Darfur violence alert as Sudan referendum nears

The head of peacekeepers in the Darfur region of Sudan has warned of increased violence ahead of January's referendum on possible independence for the south.

Ibrahim Gambari condemned recent clashes between the Sudanese army and two Darfuri rebel groups.

Some analysts accuse the government of trying to eliminate the rebels before it deals with the referendum.

Mr Gambari says the renewed violence follows the two groups' refusal to take part in negotiations.

The rebel group are the Justice and Equality Movement and the Sudan Liberation Army-Abdul Wahid faction.

"Since they pulled out, and after the rains have stopped, there has been a resumption of the fighting in South Darfur as well as North Darfur, particularly in Jebel Marra East," Mr Gambari, head of Unamid, said.

South Sudan is likely to vote to split away from Sudan, which would dramatically alter the balance of power in the country.

If the south does go, the relative importance of the Darfur rebels could increase in a smaller country.

Equally, a return to north-south conflict is a real prospect, and Khartoum would not want to have to fight on two or more fronts.

BBC News

Mexico hotel blast kills Canadian tourists, hotel staff

At least three Canadian tourists and two hotel staff have been killed in an explosion at a luxury hotel on Mexico's Caribbean coast, officials say.

The blast, believed to have been caused by a build-up of natural gas, blew out windows at the 676-room Grand Riviera Princess hotel in Playa del Carmen.

At least 15 people were injured.

Scores of Canadian visitors are staying at the hotel complex, located in an area known as the Maya Riviera, about 90km (55 miles) from Cancun.

One child is reported to be among the dead.

One of the guests, Pete Travers, told the Canadian Press news agency: "It was chaos. There was blood and injuries from flying glass and debris".

Quintana Roo state prosecutor Francisco Alor said initial investigations were focusing on the possibility that naturally occurring gas from a nearby swamp had built up under the hotel and somehow ignited, the Associated Press reported.

"Under no circumstances are we talking about an attack," he said.

Mexican army and police have cordoned off the hotel.

BBC News

Thousands of jellyfish on S.F. beach

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 14 (UPI) -- The National Park Service says a pounding Pacific swell washed up more than 10,000 jellyfish on a swathe of San Francisco's Ocean Beach during the weekend.

"It was huge, like a cobblestone walkway made of jellyfish," spokesman George Durgerian said of the moon jellyfish packing a stretch of beach three miles long and 20 feet wide, Bay City News Service reported Sunday.

"These were jellyfish like you think they look like -- large, circular, translucent and gelatinous," Durgerian said.

He said he didn't know exactly why the animals came ashore but no cleanup was planned because they went out with Saturday's 7 p.m. high tide.

UPI

Report shows U.S. helped Nazis after WWII

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 (UPI) -- U.S. intelligence officials helped Nazis and their collaborators resettle in this country after World War II, a document kept secret for years reveals.

The New York Times reported Sunday the 600-page Justice Department report it obtained shows the department's investigators learned some Nazis "were indeed knowingly granted entry" to the United States, even though their pasts were known.

"America, which prided itself on being a safe haven for the persecuted, became -- in some small measure -- a safe haven for persecutors as well," the report said.

The report, which the government tried to keep from being made public for four years, says the number of Nazis allowed into the United States was likely much smaller than 10,000.

The Justice Department told the Times its report -- six years in the making but never formally completed -- did not represent its official findings and contained "numerous factual errors and omissions" it declined to identify.

Among the Nazis helped by the Central Intelligence Agency was Otto Von Bolschwing, who helped come up with the plan to eliminate all Jews in Germany, and Arthur Rudolph, a scientist who worked on the U.S. missile program.

The report also tells how a piece of scalp thought to belong to Dr. Josef Mengele, known as the Angel of Death for his grisly experiments on people, was kept in hopes it would help determine whether he was dead.

UPI

Seven die in fire in immigrant hostel in Dijon, France

Seven people have been killed and 11 seriously injured by a fire in a nine-storey hostel housing immigrants in the eastern French city of Dijon.

One person died after jumping from the seventh floor of the building, while the other six died from the effects of smoke inhalation.

More than 130 people were evacuated from the building, many also suffering from smoke inhalation.

An investigation into the cause of blaze has been launched.

