Lionel Messi fired Barcelona into the last 16 of the Champions League after a 2-0 win at Celtic as they were joined in the knockout rounds by Pep Guardiola's Manchester City.
     The Argentine star returned from illness to score both goals at Celtic Park  yesterday -- the second from the penalty spot -- to send the five-time European champions through as winners of Group C.
	City recovered from a goal down in Germany to earn a 1-1 draw at Borussia Moenchengladbach as both sides finished with 10 men.
	Raffael grabbed the opening goal for Gladbach on 23 minutes, but David Silva poked in Kevin De Bruyne's cross just prior to the break before Lars Stindl and Fernandinho saw red in the second half.
	"We controlled the game but it wasn't enough to win. We're just happy that we're through to the last 16," said Belgian international De Bruyne.
	French champions Paris Saint-Germain seized control of their own destiny in Group A with a 2-2 draw away to Arsenal.
	Edinson Cavani turned in Blaise 

Barca, City into last 16 as PSG control fate

PTI Automatic

President Barack Obama has pardoned his last Thanksgiving turkey, an annual tradition that sees the US leader spare two birds -- the centerpiece of most holiday tables -- from the carving knife.
	Obama's teenage daughters, Sasha and Malia, who have stood by his side during previous pardons -- notably casting side-eye glances at their father's turkey-themed puns -- were absent this year.
	The festive occasion, rife with bad jokes and poultry photo-ops, saw Obama's significantly younger nephews, Austin and Aaron Robinson, take their place.
	"Unlike Malia and Sasha, they have not yet been turned cynical by Washington," Obama said yesterday to laughter.
	"Thanksgiving is a chance to gather with loved ones, reflect on our many blessings and, after a long campaign season, finally turn our attention from polls to poultry," he said as he introduced this year's turkeys -- two 40-pound, 18-week-old birds hailing from northwest Iowa, named Tater and Tot.
	Tot was pardoned in the Rose Garden ...

Obama pardons last turkey in Thanksgiving tradition

Iceland's Left-Green movement has said it had failed in its bid to form a new coalition government, three weeks after snap elections triggered by the Panama Papers scandal.
	Allied with the anti-establishment Pirate Party, the Social Democrats and the Bright Future party, the Left-Green had been in talks since Sunday in a bid to forge a governing coalition with the centre-right Reform Party.
	"It is evident that not all the parties are convinced to continue these negotiations so I have decided to stop them and I don't think that there is ground to continue," Katrin Jakobsdottir, the leader of the Left-Green movement, the second largest party, told state broadcaster RUV yesterday.
	Jakobsdottir said she had informed the president of her decision.
	It was not yet known what would happen next.
	Asked if she would now return the power to form a government to the president, she replied: "I'm going to sleep on it."
	Pirates co-chairman, Birgitta Jonsdottir, had said prior to the start of ...

Iceland left-green alliance fails to form government

Sudanese security agents have arrested four prominent leftist opposition figures, their alliance said, as authorities press a bid to crush protests sparked by fuel price hikes.
	The National Intelligence and Security Service has seized several opposition politicians in the past few weeks as part of the crackdown to prevent street protests as seen during deadly demonstrations in 2013.
	NISS arrested top leftist leaders Siddig Yousif, Tareq Abdelmajid, Mohamed Diaelddin and Munzier Abumali at its Khartoum office where they had been summoned yesterday, said the National Consensus Forces alliance.
	"When they reached the office of NISS today, they were informed that they were under arrest," it said in a statement.
	Family members of Yousif and Abumali confirmed their arrests to AFP.
	Sudan's opposition groups including the Communist Party, a member of the National Consensus Forces, had called for street protests against President Omar al-Bashir's government after the authorities hiked ...

