Month: December 2016

The Latest: Malta PM: Hijackers of Libyan plane surrender

Malta’s prime minister, Joseph Muscat, says the hijacking of a Libyan plane is over after the hijackers gave themselves up. In a series of tweets, he said the hijackers left the airplane along with its final crew members after earlier freeing all the passengers from a flight that was diverted to his country.

Plane hijacking in Malta ends peacefully; 2 men surrender

After hours of tense negotiations, two Libyans who hijacked a plane from Libya to Malta and threatened to blow it up surrendered peacefully Friday, allowing 118 passengers and crew to leave the plane before walking out themselves with the last of the crew. The hijacked Airbus A320 flight, operated by Afriqiyah Airways, was traveling from the Libyan oasis city of Sabha to Tripoli when it was diverted to Malta midmorning on Friday.

Cascades Hall of Fame class set

Former UFV athletic director Jane Antil and basketball coach Pat Lee will be honoured as builders; women’s basketball standouts Carolyne Lucy and Tracy MacLeod will be inducted as athletes; and the 1987-88 men’s basketball squad will be celebrated in the team category. Hall of Fame festivities, including an on-court ceremony between games, will be held Jan. 6 in conjunction with the Cascades basketball home games vs. the MacEwan Griffins at the Envision Athletic Centre.

Boris sends Christmas message to cheer up Britons ‘downcast’ by war and division

In a video message circulated on Twitter, Boris Johnson said that despite war in Syria and terror attacks in Europe, mankind as a whole was making progress in terms of health, education and longevity Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has sent out an upbeat Christmas message designed to cheer up Britons left “downcast” by a 2016 characterised by war, terror and division. In a video message circulated on Twitter, Mr Johnson said that despite war in Syria and terror attacks in Europe, mankind as a whole was making progress in terms of health, education and longevity.

Hijackers of Libyan plane surrender

An Afriqiyah Airways plane stands on the tarmac at Malta’s Luqa International airport as passengers depart, Friday, Dec. 23, 2016. Hijackers diverted the Libyan commercial plane to Malta on Friday and threatened to blow it up with hand grenades, Maltese authorities and state media said.

Darth Vader actor Spencer Wilding dons full costume in home town premiere

Star Wars fever came to Rhyl on Thursday night when the Welsh actor playing Darth Vader in the franchise’s latest film, Rogue One, turned up in full costume for a special premiere in his home town. Former British-Welsh kickboxing champion Spencer Wilding, 44, who also describes himself as a “special creature performer”, thrilled locals as he arrived at the town’s Vue cinema to the sound of the Imperial March.

.com | Hijackers of Libyan plane surrender in Malta

Hijackers claiming to have a grenade took over a Libyan plane on Friday and diverted it to Malta before releasing everyone onboard and surrendering to authorities, officials said. Libyan Foreign Minister Taher Siala said the two hijackers were supporters of slain dictator Muammar Gaddafi and had requested political asylum in Malta.

Netanyahu Attacks Obama Over U.N. Resolution Hea s looking forward to working with Trump.

Three days have passed since United Nations Security Council voted 14-0 to adopt a resolution demanding an end to Israel’s building of settlements in the West Bank, and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains very, very angry about it. Over the weekend, Netanyahu canceled monetary contributions to five U.N. agencies and suspended business with the embassies of 12 of the nations that approved the resolution: the U.K., France, Russia, China, Japan, Ukraine, Angola, Egypt, Uruguay, Spain, Senegal, and New Zealand .

Retired RCAF commanders flag pilot numbers as weak point in Liberals’ jet plan

Two former Royal Canadian Air Force commanders are raising questions about the Liberal government’s rush to buy “interim” fighter jets, saying there won’t be enough pilots to fly the planes for years to come. Retired lieutenant-generals Kenneth Pennie and Andre Deschamps say that defeats the purpose of acquiring Super Hornets as a stop-gap measure, and running a full competition now makes more sense.

