The federal security commissioner for the western state of Michoacan says nine civilians have been killed in two clashes between the army and armed civilians.
	Alfredo Castillo says the confrontations in the town of Apatzigan began this morning when the army tried to take control of city hall, which had been held for days by civilians.
	Castillo says in the first clash, one civilian was killed and authorities detained 44 people with 13 long-barreled guns and 23 vehicles.
	He says that soldiers were attacked by armed men as they were transporting the seized vehicles, and eight civilians died in that confrontation.

Mexican army kills 9 in Michoacan confrontation

PTI Automatic

Turkish police briefly detained a Dutch journalist for questioning today on suspicion that she engaged in propaganda on social media on behalf of autonomy-seeking Kurdish rebels, an official said.
	Freelance journalist Frederike Geerdink was detained in the mainly Kurdish city of Diyarbakir where she is based, and questioned for several hours before being released, said Tahir Elci, who heads the lawyers association in the city. She was questioned for a series of postings on Twitter, Elci said.
	Geerdink tweeted earlier that her house was searched by eight terrorism police and that she was being taken to a police station on charges of "propaganda for a terrorist organisation."
	Geerdink, who reports mainly on Kurdish issues for Dutch and Turkish media, is the latest journalist to be detained in Turkey amid growing concerns about media freedoms in Turkey.
	Last week, a former television presenter was briefly detained for posting a tweet that suggested a cover-up of a government ...

Turkey detains Dutch journalist on alleged terror propaganda

President Barack Obama hosted Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto at the White House today, looking to his southern neighbor for help implementing changing policies on immigration and Cuba.
	Obama wants Pena Nieto to join him in pressuring Cuba to make democratic reforms now that the White House is moving to re-establish diplomatic and commercial ties.
	The US-Cuba estrangement had been a point of friction with Latin American countries, including Mexico, which had normal ties with the communist island nation.
	Pena Nieto also has committed to help spread the word on how some immigrants can qualify for Obama's plan to defer some 4 million deportations for immigrants in the US illegally.
	Two-thirds of those who are eligible are from Mexico. Both actions from Obama in recent weeks drew praise from Pena Nieto, who may be hoping his visit to the White House can help give him a boost after a 2014 marked by scandal, violence and corruption.
	That includes soldiers killing 22 civilians in a 

Obama seeks help of Mexico's Pena Nieto on Cuba, immigration

Russian anti-corruption crusader Alexei Navalny defied his house arrest today by walking to his local store to buy milk, and said he was quickly intercepted by three men, presumably police, who escorted him home.
	Navalny, the leading foe of President Vladimir Putin, was convicted a week ago of fraud and given a suspended sentence of 3½ years.
	He was kept under house arrest pending appeal.
	Claiming that it was illegal to keep him under house arrest after conviction, Navalny announced yesterday that he had cut off his monitoring bracelet with a kitchen knife.
	Today, he wrote on his website that he had been stopped after buying milk, and posted photos taken by his wife showing him walking back to the apartment, milk carton in hand, accompanied by the three men.
	The Kremlin appears reluctant to jail Navalny, so as not to make him a martyr, but also seems determined to keep him on a tight leash.
	A lawyer and popular blogger, Navalny rose to prominence with his investigations of ...

Putin foe Navalny defies house arrest by going to buy milk

Republican Jeb Bush is forming a political action committee as he moves closer to a prospective White House bid.
	Bush, the son and brother of former presidents, is emerging as a Republican establishment favorite, although many conservatives are skeptical.
	The former Florida governor says in a video posted today on Facebook that the "Right to Rise PAC" will allow him to "support candidates who believe in conservative principles to allow all Americans to rise up."
	An aide says the organization also allows Bush to hire staff, conduct polling and pay for travel as he courts key donors and Republican officials.
	Bush signaled the formation of a committee last month when he announced plans to actively explore a 2016 presidential bid.
	Several potential Republican presidential candidates have already formed similar committees.

