Two British soldiers were wounded Saturday in eastern Syria by a missile fired by the Islamic State group, an NGO said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the pair were part of the the international anti-jihadist coalition, led by the United States.
"The two British soldiers were transported by helicopter to receive medical care," the observatory's director Rami Abdel told AFP.
A Kurdish fighter from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) died in the attack in the village of Al-Shaafa in Deir Ezzor province, one of the last pockets of territory still controlled by IS in the Euphrates River valley.
The SDF, a coalition dominated by Kurdish fighters, has spearheaded the fight against IS, supported by several Western countries including the United Kingdom.
The international alliance seized the key IS holdout of Hajin in December after months of fighting that has seen the jihadists launch vicious counter-attacks.
IS, which once controlled swathes of Syria and Iraq, has been pounded .

Two British soldiers injured in Syria by IS missile

PTI Automatic

Incessant rain and bad light prevented the start of play on day four of the fourth Test between Australia and India here on Sunday.
At the Sydney Cricket Ground, play couldn't commence at the scheduled early 10 am local time start due to bad light and wet conditions from overnight heavy rain.
The light improved in some time and the two umpires stipulated 11 am local time as the start of play, but rain arrived to prevent that from happening.
The inclement weather didn't relent until lunchtime and the morning session was completely washed out.
Australia were reduced to 236-6 at stumps on day three when bad light had stopped play.
On days one and two, Cheteshwar Pujara (193) and Rishabh Pant (159 not out) helped India to a grand first innings' total of 622-7 declared.
India have an unassailable 2-1 series' lead after winning the first Test in Adelaide by 31 runs and the third Test in Melbourne by 137 runs. Australia had won the second Test in Perth by 146 runs.

Morning session on day four lost due to rain and bad light

A California police officer who was killed in the line of duty was hailed Saturday as a "Fiji-born American hero" who made the ultimate sacrifice for his adopted country.
At a funeral held for Cpl Ronil (row-neel) Singh, mourners remembered the 33-year-old officer as a hard-working immigrant who worked his way up to become an officer in the small town of Newman.
He "stood so much for what is right in our world and yet unfortunately was taken too soon from us by what is wrong in our world," Modesto police Officer Jeff Harmon said at the service in a Modesto church.
He "probably more than anything else wanted to be home on Christmas night with his wife and his young son, but instead made a selfless choice to serve all of his community knowing that there are many more than just his own family that needed his protection that night."
Singh was shot to death in the early hours of Dec 26 after he pulled over a suspected drunk driver. The gunman fled, and a two-day-long manhunt led to the ...

Slain police officer called 'American hero' at his funeral

White House officials and congressional aides kicked off weekend talks aimed at ending a partial government shutdown that has dragged into a 15th day.
Vice President Mike Pence, who led the conversation, described Saturday's session as "productive" on Twitter, although no breakthrough was reached. The White House aides and Democratic and Republican staffers planned to return to the talks on Sunday.
Negotiations have been at an impasse over President Donald Trump's demands for $5.6 billion to fund a wall at the US-Mexico border.
A White House official said the meeting included a briefing on border security by Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. Democrats restated their request to reopen government while border security talks continue, which the White House rejected.
Democrats also sought written details on Department of Homeland Security needs, which the White House said it would provide.
Trump, who did not attend the discussions, spent the morning tweeting about border ...

Weekend shutdown talks led by Pence to go into a second day

Thousands of people have braved snow and freezing temperatures in Serbia's capital to turn up for the fifth week of street protests against populist President Aleksandar Vucic.
The demonstrators marched through downtown Belgrade blowing whistles and booing and jeering loudly as they passed the Serbian presidency building on Saturday.
Some carried Serbian flags and banners reading "We are the people" or "Down with the thieves."
The demonstrations started after thugs beat up an opposition leader in November, putting pressure on Vucic.
Critics accuse the president of imposing an autocracy through strict control over the media and promoting hate speech against opponents.
Vucic rejects being labelled as domineering and has suggested he might call an early election this year.
A former extreme nationalist, he has held office saying he favours Serbia joining the European Union.