Spread rapidly

Two of the dead were from Senegal, one was Algerian and another Vietnamese. The other three were French nationals.

"For the moment we are not describing what happened as a crime," senior prosecutor, Eric Lallement, said.

Firefighters said the blaze began in a rubbish bin in an adjacent building at around 0130 (0030 GMT).

It is said to have spread rapidly from there to the side of the hostel.

Insulation in the building helped the blaze spread and also generated large amounts of smoke, fire brigade Commander Jean-Louis Marc told Agence France-Presse news agency.

The thick, acrid smoke prevented many of the residents from escaping.

"Some people jumped out of windows," Mr Marc added.

An official from the mayor's office in Dijon told Reuters news agency: "The winds were unfavourable, blowing the flames against the wall of the building".

A number of children were among those receiving medical treatment after the fire. Three of the 93 firefighters who battled the blaze also suffered from smoke inhalation.

Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux is expected to visit the scene of the blaze on Sunday afternoon.

Immigration Minister Eric Besson said: "Last night's fire shocks me because it affected people and families that France has welcomed in, and who were bringing to our country not only their work, but also the richness of their cultures and their origins".

The hostel is managed by the state-owned company, Adoma, which specialises in housing facilities for immigrants, according to AFP.

BBC News

Three killed in Alberta highway crash

CALGARY — Three people were killed early Sunday morning when a pickup truck and a semi collided on an Alberta highway.

The collision occurred in the Strathmore area around 7 a.m.

The pickup truck driver, a male passenger, and the driver of the semi were killed, said RCMP Cpl. Mark Harrison.

A passenger in the pickup was transported to hospital in Calgary in serious condition.

It appears there are no other witnesses, said Harrison.

It’s too early to say what may contributed to the crash, he added.

A collision analyst was called to the scene, and a section of Highway 22X was being closed for several hours.

Strathmore is about 50 kilometres east of Calgary.

Calgary Herald

GlobalNews

Un estallido en un hotel de Playa del Carmen deja 6 muertos y 20 heridos

(CNNMéxico) — Al menos seis personas murieron, entre ellas un menor de edad, al registrarse un estallido en el hotel Princess Riviera Maya, en Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, México, este domingo. Otras 20 personas quedaron heridas.

Entre las víctimas fatales turistas y trabajadores del hotel, informó el director de Protección Civil del municipio de Solidaridad, Jesús Puc, entrevista con Milenio Televisión.

Entre los heridos hay cuatro de gravedad, agregó.

De momento se desconocen las causas exactas del estallido, aunque el procurador de Quintana Roo, Francisco Alor, descartó que haya sido un atentado, según la agencia de noticias EFE.

"Lamentablemente ocurrió un accidente, al parecer por una fuga de gas", dijo.

Puc confirmó que según información preeliminar una acumulación de "gas natural" en el sótano del hotel provocó el estallido.

Soldados del Ejército resguardan la zona y peritos se encargan de identificar a las víctimas.

Playa del Carmen se ubica a 20 minutos del popular centro turístico de Cancún, en el estado de Quintana Roo, en la Riviera Maya, al sur de México.

CNN México

Radical cleric arrested in Lebanon after shootout, government says

Beirut, Lebanon (CNN) -- A radical Islamist cleric in Lebanon facing a life sentence on charges of aiding an al Qaeda affiliate has been arrested following a shootout in the northern city of Tripoli, the country's state news agency reported Sunday.

Omar Bakri Mohammed was convicted in absentia by a military court Friday of charges including membership in an armed group, posession of weapons and explosives and committing crimes against the state, Lebanon's National News Agency reported. He was given a life sentence, which he told CNN on Friday had come as a "shock and surprise".

The news agency reported Sunday that Bakri was taken into custody after a gun battle in Tripoli, but there were no injuries in the shootout.

"Paper formalities were being finalized to hand him over to the Military Tribunal in Beirut," the agency reported.

Bakri said Friday he was not planning to go into hiding and would continue speaking out. Asked what he would do if police were to try to arrest him, he said, "Let it be".

No details of the charges have been released by the government, and the military court does not respond to questions from news outlets. But Bakri denied the accusations on Friday, describing them as an attempt to "suppress the voice of Islam".