Sudan arrests four leftist opposition leaders

A 5.6-magnitude earthquake shook northeast Japan early today, the US Geological Survey said, two days after a powerful tremor triggered a tsunami near the stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant.
	There were no risks of seismic waves or immediate reports of damage from today's quake, which struck at 6:23 am (local time) off Fukushima prefecture some 210 kilometres northeast of Tokyo, Japanese authorities said.
	The quake did not cause any fresh problems at the Fukushima facilities, public broadcaster NHK cited the plant's operator Tokyo Electric Power as saying.
	The early-morning jolt followed Tuesday's powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake which sparked panic and triggered a tsunami including a one-metre (three-foot) wave that crashed ashore at the Fukushima plant.
	Japan sits at the junction of four tectonic plates and experiences a number of relatively violent quakes every year.
	A massive undersea quake that hit in March 2011 sent a tsunami barrelling into Japan's northeast coast, ...

5.6 quake shakes Japan, no tsunami risk

A Caribbean storm verging on a hurricane spun towards the coasts of Costa Rica and Nicaragua, prompting evacuations and red alerts ahead of "life-threatening" flash flooding.
	In Bluefields, a Nicaraguan city of 45,000 inhabitants were directly in the storm's path.
	   "We're ready to run or stay put," one resident, Dolene Miller, told AFP yesterday by telephone.
	"I'm expecting it won't hit Bluefields directly... But it's worrying that it's stationary because it's growing bigger and taking up a lot of water and has become unpredictable -- it could go in any direction," a shopkeeper, Elmer Jackson, said.
	Tropical Storm Otto, lumbering in slowly from the Caribbean, was regaining strength, after briefly losing a little force earlier yesterday.
	It was forecast to become a full-on hurricane with winds over 119 kilometers (74 miles) per hour when it makes landfall today, the US National Hurricane Center said.
	It has already proved deadly in Panama, where on Tuesday its outer band of ...

'Life-threatening' storm bears down on Costa Rica, Nicaragua

Clashes between rival armed groups in the Central African Republic have left at least 16 people dead and displaced several thousand civilians, the UN has said, warning of "targeted assassinations" against ethnic Fulani.
	"There have been at least 16 confirmed death and thousands displaced," Vladimir Monteiro, spokesman for United Nations peacekeeping force MINUSCA, said in a statement yesterday.
	The violence erupted on Monday between rival factions of the former "Seleka" Muslim rebel group in the town of Bria, 400 kilometres northeast of Bangui.
	MINUSCA said Tuesday that one of its bases had come under fire during the clashes before its troops drove the attackers out with retaliatory gunfire. It announced reinforcements were being sent to the base to protect some 5,000 civilians sheltering there.
	The fighting broke out between the Popular Front for the Renaissance of the Central African Republic (FPRC) and the Union for Peace in Central Africa (UPC).
	The two factions are fighting .

16 dead, thousands displaced in C Africa clashes: UN

Archaeologists have uncovered an ancient Egyptian city and graveyard dating back to around 5300 BC, the antiquities ministry has said.
	The city and cemetery -- likely home to senior functionaries and grave builders -- was discovered about 400 metres from the Temple of Seti I in the ancient city of Abydos in southern Egypt, said antiquities minister Mahmoud Afifi yesterday.
	It is believed to date back to 5316 BC.
	Excavators found huts, pottery and stone instruments, Afifi said.
	They also discovered 15 large graves -- some of them even larger than royal graves in Abydos -- suggesting they housed the bodies of important figures.
	"This discovery can shed light on a lot of information on the history of Abydos," a ministry statement quoted Afifi as saying.
	The city of Abydos, founded by predynastic rulers, is famed for its temples such as that of Seti I and its graves.
	Egypt is rich with ancient sites built by the pharaohs, but years of unrest and jihadist attacks have driven away ...