Thousands brave snow to rally against Serbia populist leader

A powerful earthquake has shaken western Brazil near its border with Peru, affecting a remote part of the Amazon rainforest. There were no immediate reports of damages.
The US Geological Survey said the magnitude-6.8 quake had an epicentre 55 miles (89 kilometers) west of Tarauaca, Brazil, and 204 miles (329 kms) east of Pucallpa, Peru. It hit at 2:25 p.m. local time and had a depth of 575 kilometers.
Major damages are unlikely because of its depth and remote location.
A powerful 7.1-magnitude quake hit the Peru-Brazil border in August.

USGS: Magnitude 6.8 quake shakes remote part of west Brazil

A woman said to have been in a vegetative state for at least a decade at a private health care facility in Phoenix reportedly gave birth recently, triggering a police investigation and reviews by state agencies in a situation that the state governor's office called "deeply troubling.'"
Azfamily.com, a news website for television stations KPHO and KTVK, first reported late Thursday that, according to sources not identified by the website, a woman gave birth Dec 29 living at a Hacienda HealthCare facility where the staff was unaware that she was pregnant.
Two other Phoenix television stations later aired similar reports.
According to some reports, the woman was a victim of a near-drowning more than 10 years ago. Her identity hasn't been reported, and it's not known if she has family or a guardian.
Sources quoted in the reports said the woman was heard to be moaning and that the baby's head was starting to emerge when a nurse came in.
"None of the staff were aware that she was pregnant ..

Woman in vegetative state for decade reportedly gives birth

Officials say a large earthquake has struck in a remote area of the Aleutian Islands near Alaska, but a tsunami is not expected.
The US Tsunami Warning System says the 6.0-magnitude quake struck just before 10 am Saturday about 90 miles (145 kilometers) southwest of the town of Adak on Adak Island. Several hundred people live in the town.
Large earthquakes can cause tsunamis that can travel hundreds of miles.
The US Tsunami Warning System says its statement on the earthquake is for Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and California.

Officials: No tsunami expected from earthquake near Alaska

Union leaders in Hungary called on Saturday for a national strike and protests on Jan 19 to oppose labour code changes they see as a "slave law" harmful to workers.
A crowd of at least 10,000 people gathered outside the Hungarian parliament building to protest a law approved in December that allows employers to request up to 400 hours of overtime a year from employees.
Hungarian Trade Union Federation President Laszlo Kordas said the unions are demanding the repeal of the "slave law," higher wages, increased workers' rights and a more flexible retirement system.
They plan to present them to Prime Minister Viktor Orban and if the government refuses to negotiate, the unions will hold the strike, he said.
"The government has abandoned us," Kordas said.
"The country must come to a halt at the same time on the same day."
Government spokesman Istvan Hollik repeated the claim that Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros is funding protests of the labour law, but did not address the ...

Hungary: Unions call for strike, protests over labour law

The federal agency tasked with guaranteeing US airport security acknowledged an increase in the number of its employees calling off work during the partial government shutdown.
Employees of the Transportation Security Administration are expected to work without pay during the shutdown because their jobs are considered essential.
The TSA said in a statement Friday that call outs that began over the holiday period have increased.
The agency did not say how many of its employees have called out, but it said the call outs have had "minimal impact given that there are 51,739 employees supporting the screening process."
The statement said wait times "may be affected" but so far "remain well within TSA standards."
"TSA is closely monitoring the situation," the agency statement said.
"Security effectiveness will not be compromised."
The Department of Homeland Security and President Donald Trump pushed back Saturday on suggestions that the absences represented a "sickout" that was having ...

Airports seeing rise in security screeners calling off work

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has launched an ambitious plan to stimulate economic activity on the Mexican side of the US-Mexico border despite recent U.S. threats to close the border entirely.
Mexico plans to slash income and corporate taxes to 20 per cent from 30 per cent for 43 municipalities in six states just south of the US, while halving to 8 per cent the value-added tax in the region.
Business leaders and union representatives have also agreed to double the minimum wage along the border, to 176.2 pesos a day, the equivalent of USD 9.07 at current exchange rates.
Lopez Obrador says the idea is to stimulate wage and job growth via fiscal incentives and productivity gains. President Donald Trump has repeatedly complained that low wages in Mexico lure jobs from the US.

