No survivors in Mozambican plane crash

The plane went down in remote terrain in the Bwabwata National Park [Namibia News Agency]

 

A Mozambique Airlines plane has crashed in a game park in northeast Namibi, killing all 34 people on board, Namibian police have said.
The plane, en route from Mozambique to Angola, went down in remote terrain in the Bwabwata National Park, where Namibia turns into a narrow strip of land sandwiched between Botswana and Angola.
"My team on the ground have found the wreckage. No survivors. The plane is totally burned," Willie Bampton, a regional police coordinator in the Kavango region, said on Saturday.

Bangkok protesters besiege telecoms offices

Thousands of anti-government protesters are marching on Thailand's two main telecommunications enterprises in Bangkok in an effort to paralyse the government.
They have begun surrounding offices of Telephone Organisation of Thailand (TOT) and Communications Authority of Thailand (CAT), two vital state companies which handle domestic and international telecommunication services.
"We will control the area, like we did at the Finance Ministry, and ask staff not to work. So on Monday everything will shut down," Akanat Promphan, spokesman for the opposition Civil Movement for Democracy, told AFP news agency.
But the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology insisted that back-up systems were in place and communications in Thailand would not be affected.
The protesters - a mix of royalists, southerners and the urban middle class collectively called the Yellow Shirt movement - are united by their dislike for Thaksin Shinawatra, the controversial former prime minister.
The one-time telecoms tycoon was toppled in a military coup in 2006 and lives in self-imposed exile, but he is widely believed to be the real power behind the government of his younger sister Yingluck Shinawatra.
For their part, pro-Thaksin Red Shirts, who have so far shown no intention of taking to the streets, gathered in a stadium on the outskirts of Bangkok early on Saturday.

Israel's Bedouin eviction plan opposed

Israel's Prawer-Begin plan to destroy 35 Bedouin villages in the Negev is expected to pass later this year [EPA]

Thousands of protesters are expected to demonstrate during a Day of Rage against an Israeli government plan that would evict up to 40,000 Bedouin citizens from their homes and force them into impoverished townships.
The Israeli government's Prawer-Begin plan, officially known as the Bill on the Arrangement of Bedouin Settlement in the Negev, will move the Bedouin from so-called unrecognised villages into government-planned towns, where poverty is high and services are few.
The main protest was to be held near the Bedouin township of Hura on Saturday afternoon, while other demonstrations were planned in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip and in several cities across Europe, North America and the Middle East.

Missile warheads seized in Jamaica

Jamaica is a popular tourist destination, but the island has long been used by smugglers [GALLO/GETTY]

 

A huge haul of advanced weaponry has been uncovered by Jamaican authorities aboard a ship moored at the Caribbean island.
A machine designed to build missiles and ammunition was seized, along with 3,300 missile warheads, the Associated Press news agency reported on Saturday.
Deputy Police Superintendent Steve Brown said that custom officials discovered the weapons late on Thursday aboard a ship at Kingston Wharf.
He declined to say where the shipment originated from or its destination. No one has yet been arrested.
Brown said police were seeking helping from international agencies after their findings.

Mali's Tuareg fighters end ceasefire Mali's Tuareg fighters end ceasefire

MNLA's Maiga says 'wherever we find the Malian army, we will launch the assault against them' [File: AFP]

 

Separatist Tuareg rebels say they have ended a five-month-old ceasefire with Mali's government and are taking up arms following violence in Kidal.
The declaration on Friday came a day after Malian troops clashed with stone-throwing protesters who blocked a visit by Oumar Tatam Ly, Mali's prime minister, to Kidal, a rebel-controlled northeastern town.
Several demonstrators were wounded but there were conflicting accounts of how the incident started.
"The political and military wings of the Azawad declare the lifting of the ceasefire with the central government in Bamako," said a statement by Attaye Ag Mohamed, one of the founders of the MNLA, or the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad.

