Hours after sharing a podium at 196-nations climate talks with Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, the head of Greenpeace International found herself locked out of the building Wednesday along with hundreds of other observers ejected from the talks.
Jennifer Morgan, who has been attending the troubled UN negotiations for 25 years, said the expulsion was without precedent.
"This afternoon there was a peaceful protest outside of the plenary," Morgan told AFP.
"The protesters were abruptly and roughly moved out of the building. When I tried to get back in I found that the security had closed access to all observers."
Credentialed observers -- including research institutes, NGOs and other civil society groups -- play a critical role in the talks, which are tasked with saving the world from runaway global warming.
"We are the ones who can apply pressure and hold governments accountable," Morgan said.
"When we are not in the building, we are not able to do that."
"I call on the Secretary ...

Greenpeace chief locked out of UN climate meet amid protests

PTI Automatic

The United States on Wednesday warned North Korea of consequences if it makes good on threats of a spectacular weapons test in the New Year, while offering flexibility if it stays in talks.
Frustrated by the lack of sanctions relief after three summits with President Donald Trump, North Korea has vowed an ominous "Christmas gift" if the US does not come up with concessions by the end of the year.
At the UN Security Council, the US ambassador, Kelly Craft, voiced concern that North Korea was indicating it would test intercontinental ballistic missiles "which are designed to attack the continental United States with nuclear weapons.
"Missile and nuclear testing will not bring the DPRK greater security," Craft said, referring to the North by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
"We trust that the DPRK will turn away from further hostility and threats, and instead make a bold decision to engage with us," she said.
Hinting at further sanctions, Craft said: "If ...

US warns N Korea of consequences for 'Christmas gift'

US President Donald Trump celebrated the Jewish festival of Hanukkah on Wednesday with a controversial change to the definition of Judaism -- a move that will allow clamping down on boycotts of Israel.
"I will always stand with our treasured friend and ally the state of Israel," Trump told a gathering in the White House's ceremonial East Room.
Trump, who calls himself the most pro-Israeli US president in history, used the annual event to reinforce his determined effort to win over traditionally pro-Democratic American Jewish voters ahead of next year's presidential election.
Trump signed an executive order, which bypasses Congress, that essentially redefines Judaism as both a nationality as well as a religion.
The seemingly academic change will have the important legal effect of allowing the government to clamp down on a boycott movement spreading on university campuses against Israel over its treatment of Palestinians.
Trump said the order was to "combat anti-Semitism" and "applies ..

Trump stirs controversy with new Judaism definition

Rescuers hunting for a Chilean air force plane that went missing as it headed for Antarctica with 38 people aboard have recovered floating debris that may be from the C-130's fuel tanks, the military said Wednesday.
The Chilean-flagged Antarctic Endeavour located debris that "could be part of the remains of the sponges of the internal fuel tanks," Air Force Commander Eduardo Mosqueira told a press conference.
The wreckage was located 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the plane's last known position when it disappeared from radar screens at 6:13 pm (2130 GMT) on Monday.
The C-130 Hercules cargo plane had been heading to Chile's Eduardo Frei base, officials said.
"We are going to carry out corresponding checks and when we get the sponges here, we are going to be able to determine if they really are from the C-130," Mosquiera said in Punta Arenas, the plane's departure point.
He said the recovered pieces of wreckage would reach Punta Arenas "tomorrow or in the next few days."
Search vessels .

Floating debris found in search for missing Chilean plane By Paulina

A ship taking part in a massive air and sea search for a missing Chilean air force plane with 38 people aboard has discovered wreckage floating in the ocean, the Air Force announced Wednesday.
The Chilean-flagged Antarctic Endeavour located what appeared to be wreckage from the missing C-130's fuel tanks floating on the sea, Air Force Commander Eduardo Mosqueira told a press conference.
The debris "could be part of the remains of the sponges of the internal fuel tanks of the C-130," he said. The plane had been flying to Antarctica.