Mexico launches plan to stimulate US border economy

A Canadian woman who traveled to Burkina Faso with an Italian friend as part of a humanitarian aid program has been reported missing, the foreign ministry said Saturday.
Edith Blais, 34, has not been heard from since December 15, according to Canadian media.
"Canadian consular agents in Burkina Faso are in contact with the local authorities to gather information. Consular services have been provided to members of the family in Canada," a foreign ministry spokesman told AFP.
Local media reports said Blais traveled to the West African country via Europe with a friend, Lucas Tacchetto, a 30-year-old from Venice. The Canadian foreign ministry had no comment on Tacchetto's status.
The pair were supposed to travel by car to Togo for a humanitarian aid project with Zion'Gaia, an environmentally oriented group that engages in reforestation projects, according to its website.
"They never have crossed the border or applied for a visa from Burkina Faso to Togo or Ghana," read a statement posted .

Canadian woman reported missing in Burkina Faso

Venezuela's opposition-controlled National Assembly declared Nicolas Maduro's presidency illegitimate Saturday, calling on the military to support efforts to "restore democracy".
"We reaffirm the illegitimacy of Nicolas Maduro," the assembly's new president Juan Guaido said as he was sworn in at the start of a new legislative session.
"As of January 10, he will be usurping the presidency and consequently this National Assembly is the only legitimate representative of the people."
Maduro is set to be sworn in on Thursday for a second six-year term after holding controversial early elections May 20.
The elections were boycotted by most of the opposition and widely condemned by the international community.
On Friday, foreign ministers from 12 Latin American countries and Canada announced in Lima that their governments would not recognize Maduro as president if he attempts to remain in office and urged him to turn over power to the National Assembly.
Guaido, in a speech attended by ...

Venezuela's parliament rejects legitimacy of Maduro second term

Around 6,000 people on Saturday demonstrated against nationalist-conservative Prime Minister Viktor Orban in the latest of a wave of Hungarian protests targeting a labour reform branded a "slave law" by the opposition.
Turnout was well below expectations of the march's opposition party and union organisers'. They had hoped to mobilise tens of thousands to revive the protests after the festive season.
The reform, adopted by parliament on December 12, has increased the amount of overtime that employers can demand from 250 to 400 hours per year and allows payment to be delayed by up to three years.
The government says the law is needed to tackle Hungary's labour shortage and will enable those who wish to work more hours to earn more.
Hungarian President Janos Ader signed the reform into law just before Christmas, despite more than 10 days of sometimes violent clashes between demonstrators and police in the capital and other cities.
In the biggest demonstration of the current series, some 

Hungary protesters march against labour reform

Japan's decision to leave the International Whaling Commission could have consequences on subsistence whaling by Alaska Natives.
Japan announced last month that it's leaving the commission to resume commercial whaling for the first time in 30 years, Alaska's Energy Desk reported Friday.
The international commission banned commercial whaling in the 1980s as the whale population dwindled.
"It would be in our best interest to have Japan remain with the IWC," said John Hopson Jr, chairman of the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission.
"They were a strong ally of ours in obtaining our quota."
The international commission sets the quota for subsistence whaling in Alaska.
Support for Alaska Native whalers could diminish if other countries follow Japan's example and leave the international commission, said Jessica Lefevre, a lawyer for the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission.
The commission approved a rule change last year that made the renewal of aboriginal subsistence whaling automatic under certain 

Japan's whaling decision could affect Alaska Native whalers

With many federal workers frozen out of the jobs and vacationers blocked from public attractions their tax dollars pay for, talks between White House officials and congressional aides kicked off Saturday aimed at ending a government shutdown that President Donald Trump has said could last years.
In what has become a winter of discontent, negotiations are at an impasse over Trump's demands for USD 5.6 billion to fund a wall at the US-Mexico border.
Trump, who was not expected to participate in the discussions hosted by Vice President Mike Pence in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, spent the morning tweeting about border security.
Showing little empathy for the hundreds of thousands furloughed or working without pay, Trump declared  without citing evidence  that most are Democrats.
He also asserted: "I want to stop the Shutdown as soon as we are in agreement on Strong Border Security! I am in the White House ready to go, where are the Dems?"
One Democrat, Maryland Senator Chris .