Ancient city uncovered in Egypt

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades said today he was determined to continue peace talks aimed at uniting the island, after UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warned against missing a "historic opportunity" for peace.
	The latest UN-brokered negotiations between Anastasiades and his Turkish Cypriot counterpart Mustafa Akinci held in Switzerland this month ended yesterday with no agreement, with the two sides still far apart on the key issue of land-for-peace.
	"I want to assure that I am determined and ready to take the necessary steps to continue the dialogue," Anastasiades said in a televised address today.
	"I am ready to continue the dialogue where it broke off," adding that he was in touch with EU leaders to keep the "door open" for talks.
	Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded the northern third of the island in response to an Athens-inspired coup seeking union with Greece.
	The much-heralded talks were supposed to produce a map of the internal ...

Cyprus 'determined' for more peace talks: president

US President-elect Donald Trump announced today that he intends to nominate Betsy DeVos, a wealthy Republican campaigner for alternatives to public schools, as his education secretary.
	DeVos is the second woman Trump has tapped to fill a cabinet position. He earlier named South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley to be US ambassador to the United Nations.
	DeVos is a Republican megadonor from Michigan who has been active in promoting school choice, a movement that advocates the use of tax credits and vouchers to allow parents to opt out of the public school system.
	"Under her leadership we will reform the US education system and break the bureaucracy that is holding our children back so that we can deliver world-class education and school choice to all families," Trump said.
	DeVos is chairman of the Windquest Group, an investment group with a clean energy focus; the Dick and Betsy DeVos Family Foundation; and the American Federation for Children, a group that describes itself as ...

Trump picks wealthy activist for education secretary

Two pandas conceived naturally and born at Vienna zoo, Fu Feng and Fu Ban, were officially baptised today, 100 days after their birth.
	The twin cubs were absent from the ceremony attended by China's ambassador, however, with the male and female being kept away from the public's gaze until the end of the year.
	"The names bring good fortune and it is a special sign that the twins were born in the 45th year of the diplomatic relationship between the People's Republic of China and Austria," ambassador Li Xiaosi said.
	The name for the female, Fu Feng (Happy Phoenix), was chosen by the zoo while her brother's name, Fu Ban (Happy Companion), was selected by an online ballot of 12,000 people.
	It was decided not to name them before they were 100 days old since around half of newborn cubs die. Today they weigh five and six kilos (11 and 13 pounds) respectively, up from 100 grams at birth.

Panda twins baptised at Vienna zoo

The European Parliament today urged the EU to fight back against "hostile propaganda" by the Kremlin, prompting a swift rebuke from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
	EU lawmakers approved a motion condemning outlets like television channel RT (previously Russia Today) and the news agency Sputnik for disseminating "absolutely fake" news, while accusing the Kremlin of backing anti-EU parties.
	They urged the European Union to boost its "tiny" nine-strong strategic communication force set up to counter disinformation when tensions grew with Russia amid the conflict in Ukraine.
	The MEPs said they were "seriously concerned by the rapid expansion of Kremlin-inspired activities in Europe, including disinformation and propaganda seeking to maintain or increase Russia's influence to weaken and split the EU".
	The motion was approved by 304 votes to 179 - with eurosceptic parties like Britain's UKIP and France's Front National voting against - with 208 abstentions.
	Putin lashed out at the ...

EU Parliament urges fight against Russia 'propaganda'

A court in Bahrain sentenced six people today to life in prison after finding them guilty of involvement in a plot to kill police officers with explosives.
	The six, two of whom were tried in absentia, were found guilty of attempted murder and possession of explosives in a Shiite village near Manama in May 2015, prosecutors said in a statement.
	They said the explosives were discovered in Al-Maamir before they could be detonated.
	Bahrain has been shaken by unrest since security forces crushed Shiite-led protests demanding a constitutional monarchy and an elected prime minister in 2011.
	Despite repeated calls from their Western allies, Bahrain's Sunni rulers have made no concessions to the Shiite opposition and have intensified a crackdown on critics.
	Scores of Shiites have been jailed on charges of involvement in the unrest and others have been stripped of their citizenship.
	The crackdown has drawn criticism from the United Nations and the United States.

