Global buzz 

France dismantles network sending fighters to Syria

French police dismantled a network sending jihadist fighters to Syria in raids across the country early on Monday, AFP reported. Police units descended on around a dozen targets, mostly in the southern region of Toulouse, but also around Paris and in the northern region of Normandy, a source said. It was not immediately reported how many people were arrested. Almost 1,000 French nationals are estimated to have left to join jihadists in Iraq and Syria.

Ukraine closes 3 major airports ‘for security reasons’

Three major airports in Ukraine - Kharkov, Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporozhye - have been closed indefinitely, Ukraine’s State Air Traffic Service said on Monday. Flights are banned “for security reasons,” TASS reported, citing the statement. The service’s chief Denis Antonyuk earlier said the airports would be closed till Tuesday morning.

France to ban UberPop service next year

The UberPop transport service will be forbidden in France beginning January 1, the Interior Ministry said on Monday. Ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet told iTELE: “Not only is it illegal to offer this service, but additionally for the consumer there is a real danger.” Taxi unions called a one-day action to protest San Francisco-based Uber, vowing to block 260km of roads around Paris with slowly moving taxi motorcades during the morning rush hour, Reuters reported.

Philippines prosecutors charge US Marine with murder of transgender

Philippine government prosecutors charged a US Marine with murder Monday in the killing of a Filipino transgender person, AP said. There was “probable cause” that Marine Pfc. Joseph Scott Pemberton killed Jennifer Laude, whose former name was Jeffrey, in October in Olongapo city, northwest of Manila, according to Prosecutor Emily de los Santos. The prosecutor had filed the non-bailable charge against the 19-year-old Pemberton before a regional court, saying that “it was aggravated by treachery, abuse of superior strength and cruelty.”

Netanyahu vows to fight Palestinian UN bid

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to “fend off any attempts to dictate unilateral moves,”referring to a Palestinian UN proposal that sets a timetable for an Israeli withdrawal to the pre-1967 lines, Haaretz daily said. The Palestinian leadership on Sunday said it planned to submit a resolution to the UN Security Council setting a two-year deadline for Israel to end its occupation, AFP reported. A draft UN resolution will be presented Wednesday on ending the Israeli occupation by late 2016, senior Palestine Liberation Organization member Wassel Abu Yussef said.

Russian Proton-M rocket blasts off from Baikonur

Russia’s Proton-M rocket with a Yamal-401 satellite of JSC Gazprom Space Systems on board has been launched from Kazakhstan’s Baikonur Cosmodrome. The rocket was successfully launched at 3:16am Monday as scheduled, Roscosmos space agency told TASS. The satellite will allow for the incessant retransmission of telecommunications from Russia, covering Europe and Asia.

Thousands flood Cologne streets in protest against racism

Some 15,000 people marched through Cologne on Sunday afternoon under the motto “You are Cologne, no Nazis here,” Deutsche Welle reported. The demonstrations, organized in response to the recent spike in anti-Muslim and anti-immigration protests staged by far-right groups across the country, called for tolerance and an end to anti-Islamic sentiment. Various groups in cities such as Dresden and Dusseldorf held rallies against the “Islamization” of Europe throughout the fall. In October, a far-right protest against Islamic fundamentalism degenerated into a riot in Cologne, leaving 49 police officers injured.

​Libya’s two largest oil ports shut down due to militant clashes

The Tripoli-based National Oil Corps (NOC) has announced that Libya's two biggest oil export ports, Es Sider and Ras Lanuf, will be granted force majeure – a legal waiver freeing the ports from obligation and liability – due to fighting between rival militant factions representing the country’s dueling governments. The NOC declared that oil production flowing to the ports is to be slowly phased out, and that the ports' staff will be reduced to a minimum.