Republican Jeb Bush forms 'Right to Rise' group

Authorities in the South American country of Guyana say they have discovered USD 13 million worth of cocaine aboard a ship that arrived from neighboring Suriname.
	The director of the anti-narcotics unit says that officers have so far found an estimated 1,400 kilograms (3,090 pounds) aboard the Cyprus-registered ship named "The Delta Diedre." James Singh said the ship's crew was detained early today.
	He said the ship was traveling toward the southeastern port town of Linden to load bauxite from China's Bosai Minerals Group. The ship was then scheduled to travel to Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium.

Guyana police seize USD 13M worth of cocaine aboard cargo ship

A statement from the family of a Canadian-Egyptian Al-Jazeera journalist, imprisoned in Egypt, says they have requested his deportation and were told by a senior official the process is in its "final stages."
	Three Al-Jazeera English journalists Canadian-Egyptian Mohammed Fahmy, Australian Peter Greste and Egyptian Baher Mohammed have been held for more than a year. Last week a Cairo Court of Cassation ordered a retrial, after a court sentenced Greste and Fahmy to seven years in prison and Mohammed to 10 years last June amid widespread international condemnation. Greste's family says they have also applied for deportation.
	In November Egypt issued a new decree granting President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi the power to deport foreign defendants convicted or accused of crimes.

Family of journalist imprisoned in Egypt request deportation

The new 114th US Congress counts more minorities and women than ever, although lawmakers remain overwhelmingly white and male in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives and Senate.
	A record 104 women are in the new Congress, and for the first time, African-American members of both genders are representing both parties. No seats in Congress are reserved for women or minorities.
	The number of female lawmakers is up slightly from 100 at the close of the last Congress, but represents about 20 per cent of the total in Congress. It's far less than the nearly 51 percent of the US population.
	A total of 96 racial minorities will serve in Congress, about 18 per cent.
	There are 100 senators and 435 seats in the House.
	The House will have 246 Republicans and 188 Democrats. One seat is vacant following the resignation yesterday of Republican Michael Grimm, who pleaded guilty to a felony tax evasion charge.
	The Senate will have 54 Republicans and 44 Democrats, plus two ...

More women, minorities in new US Congress

Officials say a man who was acting out the role of one of the Three Kings in an Epiphany parade has died after the throne he was riding in hit an overhead cable and overturned in southern Spain.
	The 20-year-old whose identity has not been disclosed had been playing King Balthazar during yesterday's parade in the town of Nijar when a cable caused his throne to topple off the chariot it had been placed on, mayor Antonio Jesus Rodriguez said.
	The young man died of his injuries early today, Almeria's Torrecardenas hospital said.
	Towns and cities across Spain hold parades every Jan. 5 to cheer, according to Christian tradition, the arrival of the Magi bearing gifts for the baby Jesus.

Man acting Epiphany king in Spain dies as throne hits cable

Nigeria's chief of defense staff acknowledges that the headquarters of a multinational military force on Nigeria's border with Chad has been seized by Islamic extremists.
	Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh tells reporters that only Nigerian troops were at the key base at Baga when Boko Haram attacked on Saturday because Chad and Niger had earlier withdrawn their fighters. He did not say why.
	Badeh denied that Nigeria's two neighbors have withdrawn from the Multinational Joint Task Force that includes Cameroon.
	Witnesses said troops fled after they ran out of ammunition.
	Asked if the military would retake the base, Badeh said "Why not?" but he would not say when.
	The defense chief spoke briefly to reporters after a security meeting with Nigeria's president today.

Nigerian defense chief: military base in hands of extremists

A lottery today spread USD 666 million among jubilant ticket holders throughout Spain, which is struggling to emerge from a financial crisis that has left it saddled with high unemployment.
	The "El Nino" (The Child) lottery is held each Feast of the Epiphany on Jan. 6, and the 400 top prize tickets, each worth USD 237,935, were all sold in Leganes, a southwest Madrid working-class suburb.
	"Horns are blowing, the phone doesn't stop ringing, it's crazy and a huge, huge joy because it has all been sold among neighbors in a very working class district," said lottery seller Gustavo Fernandez whose shop sold tickets amounting to USD 95 million in prize money.
	Lesser prizes were widely dispersed, including in the provinces of Albacete, Almeria and Barcelona.
	The lottery's name refers to the baby Jesus, who according to tradition was visited this day by three wise men bearing gifts.
	Lottery tickets cost USD 23.8 and the pot is divided among thousands of ticket-holders, limiting the ...