Six sentenced to life for Bahrain police murder plot

An Istanbul court today ordered prominent Turkish novelist Asli Erdogan and linguist Necmiye Alpay to remain in jail on controversial terror charges, disappointing supporters after earlier reports they were to be released.
	Erdogan and Alpay have been held 97 and 85 days respectively in a women's prison in Istanbul over their involvement in a pro-Kurdish newspaper, in a case that has caused international alarm.
	The court ordered the release of the pair on charges of seeking to disrupt state unity, Asli Erdogan's lawyer Erdal Dogan told AFP outside Bakirkoy women's prison on the outskirts of Istanbul.
	But it also ordered they remain in pre-trial detention on separate charges of membership of a banned terror organisation and thus "their arrest continues", he added.
	Calling the verdict "saddening", he said Erdogan was not yet informed of the confusion over the ruling.
	"We will inform her when we visit her tomorrow or the next day."
	They were taken into custody in August as part of a 

Turkey dashes hopes of top novelist's release

West Indian batsman Evin Lewis hit his maiden one-day international hundred but his efforts went in vain as Sri Lanka held their nerve to secure a one-run victory at Queens Sports Club today and advance to the triangular series final.
     Playing just his fourth ODI, Lewis struck a superb 148 but a series of run-outs ultimately hurt the West Indies as they finished on 329 for nine in response to Sri Lanka's 330 for seven.
     Sri Lanka's total was set up by Niroshan Dickwella and Kusal Mendis, who both scored 94 after the West Indies had won the toss and opted to bowl first.
     The victory ensured Sri Lanka's passage to Sunday's final, while the West Indies must avoid defeat in their final group game against hosts Zimbabwe on Friday if they are to progress.
     Brief scores
     Sri Lanka: 330/7 off 50 overs (Dickwella 94, Mendis 94, de Silva 58; Holder 3-57)
     West Indies: 329/9 off 50 overs (Lewis 148, Holder 45 not out; Kulasekara 2-73, Lakmal 2-67).

Sri Lanka beat West Indies by one run in ODI

Scoreboard in the one-day
international between Sri Lanka and West Indies today:
     Sri Lanka
     D de Silva c & b K. Brathwaite 58
     K Perera b Gabriel 7
     N Dickwella lbw b Holder 94
     K Mendis c Hope b Nurse 94
     S Jayasuriya b C. Brathwaite 9
     U Tharanga c Nurse b Holder 26
     A Gunaratne c Powell b Holder 6
     S Pathirana not out 24
     Extras (lb7, w5) 12
     Total (7 wkts, 50 overs) 330
     Fall of wickets: 1-18, 2-123, 3-230, 4-258, 5-277, 6-291, 7-330
     Bowling: Gabriel 5-0-29-1, Holder 10-0-57-3, C Brathwaite 7-0-64-1, Nurse 8-0-58-1, K Brathwaite 10-0-56-1, Benn 10-0-59-0.
     West Indies
     J Charles c Tharanga b Lakmal 26
     E Lewis run out 148
     K Brathwaite b Gunaratne 16
     S Hope run out 25
     J Carter run out 6
     R Powell lbw b Kulasekara 10
     J Holder not out 45
     C Brathwaite b Kulasekara 19
     A Nurse c Dickwella b Lakmal 2
     S Benn c de Silva b Pradeep 11
     S Gabriel not out 0
     Extras (6lb, 15w) ...

Bulawayo, Nov 23 (AFP) Scoreboard in the one-day

Forces battling the Islamic State group in northern Iraq cut off the jihadists' last supply line from Mosul to Syria today, trapping them in the city for a bloody last stand.
	A day after the last major bridge over the Tigris in Mosul was bombed by the US-led coalition against IS, elite forces fighting in the east of the city also reported significant progress.
	To the west of Mosul, Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation) paramilitary forces made a push to cut the road between two towns on the route heading to Syria, security officials said.
	"Hashed forces have cut off the Tal Afar-Sinjar road," senior Hashed commander Abu Mahdi al-Mohandis said on social media.
	A Kurdish security official told AFP that Hashed forces had linked up with other anti-IS forces, including Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) fighters, in three villages in the area.
	The town of Tal Afar itself, which lies about 50 kilometres west of Mosul, is still under the control of the jihadists.
	Iraqi forces launched a .