Search for Chilean plane finds debris in ocean: Air Force

The United States on Wednesday warned North Korea of consequences if it makes good on threats of a spectacular missile test in the New Year, while offering flexibility if it stays in talks.
Frustrated by the lack of sanctions relief after three summits with US President Donald Trump, North Korea has warned of a New Year's surprise if the United States does not come up with concessions by the end of the year.
At a UN Security Council session on North Korea, the US ambassador, Kelly Craft, voiced concern that the authoritarian state was indicating it would test intercontinental ballistic missiles "which are designed to attack the continental United States with nuclear weapons.
"Missile and nuclear testing will not bring the DPRK greater security," Craft said, referring to the North by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
"We trust that the DPRK will turn away from further hostility and threats, and instead make a bold decision to engage with us," she ...

US warns N Korea of consequences of missile test

Russian TV on Wednesday aired a popular comedy series starring Ukraine's actor-turned-president Volodymyr Zelensky as new efforts were underway to de-escalate a conflict in east Ukraine.
The Russian premiere of "Servant of the People", screened on the entertainment channel TNT and comes two days after Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky met in Paris for their first face-to-face talks.
Zelensky, 41, is a former comedian and TV actor who shot to fame in ex-Soviet Ukraine after portraying a schoolteacher in "Servant of the People" who becomes president when his expletive-laden tirade goes viral.
In April, the celebrity secured a shock election win after capitalising on Ukrainians' despair over mainstream politics, war with Kremlin-backed separatists, poverty and corruption.
He also named his party after the show.
The series premiered in Ukraine in 2015, becoming one of the most popular TV shows in the war-scarred country.
In the first of three episodes to be broadcast, the ...

Russian TV airs comedy starring Ukraine president

Canadians have soured on China, according to a poll released Wednesday, as a diplomatic crisis over tit-for-tat detentions of a Chinese tech executive and two Canadians drags into a second year.
Two-thirds of 1,499 respondents surveyed in recent weeks by Angus Reid said they had an unfavourable view of Canada's second-largest trading partner, up from 51 percent in 2018.
Nine out of ten said they believe China cannot be trusted to uphold human rights and refrain from interfering politically in judicial matters.
"While the Trudeau government considers its options to resolve simmering tensions, Canadians are growing more frustrated with China," Angus Reid said a statement.
Relations between Canada and China hit rock bottom following the December 2018 arrest in Vancouver of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou -- and China's detention just nine days later of former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor.
Originally detained on a US warrant, Meng is out on bail awaiting an ...

Canadian view of China worsens as row drags into second year

A "rare" bust of a statue of the pharaoh Ramses II has been discovered near Giza, south of Cairo, the Egyptian Antiquities Ministry announced Wednesday.
The statue is the first rose granite bust of Ramses II found that includes the "ka" symbol, according to a statement from the ministry, which described the find as "rare".
Ka represented in ancient Egypt the spirit of a human or god that could reside in a statue of the person or deity after death.
The excavation last week by a ministry team took place on private land in Mit Rahina near the site of the ancient city of Memphis around 30 kilometres (20 miles) south of Cairo, the statement added.
This statue of Ramses II, one of the most famous pharaohs of the 19th dynasty (1301-1236 BC), measures 105 centimetres high and 55 centimetres wide.
Egypt has in recent years sought to promote archaeological discoveries across the country in a bid to revive tourism, which took a hit from the turmoil that followed its 2011 uprising.

Egypt unveils 'rare' ancient pharaoh bust

Jihadists attacked a Niger military camp near the border with Mali with artillery and mortars, killing more than 60 people, a security source said on Wednesday.
Tuesday's attack in Inates in the western Tillaberi region was the deadliest on Niger's military since the armed forces began fighting Islamist militants in 2015.
"The attack killed more than 60," the source said. "The terrorists bombarded the camp with shelling and mortars. The explosions from ammunition and fuel were the cause of the heavy toll." The source did not say which group was responsible for the deadly assault.
Niger forces are fighting against Boko Haram militants in the southeast border with Nigeria and jihadists allied with the Islamic State in the west near Mali and Libya.
Three soldiers and 14 militants were also killed on Monday in an attack on another army post in Agando in western Tahoua region, the defence ministry said.  Heavily armed "terrorists" in a dozen 4x4 vehicles led the attack early Monday morning 

Niger military camp attack kills more than 60: source

The official death toll from New Zealand's White Island volcano eruption rose to eight after two people died in hospital, police said Thursday, with a further nine missing people presumed dead.
"Two further people have died following the eruption on Whakaari/White Island, bringing the official toll to eight," police said in a statement.

