ANKARA (AFP) -- President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday said Turkey had proof Russia was involved in illegal oil trade with the Islamic State group in Syria, countering "immoral" Russian allegations that his own family was importing oil from the jihadists."We have the proof in our hands. We will reveal it to the world," Erdogan said in a televised address in Ankara.The Russian defence ministry on Wednesday accused Erdogan and his family of involvement in the illegal oil trade with IS jihadist

MOSCOW (AFP) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday vowed Turkey's leadership would be made to regret the downing of one of Russia's warplanes as Moscow announced a halt to talks on a major gas pipeline project.As Putin fired another salvo in his mounting war of words with NATO member Turkey his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared he had "proof" that Russia was involved in illegal oil trading with the Islamic State group in Syria.Turkey has become Moscow's prime internatio

HANOI (AFP) -- South Korea's Charlie Wi plundered 10 birdies on his way to nine-under 62 and the first-round lead at the inaugural, $1.5-million Ho Tram Open in Vietnam on Thursday.Wi made five birdies in a row on the front nine, and another five on his way back against just one bogey as he stole the limelight from Spanish star Sergio Garcia at Vietnam's richest sport event.The South Korean leads by two from the Thai pair of teenager Danthai Boonma and the experienced Thaworn Wiratchant, who bot

ZURICH (AP) -- The FIFA executive committee has deferred a decision on expanding the World Cup to 40 teams starting at the 2026 tournament.The German soccer federation says the FIFA administration will have further talks about the plan, which is supported by Asia and Africa. The idea to add eight teams was part of FIFA reform proposals being considered Thursday. The executive committee had the power to make it FIFA policy without approval of the 209 member federations.The 2026 bidding should sta

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Google is nearly doubling the amount of renewable energy feeding its massive data centers that enable more than 1 billion people to search for information, watch video clips and communicate virtually anytime they want.The long-term commitments announced Thursday cover up to 842 megawatts of power that will flow from six different wind and solar power projects scheduled to be finished within the next two years in the U.S., Chile and Sweden. Google isn't disclosing how much i

BRUSSELS (AFP) -- The European Union launched a probe Thursday into US fast food giant McDonald's tax deals with Luxembourg, widening an investigation into alleged tax dodging by major multinationals that includes Amazon and Apple.The European Commission, the EU's competition regulator, "has opened a formal probe into Luxembourg's tax treatment of McDonald's," a statement said."Its preliminary view is that a tax ruling granted by Luxembourg may have granted McDonald's an advantageous tax treatme

LONDON (AP) -- British Tornados struck oil fields that help finance the activities of the Islamic State group and Germany prepared to send reconnaissance aircraft to the Middle East as coalition forces stepped up efforts to fight the militants Thursday. The strikes at the Omar oil field in eastern Syria came only hours after Britain's Parliament authorized military action in Syria against the Islamic State group, also known as Isil, Isis or Daesh. Though several of the oil fields have already be

MANILA (AP) -- China's economy will grow slightly faster than expected this year at 6.9 percent and its shift to fostering services and private consumption is helping to support regional growth, the Asian Development Bank said Thursday.An ADB report said Asia's developing economies remain resilient to economic weakness in industrialized countries and are on track to grow 5.8 percent in 2015 and 6 percent in 2016.It said Asia's growth is supported by vibrant private consumption and services in Ch

BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa (AFP) -- Oscar Pistorius was found guilty of murder on Thursday after South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal threw out a manslaughter conviction for killing his girlfriend, and he now faces a 15-year prison term.The judge described the Paralympian's testimony over the 2013 shooting of Reeva Steenkamp as "untruthful" and delivered a damning indictment of the original verdict.The double-amputee athlete known as the "Blade Runner" was released on parole in October after s

PARIS (Yonhap) -- President Park Geun-hye pledged Tuesday to provide more than $11 million to 10 African countries over the next five years for vocational training, calling education a solution to ending violent extremism and "an integral ingredient" to economic success.South Korea has helped five African countries -- Malawi, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo -- in developing and distributing textbooks under the $10 million project since 2011. The project is set