The trial of alleged members of the al Qaeda-affiliated group had been under way for several years, but at no point had he been told that he was among those on trial, Bakri said. He has been given 15 days to appeal, but said he had no intention of doing so because he did not recognize the jurisdiction of what he called "a man-made court".

Bakri said that he did not condemn al Qaeda, adding that he believed membership to be a blessing from God. However, he said, he had never been a member himself.

The British government has called Bakri a radical who incites his followers to violence. Bakri has proudly proclaimed himself an extremist, but told CNN he was part of the solution to stopping terrorist attacks and not part of the problem.

He added that he had not preached in public in Lebanon nor had he set up any organizations there. His teaching, he said, was done via the Internet to followers in countries that included Britain, Canada, the United States and Australia.

CNN

Sinn Fein leader heads south to run for Irish parliament

(CNN) -- Longtime Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams announced Sunday that he's leaving Northern Ireland politics to run for parliament in the Irish Republic, blasting what he called the current Irish government's "deeply damaging" economic policy.

Adams said he will relinquish his seat in Northern Ireland's Legislative Assembly to run for a seat in the Dail from Ireland's County Louth. Sinn Fein holds seats in both bodies, and has become "the only effective opposition" to the austerity program of Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen's government, Adams said in announcing his decision.

"We need more voices that will stand up against the consensus for cuts -- more voices that will stand up for ordinary people," he said. "We need new politics. We need a political realignment. A change of government without a change in policies will be worthless".

Ireland has been particularly hard-hit by the global economic crisis of recent years. Its economy has contracted sharply and its government has been left deeply in debt, leading Cowen to push for tax increases and cuts in public payrolls and health services along with other spending reductions.

Adams said the government "is now implementing bad, deeply damaging policies," and the leading opposition parties "are part of the consensus for cuts".

Sinn Fein supports the reunion of British-ruled Northern Ireland with the rest of the island, which won independence in 1921. It holds four seats in the Dail, the Irish Republic's 166-seat parliament.

Adams also holds a seat in the British Parliament, but has refused to take the required oath to Queen Elizabeth II to be seated at Westminster. He said Sunday that he won't run for re-election when his current term is up.

CNN

Suu Kyi tells supporters to work with her for change

(CNN) -- Freed democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi told her supporters Sunday that she needs their help in her efforts to bring change to Myanmar.

"I'm not going to be able to do it alone," Suu Kyi said. "You've got to do it with me. One person alone can't do anything as important as bringing change and democracy to a country".

She said she was treated well during her years of house arrest by Myanmar's ruling generals, but said the country needs to return to the rule of law.

"I am for national reconciliation, I am for dialogue ... whatever authority I have, I would like to use toward that end. And I hope the people will support me," she said, speaking to reporters at the headquarters of her National League for Democracy party.

CNN

Champions Chelsea thrashed at home to Sunderland to see lead cut

(CNN) -- English Premier League champions Chelsea suffered a humiliating 3-0 home defeat to Sunderland to see their lead at the top cut to two points as Arsenal won 2-1 at Everton on Sunday.

Carlo Ancelotti's side were without the injured John Terry and Frank Lampard, as well as the suspended Michael Essien, but few could have predicted such a stunning upset against a team who were thrashed 5-1 themselves at Newcastle a fortnight ago.

A virtuoso solo goal by defender Nedum Onuoha put the visitors ahead just before halftime.

Asamoah Gyan added the second with man of the match Danny Welbeck grabbing a late third as he took advantage of a misplaced backpass from Ashley Cole.

CNN

Britain's Prince William honors war dead in Afghanistan

(CNN) -- Britain's Prince William attended a remembrance service Sunday in Afghanistan's Helmand Province to honor British and Commonwealth war dead, his press office said in a statement.

The prince attended the service at Camp Bastion, the main British military base in Afghanistan, along with Liam Fox, Britain's Secretary of State for Defense, according to Clarence House.

"Prince William laid a wreath to pay homage to British and Commonwealth sailors, soldiers and airmen who have fallen in battle," the statement said.

Fox and the prince, the second in line to the British throne, also attended a parade and spent the morning meeting with troops from the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, and visited Camp Bastion's medical center.

