Manchester City's Yaya Toure named African Footballer of the Year 

 Yaya Toure's African reign will stretch into a third year after the Manchester City midfielder was named the continent's best footballer once again.

The Ivory Coast star was crowned Footballer of the Year by the Confederation of African Football at a ceremony in Lagos, Nigeria on Thursday.

Toure pipped compatriot Didier Drogba, who plays for Turkish outfit Galatasaray, and Chelsea's Nigerian midfielder John Obi Mikel to the crown.

The 30-year-old becomes only the second player to win three successive titles, emulating Cameroon striker Samuel Eto'o, who now plays for Chelsea.

Voted for by African national team coaches and technical directors, Toure needs only one more title to join Eto'o in an elite band of players who have won it for times.

Toure, formerly of Spanish giants Barcelona, joined Manchester City in 2010, driving them to the Premier League title in the 2011-12 season.

A linchpin of their midfield, the Ivorian has 13 goals to his name already this season as City jostle for another English title, and he was included in the Premier League's Team of 2013.

He also helped his country qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, featuring in both legs of the playoff victory over Senegal.

In Spain, Real Madrid saw off Osasuna 2-0 in the first leg of their fifth round Spanish Cup tie.

With Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale on show, Real took the lead in the first half thanks to a free kick from France striker Karim Benzema.

Ronaldo, who is widely expected to be crowned world footballer of the year at FIFA's Ballon d'Or ceremony in Zurich on Monday, then laid on the second goal for Jese on the hour mark.

Ariel Sharon, former Israeli Prime Minister, dead at 85

Ariel Sharon, whose half century as a military and political leader in Israel was marked with victories and controversies, died Saturday after eight years in a coma, Israeli Army Radio reported. Sharon was 85.

Sharon died at Sheba Medical Center in the Tel Aviv suburb of Tel Hashomer.

The Israeli statesman was a national war hero to many Israelis for his leadership, both in uniform or as a civilian, during every Israeli war.

Israelis mourn loss of former leader

Many in the Arab world called Sharon "the Butcher of Beirut" after he oversaw Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon while serving as defense minister.

He was a major figure in many defining events in the Middle East for decades, including his decision to turn over Gaza and parts of the West Bank to Palestinian control.

Throughout, he was called "The Bulldozer," a fearless leader who got things done.

Ariel Sharon: Five things to know

The reaction in his own right-wing Likud Party to his order to the military to drag some Israeli settlers from their homes in Gaza led Sharon in November 2005 to form the political party Kadima, Hebrew for "Forward."

He was in his fifth year as prime minister when he suffered a massive stroke in January 2006, which left him comatose.

Ehud Olmert, who became interim prime minister after Sharon's stroke, assumed the role of prime minister after leading the Kadima Party to an election victory in March 2006.

Sharon's career was closely tied to Israel's relationship with Lebanon.

A life on front lines of war and politics

During the Lebanon war in 1982, Sharon, a former army general then serving as Israeli defense minister, was held indirectly responsible by an Israeli inquiry in 1983 for the massacre of hundreds of Palestinians at the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps. He was forced to resign.

Sharon, who lived on a ranch in the Negev Desert, became prime minister on March 7, 2001.

He was the man who encouraged Israelis to establish settlements on occupied Palestinian land, but he also was the leader who pushed for Israel's historic 2005 withdrawal from 25 settlements in the West Bank and Gaza, which was turned over to Palestinian rule for the first time in 38 years.

Ariel Sharon: Fast Facts

Sharon formed the centrist Kadima in an effort to build political support for his controversial plan to turn over Gaza and parts of the West Bank to Palestinian control.

In grappling with the decades-long conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, Sharon said in 2001, "I can talk and look in the eyes of the citizens of Israel and convince them to make painful compromises."

As waves of suicide bombings by militants rocked Israel, Sharon sent tanks and troops into Palestinian towns, ordering assassinations of Palestinian militant leaders.