Egyptians on streets to defy new protest law

Since he was toppled in July, Morsi's supporters have been staging near-daily protests [AP]

 

Hundreds of protesters have taken to the streets in cities across Egypt and clashes erupted when police tried to break up some of the demonstrations, days after a hotly-disputed protest law was adopted.
Violence between police and protesters broke out in the country's second largest city, Alexandria, after Friday prayers, with security forces firing tear gas to disperse hundreds of people.
The Mediterranean city has been tense since a court handed down heavy sentences of 11 years in prison to 21 female supporters of the deposed president Mohamed Morsi, many of them juveniles, for holding a peaceful protest.
The court issued the ruling on Wednesday, weeks after the women and girls were arrested during a protest demanding the reinstatement of Morsi, who was ousted by the military on July 3. The youngest girl is 15-years-old.
The verdict came as security forces began to crack down on small protests, implementing the new law by putting heavy restrictions on protests.
One person was killed and several injured on Thursday during a crackdown on a students protesting the harsh sentences - which have infuriated many Egyptians - in the capital Cairo.

Nigeria's Boko Haram 'uses child soldiers'

The report accused the army failing to account for hundreds of men and boys rounded up during the conflict [EPA]

Human Rights Watch has accused Nigerian armed group Boko Haram of abducting scores of women and girls and of using children as young as 12 in its combat operations.
In a statement  published on its website on Friday, the New York-based group also accused the Nigerian government of failing to account for hundreds of men and boys rounded up during the armed group's four-year insurgency.
The report comes weeks after the government extended the state of emergency it imposed in May in the northeastern states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe to try to crush the rebellion.

Kenya launches mega $13.8bn railway project

The new line, to be built with funds from China, will replace a dilapidated colonial-era railway [AFP]

Kenya has launched a $13.8bn flagship railway project linking the port city of Mombasa to the capital Nairobi and is eventually hoped to extend onwards to neighbouring Uganda.
The project, called a "historic milestone" by President Uhuru Kenyatta, who presided over a ground-breaking in Mombasa on Thursday, will also connect with proposed lines to Rwanda and South Sudan, according to the AFP news agency.

Hernandez declared winner of Honduras vote

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Hernandez, a conservative, has been declared victorious over his rival Xiomara Castro [AFP]

Honduras' electoral tribunal has declared Juan Orlando Hernandez the clear winner of the country's presidential elections, despite persisting allegations of fraud from the opposition candidate. Figures from 81.5 percent of polling stations tallied Wednesday gave Hernandez, a conservative, 35.88 percent of the vote, compared to 29.14 percent for his rival, Xiomara Castro.

Man, engulfed in flames, enters Maryland church; pastor dead

Members of an Ocean City, Maryland, church are mourning this week after a bizarre fire left two people dead, including the church's longtime pastor, and a woman critically injured.

The blaze started Tuesday when a man -- his clothes and body aflame -- entered St. Paul's by the Sea church in a section where services are provided to the area's needy.

"Somebody tried to put him out and then the building caught fire from there," a witness told CNN affiliate WJLA.

The fire, possibly helped by the use of an accelerant, spread quickly, according to fire and police officials.

The man, identified by Ocean City Police as 56-year-old John Raymond Sterner, was found dead inside the building by firefighters. The church pastor, the Rev. David Dingwall, was found unconscious on the second floor of the church amid "heavy smoke and heat conditions," authorities said. He later died at a hospital. A third victim, a woman, was critically injured, police said.

It's not yet clear how Sterner came to be on fire.

The Rev. Canon Heather Cook of the Episcopal Diocese of Easton told The Baltimore Sun that a church parishioner and volunteer at the food bank that operates out of the church rectory were preparing to open when the man came in, screaming for help.

"I'm heartbroken. I'm sick," church organist Shirley Hailey told WJLA. "It's just horrible. Absolutely horrible."

Fire Chief Chris Larmore called it "a very tragic day for our community."

The beach town is a family-friendly weekend destination in the summer for much of the Washington area.