"Remembrance Sunday is a time when the entire country stops to recognize the sacrifices made by the Armed Forces on our behalf," Fox said in the statement. "I am extremely proud that Prince William and I could come to Camp Bastion to stand alongside the men and women serving in Afghanistan today. I pay tribute to them and everyone who has served before them in this conflict and others on behalf of the freedoms that the British people enjoy".

Prince William departed for the United Kingdom soon after the Remembrance Day parade, according to Clarence House.

The visit was the prince's second to Afghanistan. He previously visited in April 2008.

William is a search-and-rescue pilot with the Royal Air Force, where he holds the rank of flight lieutenant. He is posted to RAF Valley, the station on the island of Anglesey in north Wales. He is known as Flight Lieutenant Wales within the British air force.

CNN

Cuban dissident freed 'for humanitarian reasons'

(CNN) -- A Cuban dissident whose release from prison had been delayed because of his refusal to leave the country has been freed, his wife told CNN.

Arnaldo Ramos Lauzurique was resting early Sunday in his home in Havana, Cuba, said his wife, Lidia Lima.

A Roman Catholic Church representative told her Ramos would be released from prison Saturday morning, Lima said, but it was not until 9 p.m. local time that he made it home.

Ramos, 68, is the oldest of 75 people arrested and imprisoned in Cuba in March 2003 -- a group described as "prisoners of conscience" by Amnesty International.

Their release was negotiated by the church with the condition that the men would leave for Spain. Of the group, 55 men have been released so far.

Ramos had refused to take the deal, but Archbishop of Havana Monsignor Juan de Dios Hernandez Ruiz said in a statement Saturday that Ramos was being freed on parole and "staying in Cuba for humanitarian reasons".

Another man, Luis Enrique Ferrer Garcia, will be freed and transported to Spain, the archbishop said.

The group was jailed in a crackdown against the dissident movement in March 2003, according to Amnesty International.

"They were sentenced to between six and 28 years in prison after speedy and unfair trials for engaging in activities the authorities perceived as subversive and damaging to Cuba," the organization said.

CNN

Indonesia volcano toll rises to 242

Jakarta, Indonesia (CNN) -- The death toll from last month's eruption of Mount Merapi rose to 242 on Sunday, Indonesia's government reported, with most of the victims killed by severe burns.

The volcano's rumblings have eased since Friday, when it spat more hot ash and sent residents fleeing again, but the government's alert level remained at its highest level Sunday.

Of the 242 reported dead as of Sunday, 165 died of burns, according to the National Coordination Board, government's emergency management agency. More than 390,000 people have been displaced, the board reported.

Indonesia's Mount Merapi started erupting on October 26. On Friday, it spewed volcanic material for more than an hour.

Merapi, which looms on the horizon north of the major city of Yogyakarta, is on the island of Java. Officials said Thursday the worst may be over, but a danger zone remains within a 20-kilometer (12.2-mile) radius of the volcano.

U.S. President Barack Obama was forced to cut short his visit to Indonesia this week because of the volcano's ash cloud.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has called the volcanic eruptions a crisis situation. Over the weekend, he and several ministers visited the area to oversee relief efforts.

The volcano has a summit elevation of almost 3,000 meters (10,000 feet). It is one of Indonesia's most active volcanoes and lies in one of the world's most densely populated areas. Many people raise crops and livestock in its shadow.

About 1,300 people died when the volcano erupted in 1930.

CNN

Vettel claims Formula One world title after Abu Dhabi win

(CNN) -- Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel is the new Formula One world champion after winning the title-deciding race in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

The German produced a peerless drive from pole position to take checkered flag ahead of the McLaren pair of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button.

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, who led the championship standings going into the final race of the season, could only manage seventh place to see his title hopes ruined.

The 23-year-old Vettel is the youngest-ever world champion in motorsport's premier class, claiming his fifth victory of the season to take the lead in the standings for the first time in a tumultuous season.

Spain's Alonso, who only needed to finish fourth to deny Vettel the title, looked to be the victim of a tactical error by his Ferrari team after being pulled in for an early pitstop.

It left the two-time world champion behind slower cars and he could not overtake and make up lost ground on the tight Yas Marinas circuit.

Vettel's teammate Mark Webber, who trailed Alonso by eight points going into the final round, saw his chances disappear in similar fashion after a premature stop for new tires and finished eighth.

CNN