Sharon ordered construction of the barrier through the West Bank and confined then-Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat, whom he called "a terrorist," to his compound in Ramallah, accusing him of encouraging attacks on Israel.

This veteran of all of Israel's wars was a national hero to many.

In 1953, after a wave of terrorist attacks from Jordan, Sharon the military leader led the infamous Unit 101 on a raid into the border town of Kibya, blowing up 45 houses and killing 69 Arab villagers. Sharon said he thought the houses were empty.

In June 1967, as a general, Sharon led his tank battalion to a crushing victory over the Egyptians in the Sinai during the Six Day War.

But what he considered his greatest military success came in 1973 during the Yom Kippur War. He surrounded Egypt's Third Army and, defying orders, led 200 tanks and 5,000 men over the Suez Canal, a turning point in the war.

As defense minister, Sharon was the architect of Israel's invasion of Lebanon, an occupation meant to stop the Palestine Liberation Organization from using Lebanon as a base for attacks on Israel. The attack was disastrous.

After the Sabra and Shatila massacre, he allowed Israeli families to settle in occupied Palestinian land, the same land Palestinians claimed as a future state.

As a result of the inquiry, however, Sharon was forced to stand down and was banned from ever being defense minister again.

"He felt betrayed by his government," said his adviser, Ranaan Gissin.

Sharon made a political comeback in the 1990s, eventually becoming leader of his party in 2000.

That year, he faced more trouble when he visited the holiest site for Jews, the Temple Mount in Jerusalem -- known to Muslims as Haram al Sharif, "The Noble Sanctuary." The stop sparked violent protests. The incident prompted the second Intifada -- the Palestinian uprising against Israeli rule -- that began in September of that year.

Throughout his career, both in the military and in politics, Sharon was the man Israelis turned to when they thought they had no other choice. Either leading from the front or calling the shots as an elected leader, he was always the soldier. Even in his later years out of uniform, his military demeanor was just below the surface. He never delivered on his promise of peace and security.

Sharon was born on a farm outside Tel Aviv. The son of Russian immigrants, he always remembered a lesson from his father as he ascended to the highest office in Israel.

"When my father saw that I was tired, he would stop for a minute and say, 'Look how much we have done already,'" he once explained.

Nearly 700 killed in Syria rebel infighting

Nearly 700 people have been killed in nine days of fierce clashes between an al Qaeda affiliate and other Islamist and rebel groups, activists said Sunday.

Forces from the al Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq and Syria have increasingly come into conflict with Free Syrian Army fighters and other hard-line factions opposing the Syrian regime, while ISIS attempts to impose its strict form of Islamic Sharia law on areas coming under its control in northern Syria.

In the last nine days, 697 people have been killed in the fighting, activists said.

The victims include 351 combatants from the Islamist and non-Islamist rebel battalions, 246 ISIS fighters, and 100 civilians, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The activist group said the deaths took place between January 3 and January 12.

Among the 100 civilians killed in the clashes, 21 were executed by ISIS in the children's hospital in Qadi Askar in the northern rebel stronghold of Aleppo, the group said.

CNN cannot independently verify daily death tolls, but the United Nations has said more than 100,000 people have been killed in Syria since 2011.

Foreign ministers meet

The violence came as the "Friends of Syria" group of foreign ministers, including U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, convened in Paris on Sunday in a last-ditch attempt to persuade the Syrian opposition to attend a peace conference in Geneva, Switzerland, at the end of January.

The Western-backed rebels are deeply divided on whether to go and will announce a decision on January 17.

In a statement, the alliance of mainly Western and Gulf Arab countries called on armed groups to "respect democratic and pluralistic values" and allow humanitarian access.

It condemned the presence of foreign fighters in Syria, "both those fighting with the regime such as Hezbollah and other Iranian backed forces, and those fighting within other extremist groups," and demanded their immediate withdrawal.

It urged democratic opposition forces to keep opposing groups affiliated with al Qaeda.

"We fully support the Supreme Military Council of the Free Syrian Army and other democratic opposition forces in their action against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant," it said. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant is another name for ISIS.