                            CNN

Thai prime minister survives confidence vote

Yingluck Shinawatra, Thailand's prime minister, has survived a no-confidence vote in parliament where her party holds a commanding majority, but faces mounting pressure from widening anti-government protests.
The vote is unlikely to defuse tensions or end the biggest anti-government protests since deadly political unrest three years ago. Protesters plan to march to the national police headquarters and defence ministry later on Thursday.
"I will not dissolve the house," a defiant Yingluck said before Thursday's vote.

"It is clear the protesters are not looking for house dissolution so, starting today, let us find a way out this together."
In recent days, thousands of Thai protesters massed outside four ministries, a major government office complex and more than a dozen provincial halls in an escalation of their efforts to topple Yingluck.
The Department of Special Investigation [DSI] was evacuated on Wednesday as about 2,000 protesters gathered outside, rallying against Yingluck and her influential brother and former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra.
Hundreds of demonstrators also gathered in front of the ministries of labour, energy, health and commerce in Bangkok, along with local government offices in 19 provinces, according to a senior Interior Ministry official.
Sean Boonpracong, Thailand's national security adviser, played down the immediate impact of the protests.

China says it monitored U.S. B-52s that flew through its new air zone

 Tensions are running high in the skies between China and Japan -- and the United States is refusing to stay on the sidelines.

After Beijing upset the region by declaring a new air defense zone over a large part of the East China Sea, two unarmed U.S. B-52 bombers flew through the area in what the U.S. State Department said was a planned military exercise.

The U.S. aircraft ignored China's new demands that planes that fly through the zone identify themselves and submit flight plans to Chinese authorities -- despite Beijing's warnings that it could take military measures against aircraft that failed to comply.

The delicate situation is a test of how China's increasingly assertive approach beyond its borders will play out against the U.S. government's promise to focus more on Asia and uphold commitments to its allies.

Argentina weighs putting Pope Francis' face on a coin

Just a few days after Pope Francis decried capitalism, Argentine lawmakers are weighing a new way to honor him: putting his face on a coin.

The proposal to create a commemorative coin as a tribute to Latin America's first Pope is scheduled to be up for debate Thursday in Argentina's lower house, Rep. Oscar Cachi Martinez said in a post on his official Facebook page.

Martinez first proposed the measure in April, and it garnered approval from congressional committees earlier this month.

The goal of the coins, according to the text of the proposed law, is "to commemorate an event of global dimensions, so our present and future generations remember this splendid act in the history of humanity, in which the principal actor is an Argentine."

Beneath the Pope's face, the coins would read, "Tribute from the Argentine People to Pope Francis."

Catholic faithful across Latin America cheered the election of Pope Francis earlier this year.

Even though about 480 million of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics live in the region, for centuries, the church's top job had gone to Europeans.

That changed with the announcement that then-Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who served as archbishop of Buenos Aires, would become the new Pontiff.

Assad regime vows no surrender of power

Rebels say they will not enter talks if Assad remains in power [Reuters]

 

The Syrian government says Bashar al-Assad's position as president is not up for negotiation at peace talks, calling such demands by the opposition "delusions and dreams".
The statement, issued by the foreign ministry via the SANA news agency on Wednesday, said a delegation would go to planned Geneva II talks in January, but Assad would not "surrender power".

Tunisian economic protests turn violent

Wednesday's strikes marked the one-year anniversary of the Siliana protests [AFP]

Clashes erupted in one of three Tunisian cities where tens of thousands of people demonstrated over their declining economic situation, calling for greater investment in their impoverished regions.
Protesters on Wednesday set fire to the office of Tunisia's ruling Islamist party in the southern mining town of Gafsa, as strikes were observed in areas amid rising discontent and political deadlock.
Hundreds of demonstrators attacked the Ennahda party's headquarters in the poor central region and tried to break into the governor's office before being dispersed by police firing tear gas.
Protesters chanted slogans calling for the fall of the regime.
General strikes were called in the northwestern city of Siliana, Gafsa and in Gabes, which is along the southeastern coast, calling for greater government investment.

