WASHINGTON (AFP) -- The European Space Agency's Rosetta probe, which sent the Philae lander onto a comet's surface in November, has revealed unexpected details about these celestials balls of ice, dust, and rocky particles.In eight papers published in the journal Science on Friday, researchers describe what they have learned about Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko since the 100-kilogram Philae landed on it November 12 after a 10-year trek piggybacking on Rosetta.High-definition images taken by the

RIYADH (AP) -- Saudi Arabia's newly enthroned King Salman moved quickly Friday to name a future successor to the crown in his oil-rich kingdom, a significant appointment that puts the kingdom's future squarely in the hands of a new generation.King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud's actions came as the Sunni-ruled kingdom mourned King Abdullah, who died early Friday at the age of 90 after nearly two decades in power.A royal decree affirmed Crown Prince Muqrin as his immediate successor. After Muqrin

NEW YORK (AP) -- The video of two Japanese hostages being held by the Islamic State group seems, like past IS videos, taken in an arid, desert setting. But suspicions are emerging that the message was not prepared outdoors at all.An expert in these videos said it was more likely completed in an indoor studio with a false backdrop made to appear that it was done outdoors.Kenji Goto, a journalist, and Haruna Yukawa, who runs a security company, are seen kneeling in orange jumpsuits with a masked m

FREETOWN (AFP) -- Sierra Leone on Friday lifted crippling nationwide restrictions on movement put in place at the height of the Ebola crisis, amid signs that the deadly epidemic was retreating.The nation of six million had restricted travel for around half its population, sealing off six of its 14 districts and numerous tribal chiefdoms in response to an outbreak which has killed more than 3,000 Sierra Leoneans."Restrictions on movement will be eased to support economic activity. As such, there

SANAA (AFP) -- Yemen faced a dangerous power vacuum Friday after its president announced his resignation over a deadly standoff with Shiite militia controlling the capital and lawmakers called an emergency weekend session.President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi, a key US ally in the fight against Al-Qaeda, said he could no longer stay in office as the country was in "total deadlock"."I believe that I have not been able to achieve the goals for which I took up my duties," he said late Thursday, adding tha

MELBOURNE (AFP) -- A stunned Roger Federer was dumped from the Australian Open Friday in his worst showing since 2001 as Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova bounced back to stay in the title hunt.In the tournament's biggest upset, the Swiss world number two had no answer to Italian Andreas Seppi, who he had conquered in their past 10 meetings."Just a bad day. I wish I could have played better but clearly it was tough losing the first two sets," Federer said after crashing out in the third round 6-4

ZURICH (AFP) -- Iranian and US diplomats resumed talks in Switzerland on Friday, as the pace intensifies towards a complex deal on Tehran's nuclear programme.Two days of meetings between Iran's deputy foreign minister Abbas Araghchi and top US negotiator Wendy Sherman began Friday morning in Zurich, a US spokesman told AFP.EU political director Helga Schmid was also taking part in the meetings, he added.The talks are taking place less than a week after Araghchi met with Sherman and representativ

 RIYADH (AFP) -- King Abdullah's death could not have come at a worse time for Saudi Arabia's vital oil sector as the absolute monarchy seeks to reassert its leadership in a fast-changing industry.After an exceptional decade that saw it build up production capacity and huge financial reserves, Saudi Arabia is facing a major challenge from new market players -- in particular North American shale oil producers.The Gulf powerhouse now finds itself locked in a battle for market share against unconve

ZURICH (AP) -- Three second-tier World Cup sponsors opting not to renew for the 2018 tournament in Russia was normal in sports business, FIFA insisted on Friday.Castrol, Continental and Johnson & Johnson all let their World Cup commercial deals expire in December amid widespread allegations of corruption implicating FIFA executive committee members.The companies were among eight second-tier FIFA partners who collectively paid $524 million to be associated with the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, which

China on Friday decided to free on bail 12 of the 14 South Koreans under detention on charges of drug trafficking, allowing them to be investigated without physical detention, a Seoul official said.However, the Chinese law enforcement authorities will continue to detain the other two South Koreans involved in the case, a South Korean foreign ministry official said, requesting that he not be identified."We were informed that bail will be allowed for the 12 Koreans," the official told reporters, d

President Park Geun-hye and Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang met in Seoul Friday, agreeing that the two countries will continue working closely on the resumption of multilateral talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons program, Park's office said.Wang, who arrived in Seoul Thursday for a three-day visit, also delivered a message from Chinese President Xi Jinping, saying the neighbors should deepen their strategic partnership and make efforts to revive the stalled six-party denuclearization talks, it

MOSCOW (AP) -- Russia has left Olympic women's figure skating champion Adelina Sotnikova off its roster for next month's European championships.Sotnikova missed this week's Russian nationals with an ankle injury, but there had been speculation her Olympic achievements could persuade the Russian Figure Skating Federation to give her a place.``The team roster was selected exclusively on the basis of the sporting principle, according to the results of the Russian championship,'' federation presiden

WASHINGTON (UPI) -- According to recent polls, President Obama's approval rating for his sixth year is higher than President Bush's and close to President Reagan's at the same point in their presidencies.A recent Gallup poll shows Obama with a term average of a 48 percent approval rating, and 45 percent approval for the most recently recorded weekly average. In comparison, George Bush was at 37 percent at the same point in his presidency and Reagan was at 48 percent.A poll released by CNN this w

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) -- Malaysian mogul Tony Fernandes, who transformed a floundering carrier into Asia's biggest budget airline, faces his first major crisis after an AirAsia plane went missing Sunday with 162 people on board.AirAsia is credited with starting a revolution in the skies of Southeast Asia and has seen spectacular growth under Fernandes' low-cost, low-overheads model despite intense competition.The ebullient tycoon is one of Asia's most visible entrepreneurs, carving out an image tha

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) -- Croatia's economic woes hung over presidential elections Sunday in which a liberal incumbent faced pressure from a conservative challenger. The vote is seen as a test for the center-left government which has come under criticism for its failure to revive the economy more than one year after Croatia joined the EU. Croatia has one of the weakest economies in the bloc, with unemployment at nearly 20 percent and a six-year recession.Nearly 3.8 million voters can pick from fou