Spain's El Nino lottery spreads USD 666 million in winnings

South Korea said today that rival North Korea has a 6,000-member cyber army dedicated to disrupting the South's military and government, a dramatic increase from an earlier estimate of 3,000 such specialists.
	Without elaborating, Seoul's Defense Ministry also said in a report that North Korea may also have gained the ability to strike the US mainland because of its progress in missile technology demonstrated in recent long-range missile tests. It also said North Korea is advancing in efforts to miniaturize nuclear warheads to mount on such missiles.
	There is considerable mystery, and outside debate, about the state of North Korea's opaque nuclear and missile programs, which it has persisted in pursuing for decades despite widespread domestic poverty and heavy international sanctions and criticism.
	North Korea has conducted three nuclear tests since 2006, the most recent in early 2013, and experts believe it has a handful of crude nuclear bombs.
	Many outside observers speculate ...

South Korea: North Korea has 6,000-member cyber army

Fidel Mendoza Carrasquilla, a former International Olympic Committee member from Colombia, has died. He was 89.
	The IOC announced his death today. The cause was not given.
	Mendoza Carrasquilla served on the IOC from 1988 to 2006, and was an honorary member since then. He sat on the IOC medical commission from 1990-2006.
	Mendoza Carrasquilla served as president of Colombia's national Olympic committee from 1979-89 and was treasurer of the Pan-American Sports Organization from 1983-92.
	IOC President Thomas Bach called him "a pioneer and a fervent campaigner for sport in his home country of Colombia and throughout South America.

Former Colombian IOC member Mendoza Carrasquilla dies at 89

The Israeli government today claimed Qatar had expelled the leader of the Hamas militant group, in what would be a significant diplomatic victory for Israel. Hamas officials denied the claims as "baseless."
	The Israeli Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying it "welcomes Qatar's decision to expel the head of the Hamas political bureau, Khaled Mashaal, to Turkey."
	It said the Qatari decision came after heavy diplomatic pressure from Israel.
	"We expect the Turkish government to act responsibly in a similar way," it added.
	Hamas officials in both Qatar and Gaza angrily dismissed the Israeli claims.
	Izzat Rishq, a top aide to Mashaal, said the claim was wrong. "There is no basis of truth about brother Khaled Mashaal leaving Doha. We are in Doha now," he told The Associated Press.
	Hamas spokesman Hossam Badran in Qatar and Salah Bardawil, a Hamas official in Gaza, also told the AP the report was false.
	In Turkey, the Foreign Ministry said it had no information on a Qatari ...

Israel says Qatar expels Hamas leader; militant group denies

Two women accusing Bill Cosby of sexual offences decades ago have joined a defamation lawsuit, contending the comedian publicly branded them as liars through statements by his representatives.
	The amended complaint was filed yesterday in US District Court in Springfield, in western Massachusetts, where Cosby has a home in Shelburne Falls.
	Cosby is the only defendant in the lawsuit, originally filed last month by Tamara Green, who said he drugged and assaulted her in the 1970s.
	The two new plaintiffs are Therese Serignese, who said he drugged and raped her in 1976, and Linda Traitz, who alleges he tried to drug her and then sexually groped her in 1970.
	Attorney Joseph Cammarata, who represents the three women, said the civil action allows them to have their allegations heard since criminal statutes of limitation have expired.
	"The lawsuit provides an opportunity for women who claim to have been harmed to have their day in court in a forum where the truth can be tried," he ...