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The body of Anis Amri, the suspect in the Berlin Christmas market truck attack, is seen covered with a thermal blanket next to Italian officers in a suburb of the northern Italian city of Milan, Italy December 23, 2016 REUTERS/Stringer

Toy Appeal spreads Christmas cheer

The appeal to support families in and around Winchester received a record 1000 gifts for local families, beating last year’s total of around 500. Toys were taken to the collection point at Waterstone’s bookshop in The Brooks Centre, and staff sorted through the huge number of donations on Monday.

A look at key events in Syriaa s Aleppo since March 2011

After the government’s capture of the rebel-held east of the city, here’s a look at key events in Aleppo since the start of Syria’s uprising nearly six years ago: – March 2011: Protests erupt in the southern city of Daraa over the detention of a group of boys accused of painting anti-government graffiti on a school wall. On March 18, security forces fire on a protest in Daraa, killing four people in what activists regard as the first deaths of the uprising.

Dogs wowed by the wonder of Santa Paws

A special visitor turned up to take some of the limelight away from Santa Clause at a ‘Christmas event with a twist’ in a local canal centre yesterday. Blackwood-based Four Paws animal rescue centre partnered up with the Monmouthshire, Brecon and Abergavenny Canals Trust at its Rogerstone-site where two grottos took place instead of one upon the arrival of Santa Paws.

editorial | Goodbye and good riddance to 2016

Terrorism shows no signs of abating, with Islamic State taking credit for a string of shocking attacks, from Brussels Airport in March, to the Bastille Day horror in Nice, France, to this week’s truck plowing into a crowd of holiday shoppers at a Berlin market. Closer to home, tragedy struck the LGBT community with the mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando in June, and in the Bay Area, the horrific Ghost Ship fire broke all of our hearts.

Finch hits form as Renegades down Thunder

If Australia’s ODI selectors needed reassurance embattled opener Aaron Finch isn’t far off making some runs he gave it to them with a man-of-the-match performance in the Melbourne Renegades’ big BBL win over the Sydney Thunder. Finch found his groove with a swashbuckling half-century as the Renegades cruised to a 48-run win over the Thunder on Thursday night.

5 things to know about Syriaa s Aleppo

Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces and years of fighting have laid waste to much of the city of Aleppo, but he has won it back after nearly six years of war. The president now looks more secure than ever since the 2011 uprising against his family’s four-decade rule.

Donald Trump, Rep. Ted Deutch in rare agreement on UN Israel resolution

But part-time Palm Beacher Trump and Deutch both released statements today calling for the U.S. to use its veto power in the United Nations Security Council to nix a resolution condemning Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The U.S. has traditionally vetoed such measures, but President Barack Obama ‘s position on the current measure was in doubt before the UN postponed consideration of the resolution today.

Israeli court delays demolition of West bank outpost

Israel’s Supreme Court has postponed the imminent demolition of a Jewish outpost in the West Bank until next year. The court ruled in 2014 that it was built on private Palestinian land and must be demolished by Dec. 25. Residents accepted a government plan this week to leave the outpost peacefully and move to neighboring land, but Israel says it now appears it will not be able to move the settlers to one of the planned areas.

New Diana letters revealed

The late Princess Diana on the Maid of Mist in Niagara Falls in 1991 with her sons Prince Harry, then 7, and Prince William, then 9. A slew of lost letters from Princess Diana to a palace confidante provides an intimate look at the childhoods of William and Harry. Already at age eight, it emerges that Prince Harry was developing the cheeky rebellious streak he’s become known — and loved — for.

Tunisian Suspect’s Fingerprints Found in Berlin Truck Cab

Tunisian suspect Anis Amri’s fingerprints have been found in the cab of the truck that plowed into a Christmas market in Berlin, strengthening the case linking him to the deadly attack, Germany’s top security official said Thursday. Authorities across Europe were scrambling to find the 24-year-old suspect, a day after Germany issued a wanted notice for him and warned that he may be “violent and armed.”