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Three journalists working for the Al-Jazeera English television network have been remanded in custody for 15 days by the Egyptian authorities. A statement from the public prosecutor in Cairo said the men were accused of joining an illegal terrorist group, supplying that group with equipment, and three other charges. The three include Peter Greste - an Australian former BBC journalist. A cameraman who was also arrested has since been released. Al Anstey, director of Al-Jazeera English, said the detentions were "outrageous" and the accusations against the men "totally false and unfounded". Egyptian authorities have accused Al-Jazeera of bias in favour of the Muslim Brotherhood since the army overthrew President Mohammed Morsi in July. The Brotherhood was declared a terrorist organisation last week, amid a crackdown on the group in which hundreds of pro-Morsi protesters have been killed and thousands of Brotherhood supporters arrested. 'Spreading fear'...

Manchester United striker Robin van Persie is back in training and is “not too far away” from making his comeback for the Premier League champions. Van Persie, 30, was United’s top scorer last season but has missed their last five games with a thigh injury. It is the second spell the striker has spent on the sidelines already this season but manager David Moyes believes the Netherlands international could be back soon. And he is looking forward to reuniting Van Persie with Wayne Rooney in attack as the Englishman, who missed Saturday’s 1-0 win at Norwich with a groin problem, is set to return against Tottenham on Wednesday. Moyes said: “Robin has started some light training, and he might not be too far away either. We haven’t often had them as a strike partnership, so I look forward to getting them back together.” Van Persie has scored 10 goals for United this season, the last of them in the 1-0 win over his former club Arsenal on Nov. 10 and last featured in the 1-0 victory over ...

 East African nations had set Tuesday as a deadline for the two sides fighting in South Sudan to talk. Instead, the they fought heavily in the town of Bor, undermining efforts to bring more than two weeks of violence to an end. Bor, the capital of oil-rich Jonglei state, was recaptured by the army last week in a bloody battle. But the latest clashes show that rebels loyal to former Vice President Riek Machar are unwilling to let go easily. South Sudanese Deputy Information Minister Rachel Nyedak Paul told CNN the deadline for a ceasefire expires Tuesday afternoon. President Salva Kiir, from South Sudan's Dinka ethnic group, has accused troops loyal to Machar, from the Nuer community, of trying to launch a coup. The two men have long been political rivals, and Kiir dismissed Machar, along with the Cabinet, in July. Kiir told CNN's Arwa Damon in an interview Monday that African nations should have acted quickly to help quell the rebel forces. As soon as an attempted coup too...

Former motor racing champion Michael Schumacher's condition has improved slightly after an operation to relieve pressure on his brain, his doctors have said. A new scan taken overnight showed signs that he was "better than yesterday", but he was still "not out of danger", doctors said. The seven-time Formula 1 champion suffered head injuries on Sunday in a skiing accident in the French Alps. He was put in a medically-induced coma. An initial scan on Monday night showed "an improved situation" and indicated a window of opportunity for a second operation, doctors said. The family took the "difficult decision" to give consent for the procedure, and doctors operated on Schumacher for about two hours. A subsequent scan revealed a "slight improvement". "We can't say he is out of danger but... we have gained a bit of time,'' said Dr Jean-Francois Payen. "The coming hours are crucial. "All the ...

Celebrations are beginning to mark the beginning of 2014, with Auckland in New Zealand ringing in the new year at 11:00 GMT on Tuesday. Crowds have gathered in Sydney, Australia, in anticipation of the city's famous firework display. In Japan, Shinto priests gathered at shrines to prepare to usher in the new year. Other cities globally are also planning big displays, with Dubai attempting a world record for the largest display. The display will be streamed live on the internet and organisers say it will stretch over 30 miles (48km) of seafront, with the highest fireworks reaching more than one kilometre in height. Later on, festivities will be held in European cities including Moscow, Paris and London. New York will mark the new year with the traditional New Year's Eve countdown and ball drop over Times Square.

  Qatar-based broadcaster Al-Jazeera has demanded the release of four of its journalists seized by Egyptian police in Cairo at the weekend. They include its Cairo bureau chief Mohamed Fadel Fahmy and former BBC correspondent Peter Greste. The journalists had held illegal meetings with the Muslim Brotherhood, the interior ministry said. Al-Jazeera said it had been "subject to harassment" although not officially banned from working in Egypt. There has been a crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood since the army ousted President Mohammed Morsi in July. Last week it was declared a terrorist group. In the past six months, more than 1,000 pro-Morsi protesters have been killed in clashes with security forces, and thousands of Brotherhood supporters have been arrested, including the majority of its leadership. A court will hear a case to disband the Brotherhood's political wing, the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), on 15 February. 'Arbitrary' The four journ...

