Hong Kong protesters rally in support of China's Uighurs

Hong Kong riot police pepper sprayed protesters to disperse crowds in the heart of the city's financial district on Sunday after a largely peaceful rally in support of China's ethnic Uighurs turned chaotic.
Dozens of police marched across a public square overlooking Hong Kong's harbour to face off with protesters who hurled glass bottles and rocks at them.
Earlier in the afternoon more than 1,000 people had rallied calmly, waving Uighur flags and posters, as they took part in the latest demonstration in over six months of unrest.
A mixed crowd of young and elderly people, dressed in black and wearing masks to shield their identities, held up signs reading "Free Uyghur, Free Hong Kong" and "Fake 'autonomy' in China results in genocide."

Zlatan Ibrahimovic statue has nose cut off by vandals

Vandals have cut off the nose of a statue of Zlatan Ibrahimovic outside Malmo's stadium in Sweden.
It is the latest act of vandalism directed at the statue since it was announced that Ibrahimovic had invested in a rival club last month.
Former Sweden striker Ibrahimovic, 38, made his professional debut for Malmo 20 years ago.
The statue's artist Peter Linde has appealed for people to stop the vandalism.

Frank Lampard becomes the master over Jose Mourinho as Chelsea beat Tottenham

In a previous existence, not so long ago, Jose Mourinho expressed his worries for the new-look young Chelsea and manager Frank Lampard in the big matches. Mourinho had his fears addressed in the most comprehensive manner possible as Lampard outflanked him tactically and Chelsea outclassed his new Spurs side to secure a richly deserved victory.
Sadly, the win will be overshadowed by the latest allegations of racist abuse, this time aimed at Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger after he was involved in the incident that saw Spurs' South Korean attacker Heung-min Son sent off for raising a boot into his ribs.

Dallas man gets 30 years in prison after calling on slaughter of ‘infidels’ for ISIS

A Texas man who railed against “infidels” in his support of ISIS, was sentenced Wednesday to 30 years in prison for promoting the group online and lying to investigators, prosecutors said.
Said Azzam Mohamad Rahim, a U.S. citizen living in the Dallas area, was convicted in May on eight counts related to social media and supporting terrorism. He could have been sentenced to up to 88 years in federal prison.

Messi: La Liga has become more complicated

The Catalan star admits the gap between Spain's top teams and the rest has closed significantly in recent years. Lionel Messi believes the gap between Barcelona, Real Madrid and the rest of La Liga has closed considerably over the past decade making the league a lot more complicated.
Barcelona lead Madrid on goal difference at the top of the table on 34 points, with Sevilla three points back in third. However, just three points separate fourth-place Real Sociedad on 27 points and Granada in ninth.

Champions League group stage sets new goals record

A new Champions League record of 308 goals have been scored during the group stage of the competition in 2019. The previous record of 306 was beaten courtesy of injury-time goals from Juventus and Real Madrid respectively on Wednesday night as both teams wrapped up wins.
Bayern Munich ended the group stage scoring the most goals with their return of 24 just one shy of the record Paris Saint-Germain set in 2017-18.  The German giants claimed a comfortable 3-1 win over Tottenham in their final group match, having also beaten Spurs 7-2 earlier in their campaign and ended top of Group B, winning all six of their games and boasting an incredible goal difference of +19.

A boy missing for more than two years found in the closet of a child pornography suspect

A teenager who has been missing for two and half years has been found alive in a closet of a child pornography suspect in west Germany, police said. The 15-year old boy was found on Friday during a police search in Recklinghausen, in the German state on North Rhine-Westphalia.
Police were searching a home of a 44-year old man suspected of distributing child pornography, when they stumbled on the boy. "The officers discovered a boy in the closet. An investigation showed this was a 15-year old boy who has been missing for a long time," the Recklinghausen police said in a statement.

Four taxi drivers tortured to death in Brazil 'as revenge after gang leader's sick mother had a ride cancelled'

A gang leader reportedly ordered the killings of four ride-sharing drivers in Brazil after his sick mother had a ride cancelled.  According to reports, the four victims, aged between 23 to 48, were called to the Jardim Santo Inácio favela in Salvador before being tortured and killed.  Two of the drivers worked for Uber and the other two for a Brazilian taxi app company, 99, with a fifth driver notifying the police after escaping.

Everton announces Carlo Ancelotti as new manager

English Premiership side, Everton has confirmed Italian Carlo Ancelotti as the Club new manager.  Marcel Brands, Everton’s Director of Football, said: “Following a rigorous process conducted by all of our Directors, it is a pleasure to now welcome Carlo Ancelotti to Everton. He is one of the finest managers in world football and a proven winner, having achieved a remarkable level of success in each of Europe’s major leagues.
“He is the perfect appointment for us. He embraces our vision for the Club and we are sure that his enthusiasm to take the helm at Goodison together with his tactical abilities and well-renowned man-management will make him successful in this role.

Jamal Khashoggi: Saudis sentence five to death for journalist's murder

A court in Saudi Arabia has sentenced five people to death and jailed three others over the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year. Khashoggi, a prominent critic of the Saudi government, was killed inside the kingdom's consulate in the Turkish city of Istanbul by a team of Saudi agents.
The Saudi public prosecutor said it was the result of a "rogue operation" and put 11 unnamed individuals on trial.
A UN expert has concluded that it was an "extrajudicial execution".
Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard called for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to be investigated over the killing.