Iraq forces cut off IS-held Mosul from Syria

Almost nine out of 10 European city dwellers breathe air that is harmful to their health, though the continent's air quality is slowly improving, the European Environment Agency (EEA) said today.
	Air pollution remains the single largest environmental cause of premature death in urban Europe, and was linked to around 467,000 early deaths in 41 European countries in 2013, according to an analysis of data from more than 400 cities.
	"Emission reductions have led to improvements in air quality in Europe, but not enough to avoid unacceptable damage to human health and the environment," EEA executive director Hans Bruyninckx said in a statement in connection with the agency's annual report.
	Within the EU, the number of premature deaths was estimated at over 430,000.
	Data from monitoring stations across Europe showed that in 2014 around 85 per cent of the urban population was exposed to fine particulate matter (PM) - microscopic specks of dust and soot caused mainly by burning fossil ...

Europe air pollution causes 467,000 early deaths a year:report

Aircraft maker Airbus is planning to cut 1,000 jobs or more in France and Germany as part of an ongoing restructuring programme, unions at its French headquarters said today.
	The payroll reduction could result in outright firings, they said, which would be a first for the company. In the past, Airbus has cut jobs by not replacing departing staff.
	The coming job cuts would mostly affect Airbus's operations in Suresnes, near Paris, and in Ottobrunn, near Munich, the unions said. Some jobs would also go in Marignane in the Marseille region.
	The CFTC union said in a statement that Airbus management had already flagged 780 job cuts. But the FO and CFE-CGC union added that an announcement of hundreds of further job cuts could come as early as tomorrow.
	"I think it will end up being more than a thousand," FO secretary Jean-Marc Escourrou told AFP.
	An Airbus spokesman called the figures "speculation", adding the company would not make any further statement while negotiations with unions .

Airbus planning at least 1,000 job cuts: unions

Israel revived plans today to build 500 new homes for Jewish settlers in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, an ominous sign for Palestinians wary of a Donald Trump presidency, an NGO said.
	"The political significance of this action is that it is the first plan to be promoted since the US elections," Betty Herschman from the Ir Amim NGO said.
	The plan for 500 housing units in Ramat Shlomo, an ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighbourhood in east Jerusalem of around 20,000, had been on hold since 2014, Ir Amim said.
	The Jerusalem municipality downplayed the significance of the new housing units, saying the plans were "not new and were approved years ago."
	Nevertheless, the announcement is likely to be interpreted by some as a first step in Israel expanding its settlements in the wake of Trump's upset election victory.
	Israeli right-wingers hailed his triumph as ushering in an administration far less critical of settlement expansion than that of outgoing President Barack Obama's.
	The ...

Israel revives settlement plans after Trump win

Japan and South Korea today signed an agreement to share defence intelligence about North Korea, despite protests from opposition parties and activists in Seoul and strong criticism from China.
	South Korea's defence ministry said the accord was necessary in the face of growing military threats from Pyongyang, which has conducted two nuclear tests and more than 20 missile launches this year.
	"It is ready to conduct additional nuclear tests and missile launches at any time," the ministry said in a statement.
	"Since we can now utilise Japan's intelligence capability to effectively deal with North Korea's escalating nuclear and missile threats, it will enhance our security interests."
	Japan's foreign ministry said in a statement the military agreement would allow the two governments to "share information even more smoothly and swiftly".
	But China, already angry at South Korea's planned deployment of a US missile defence system, sharply criticised Seoul and Tokyo for what it termed a .

AFP

AFP

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