Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro postpones currency move after chaos, protests

Caracas: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has suspended the elimination of the country’s largest denomination bill, which had sparked cash shortages and nationwide unrest, saying the measure would be postponed until early January. The surprise pulling of the 100-bolivar note from circulation this week – before new larger bills were available – led to vast lines at banks, looting at scores of shops, anti-government protests and at least one death.

Juventus beats 2nd-place Roma 1-0 to move 7 points clear

Juventus’ Gonzalo Higuain, right, scores during a Serie A soccer match between Juventus and Roma, at the Juventus Stadium in Turin, Italy, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2016. Juventus’ players after Gonzalo Higuain scored during a Serie A soccer match between Juventus and Roma, at the Juventus Stadium in Turin, Italy, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2016.

.com | Mpisanes lose wheels again

The Mpisanes take a picture with the two Rolls-Royces they bought each other during their year-end party at their house in La Lucia, north of Durban. Picture: Khaya Ngwenya Normally at this time of year, Durban’s blingest couple, tenderpreneurs Shauwn and S’bu Mpisane, are busy putting the finishing touches on plans for their New Year’s Eve party, one of the highlights on the city’s social calendar for the well-heeled and politically connected.

Christmas Fantasia at St Peter’s Cathedral in Hamilton

What: Christmas Fantasia Who: Hamilton Civic Choir When: Saturday, December 17 Where: St. Peter’s Cathedral Works: Christmas music Conductor: Timothy Carpenter Soloists: Jonathan Eyers, bass; Yotam Levy, cello; Philip Smith, organ Reviewer: Sam Edwards Oh, the excitement. Imagine, a week before Christmas after weeks of tinsel-tune nightmares, to be present at an event where participatory carol singing was so enthusiastic that one could utter at full voice and not be heard.

Car bomb kills 13 Turkish soldiers on bus; 7 suspects held

A suicide car bomber set off an explosion Saturday that demolished a public bus transporting off-duty soldiers in Turkey’s central province of Kayseri, killing 13 troops and wounding 56 other people, authorities said. Saturday’s blast comes a week after a car bomb attack claimed by Kurdish militants killed 44 people, mainly riot police, and wounded over 150 others near a soccer stadium in Istanbul.

A rare view from inside South Sudan’s most-feared prison

More than 30 political detainees in South Sudan’s most notorious prison face torture, starvation or death, according to a Danish man detained alongside them for over two months before being released in late November. Henrik Tobiesen, a businessman and former United Nations de-mining worker who had lived in South Sudan for 11 years, told The Associated Press he was locked up for 67 days starting Sept.

Deal reached that could restart Aleppo evacuation

This image released by Aleppo 24, shows residents of eastern Aleppo arriving in western rural Aleppo, Syria, Friday, Dec. 16, 2016, as part of an evacuation deal. The evacuation of eastern Aleppo stalled Friday after an eruption of gunfire, as the Syrian government and rebels threw accusations at each other, raising fears that a peaceful surrender of the opposition enclave could fall apart with thousands of people believed to be still inside.

Lerdo, Las Cruces extend Sister Citiesa

Lerdo, Las Cruces extend Sister Cities relationship Las Cruces and Lerdo, Mexico have had been sister cities since 1982 Check out this story on lcsun-news.com: http://lcsun.co/2i1a0qe Lerdo Mayor Maria Luisa GonzA lez Achem, and Hale Huber of Las Cruces Sister Cities Foundation sign agreements pledging to continue the 34-year sister cities agreement. Mayor Ken Miyagishima, Lerdo Mayor Maria Luisa GonzA lez Achem , and representatives of the Las Cruces Sister Cities Foundation and its counterpart organization in Lerdo have signed agreements pledging to continue the 34-year sister cities agreement.

Dr Al Kawari meets Albania PM; discusses ties

Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama met yesterday with Cultural Adviser at the Emiri Diwan and the State of Qatar’s candidate to the Post of the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kawari. During the meeting, they talked in detail about the Qatari candidate’s vision for the advancement of Unesco and the most important challenges facing the organisation.

EU’s Tusk, Poland’s PM differ on nation’s democracy

Two days of anti-government protests have exposed clashing views on the shape of Poland’s democracy, with a European Union leader and the protesters saying it is threatened by the government, and the prime minister insisting the threat is coming from the opposition’s actions. European Council President Donald Tusk and Poland’s Prime Minister Beata Szydlo made separate comments Saturday on the rising political tension between Poland’s conservative government and the pro-EU opposition.

Fatal shark attack: Swim of terror

For 26-year-old Napier man Bright Cooper and his mates, it was a fine summer’s morning for a fine swim. It was not the sea on the Marine Parade beach that claimed the life of Bright Cooper – it was what was in the sea, at that point, at that time and on that day.

Nawaz Sharif Fast Facts

April 18, 1993 – Sharif’s government is dismissed by President Ghulam Ishaq Khan after charges of corruption and mismanagement are raised. Sharif’s family-owned business grew tremendously during his tenure in office, causing suspicion of corruption.

Juventus beats 2nd-place Roma 1-0 to move 7 points clear

No one seems capable of stopping Juventus from winning an historic sixth successive Serie A after it beat second-place Roma 1-0 to move seven points clear at the top of the table on Saturday. Once again, Gonzalo Higuain fired his side to the win, netting his fourth goal in three matches in the 14th minute.

Cat cafe concept coming soon to Boston

Owner Diane Kelly says customers would pay around $15 an hour to pet and play with cats. She hopes to provide about two dozen felines from nearby animal shelters that would be adoptable when the establishment opens in early 2017.