New Zealand volcano death toll rises to eight: police

At least 60 people were killed in a militant attack on a Niger military camp in the western Tillaberi region near the Mali border, a security source said on Wednesday.
"The terrorists bombarded the camp with shells and mortars. The explosions from ammunition and fuel were the cause of the heavy toll," the source said.
The source did not say which group was responsible for the attack on Tuesday. But Niger forces are fighting against Boko Haram militants in the southeast and jihadists allied with the Islamic State in the west near Mali.

Niger military camp attack leaves 'at least 60 dead' : security source

Danish police said Wednesday they had arrested 20 people suspected of planning "Islamist attacks".
The suspects had tried to acquire weapons and explosive devices, police said.  "Police searched 20 addresses and arrested 20 people", Copenhagen police chief Jorgen Bergen Skov said at a press conference.
He did not specify the target of the possible attack but said police had arrested all the suspects it had on its radar.
"They are people who have both the intent and ability to commit a terrorist attack," Bergen Skov said.
The suspects will be brought before a judge on Thursday for closed-door hearings.  Denmark was last hit by militant attacks in 2015 when Copenhagen's Great Synagogue was targeted in a shooting which saw one security officer killed after an earlier attack on a conference on freedom of expression also left one person dead.
Five police officers were injured in the twin attacks. Officers gunned down and killed the 22-year-old perpetrator Omar El-Hussein, a Danish citizen .

Denmark arrests 20 over Islamist attack plot

The Chilean government on Wednesday widened the search for an Air Force plane with 38 people aboard that went missing off the southern tip of South America.
At least 15 planes and five ships have been deployed in the search of the Drake Passage for the Antarctica-bound Hercules C-130 plane that went missing late Monday.
"The Armed Forces are placing all our efforts into finding the missing C-130," Eduardo Mosqueira, commander of Chile's IV Air Brigade, told reporters in Punta Arenas.
Mosquiera said a decision had been taken Wednesday to widen the search zone as visibility and conditions were favorable.
Search vessels and planes from the United States, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina and Chile were now combing nearly 1,000 square kilometers of the Drake Passage, a tempestuous body of water south of Cape Horn and north of Antartica.
The C-130 Hercules cargo plane vanished after departing its Punta Arenas air base on Monday at 4:55 pm (19:55 GMT) en route to Chile's Antarctic base of Eduardo .

Chile extends search zone for missing plane

Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi rejected allegations of genocide against Myanmar in the UN's top court Wednesday, despite admitting the army may have used excessive force against Rohingya Muslims.
Suu Kyi denied "misleading and incomplete" claims by The Gambia that a 2017 military operation had attempted to exterminate the Rohingya, in a rare address by a state leader to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Once hailed worldwide as a rights icon for her defiance of the same generals she is now defending, Suu Kyi also warned the Hague-based court that its involvement in the case risked "feeding the flames of extreme polarisation".
Nearly three-quarters of a million Rohingya fled to neighbouring Bangladesh after the Myanmar military launched a huge offensive that it said was in response to attacks by local militants.
"Regrettably, The Gambia has placed before the court a misleading and incomplete factual picture of the situation in Rakhine state," said Suu Kyi, wearing ...

Myanmar's Suu Kyi rejects genocide claims at top UN court

A third anti-government activist has been murdered in Iraq in less than 10 days, police and medics said Wednesday, as the United Nations accused militias of killing and abducting demonstrators.
Protesters have complained of an intensifying campaign of intimidation in a country where pro-Iranian armed groups integrated into the security forces wield growing influence.
The body of 49-year-old father of five Ali al-Lami was found overnight with gunshot wounds to the head, according to his friends, who said he had arrived in Baghdad just days earlier to join the protests.
"It was the militias of a corrupt government that killed him," said a close friend, Tayssir al-Atabi.
A police source said the attackers had used guns with silencers, while forensic experts said Lami had been struck by three bullets.
Iraq's capital and its Shiite-majority south have been gripped by more than two months of anti-government demonstrations in which more than 450 people have died and 25,000 have been ...

