5: 

Labour leader to announce reshuffle today

This follows the confirmation from one of his senior MPs Phil Goff that he intends to contest the Auckland mayoralty next year.

Mr Little has now been in the leadership for a year and he said that had given him the opportunity to see his caucus perform.

“I’ve been able to see up close how each caucus member has been working, how they’ve worked together, how the caucus as a whole has been working.

“So this caucus reshuffle has been an opportunity to make, in some cases, some fine tuning, and in other cases a few more sort of bold moves to build the team that is going to take us through to 2017.”

Annette King was recently confirmed as deputy leader and is likely to retain the health portfolio, as is Chris Hipkins in education.

However, David Clark is expected to be brought forward in an understudy role to Mrs King in the health portfolio.

Grant Robertson is likely stay in the number three spot and as finance spokesperson.

Some casualties are expected, including Nanaia Mahuta who currently holds the number four position, although there could still be discussions about her prospects in the party over the next few years.

Former leader David Cunliffe lead the party to a disastrous election defeat last year and there is still some bitterness among the caucus about that result, and his performance as leader.

He is likely to be demoted, to send a clear signal about his future with the party.

RNZ

4: 

Donald Trump: I was ‘100% right’ about Muslims cheering 9/11 attacks

Donald Trump insisted on Sunday he was “100% right” when he said he saw Muslims in Jersey City, New Jersey, cheering the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center – even though fact-checkers have debunked his claim.

“I saw it. So many people saw it. And, so, why would I take it back? I’m not going to take it back,” said Trump.

Trump came under fire last week after making remarks at a rally and in a nationally televised appearance that he had seen thousands of people in Jersey City cheer the collapse of the Twin Towers in Manhattan. On Saturday, he appeared to reframe his words by saying the sentiment was shared worldwide.

The Guardian

3: 

4 of ExxonMobil’s greatest climate denial hits

In the last few months, exposé after exposé has uncovered how Exxon knew about the dangerous reality of climate change before the media, politicians and just about everyone else. But instead of doing the right thing, or even just sitting on its evidence, Exxon did something much more insidious. It tried to hide the truth from all of us. 

As we approach COP21, a global meeting to address the climate crisis, let’s take a look back on four examples of how far Exxon has gone to stop climate action:

2: 

Deadly ‘Russian airstrike’ hits market in Syria’s Idlib

At least 44 people were killed and scores wounded on Sunday in a suspected Russian air strike on a crowded marketplace in Idlib province, activists have told Al Jazeera.

The strikes hit the town of Ariha, which is controlled by the Army of Conquest, a rebel alliance which includes the Nusra Front, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

In addition to the market, several other areas of the town were hit, the group said.

Local news channel Ariha al-Youm reported cluster bombs were used in the raid by a Russian fighter jet.  

The pro-opposition Orient TV reported an initial death toll of 40. 

However, Rami Abdulrahman, director of the observatory, put the death toll much higher, saying at least 60 people were killed and wounded in the attack.

Officials at the Russian defence ministry could not immediately be reached for comment.

Aljazeera

1: 

In Photos: Anarchists Clash With Riot Police During Climate Summit Protest in Paris

Thousands of protesters defied the state of emergency that was imposed in Paris in the aftermath of the recent terror attacks, gathering on Sunday to call for world leaders to take action to fight climate change during a summit in the French capital.

The demonstration started out peacefully, with protesters forming a large human chain that stretched for nearly two miles from the Place de la Republique to Place de la Nation. Around 20,000 pairs of shoes were laid out in the Place de la Republique, symbolizing absent marchers after attacks by Islamic State militants killed 130 people on November 13 and led France to ban protests at the climate summit.

Vice News