Stephen Kenny lands RTE Manager of the Year award

Kenny led his team to their third SSE Airtricity League Premier Division title in-a-row and to the FAI Cup final, with Dundalk’s exploits in Europe his crowning achievement. Under Kenny’s stewardship, the Lilywhites qualified for the group stages of the Europa League and became the first Irish team to first earn a point in European group competition and then the first to win a game.

Hunting for the real wilderpeople on Takaka Hill

It’s one of those summer days where the sun is so high in the sky you have to crouch down really low, and mash your face against the glass, craning your neck to see it out the car windows. The heat, the hill, the innumerable bends, your stomach rolls with every jolt.

UK faces strike-hit Christmas by post, train and air

The United Kingdom faces a Christmas of discontent as labour unions threaten to disrupt airports, rail services and mail deliveries. The Unite union and aviation services company Swissport announced negotiation plans Saturday intended to avert a Dec. 23 walkout by 1,500 baggage handlers, check-in staff and other workers at 18 regional airports from Belfast to Bournemouth.

CRICKET: Liam’s bouncing after Test debut

LIAM Dawson was thrilled to make his Test debut count despite the shock of being hit on the head by only the second delivery he faced. The all-rounder, from Calne, may have been picked principally for his left-arm spin, as England try to return fire on Ravi Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja on their tough tour of India, but they were indebted to the Goatacre man’s fine batting after he arrested a first-innings slide which threatened once again to get out of hand.

Pressure increasing on PSG coach Emery after 4th league loss

PSG’s Thiago Silva, center, heads the ball during their League One soccer match against Guingamp, at the Roudourou stadium, in Guingamp, western France, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2016. Defending champion Paris Saint-Germain slipped to its fourth defeat in the French league, losing at Guingamp 2-1 on Saturday in another setback that will crank up the pressure on coach Unai Emery.

Reversing Cuba policy seen as a punch in the gut to Latin America

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro, left, Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa, right, and Bolivia’s President Evo Morales acknowledge supporters during a welcome ceremony for presidents attending an extraordinary meeting in Cochabamba, Bolivia, Thursday , July 4, 2013. Bolivia’s President Evo Morales, left, Ecuador’s Rafael Correa, center, and Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez gesture during the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas Presidential summit with Authorities of Indigenous and African-descent in Otavalo, Ecuador, Friday, June 25, 2010.

Talks over Congo’s delayed presidential vote stall

Officials in Congo say negotiations between the country’s political parties over the nation’s delayed election are now on hold until Wednesday. The announcement Saturday comes as the Catholic church attempts to resolve the impasse between President Joseph Kabila and opposition parties over the vote.

Trump’s ambassador pick could drastically alter 2 of the…

President-elect Donald Trump tapped bankruptcy lawyer David Friedman to serve as the US ambassador to Israel on Thursday, raising questions about how Friedman’s far-right views will upend Washington’s longstanding approach to the Israel-Palestine conflict. Friedman, who has no diplomatic experience, is a fierce opponent of a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine that would create two independent states on either side of the Jordan river.

REPLAY: B.C. this week in video

Recreational marijuana could be sold in storefronts to Canadians 18 and older if the federal government materializes recommendations made by a task force that was set to explore the legalization of the drug. See More > It’s been almost a week since a large-scale apartment fire left a dozen Langley residents homeless.

Amona residents partying as eviction looms

Amona – Rumors of a police led-evacuation swirled Saturday night in the hilltop outpost of Amona, which is slated for evacuation by December 25. Yet, as hundreds of supporters, mostly teenagers, descended upon the outpost they did not appear worried. On Saturday night the outpost actually took on a party-like atmosphere as teenagers danced in the mud to techno-rave melodies interlaced with religious proverbs.

Tax tribunal rejects Virbhadra Singh’s appeal; HP CM alleges political vendetta

In a setback to Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal has dismissed the appeal filed by him against the order of the Income Tax department, which had sought fresh assessment of his tax returns related to the financial year of 2009-10 to 2011-12. The veteran Congress leader termed the development as “politically motivated” and said that he would contest the orders and file an appeal in the High Court or in the Supreme court, if the need arose.

Demonetization will meet fate of Congress’ ‘Nasbandi’: Lalu Prasad Yadav

RJD president Lalu Prasad on Saturday said demonetization would meet the fate of ‘Nasbandi’ of the Congress rule and announced protest across Bihar on December 28. During a day-long meeting of RJD MPs, ministers, legislators and office-bearers, Prasad and other leaders of the party highlighted people’s woes following the scrapping of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes. Addressing the RJD leaders, Prasad criticised the move and said, “It will meet the fate of ‘nasbandi’ during the Congress rule in the past.”

Vijender knocks out Cheka to retain WBO Asia Pacific title, extends his unbeaten streak to 8-0

Indian boxing star Vijender Singh fights with Francis Cheka of Tanzania during the Proboxing match in New Delhi on Saturday ‘Cheka talked so much but I believed in my punch power, and I have done it,’ Vijender said after the bout. The Vijender Singh juggernaut rolled on without a glitch as the Indian boxing star took less than 10 minutes to successfully defend his WBO Asia-Pacific Super Middleweight title with an emphatic Technical Knockout win over Tanzania’s Francis Cheka on Saturday.

Ohio school taps U of Louisville official as new president

The University of Cincinnati on Saturday named as its 30th president: a former longtime professor who’s been serving as acting president at the University of Louisville. The Ohio school’s board of trustees met in special session to approve Neville Pinto to lead the public university of more than 44,300 students.