BP Plc cemented its 77-year relationship with Abu Dhabi by swapping about $2.2 billion of its own shares for a stake in one of the emirate’s largest onshore oil concessions. The U.K.’s second-biggest oil group will issue new ordinary shares to pay for 10 percent of the Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Petroleum Operations Ltd., giving the emirate a 2 percent holding in BP, the London-based company said Saturday in a statement.
Day: December 17, 2016
Opioids, pot and economics: three ways politics touched Canadians this week
It was the final week of Parliament before Christmas, and all through the Housea . the Liberals did their best to make sure no one had any time to think about ethics or fundraising before heading home for the holidays.
CRICKET: Calne cricketer Dawson hits half-century on England Test debut against India
LIAM Dawson bagged a piece of English cricket history as his unbeaten half-century underpinned the tourists’ revival on day two of the fifth Test against India. Calne’s Dawson was hit on the helmet by the second ball he faced in his Test career from Ishant Sharma, but went on to display the battling qualities – and sound technique – for which he was chosen here as a spinning all-rounder as he and Adil Rashid shared a much-needed eighth-wicket stand of 108 in a total of 477 all out.
Ugandan court orders WizKida s arrest
A court in the Ugandan capital Kampala has issued an arrest order to Ugandan police and Interpol against Nigerian pop star Wizkid. The court order demands that the Nigerian artiste, real name Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun and his manager Sunday ‘Sunny’ Arey be arrested within one month.
War photographer nearly killed in Syria returns to region in medical aid convoy
War photographer Paul Conroy has joined a convoy carrying much-needed medical equipment to the Syrian border for a new hospital in Aleppo – marking his first return to the region since the blast which nearly killed him. In 2012 the photojournalist from Liverpool was badly injured in the Syrian city of Homs, alongside acclaimed war reporter Marie Colvin who was killed in the same blast, when the media centre they were in was shelled.
Norman the booby bird flown home to Caribbean after unscheduled UK stay
A tropical bird found washed up on a British beach has been flown 5,000 miles home to the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean in time for Christmas after being nursed back to health. The red-footed booby bird was discovered underweight and dehydrated on a pebble beach at St Leonards-on-Sea, near Hastings in East Sussex, on September 4. The bird, nicknamed Norman, underwent intensive care at the RSPCA’s Mallydams Wood wildlife centre where he spent time under a heat lamp to ward off the cold and ate sprats to build up his strength.
.com | Powerful earthquake hits off Papua New Guinea
A very strong earthquake has struck off the coast of Papua New Guinea and a tsunami threat has been issued to areas near the epicentre. The US Geological Survey says the magnitude-7.9 quake struck 46km east of Taron in Papua New Guinea on Saturday.
Philippines’ Duterte to US over aid issue: ‘Bye-bye America’
President Rodrigo Duterte threatened Saturday to terminate a pact that allows U.S. troops to visit the Philippines, saying “bye-bye America” as he reacted with rage to what he thought was a U.S. decision to scrap a major aid package over human rights concerns. A U.S. government aid agency, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, said earlier in the week that its board deferred a vote on a renewal of the development assistance package for the Philippines “subject to a further review of concerns around rule of law and civil liberties.”
Gambian electoral crisis tops agenda at West African summit ABUJA,…
West African leaders at a summit Saturday discussed how to get Gambia’s longtime ruler to accept an electoral defeat – and a military intervention was among the possible options. Coup leader Yahya Jammeh shocked Gambians by conceding defeat after a Dec. 1 vote, then changed his mind and called for a new election.
Iran calls for P5+1 meeting over US sanctions extension
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England Test new boy Liam Dawson savours impressive innings in India
England’s 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 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 his fine batting after he arrested a first-innings slide which threatened once again to get out of hand.
India openers make steady reply after England tail wags
IMAGE: England’s Adil Rashid and Liam Dawson run between wickets on Day 2 of the 5th Test in Chennai on Saturday. Photograph: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters ngland’s lower-order gave India a taste of their own medicine on a benign Chepauk track racking up a commendable 477 in their first innings on the second day of the fifth and final cricket Test in Chennai.
Officials say car bombs targeted Turkish military
A suicide car bomb targeting military personnel exploded at the entrance gate to a university in the central province of Kayseri on Saturday, killing 13 Turkish troops and wounding 55 other people, authorities said. The blast comes a week after a car bomb attack claimed by Kurdish militants killed 44 people, mainly riot police posted outside a soccer stadium in Istanbul.