Arsenal may top the English Premier League table going into 2014, but Jose Mourinho leads the way when it comes to post-match performances. After a hard-fought 2-1 win that kept his Chelsea team in touch with Arsenal and Manchester City ahead of the EPL's New Year's Day program, Mourinho sought to deflect any possible criticism of his players with a blustering counter-attack. When questioned about key incidents in Sunday's match, which continued the tense clashes between the two teams in recent years, the Portuguese manager accused Luis Suarez of "an acrobatic swimming pool jump" and going down "like somebody shot him." This was after Chelsea's match-winner Samuel Eto'o had clearly body-checked the 19-goal striker off the ball inside his own penalty area while Cesar Azpilicueta cleared the ball. Suarez lost a duel with Azpilicueta ... and now he's doing an acrobatic swimming pool jump to try to get the penalty, because he's so clever b...

Las Vegas-- Las Vegas may never be the same now that Britney Spears has started a residency in Nevada's Sin City. "Britney: Piece of Me" debuted at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino this weekend, almost 10 years to the day that Spears married a high school friend at a wedding chapel just down the Vegas strip. Her marriage to Jason Alexander lasted just 55 hours before it was annulled, but Spears' new relationship with Vegas is planned for at least two years. She is reportedly earning $300,000 per show -- $30 million for the 100 shows through 2015. Spears dances on a 100-foot stage, backed by 14 dancers and one of the world's largest video installations. She enters from a spherical cage that descends from above. Near the end, Spears leaps from a giant tree, flying across the stage on a cable. While her microphone is live and Spears appears to be singing, much of what the audience hears is from pre-recorded tracks of 21 hits from her pop career. A live fou...

Seven-time Formula 1 world champion Michael Schumacher has suffered a head injury while skiing in Meribel, France. The German, 44, who retired from F1 for a second time in 2012, was taken by helicopter to hospital in Moutiers before being moved to Grenoble. Schumacher was skiing with his 14-year-old son and others in an off-piste area between two marked runs above Meribel when he fell on Sunday morning. He is being examined in hospital, with his wife and two children also present. Christophe Gernignon-Lecomte, director of the Meribel resort, said Schumacher "was a little shaken but conscious" after crashing. Speaking to Radio Monte Carlo Sport, Gernignon-Lecomte added: "He was wearing a helmet and banged [his head] against a rock." Schumacher was attended to by two ski patrollers who requested helicopter evacuation to the nearby valley town of Moutiers, before he was subsequently moved to a bigger facility at Grenoble. The German is receiving the attention ...

The Cuban government has eased restrictions on loans to private borrowers in the latest measure aimed at boosting the island's troubled economy . Individuals and small businesses can now borrow smaller amounts and have more time to pay back the government. President Raul Castro had launched the programme two years ago as part of measures to reform Cuban socialism. The minimum lending has been reduced from 3,000 to 1,000 pesos ($41; £67). The measure was published in the official gazette. People will also be allowed to use their houses or jewellery to guarantee their loans.mThe maximum period of the loans has been extended from five to 10 years. 'Civilised relations' Earlier this month, the Cuban government lifted restrictions on private individuals buying new and second-hand cars. Any Cuban citizen or foreigner with enough money will now be allowed to import the vehicles through an official agency. Previously, official permits were required and they were often issu...

Barnet player-manager Edgar Davids is considering retiring as a player after his third red card of the season. The former Juventus and Netherlands midfielder, who won the 1995 Champions League with Ajax, received two yellow cards in the 2-1 defeat at Salisbury. It is his fifth sending off since he joined Barnet in October 2012."I am a target but it is OK," said the 40-year-old. "I don't think I am going to play anymore because they're taking away the fun." Davids added: "I want the team to do well. If you look at the red cards, some are definitely red cards and some are exaggerated. "It is hard to complete our tasks when a lot of decisions are against you." As well as the three red cards, Davids has been cautioned on four other occasions in his nine appearances for the Bees this season. Against Salisbury, he was shown a second yellow card for dissent. He was given two yellow cards in the 1-0 win over Dartford earlier this month and was ...

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Mountainous wins in thrilling finish at Chepstow Mountainous beat Hawkes Point and crowd favourite Tidal Bay in a tight three-way finish to win the Welsh National. The 20-1 top weight, ridden by Paul Moloney and trained by Hertfordshire's Richard Lee, held off the challenges of 14-1 shot Hawkes Point and 12-year-old Tidal Bay, who went off at 10-1. Highland Lodge, the 13-2 favourite, led for the majority of the race but faded on Chepstow's heavy ground. One in a Milan (50-1) was fourth, while Merry King was fifth (9-1). Mountainous battled on bravely in the hands of Moloney to give Lee his second Welsh National success in three years after Le Beau Bai in 2011. The winner's stablemate Knock A Hand set the pace with Highland Lodge before the more than three-and-a-half-mile marathon began in earnest over the final five fences. "I couldn't believe how well he was going. Paul gave him an intelligent ride and got a breather into him. I was also delighted with the ...

