Yahoo board to weigh future of company, Marissa Mayer: source

Source: REUTERS

The board of Yahoo Inc (YHOO.O) is weighing a sale of its core Internet business when it meets this week, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.The board's meeting comes amid a broader debate about the future of the company and that of high-profile Chief Executive Marissa Mayer.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the possible sale of the Internet business late on Tuesday. People familiar with the matter told the newspaper the board was expected to also discuss during meetings from Wednesday through Friday whether to proceed with a plan to spin off more than $30 billion in shares of Alibaba Holding Group Ltd (BABA.N). The company could also pursue both options, the paper said.
The company's shares were up more than 7 percent in extended trading.
Yahoo's core business, which includes popular services like Yahoo Mail and its news and sports sites, could attract private equity firms, media and telecom companies or firms like Softbank Group Corp (9984.T), analysts have said in the past.
Yahoo declined to comment on the report.

Man held at Guantánamo for 13 years a case of mistaken identity, say officials

Source: THE GUARDIAN

A man who has spent 13 years in the US prison camp at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, was arrested partly in a case of mistaken identity, US officials conceded Tuesday.
Officials admitted that Mustafa al-Aziz al-Shamiri, 37, was a low-level Islamist foot soldier and not an al-Qaida courier and trainer as previously thought, during a Guantanamo hearing.
Wearing a beard and voluminous white T-shirt, and accompanied by a linguist and two personal representatives, the Yemeni appeared before a panel assessing whether he can be released.
A profile published by the Department of Defense maintains he fought in Afghanistan and mixed with members of al-Qaida. But officials concede that they wrongly believed he had a more significant role because he was confused with others who had a similar name.

UK parliament to vote on strikes against ISIL in Syria

MPs to debate motion to begin military action against group in Syria, amid divisions within government and opposition.

 

Source: ALJAZEERA

The British parliament is set to debate and vote on a motion authorising the use of military force against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group in Syria.
The move comes amid  divisions over the planned intervention  within Prime Minister David Cameron's own Conservative Party and the opposition Labour Party.
Several Conservative MPs are expected to vote on Wednesday against the proposal and the government will probably rely on Labour MPs breaking ranks with their leader Jeremy Corbyn to pass approve the move.

US to deploy 'specialised' troops in Iraq and Syria

The government in its motion says the legal basis for the proposed intervention is in line with UN Resolution 2249, which calls on member states to "eradicate" ISIL's safe havens in Iraq and Syria.
"[The government] acknowledges the importance of seeking to avoid civilian casualties, using the UK’s particular capabilities; notes the government will not deploy UK troops in ground combat operations," the motion reads.

Body of Downed Su-24 Pilot Back in Russia

Source: THE MOSCOWTIMES

The body of Oleg Peshkov — the Russian pilot killed after his Su-24 bomber was shot down by Turkish forces on the Turkish-Syrian border on Nov. 24 — was flown back to Russia on Monday, Russian media reported, quoting a statement from Russia's Defense Ministry.
See the photo gallery: Remains of Russian Pilot Shot Down in Syria Returned to Russia
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and the head of the country's air force Viktor Bondarev met the plane at the Chkalovsky military airport near Moscow, according to news reports.
Peshkov will be buried on Dec. 2 in Lipetsk, south-west Russia, where his immediate family are based, the Interfax news agency wrote Monday.

Nigeria's Dasuki 'arrested over $2bn arms fraud'

Source: BBC

Nigeria's former national security adviser, Sambo Dasuki, has been arrested for allegedly stealing $2bn (£1.3bn), his representatives say.

Mr Dasuki is accused of awarding phantom contracts to buy 12 helicopters, four fighter jets and ammunition. He denies the allegations.
The equipment was meant for the fight against Boko Haram Islamist militants.
Mr Dasuki was picked up early in the morning by security agents, a PR firm representing him said.

• Africa Live: BBC news updates

Two weeks ago, President Muhammadu Buhari ordered Mr Dasuki's arrest after he was indicted by a panel investigating the procurement of arm under the last administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

Asia stocks wary, dollar knocked after weak U.S. data

Source: REUTERS

Asian stock markets wavered on Wednesday after downbeat U.S. manufacturing data raised questions about how aggressive the Federal Reserve would be when hiking interest rates, while the dollar retreated from 8-1/2-month highs.Still, spreadbetters forecast Britain's FTSE .FTSE, Germany's DAX .GDAXI and France's CAC .FCHI would open slightly higher following gains on Wall Street overnight driven by health and consumer shares.
The U.S. manufacturing sector contracted last month to its weakest level since June 2009, according to Institute for Supply Management (ISM) data on Tuesday, though construction spending rose in October to the highest level since December 2007.
"The poor ISM data is unlikely to derail any rate hike plans as U.S. domestic demand is firm and wages show inflationary signs," wrote Makoto Noji, a senior rates strategist at SMBC Nikko Securities in Tokyo.

Chelsea FC submit stunning 60,000 stadium plans

Source: NBC SPORTS

Chelsea announced on Tuesday that they have submitted plans to upgrade their existing Stadium Bridge to hold over 60,000.
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The Blues will have to play away from their home for up to three seasons while the current stadium is upgraded, with most of the existing structure being demolished and revamped as Russian owner Roman Abramovich will finance the new stadium which could cost over $750 million.
[ MORE: Costa’s time up at Chelsea? ]
Via the club website, Chelsea issued the following message to fans and their neighbors in West London, as anybody who has ever visited the Bridge will tell you that it’s squeezed into a tight 12-acre site banked by housing, two train lines, a cemetery and more.