250 protesters march in Moscow against education, medical reforms

Some 250 protesters took to the streets in the Russian capital to demand a stop to education, medical and public utilities’ reforms, which would make these services less affordable. The figures outlined by protesters were presented by Russia’s Interior Ministry in a statement on Sunday. The rally was scheduled for November 30, but was postponed as the city’s authorities authorized only 700 participants instead of the 7,000 requested. In November, at least 1,500 protesters rallied against the reform of the capital's medical care system, which seeks the closure of some hospitals and that doctors re qualify.

129 feared dead after boat sinks in DRC

At least 129 people have drowned after a boat overloaded with passengers and freight capsized on Lake Tanganika in the south-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), AFP reports. The vessel was travelling from Kalemie in the Katanga province to Uvira in the South Kivu province when it sank in the early hours of Friday, survivors speaking by telephone told AFP. 221 passengers have been rescued, according to Katanga’s transport Minister Laurent Kahozi Sumba, who said the boat was carrying excess weight when it sank.

Clashes close largest Libya oil export port

Libya’s eastern Es Sider oil export terminal has been shut this Sunday due to fighting between forces representing the country’s two governments, according to an oil official, Reuters reports. Air strikes on Saturday, launched by forces loyal to Libya’s recognized government, hit targets at the port in an attempt to stop an advance by troops of the rival administration in Tripoli, who want to take control of the oil facilities. Libya’s recognized prime minister has been forced into the East of the country since the Libya Dawn militia seized Tripoli in August.

Japan’s Abe re-elected with two-thirds majority – exit polls

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe comfortably secured re-election on Sunday, according to exit polls. He called the snap election, which he billed as a poll on his economic policies. Media exit polls showed his ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior partner Komeito had swept the ballot with a two-thirds majority in the lower house of parliament. A low turnout, partly due to heavy snow across the country, will cast doubt on Abe’s claim that the win is an endorsement for his economic policies, which have not been as successful as earlier thought.

US Senate approves $1.1 trillion spending bill

A $1.1 trillion government funding bill has been passed by a 56-40 vote in the US Senate. The bill would provide financing for most US government agencies through September 30, 2015. The exception is the Department of Homeland Security, which only gets money through February 27. The approval of the 1,603-page, long-term bill comes hours after the Senate voted for a short-term one, funding the government only through Wednesday night. The $1.1 trillion spending bill now needs to be signed by President Barack Obama.

US Senate passes short-term spending bill to avert govt shutdown

The US Senate gave the green light to an extension of federal spending authority through midnight on Wednesday, preventing a government shutdown from taking place early on Sunday, Reuters reported. The Senate still needs to decide whether it will be accelerating the vote on a $1.1 trillion spending bill which would fund all government agencies until September 2015, with the exception of the Department of Homeland Security.

​Wife of Thai crown prince relinquishes title over corruption allegations

Thailand's Princess Srirasm, the third wife of the current heir to the throne, Prince Vajiralongkorn, has asked to give up her royal status, according to a statement released by the palace’s Royal Gazette on Friday. The princess, 43, is the mother of Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti, next in line to the throne after his father. The request comes in the wake of revelations that members of her family were arrested amid corruption allegations. At least six of the princess’ relatives have been charged with bribery, extortion, and using the monarchy’s name for personal gain. Last month, they were stripped of their royal titles. The scandal comes amid anxiety over 87-year-old King Bhumibol’s deteriorating health. Following medical advice, the king canceled his annual birthday address last week.

​Russia to take counter measures if US imposes new sanctions

Russia will have to take counter-measures if the US adopts new sanctions, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has said. US lawmakers have prepared new round of sanctions on Russian weapons companies and oil-industry investors. "We will not be able to let that go without an answer," Ryabkov stated, without indicating the possible form of counter-measures. The Ukraine Freedom Support Act passed by the Senate, which includes further sanctions, came under fire from Moscow on Friday. The Russian Foreign Ministry accused Washington of doing everything possible to destroy the foundation of cooperation between the countries.