More than 500 resign over election fraud More than 500 municipal lawmakers in one Chinese province have stood down following an electoral fraud scandal, according to state media. The 512 officials resigned after accepting bribes from 56 members of the provincial assembly to elect them to their posts, Xinhua news agency said. The 56 disgraced lawmakers for central Hunan Province were also dismissed. President Xi Jinping has vowed to fight corruption - warning it could topple the Communist Party. 'Vile impact' Municipal officials have the power to appoint representatives to the local People's Congress, the provincial parliament that rubber-stamps decisions. Local authorities dismissed 56 representatives of the 763-strong Hunan People's Congress for being "elected by bribery", state television channel CCTV said on its witter account. An initial investigation revealed that 110m yuan ($18.1m, £11m) was offered in bribes to lawmakers and staff in the province...

A Syrian government airstrike on a crowded market in the northern city of Aleppo has killed at least 21 people, activists say. Videos uploaded by activists showed extensive damage to the market and corpses being pulled from cars. Many more were reported wounded in the strike. Government forces are reported to have killed about 400 people since beginning an aerial offensive in and around Aleppo two weeks ago.Syrian authorities say they are targeting "terrorists", a term the government uses to describe all opposition. The main opposition alliance, the National Coalition, said earlier this week it would not attend a peace conference planned to take place next month in Geneva if the air campaign continued. Human rights groups have condemned the Syrian air force's use of so-called barrel bombs - oil drums or cylinders packed with explosives and shrapnel - saying the targeting is indiscriminate and that the attacks are therefore unlawful. The bombs have hit residential and s...

Ashes 2013-14:  England in a mess after more batting woe Today ranks as one of England's most disappointing days of this most disappointing series. At the start, there was so much optimism that England could work themselves into a position to win the match. But the momentum changed when the last Australian pair added 40 runs to take their score beyond 200. At that point England still had a lead of 51, which their openers extended to 116 before once again the wheels came off in spectacular fashion. To lose 10 wickets for 114 from there seems inexplicable, but sadly it is very easy to explain - it was just really, really poor batting.The shot selection was awful and there was a total lack of discipline from some of England's batsmen. I was particularly dismayed by the way the middle order approached Nathan Lyon. It appeared as though they were so reluctant to face Mitchell Johnson at the other end so they just set out to attack the off-spinner and the tactic backfired horrib...

AC Milan have released a statement to deny speculation that Italy striker Mario Balotelli could leave in January. They were responding to reports in Italy that Milan president Silvio Berlusconi had decided to sell him. "AC Milan firmly and absolutely deny statements that have been attributed to the chairman about Mario Balotelli being put on the transfer list," the Serie A club's statement  said . The ex-Man City striker has scored six goals in 12 league games this season. He moved to the San Siro in January for an initial fee of 22m euros (£19m). Last season he racked up 12 goals for the seven-time European champions in only 13 Serie A appearances.

Al-Azhar, one of the main centres of Sunni Muslim learning Supporters of Egypt's Islamist Muslim Brotherhood have set fire to university buildings in Cairo, state TV says. One protester was shot dead as students fought police at al-Azhar University, health ministry officials said. Students denied starting blazes in the business faculty, where exams had to be postponed, and the agriculture faculty. Authorities have cracked down on the Brotherhood since July, when Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, who belongs to the group, was deposed by the army. The campus fires had been brought under control by Saturday afternoon, and some 60 people had been arrested, reports said. The Brotherhood, which had been banned since September from all activity, was declared a terrorist group on Wednesday following a suicide bombing of a police headquarters in the Nile Delta. The government said the Brotherhood was behind the attack - a charge it strongly denied. It is the latest measure taken aga...

Mohamad Chatah, a former Lebanese finance minister and ambassador to the United States, died Friday when a car bomb struck his convoy in downtown Beirut, Lebanon's National News Agency reported. The blast killed six others and left 71 wounded, Lebanon's state news agency said. Cars were burned beyond recognition as a wall of flames and thick black smoke shot up from the blast site. Chatah's bodyguard, Mohammed Badr, was among those killed, the news agency said. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.  Lebanese official killed in bomb blast Chatah's last tweet, posted about an hour before his death, talked about Hezbollah, the Lebanese-based Shiite militant group with which Chatah was at odds. "#Hezbollah is pressing hard to be granted similar powers in security & foreign policy matters that Syria exercised in Lebanon for 15 yrs," Chatah tweeted. That group decried the attack in a statement aired on Hezbollah TV, saying the it "only benefi...