Another Iraqi activist killed as UN accuses 'militias'

Chinese telecom giant Huawei on Wednesday won a contract to supply 5G infrastructure in Germany but the politically sensitive deal is subject to government approval following US concerns about snooping.
Telefonica Germany, the second biggest operator after Deutsche Telekom, said it was giving Huawei and Finland's Nokia an equal role in the project, calling the two companies "proven strategic partners".
"This cooperation... will be subject to successful security certification of the technology and the companies in accordance with the legal regulations in Germany," Telefonica Germany said in a statement.
The company, a unit of Spanish giant Telefonica, said it was "thus responding to the ongoing political process of defining these security guidelines without delaying the start of the 5G roll-out".
It said it would begin the 5G upgrade next year and was hoping to supply 30 cities by the end of 2022.
The US and other international powers have voiced concerns that Huawei could be used by ..

Huawei wins contract to develop German 5G network

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg on Wednesday accused wealthier nations of inventing ways to avoid slashing their greenhouse gas emissions, branding their climate action "misleading" at a summit in Madrid disrupted by clashes between youth activists and security.
The UN climate forum tasked with saving the world from runaway global warming has become an "opportunity for countries to negotiate loopholes and to avoid raising their ambition" to act on climate, the 16-year-old told delegates and observers to vigorous applause.
"Countries are finding clever ways around having to take real action." Nations are gathered in Spain's capital to finalise the rulebook of the 2015 landmark Paris climate accord, which aims to limit global temperature rises to "well below" two degrees Celsius and to a safer cap of 1.5C if possible.
But the consensus-based talks are bogged down in politically charged wrangling over the architecture of carbon markets, timetables for the review of carbon-cutting pledges 

Greta slams 'misleading' climate pledges at chaotic UN summit

FIFA is to take legal action by the end of the year to force Michel Platini to return two million Swiss francs (USD 2 million, 1.84 million euros) he received during Sepp Blatter's reign at world football's governing body.
FIFA banned Platini, its then vice president, in 2015 over the payment he received, sparking years of bitter recriminations from the Frenchman and a falling out with his former ally Blatter.
In a document seen by AFP on Wednesday, FIFA said it would take action "to recover the money illegally paid by the former President of FIFA to the former Vice President of FIFA."
Platini declined to comment but his lawyer, Vincent Solari, called the developement "harassment" of his client.
"It is obviously an announcement whose sole purpose is to continue to try to bring discredit on my client," Solari, who is based in Geneva, said in a statement.
FIFA said it planned to sue Blatter at the same time and would be seeking "interest at the appropriate rate" and "disciplinary fines .

FIFA to take legal action to recover 2 million Swiss francs from Platini

Carlo Ancelotti's reign at feuding Napoli came to an abrupt end on Tuesday as the veteran coach was sacked despite a 4-0 win over Genk sealing their spot in the Champions League last 16.
The 60-year-old is set to be replaced by his  friend and former AC Milan player Gennaro Gattuso, 41, later on Wednesday.
Napoli finished second in Group E, one point behind Liverpool, to break a nine-match winless run that came amid dressing room unrest and friction between the club, Ancelotti and the players.
"Napoli has decided to relieve Carlo Ancelotti of his role as first team coach," the Italian side said in a brief statement on twitter two hours after the game.
The former Real Madrid, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain coach had been defiant after the game.
"Resignation? I have never resigned in my life and I never will," he said.
The club have been in turmoil this season amid a row between club owner Aurelio De Laurentiis and the players after a series of disappointing results.
The players ...

Ancelotti's reign ends amid feuding as Napoli turn to Gattuso

Sepp Blatter, the former president of FIFA, told AFP on Wednesday that he had opposed awarding the 2020 World Cup to Qatar, but that he has a "clear conscience."
Blatter said he is willing to testify to French prosecutors about the 2010 vote in favour of Qatar.
"If they ask me formally then I think I will go to France because I have a clear conscience," said the 83-year-old who already testified in Switzerland in April, 2017, at the request of the French authorities.
Qatar beat Australia, Japan, South Korea and the United States to win the vote. However, the result has been consistently questioned.
A three-year-old French investigation, was recently entrusted to a Paris investigative magistrate charged with looking specifically for "active and passive corruption".
Six months ago, Michael Platini, who was vice-president of FIFA and UEFA president at the time, was questioned about his decision to vote in favour of Qatar.
The investigators are particularly interested in a meeting at the .

AFP

AFP

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