​Suicide bomber kills 6 near Kabul

A suicide bomber has killed six and wounded 14 in an attack on a bus carrying Afghan army personnel on Saturday afternoon, according to a senior defense official, as cited by Reuters. The Taliban has taken credit for the strike, which comes amid surging violence weeks after the bulk of international combat forces withdrew from the country. Earlier on Saturday, Afghan Supreme Court official, Atiqullah Rawoofi, was assassinated by Taliban militants near his home.

​Man arrested after shooting outside Portland high school

Police have arrested a 22 year-old male in connection with a shooting that injured three people outside an alternative high school in Portland, Oregon. Law enforcement officers say they stopped a vehicle and found a hand gun inside. A 16 year-old girl is in a critical condition in hospital while two males are stable. "Based on the investigation thus far, the shooting appears to be gang-related," Sgt. Pete Simpson said on Friday night in a statement, which was reported by AP.

​Taliban kills 12 demining workers near former UK base

At least 12 workers clearing mines have been shot dead, another 12 wounded by Taliban fighters in southern Afghanistan on Saturday, local police said, according to AP. The attack happened near Camp Bastion, a former British base in Helmand province. Police spokesman Farid Ahmad Obaid said Afghan forces launched a counter attack, killing four of the Islamist militants and capturing three, Reuters reported. It comes after a series of attacks on Friday and Saturday that killed two NATO soldiers and a top Afghan court official.

​Indonesia landslide death toll rises to 17, dozens missing

The death toll in the Indonesian landslide has risen to 17, with 91 people still missing, according to officials, AFP reported on Saturday. "The rescue team have found 17 bodies," said the national disaster agency’s spokesman, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, adding that 11 others were badly injured. The country’s main island, Java, has seen torrential downpours that have hampered rescue efforts since Friday, as well as sparking fears of new landslides.

​2 pilots killed as ISIS shoots down Iraqi helicopter

A shoulder-fired rocket launched by Islamic State (formerly ISIS/ISIL) militants shot down an Iraqi helicopter near the Shiite city of Samarra, killing 2 pilots, a senior official at the Iraqi Defense Ministry told AP on Saturday. In recent months at least two military helicopters have been shot down near the northern city of Beiji, where the country’s biggest oil refinery is situated. The US-led coalition commenced air strikes on Iraqi territories held by Islamic State militants in August.

09:03

​2 ISAF soldiers, court official killed in Afghanistan

Two foreign soldiers, reportedly from the USA, were killed in a NATO convoy near Kabul by a Taliban bomb in a Friday-night attack, according to AP. "Two International Security Assistance Force service members died as a result of an enemy forces attack in eastern Afghanistan on December 12, 2014," a coalition press release said, without naming their nationalities. The number of international troops killed in the country this year is 65, 50 of them Americans.

Early on Saturday, a top court official in Kabul's northwestern suburbs, Atiqullah Rawoofi, was shot dead, said police chief Farid Afzali. Security in the capital has been recently reinforced amidst Taliban warnings of continuing attacks.

Kiev bans flights to three Ukrainian metropolitan cities

Ukraine’s State Aviation Service has banned all flights to Kharkov, Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporozhye airports, reported national media, quoting the head of SAS Denis Antonyuk. The flights were suspended starting from midnight, December 13. “Safety considerations” were cited as the reason, but no details were given. In May, all flights were suspended to the city of Donetsk. Also in May, the service stopped air communication between the Russian capital and the cities of Kharkov and Dnepropetrovsk.

7 killed, 108 missing in giant Indonesia landslide

At least seven people were killed and 108 others are missing after a flood of mud and water rushed down on dozens of homes from a mountain on the central Indonesian island of Java, Reuters reported, citing local TV. At least 105 homes were destroyed by the landslide in a wooded area of Banjarnegara on the densely populated island. Some 380 people were evacuated, a local spokesman for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency said, adding that rescuers are now struggling to find more victims and clear the evacuation route.

Media agencies