Pence leading shutdown talks with congressional staffers

The DR Congo was on edge Saturday as officials delayed the announcement of preliminary results from a crucial presidential election amid growing pressure from world powers to respect voters' wishes.
Preliminary results, scheduled for release Sunday, will now come out only next week, the head of the country's electoral commission told AFP just hours before the deadline.
"It is not possible to publish the results on Sunday. We are making progress, but we do not have everything yet," Corneille Nangaa said.
A new date has not been announced.
The December 30 vote saw 21 candidates run to replace President Joseph Kabila, who has ruled the vast, conflict-ridden country for almost 18 years.
Among the frontrunners were Kabila's handpicked successor Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary and two opposition candidates: veteran heavyweight Felix Tshisekedi and newcomer Martin Fayulu.
At stake is the political stewardship of a mineral-rich country that has never known a peaceful transition of power since ...

DR Congo on edge as election results postponed

Four people died Saturday and a baby girl in a critical condition was among the injured, in two separate tower block fires in northeastern Spain, firefighters said.
The first blaze started on Saturday morning in a 10-storey block of flats in Badalona, about 10 kilometres (six miles) northeast of Barcelona, said firefighters in the Catalonia region.
Three people died, including a 92-year-old woman and two other people not yet identified, the regional government said.
Among those injured were a baby girl, who is in a critical condition, and two adults. They were in serious condition, the fire service said on its Twitter feed.
Both adults jumped from windows to escape the blaze, the regional government said.
In a separate fire 18 kilometres away in La Llagosta, one person died in a fire in a block of flats, firefighters said.

Four die in Spain building fires, baby critical

An Indian student died after falling from the edge of a famous cliff in Ireland while clicking a 'selfie', media reports said.
The man in his 20s, whose identity was not immediately known, is said to be an Indian national studying in Dublin, The Irish Sun reported.
He was visiting the popular tourist attraction on Friday afternoon when the incident happened south of the main viewing areas near the visitor centre.
There were hundreds of people when the man lost his footing and fell from the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare, a famous tourist attraction in the west of Ireland.
Search and rescue officials were mobilised as soon as an alarm was raised. His body was recovered with the help of a helicopter.
He was pronounced dead at around 5.35 PM (local time), the report said.
Officials interviewed a number of eye-witnesses and confirmed that at this stage, they are treating the incident as a tragic accident.
"There is nothing to suggest at this stage that this was anything other than a ...

Indian student falls from cliff while taking selfie in Ireland; dies

Half-centuries by Shan Masood, Asad Shafiq and Babar Azam enabled Pakistan to avoid an innings defeat and take the second Test against South Africa at Newlands into a fourth day.
Pakistan were bowled out in the last over of the third day for 294 on Saturday, leaving South Africa 41 runs to win.
A provision for an extra half hour was not used because only 20 minutes or five overs of play would have been possible.
Masood hit a composed 61 and Shafiq and Azam both played aggressively to score 88 and 72 respectively.  Dale Steyn and Kagiso Rabada both took four wickets to get South Africa to the brink of victory.
Steyn drew level with Richard Hadlee of New Zealand in tenth place on 431 wickets on the all-time Test wicket-takers list.
Masood and Shafiq shared the most enterprising partnership of the match when they put on 132 in 132 minutes off 168 balls for the third wicket.
Steyn broke the stand when Masood was caught behind by wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock and Philander followed up ...

Pakistan avoid innings defeat, delay South Africa victory charge

A Syrian Kurdish official says negotiations are ongoing between the government in Damascus and Kurdish officials on how to fill the gap following the withdrawal of US troops from the country.
The official, who spoke Saturday on condition of anonymity because of the talks' secrecy, said Syrian Kurdish officials have visited Russia which is sponsoring the talks between the government and the Kurd-led militia that control nearly a third of the country.
The official said negotiations are ongoing and "the atmosphere is positive." President Donald Trump announced in mid-December that the US will withdraw all of its 2,000 forces in Syria.
The main US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces has expressed concerns over the planned withdrawal as Turkey has threatened to launch a military operation against Kurdish fighters in Syria.

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