LONDON (Reuters) – Anyone dusting off their copy of George Frederic Handel’s “Messiah” in the run-up to Christmas this year might spare a thought for the unsung hero of the piece. Without Charles Jennens, experts argue that the 18th century oratorio would never have been created, robbing Western choral music of one of its greatest works. Handel House Museum, located in the cosy London home where the German-born composer spent much of his life, is seeking to put the record straight about a man who, for many reasons, has been passed over by history. …
Paris activist to test taboos with gay-friendly mosque
PARIS (Reuters) – Europe’s first gay and lesbian-friendly mosque opens on Friday in an eastern Paris suburb, in a challenge to mainstream Islam’s long tradition of condemning same-sex relationships. The mosque, set up in a small room inside the house of a Buddhist monk, will welcome transgender and transsexual Muslims and seat men and women together, breaking with another custom where the sexes are normally segregated during prayer. Its founder, French-Algerian gay activist and practicing Muslim Ludovic-Mohamed Zahed, will also encourage women to lead Friday prayers, smashing yet another …
Casey Creehan leaves Hamilton to return to Winnipeg as defensive co-ordinator
WINNIPEG – Casey Creehan is returning to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Canadian aerospace needs cash to compete with rising global stars: review
OTTAWA – A review of Canada’s aerospace industry warns that the industry is under threat from ambitious new players.
Clegg backs new press law, contradicts Cameron
LONDON (Reuters) – British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said on Thursday he backed new legislation to regulate the press, contradicting Prime Minister David Cameron and raising the spectre of a split in the coalition government. “On the basic model of a new self-regulatory body, established with a change to the law in principle, I believe this can be done in a proportionate and workable way,” Clegg told parliament. “Changing the law is the only way to give us all the assurance that the new regulator isn’t just independent for a few months or years, but is independent for good,” he added. …
U.S. sets March deadline for Iran to cooperate with IAEA
VIENNA (Reuters) – The United States effectively set a March deadline on Thursday for Iran to start cooperating in substance with a U.N. nuclear agency investigation, saying it would otherwise urge reporting the issue to the U.N. Security Council. The comments by U.S. diplomat Robert Wood to the 35-nation governing board of the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency signaled Washington’s growing frustration at the lack of results in the IAEA’s inquiry into possible military dimensions to Tehran’s nuclear program. Iran denies the charge. …
Syria cuts Internet nationwide
The Syrian government shut down the Internet across the country and cut cellphone services in select areas Thursday as rebels and government troops waged fierce battles near the capital's airport, forcing international airlines to suspend flights, activists said. Analysis: Mexico's new president to reset drug war, push reforms
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexico’s new president takes office on Saturday seeking to shift the focus away from a grisly drug war and onto economic reforms aimed at sparking fast growth and pulling the country out of the shadow of regional powerhouse Brazil. Enrique Pena Nieto inherits a $1.2 trillion economy that lagged other emerging markets for most of the past decade but has gained ground over the past two years, drawing in record investment despite continuing criminal violence. …
Rival Palestinian groups show support for UN bid
Israel's leader, having failed to block the Palestinians from taking their quest for a state to the U.N., defiantly declared Thursday that they would have to back down from long-held positions if they ever hope to gain independence. Europeans bolster Palestinian bid at the UN
A week after Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas appeared all but forgotten in the wake of the Gaza conflict, his bid to gain a global mandate for statehood at the United Nations today has gained momentum.
Obama, Romney, sitting down to lunch after bitter election campaign
WASHINGTON – Ah, to be a fly on the wall at the White House on Thursday when U.S. President Barack Obama sits down for lunch with Republican rival Mitt Romney, who’s said to be still stunned by his failure to win the White House.
French court overturns Concorde crash conviction
A French appeals court has overturned a manslaughter conviction against Continental Airlines for the July 2000 crash of an Air France Concorde that killed 113 people, ruling Thursday that mistakes by the company's mechanics were not enough to make it legally responsible for the deaths. 
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