2 more women join defamation lawsuit against Bill Cosby

The Islamic State group said it has killed eight men in Iraq's Salahuddin province north of Baghdad for allegedly cooperating with the government security forces and international airstrikes targeting the group.
	A collection of photos posted late yesterday on a Twitter account frequently used by the militants showed eight bearded men in orange jumpsuits with their hands tied behind their backs.
	Five were identified as police officers and two as informants, but no information was provided on the eighth victim.
	The photos showed the blindfolded men being brought to a riverbank by masked gunmen under what looks like a bridge, then lined up on their knees and shot in the head. The group didn't mention when the killings took place.
	A provincial official, who spoke on condition of anonymity for his safety, offered a different account; he said today that the men were army officers who abandoned the army before the militants took over parts of the province last year and that they didn't ..

IS kills 8 men for allegedly cooperating with government

California's high-speed rail project reaches a milestone with officials breaking ground on the first bullet train in the US.
	The ceremony in Fresno today comes amid challenges from Central Valley farmers and communities in the train's path who have sued to block the project. Republican members of Congress vow to cut funding.
	State officials say once it's built, the USD 68 billion train system will whisk travellers at 320 kph between Los Angeles and San Francisco in less than three hours.
	Dan Richard of the California High-Speed Rail Authority says it will be a model for the nation.
	Jeff Denham, a Central Valley Republican in Congress, says the train won't be fast enough or carry enough riders.
	Gov Jerry Brown, a staunch advocate of the train, is expected to attend the groundbreaking.

California to begin work on first bullet train in US

Two New York City police officers responding to a robbery in the Bronx were shot and wounded, and a manhunt was underway for at least two suspects, authorities said.
	The officers were taken to a Bronx hospital with non-life threatening injuries. One officer was wounded in the arm, and the other was struck in the back, police said.
	Deputy Chief Kim Royster, commanding officer of the public affairs unit, said the officers were not targeted by the gunman unlike two officers shot to death about two weeks ago in their patrol car in Brooklyn but had just come upon the scene.
	Royster said a weapon was recovered but it wasn't clear whether it belonged to the suspects. The shooting happened just after 10:30 pm yesterday. Police said the officers may have been fired on by an assailant from a car after a car stop went awry, but the incident was still being investigated.
	Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu were gunned down in their patrol car December 20 by a man who vowed online to kill ...

2 New York City police officers shot, wounded in the Bronx

The US State Department has said it was not given advance notice about a New Year's flag-raising ceremony at the residence of Taiwan's representative to Washington that has angered China.
	Taiwanese media report that it was the first time since Washington switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing 36 years ago that the flag of the Republic of China, as Taiwan is formally known, had been flown at the residence.
	In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said yesterday that China had protested to the US about the January 1 ceremony and requested Washington "act with discretion when dealing with Taiwan-related issues."
	In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the ceremony at the Twin Oaks residence was not consistent with US policy, and no US government personnel attended.
	She said "nothing has changed" in the status of the US-Taiwanese relationship, and the US remains committed to the one China policy.
	Under that policy, the US ...

Flag-raising by Taiwan in Washington riles China

SpaceX is making another supply run to the International Space Station for NASA.
	But it's the rocket's return not its takeoff, that has space fans talking.
	Minutes after tomorrow morning's planned launch from Cape Canaveral, the first stage of the unmanned Falcon rocket will aim for a vertical test landing on a barge in the Atlantic.
	The California company has attempted such landings on the open sea, but never on a platform like this.
	SpaceX chief Elon Musk predicts a 50-50 chance of success at best. He says flying back boosters would allow them to be reused and save money.
	NASA's previous delivery attempt by Orbital Sciences ended in a launch explosion in October.
	Researchers who lost experiments in the accident hustled to get replacements on this flight.

SpaceX shoots for launch to station, rocket landing on barge

Iraqi officials say eight people have been killed in a series of attacks across the capital Baghdad.
	Police officials say the deadliest attack, a bombing on a commercial street in the mainly Shiite Shula district on tonight, killed four people and wounded 11.
	A bomb blast near a bus stop elsewhere in the city killed two people and wounded nine others, and in a third attack, gunmen on a motorbike opened fire on a barber shop, killing two people and wounding three.
	Medics in nearby hospitals confirmed the casualty figures. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

AP

AP

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