Berlusconi expelled from parliament

The Italian Senate has expelled three-time ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi from Parliament over his tax fraud conviction.
The vote on Wednesday halts the 77-year-old Berlusconi's legislative run for at least six years, but does not mark the end of his political career.
Berlusconi had maintained his defiance ahead of the vote, declaring Wednesday a "day of mourning for democracy" before thousands of cheering, flag-waving supporters outside his Roman palazzo.
Even though Berlusconi will not hold a seat in Parliament, he is expected to remain influential in Italian politics. He has relaunched his Forza Italia party and analysts estimate he still has millions of supporters.
The Senate speaker declared he was ineligible for a seat in parliament after the house rejected a series of challenges by
Berlusconi's supporters to a proposal for his expulsion. No formal vote was held.
The culmination of months of political wrangling, the vote on Wednesday opens an uncertain new phase for one of Italy's most divisive figures, who has dominated politics for two decades.
The former prime minister has asked fellow senators to delay the vote, claiming to have new evidence warranting a judicial review of his conviction, but it is expected to go ahead at 1800 GMT.
"Berlusconi is still extremely powerful, although that power is declining," said James Walston, a professor at the American University in Rome.
"He still has enormous resources, he still has his media, he still has lots of very diehard supporters inside and outside parliament."
Berlusconi will now be banned from taking part in any general election for six years and will lose his parliamentary immunity, which offers safeguards against arrest.

Kenyan president Kenyatta must attend trial

 

Kenyatta had argued that being at the trial would disrupt his ability to run Kenya [EPA]

The International Criminal Court has reversed a ruling that allowed Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta to attend only parts of his trial, saying the African leader "as a general rule must be present" in court.
"Any future requests to be excused from attending parts of his trial will be considered on a case-by-case basis

Thai protests target more state offices

Thousands of Thai protesters have massed outside four ministries, a major government office complex and more than a dozen provincial halls in an escalation of their efforts to oust Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
The Department of Special Investigation [DSI] was evacuated on Wednesday as about 2,000 protesters gathered outside, rallying against the prime minister and her influential brother, former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.
Hundreds of demonstrators also gathered in front of the ministries of labour, energy, health and commerce in Bangkok, along with local government offices in 19 provinces, according to a senior Interior Ministry official.
"We are very upbeat and I think we will win in a few days," protest leader and former deputy prime minister Suthep Thaugsuban told reporters, calling for the creation of an unelected administration to run the country.
"If we demolish the Thaksin regime... we will set up a people's council, which will come from people from every sector," he said. "Then we will let the people's council pick good people to be the prime minister and ministers."
Anti-government protesters chanted abuse at the DSI as scores of riot police scrambled to put on helmets and hold up shields, with crowds pushing against a low fence.

East African governments turn on vibrant media in bid to stem criticism

A protester at the Daily Monitor newspaper in Kampala, Uganda. Photograph: Michele Sibiloni/Getty

 

In Kenya, one of Africa's bastions of democracy, a new bill threatens to impose stiff penalties on journalists for articles deemed harmful by the government. In neighbouring Tanzania, which Barack Obama visited this summer, the government has shut down independent newspapers. And in Burundi, a new law forces journalists to reveal sources or face heavy fines.
"The region is on a slide," said Henry Maina, East and Horn of Africa director for Article 19, a London-based human rights group. "There isn't a country that is safe for journalists."

10 questions: What's behind the protests in Thailand?

Thai pro-government 'Red Shirts' wave national flag as they gather in Bangkok on November 24, 2013

In order to understand the turbulent world of Thai politics, you have to start with one name: Thaksin Shinawatra.

The former prime minister has dominated the country's political scene for more than a decade despite going into exile after his ouster in a 2006 coup.

Back in 2010, deadly clashes took place between security forces and Thaksin supporters who had occupied central Bangkok. They were demanding his return

France to send 1,000 troops to CAR

France will send 1,000 troops to Central African Republic - the second time France has boosted its presence there in a year - under an expected UN-backed mission to keep growing chaos at bay.
Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French defence minister, made the announcement on Tuesday - a day after a top UN official warned of mass atrocities and possible civil war in CAR, where rebel groups joined forces in March and overthrew the president.

