. Children at the nursery will be given a free book every month until they are five.

Almost 60 libraries have been set up across the UK under the scheme, since the first opened in Rotherham in 2007. The project recently handed out its millionth book.

Indonesia landslide kills at least 17 in Java

Diane A. Wade
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Indonesia landslide kills at least 17 in Java

A landslide on Indonesia’s main island of Java has killed at least 17 people, officials say.

More than 100 people are missing after heavy rain caused the landslide near Jemblung village in central Java.

Rescuers have been searching for survivors but a lack of heavy equipment is hampering efforts, with many forced to dig with their bare hands.

Disaster agency officials said rescue teams had taken about 40 people to hospital, of whom four were said to be in a critical condition.

Relief efforts were suspended on Saturday afternoon after more rain.Indonesia landslide 2014

Indonesia’s national disaster agency said hundreds of houses had been destroyed by the landslide.

“Conditions on the ground are pretty tough and we need heavy machines to clear the road that has been covered by the landslide,” agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.

A landslide in a nearby village on Thursday killed one man and forced hundreds to evacuate.

Flash floods and landslides are common in Indonesia, triggered by seasonal downpours.

Many of the inhabitants of the chain of 17,000 islands live in mountainous areas or near fertile flood plains.

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Senate approves anti-ISIS spending bill

Diane A. Wade
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Senate approves anti-ISIS spending bill

The Senate has passed a new annual defense bill expanding the military campaign against Islamic State (ISIS).

The bill approves a general Pentagon budget of $496 billion plus $64 billion for US wars abroad.

The measure also authorizes the training and equipping of moderate Syrian rebel fighters for two years.

The bill had already been passed by the House and has now been sent to President Barack Obama to sign into law.

ISIS controls large areas of Syria and Iraq, imposing a rigid version of Sunni Islam and persecuting or killing non-believers.

The US-led coalition has launched more than 600 air strikes against IS militant targets in Iraq since the campaign began on August 8.

The US, with Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, has also carried out almost 500 attacks on IS in neighboring Syria since September 23.Anti ISIS US budget

Until now, US operations against ISIS had been funded from the existing Pentagon budget.

The new bill, which was passed by 89 votes to 11, approves $3.4 billion for the direct deployment of US forces against IS, and a further $1.6 billion for training Iraqi Kurdish forces for two years.

Democrat Senator Carl Levin said that US air power had “changed the momentum on the ground” but added that IS “cannot be defeated without an opposing force to take the fight to it”.

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) had been the subject of cross-party talks for several months.

The bill rejected President Barack Obama’s request to approve the closure of the US military prison in Guantanamo Bay.

It also extended a ban on transferring inmates from the prison to the US.

The bill protected for another year the fleet of aging A-10 “Warthog” ground-support aircraft, whose retirement had been proposed.

A 1% pay rises for military personnel was also agreed.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid lauded the bill, saying “it enhances our efforts to keep our warfighters safe on the battlefield, and it authorizes the resources needed to responsibly conclude our combat mission in Afghanistan”.

The bill also requires the provision of annual mental health screenings for military personnel.

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