At least 1 dead in plane crash on west coast of Vancouver Island

The wreckage of a Cessna 172 that crashed this weekend on the west coast of Vancouver Island was located Sunday, the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) confirmed to CBC affiliate CHEK News. At least one person died in the crash, according to the B.C. Coroners' Service.
JRCC said a plane bound for Tofino, B.C., on Saturday did not arrive at its scheduled time. Later on Sunday, Comox RCMP said the plane was headed to Courtenay, B.C.
A rescue crew was dispatched and located the wreckage through the aircraft's beacon.
They discovered the crash site near Stewardson Inlet, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, on Sunday morning.
The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) confirmed the plane is a Cessna 172, and in a remote location northwest of Tofino that will be difficult to access.
TSB was notified of the crash on Sunday around 10 a.m. PT and is continuing to gather information.

13 people were shot at a Chicago house party honoring a man killed earlier this year

A Chicago house party devolved into chaos when a dispute led to the shootings of 13 people -- possibly at random, police said. The 13 victims range from 16 to about 48 years old, said Fred Waller, chief of the Chicago Police Bureau of Patrol.
Four of the victims -- including the 16-year-old -- are hospitalized in critical condition. The other victims are in stable condition, Waller said.
The melee broke out around 12:35 a.m. Sunday in the 5700 block of South May Street.
"This incident stemmed from a dispute within that party," Waller said. "This party was given in the memory of a subject that was slain in April. We're still developing details as far as that goes."
Police said shots were fired in three different locations.

Food scientists say don't wash the turkey. Here's why.

As family and friends gather over the holidays, food scientists say there are ways to make breaking bread both festive and safe. If turkey and its side dishes will be served, there's a few steps you should follow to avoid food-borne illness. Public Health Ontario estimates illnesses from all food sources lead to an estimated 100,000 doctor's office visits, 40,000 emergency department visits, 6,200 hospitalizations and more than 50 deaths a year.
For prevention, food safety experts recommend the 4Cs: clean, cook, chill and (avoid) cross-contamination. Here's how.

Man United lose at bottom-placed Watford in Pogba return

Manchester United suffered a 2-0 defeat at bottom-placed Watford in the Premier League on Sunday as Paul Pogba made his first appearance for the visitors since Sept. 30. United drew 1-1 with struggling Everton in their last league outing, while Watford were beaten 2-0 by league leaders Liverpool and entered Sunday's fixture with just one top-flight victory all season.
Though both sides struggled to produce moments of quality in the first half, it was United who went closest as Jesse Lingard was put through on goal and his chipped effort skimmed the roof of the net.
The visitors fell behind early in the second half, however, as Will Hughes' free kick was headed on to record signing Ismaila Sarr, whose bouncing volley squirmed through the hands of David de Gea.
Just three minutes later Watford doubled their lead when captain Troy Deeney blasted in a penalty after Sarr was brought down by a rash challenge from Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

3 confirmed dead in Gabriola Island plane crash after 'equipment issue': Nav Canada report

Three people died in the plane crash on Gabriola Island on Tuesday, which happened after the Nanaimo Airport received a report of an "equipment issue," a preliminary report by Nav Canada says.
The aircraft hit the ground with such force that investigators struggled to even verify the plane's registration, according to the Transportation Safety Board (TSB).  The TSB has confirmed the plane was on a private pleasure flight that had taken off from Bishop, Calif., and was headed to Nanaimo, B.C.

Manchester City catching Liverpool in Premier League 'unrealistic' - Pep Guardiola

Pep Guardiola says it is "unrealistic" to expect Manchester City to chase down Liverpool at the top of the Premier League despite a morale-boosting win over high-flying Leicester. City beat Leicester 3-1 at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday to move to within 11 points of Liverpool, whose domestic commitments were postponed because of the World Club Cup in Qatar.
Victory over Brendan Rodgers' side prompted questions about whether the reigning champions are still title contenders, but Guardiola insists Liverpool's form makes an challenge unlikely.

Vladimir Putin hints at leaving Russian presidency in 2024

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday dropped a cryptic hint seen by some as a sign he may not serve another term while also staunchly defending his Kremlin policies in a marathon news conference.
Clocking in at four hours and twenty-five minutes, the question-and-answer session was one of the longest ever held by Putin in a format that has become an annual end-of-year tradition for the Russian leader.

No Christmas service at Notre Dame for first time in 200 years

Notre Dame Cathedral will not hold Christmas services for the first time in more than 200 years, following the fire that devastated the Paris landmark in April, officials confirmed. Reconstruction works take place on Notre-Dame on July 9, 2019 in Paris after it was badly damaged by fire in April.
It will be the first time since 1803 that the 850-year-old cathedral has not held Christmas services, spokesman Andre Finot told CNN on Sunday.

From cashier to world's youngest PM. Finland's new leader breaks the mold

When leaders from the European Council gathered for a group photo in Brussels last week, it was hard to miss the class newbie. Standing front and center among the neat rows of middle-aged men was Finland's new prime minister -- 34-year-old Sanna Marin.
The young woman had a huge smile on her face. And why not, given her trailblazing new status as the world's youngest sitting prime minister.

Fallon Sherrock wins second game at World Darts Championships, targets overall title

Days after becoming the first woman to beat a man at the World Darts Championship, Fallon Sherrock was at it again. The 25-year-old further cemented her place in history on Saturday by defeating 11th seed Mensur Suljovic 3-1 at London's Alexandra Palace. Sherrock won the opening set before Austria's Suljovic leveled the scores in the second. But Sherrock claimed the next two, securing her place in the final 32 with a bullseye.
The English sensation has faith she could even go on to win the whole tournament.
"Why not?" she told Sky Sports after the victory.