Washington -- The four U.S. military personnel being held in Libyan government custody have been released, a U.S. Defense Department official said late Friday. The four were believed to be held by the ministry of the interior, the official, with knowledge of the situation, said on condition of anonymity. It was not immediately known why the American personnel were in Libyan custody. "We are seeking to further ascertain the facts and ensure their release," the official said. The four were in Libya "augmenting security at the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli," the official said.  American teacher killed in Libya American teacher killed in Benghazi Libyan oil held hostage? Libya teeters on brink of anarchy A second person -- a senior U.S. official -- also told CNN that the four military personnel had been detained. That official also spoke on condition of anonymity. The news of the detentions followed an announcement by the United States last month that it was stepping up mi...

 At least 26 dead in India train fire New Delhi -- At least 26 people were killed and eight injured after a compartment of a passenger train caught fire early Saturday in southeast India, officials said. Some 60 passengers were on board when the fire broke out on a Bangalore-Nanded express train near the Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh state, railway spokesman Anil Kumar Saxena said. The fire began at about 3:15 a.m. local time in the B1 train compartment, railway official Sunanda Arun said. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Bangkok, Thailand - Gunmen opened fire on peaceful protesters in Thailand early Saturday, killing one and wounding three, national security chief Paradon Patthanathabut said. Police do not know who the gunmen are. Protesters had gathered in the government district of Bangkok this week to demand the ouster of the country's prime minister and threatened to shut the city down for a month in January. At a protest earlier this week, one police officer died and scores of people were injured, according to police. In all, eight people have died from injuries sustained during the protests that began almost two months ago, according to the Bangkok emergency agency Erawan. U.S. Embassy warning The U.S. Embassy in Bangkok issued an emergency notice urging caution near the site of protests. Protesters say Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra\'s government is influenced by her brother, the former PM. Protesters say Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's government is influenced by her ...

Malky Mackay was "relieved of his duties" as manager of Cardiff City Friday just 11 days after being told by the English Premier League club's Malaysian owner Vincent Tan he must resign or be sacked. A statement on the club's official website confirmed the fate of the 41-year-old Scotsman, adding that a new first team manager would be appointed in due course. The departure of Mackay was widely expected after his very public falling out with billionaire businessman Tan, who has had a controlling share in the Welsh club since 2010. Tan sent Mackay an email on December 16, with the resign or be sacked ultimatum. He criticized Mackay's signings and the team's style of play and said he would be given no further funds in the next transfer window. Tan's intervention infuriated Cardiff fans, who were out in force in matches against Liverpool and Southampton during the Christmas period to protest over their manager's treatment. After the 4-1 defeat to Liverp...

East African leaders on Friday gave South Sudan's warring factions four days to lay down their arms after nearly two weeks of widening violence. If they don't, the leaders of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) warned they'll "take action" to stop the conflict that the United Nations says has killed more than 1,000 and forced some 121,000 from their homes. The group didn't specify what sort of action it would take. But a communique issued Friday in Nairobi, Kenya, appears to throw the group's weight behind South Sudanese President Salva Kiir. The group said it would not accept a violent overthrow of the country's democratically elected government, and said any change must come through the democratic process. Kiir has accused rival politician Riek Machar, his former vice president, of trying to stage a coup. Machar has denied involvement in a coup. Fighting broke out between Kiir's government and supporters of Machar on Decem...

Three dead in Egypt clashes Backers of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood battled police in Cairo and other cities after Friday prayers. At least three people died and 265 were arrested, the Interior Ministry said. The ministry blamed the deaths on the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist group that the Egyptian government declared a terrorist organization on Wednesday. The government has threatened to arrest anyone who attends Muslim Brotherhood protests or provide financial support to the group, which helped propel ousted President Mohamed Morsy to power. Morsy, the nation's first democratically elected president, was forced out of office in July by the nation's military and arrested following widespread protests and petitions calling for his removal. Deadly explosions in Egypt State of activism in Egypt Detractors said he was a tyrant trying to impose conservative values. Supporters called his removal a coup and a blow to the democratic movement that toppled former Egyptian s...

National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden   National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden has written an "open letter to the people of Brazil" offering to help investigate U.S. surveillance of Brazilian citizens. The letter was posted on the website pastebin and on the Facebook page of David Michael Miranda, partner of journalist Glenn Greenwald, according to a tweet from Greenwald. In the letter, Snowden says he has told Brazilian lawmakers that he is willing to help investigate "suspected crimes against Brazilian citizens." "I have expressed my willingness to assist wherever appropriate and lawful, but unfortunately the United States government has worked very hard to limit my ability to do so -- going so far as to force down the Presidential Plane of Evo Morales to prevent me from traveling to Latin America! "Until a country grants permanent political asylum, the U.S. government will continue to interfere with my ability to speak." Br...