The French decision would aid the International support mission in the CAR [AP]

 

The rebels have been accused by rights groups of committing scores of atrocities including murder, rape and the use of child soldiers.
"It's in collapse and we cannot have a country fall apart like that. There is the violence, massacres and humanitarian chaos that follow a collapse,'' Le Drian told a European radio station. "It will be a short mission to allow calm and stability to return.''

France taxes heroin dealer on earnings

The tax demand included a detailed evaluation of the dealer's likely income [REUTERS]

A convicted heroin dealer has been presented with an $108,000 tax bill on his earnings by French authorities, who even gave allowances for personal consumption of the drug and travel expenses.

Iran Sanctions 'Could Be Lifted By December'

Crowds gathered in the street after the deal was announced

France has annouced that some sanctions against Iran could be lifted by December after a "historic" deal on the country's nuclear plans was reached.

Wayne Mills: Country Singer Shot Dead

 

Wayne Mills, 44, was a veteran of the Nashville scene

Police are investigating the fatal shooting of a country music singer in a Nashville bar - reportedly after an argument over the musician lighting up in a no-smoking area.

The bar owner, Chris Ferrell, shot Wayne Mills, 44, in the early hours of Saturday, Tennessee officers said. The Pit and Barrel bar had closed at that point.

Yale Gunman Alert: Students Told To Hide

An armed police officer on campus Pic: @Eassttt

Yale University has urged students to "shelter in place" following a report of a gunman on campus.

SWAT teams have been sighted at the university, according to college newspaper Yale Daily News.
Students have received a text message saying: "Confirmed report of person with gun on/near Old Campus. Shelter in place. This is not a test."
Police got an anonymous phone call from a phone booth at around 10am local time reporting a person on campus with a gun.

Yale University is in Connecticut

Streets close to the campus have been blockaded, according to reports.
New Haven Police Department Lieutenant Jeff Hoffman said there have been no shootings and no injuries.
Yale has been on November recess since Saturday, meaning many students have left to celebrate Thanksgiving.

Egypt passes law restricting public protests

 

Egyptian protests have brought down the governments of Mubarak and Morsi [Gregg Carlstrom]

Cairo - Egypt's interim president, Adly Mansour, has signed a restrictive new "protest law" that would require Egyptians to seek approval days in advance before organising demonstrations.
The law will take effect later this week once the final text is published in the official state register. It gives police wide latitude to use force against demonstrators, which could give the government a pretext for a widespread crackdown

Anti-government protests grow in Thailand

Mass protests in Thailand have taken on 'historic proportions' against the government [Reuters]

 Tens of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of Bangkok in an effort to topple the Thai government and put an end to what they say is the continued influence of the deposed former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra.
Demonstrators on Sunday called for the removal of Yingluck Shinawatra, the country's current premier and sister of Thaksin, in the most significant political protests in Thailand since bloody rallies in 2010

Havant Pensioner Accused Of Murdering Wife

The woman's body was found at a house in Sherfield Avenue, Havant

An 80-year-old pensioner has been charged with the murder of his 81-year-old wife.

Police were called to the home of Peter and Annie Beaver in Havant, Hampshire, shortly after 6am on Saturday.

Europe Swiss say no to cap on executive pay

Swiss voters have rejected a proposal to cap the salaries of top executives at 12 times that of a company's lowest wage, heeding warnings from industry leaders that the measure could harm the country's economy.
The country voted 66 percent against the so-called "1:12 initiative for fair pay" on Sunday that was brought forward by the youth wing of the Social Democrats (JUSO). The idea behind the proposal was that nobody should earn more in a month than others earn in a year.
"Of course we are disappointed. But I also believe that we have an achievement nonetheless," JUSO President David Roth told Reuters news agency.
"A year ago, opponents were defending high salaries. Today's no-one doing that. No-one in Swiss politics would dare say that million salaries are justified."

China: Shanghai Woman Has 13lbs 10oz Baby.......RECORD

 Chinese Woman Has 13lbs 10oz Baby

A Chinese woman has given birth to a 13lbs 10oz (6.17kg) baby, crediting a diet of milk, eggs and fruit for her super-sized bundle of joy