Judge bars Bergdahl prosecutors from using wounds at trial
Prosecutors were rebuffed from harnessing the most contentious issue surrounding the court-martial of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl when a judge ruled out any evidence that soldiers were wounded while searching for him.
Gambian electoral crisis tops agenda at West African summit
In this Friday Dec. 2, 2016 file photo, Gambians celebrate the victory of Opposition coalition candidate Adama Barrow, run past an army soldier on the streets of Serrekunda, Gambia. The United Nations secretary-general says a takeover by Gambia’s security forces of the country’s electoral commission offices could compromise “sensitive electoral material” as the president refuses to accept being voted out of power.
Booby found on UK beach flown back to Caribbean home
The red-footed booby, a native of tropical zones, was discovered on a southern English beach Sept. 4, some 5,000 miles from his nearest Caribbean habitat.
7.9 magnitude earthquake hits off the coast of Papua New Guinea
According to the U.S. Geological survey in the weeks hours of the morning a 7.9 magnitude earthquake has struck off the coast of Papua New Guinea. The organization believes that widespread hazardous tsunami waves are possible with warnings currently in place for the island and New Zealand.
SKI: British Airways have launched their new flights to Chambery. Photo by Tony Pick
The carrier are now offering weekend flights to Chambery, France, where holidaymakers will be able to access some of the world’s top ski resorts.
It’s a crowded starting line for France’s Socialist primary
Former French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, now candidate for the socialist party primary election, gestures during the inauguration of his campaign headquarters, Wednesday Dec. 14, 2016, in Paris. Valls hopes to unite the Socialists under his banner and give the left a chance to stay at the Elysee, in the most ambitious challenge of his political life after president Francois Hollande decided not to run for re-election next year.
Supporters, opponents of embattled Park stage big rallies in Seoul
Supporters of South Korean President Pak Geun-hye rallied on Saturday for her reinstatement while opponents gathered to repeat their demands that the leader impeached over a corruption scandal step down immediately. A banner bearing images of South Korean President Park Geun-hye and her father, the late South Korean former military dictator Park Chung-hee, is seen as they attend a protest opposing her impeachment near the constitutional court in Seoul A woman cries while praying for the South Korean President Park Geun-hye’s impeachment to be accepted, in front of the constitutional court in Seoul, South Korea, December 17, 2016.
Knights slay Eagles
CENTURION: South Launceston opener hits out on his way to a debut century knock of 106 against Mowbray at the NTCA No.2 Ground. Pictures: Scott Gelston A debut century to Sean Harris helped South Launceston grab valuable points for the Cricket North ladder with an 80-run victory over Mowbray in their round 11 Greater Northern Cup match at the NTCA.
Turkey: car bomb kills thirteen off-duty soldiers
Thirteen soldiers were killed and 48 more were injured when a car bomb hit a bus transporting off-duty military personnel in the central Turkish city of Kayseri on Saturday, one week after a similar attack targeted police outside an Istanbul stadium. The blast is likely to further anger a Turkish public frustrated by a string of deadly attacks this year, several of which have been claimed by Kurdish militants, including last week’s which killed 44 and wounded more than 150.
Saving ancient treasures
The Turkish Cypriot tourism office and the local council of Trikomo have signed an agreement to open an archaeology museum in the town, as part of a drive to ensure every town has a museum. Tourism office head, Fikri Ataoglu, and the leader of the local council, Hasan Sadikoglu, believe the museum will draw visitors to the town and allow them to see the historical artefacts of the island.
Sport24.co.za | Baloyi confident of Chiefs turnaround
Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Lucky Baloyi is confident Amakhosi can “turn it around”, ahead of their clash with high-flying Polokwane City at the FNB Stadium. Steve Komphela’s side are hoping to return to the winning trail following a string of disappointing results that has left them seven points off the pace set by league leaders Cape Town City, albeit with a game in hand on Eric Tinkler’s men.
Sport24.co.za | Sundowns’ failure exposes African soccer
In a class of their own in the PSL right now and effectively the number one team in Africa by virtue of annexing CAF’s Champions League trophy, Mamelodi Sundowns’ ill-fated campaign in FIFA’s Club World Cup in Japan tends paradoxically to expose further African soccer in its entirety. And for those who might view this assessment from Sundowns’ two defeats in their two games against Japan’s Kashima Antlers and South Korea’s Jeonbuk Hyundai to be in the realms of an exaggeration, it is as well to be reminded of the fact that no African nation has as yet progressed beyond the quarter-finals of the Soccer World Cup and no African club has annexed the Club World Cup either.