BRUSSELS (AFP) -- NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday the alliance was working on new support measures for Turkey, but insisted the commitment predated Ankara's shooting down of a Russian jet on the Syrian border.Speaking as foreign ministers from the 28 NATO nations gathered in Brussels, Stoltenberg also reiterated his call for Turkey and Russia to calm the crisis and to find ways to ensure there is no repeat."We will work on further measures to assure Turkey's security," Stoltenberg said

LONDON (AFP) -- China planted its flag in the English Premier League on Tuesday as a consortium of Chinese investors bought a 13 percent stake in Manchester City's parent company for $400 million.China Media Capital (CMC) and CITIC Capital have purchased the stake in City Football Group (CFG), which had previously been wholly owned by the Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG), just weeks after Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the club.The deal is part of the CFG's strategy of expanding into Chinese

TOKYO (AFP) -- A war of words has erupted between privacy-advocating librarians and a newspaper after it published a snapshot of the high-school reading habits of Japan's foremost literary son Haruki Murakami.Leaked library borrowing cards from half a century ago revealed the teenage Murakami -- nowadays a perennial contender for the Nobel literature prize -- checked out several titles by French writer Joseph Kessel.But the Japan Library Association on Monday lashed out at what it said was an in

TOKYO (AFP) -- A tiny Tokyo noodle shop joined the ranks of the world's top restaurants Tuesday as it scooped up a star from the respected Michelin Guide.The food bible gave a nod to nine-seat Tsuta -- a first for a ramen eatery -- as Tokyo also kept its title as the world's culinary capital with the most Michelin-starred restaurants.Ramen is one of the most common fast foods in Japan and small shops serving the soup-and-noodle concoction can be found on almost every corner.In recent years, the

PARIS (AP) -- Aiming to head off a rift between major Mideast players, President Barack Obama urged Turkey and Russia on Tuesday to set aside tensions over the downing of a Russian warplane and focus on the common priority of defeating the Islamic State group.Obama, in a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, vouched for the NATO ally's right to self-defense, and he pledged a solid U.S. commitment ``to Turkey's security and its sovereignty.'' Yet he emphasized the need for Turkey a

BEIJING (AFP) -- Beijing ordered hundreds of factories to shut and allowed children to skip school as choking smog reached over 25 times safe levels on Tuesday, casting a cloud over China's participation in Paris climate talks.A thick grey haze shrouded the capital with concentrations of PM 2.5, harmful microscopic particles that penetrate deep into the lungs, as high as 634 micrograms per cubic metre.The reading given by the US embassy dwarfs the maximum recommended by the World Health Organisa

TOKYO (AP) -- They drift into seas near Japan by the dozens every year, ghostly wrecked ships thought to come from impoverished North Korea.Japanese authorities said Tuesday they are investigating nearly a dozen wooden boats carrying decomposing bodies that were found off the country's northwestern coast over the past month.In most cases, the bodies are in such bad shape after being at sea for weeks that it's been impossible to determine their cause of death, officials say.On Nov. 20, officials

MILAN (AP) -- Police in Italy and Kosovo detained four Kosovars with Islamic State contacts Tuesday for making threats against the pope and a U.S. diplomat. Authorities said the men were armed and prepared to act.Kosovo police arrested an ethnic Albanian south of the capital, Pristina, who authorities say was the group's leader, seizing a pistol and a rifle as well as electronic equipment. Three other men were detained in Italy as police conducted searches in four cities; one was being held whil

LE BOURGET (AFP) -- Negotiators tasked with saving Earth's climate system embarked Tuesday on an 11-day race to overcome decades-long disputes as experts pointed to a towering threat from coal.A day after world leaders pledged to tame global warming, bureaucrats from 195 nations scrambled to shape a labyrinthine 54-page text into a blueprint that can be approved by December 11.The goal -- endorsed ringingly by around 150 heads of state and government at the start of the talks on Monday -- is to

HARARE (AFP) -- China's President Xi Jinping arrived in Zimbabwe on Tuesday on a rare visit by a world leader to a country shunned by Western powers over President Robert Mugabe's widely-criticised record on human rights.Xi was greeted at the airport by Mugabe, 91, who has ruled since independence in 1980, as hundreds of children waved miniature Chinese and Zimbabwean flags along the road into the capital Harare.The two leaders will hold talks before attending a state banquet, with new Chinese i