Envoy choice signals Israel policy shift
Donald Trump's selection for his U.S. ambassador to the Jewish state signals a change to decades of U.S. support for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
Appeal launched to send ‘tokens for Faith’ to bring a smile to…
Faith Constance has been diagnosed with cancer. To raise her spirits her parents have launched an appeal on Facebook called “Tokens for Faith” and more than a hundred people have sent letters and gifts.
Deal reached that could restart Aleppo evacuation
A Syrian man pulls their belongings after he was evacuated with his family from Aleppo, near Idlib, Syria, Friday, Dec. 16, 2016. Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu says 7,500 civilians have been evacuated from the Syrian city of Aleppo and that he has reached out to Tehran in a bid to keep the process on track.
NWA dismisses claim that Southern Coastal Highway is a iffya
Chief Executive Office of the National Works Agency EG Hunter says that there is nothing “iffy” about the process leading up to the start of work on the proposed US$384-million Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project. Hunter was responding to a remark by St Thomas Eastern Member of Parliament Fenton Ferguson that there was something “iffy” about the project, as Opposition members of the House of Representatives’ Infrastructure and Physical Development Committee pressed him for details about the agency’s main projects.
MoBay EDM fest tonight
EBMF, now in its fourth year, has become a marquee event on Montego Bay’s entertainment calendar. With its two stages, one catering to dancehall and hip hop and the other to Electronic Dance Music and soca, patrons are in for a treat.
Miss Alia Atkinsona s uplifting example
Time and time again, Jamaicans have found reason to take heart and inspiration from the example of champion swimmer Miss Alia Atkinson. The nation has been inspired not just as a result of Miss Atkinson’s successes, but also by her determination and courage to fight back from bitter disappointment.
Turkish military says 13 soldiers killed in car bomb attack
The Turkish military says 13 soldiers were killed and 48 other military personnel were wounded in a car bomb attack in the central Anatolian city of Kayseri on Saturday morning. It said the soldiers were about to go on leave, and that there may also have been civilian casualties.
.com | I Coast leader seeks bigger majority to keep economy strong
Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara is hoping voters will shore up his parliamentary majority Sunday to help keep the world’s top cocoa producer in the fast economic lane. The weeklong election campaign was peaceful, but the authorities have ordered some 30 000 security forces into the street in the wake of scattered incidents in recent months, including attacks on police posts.
Four cultural preservation projects in Paphos district, aimed at protecting the island’s common cultural heritage, will start next year, following a series of conservation studies. At a press briefing and tour in Paphos, the UNDP-PFF outlined plans for structural and aesthetic restoration of a hamam and three mosques in and around Paphos.
Turkish news agency reports car bomb attack
A deadly car bomb attack hit the central Anatolian province of Kayseri on Saturday morning, according to Turkish media reports. State-run Anadolu Agency said the car bomb went off at an entrance gate of Erciyes University, hitting a public transportation bus that included on-leave soldiers among its passengers.
.com | EXCLUSIVE: DRC nationals in SA vow to ‘remove envoy from Pretoria office’
Democratic Republic of Congo nationals living in South Africa are threatening to take things into their own hands and remove their ambassador in Pretoria from office should President Joseph Kabila not step down on Monday. Ilunga Mpanga Kazadi, a Gauteng-based Congolese community leader, told News24 “we will go to the ambassador on Tuesday and ask him to hand over his credentials, and then he must go”.
Fella Homes, a start-up changing face of ready to move-in rental homes
New Delhi, Dec.17 : Gurgaon-based home rental startup Fella Homes which was founded in February 2016, took a major step by acquiring Noida-based rental start-up Lifepad, and has since grown immensely this year. [NK Business] The acquisition occurred in an all-cash-deal and helped them understand the Noida market.
Lions hope sleigh outings beat previous festive fundraising efforts
KINGSWINFORD and Stourbridge Lions hope to beat previous festive fundraising efforts with this year’s Christmas sleigh outings with a brand new Santa mobile. The charitable group has been treated to an all-new sleigh this time – thanks to sponsorship from a number of local businesses and organisations including NatWest Bank, West Bromwich Building Society, Asda, Stourbridge Motor House, Imperial Commercials, Crown Butchers.
Is Kate going to be Pippa’s bridesmaid?
Duchess Catherine will still “play a part” in her sister’s wedding. The 34-year-old royal – who is married to Prince William has reportedly decided not to be a bridesmaid or maid of honour when Pippa Middleton ties the knot with James Matthews next May because she doesn’t want to upstage the bride, but insiders insist that doesn’t mean she will be stepping back from proceedings altogether.