Uneasy alliance

For months, the rebel groups maintained an uneasy alliance as they fought to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government.

But now, the infighting has threatened to tip the balance among rebel forces toward militant groups and away from more secular brigades.

In a statement, the opposition Syrian Coalition media office condemned "any and all violations" and said armed gangs were taking advantage of the infighting between ISIS and the Free Syrian Army.

The statement, signed by Syrian Coalition media office director Khalid Saleh, cited these as "illegal practices, intimidating civilians, and theft, taking place all over Syria; particularly in the northern parts of the country."

"We call on FSA brigades to work with civil revolutionary bodies and local councils operating in those areas to address the threat of those gangs, and make sure those gangsters are hunted down and brought to justice," the statement said.

In Iraq, where at least nine people were killed and more than 40 wounded in several car explosions on Sunday, security forces in Mosul said they have detained 137 ISIS suspects in a series of raids in the city over the past seven days.

U.N. official in Damascus

On a visit to Damascus on Sunday, the United Nations humanitarian chief expressed concern for communities cut off by the months of fighting between government and rebel forces.

"I am particularly worried about the reports of starvation," Valerie Amos said in a statement after meeting with government officials as well as humanitarian organizations.

"The world must do more for all the people who are displaced. Many families are living in abandoned buildings, schools or in makeshift shelters, without enough food, clean water or medicine. We must help them to get through this very cold winter," she said after visiting a shelter in rural Damascus.

Amos recognized steps taken by the government to approve visas so aid can get in.

"But we need to do more in a crisis of this magnitude," she said.

Golden Globes 2014: Who should win vs. who will win

Oscar nominations remain to be announced, but it's already time to predict what will happen at the Golden Globes this Sunday. Who will win? Who should win? To keep track of the various Globes races, here are some of Entertainment's most educated guesses, thanks to input from the nominees themselves.

Best motion picture -- drama

Since the Globes separate drama from comedy (and musicals), the toughest race this year (for once) will be in comedy/musicals, not drama. Still, there are some strong contenders in this category: "12 Years a Slave," "Captain Phillips," "Gravity," "Philomena" and "Rush." Each of these (except "Gravity") is based on a true story; that usually gives a film a boost in the awards department, but the real question this year might be, how does each film make you feel?

Although "12 Years a Slave," based on the experiences of Solomon Northup, a free man who was kidnapped and forced into slavery, is an exceptional and important film, it can also be hard to watch, given the lingering attention paid to such horrors as lynching, whipping and rape. (The word often used to describe the film: "harrowing.")

"It's obviously a situation where people have had their difficulties with the subject," director Steve McQueen said. "It's understandable in a way, because it's such a grave and painful part of that time in history." Still, McQueen hopes people are able to "find out who they are and what they are and how far they've come" when they consider the film.

An easier sell is "Gravity," also an amazing film, but more because it provides an experience of what it would be like to be in space. (The word often used to describe this one: "spectacular.") So even though there are some disturbing moments in the movie, viewers tend to find the depiction of zero-gravity a more exhilarating experience and might vote accordingly. If we were feeling cynical, we would guess that the lighter "Gravity" will circle the Globe, even if the heavier "12 Years a Slave" deserves to.

Best motion picture -- comedy or musical

Here, the contenders are "American Hustle," "Her," "Inside Llewyn Davis," "Nebraska" and "The Wolf of Wall Street." And because so many of the great films this year have a dramedy/comedy aspect, this is a trickier category than usual -- with no one film sweeping the all-important predictors, the critics awards.

"American Hustle" snagged the New York Film Critics Circle Award for best picture, "Her" got National Board of Review's nod, "Inside Llewyn Davis" won the National Society of Film Critics Awards, and so on. It might be that two films are dividing the vote: two period piece con-man stories that cancel each other out. Can David O. Russell's Scorsese-like "American Hustle" out-hustle Scorsese's own film, "The Wolf of Wall Street?" Could both be elbowed aside by Spike Jonze's enchanting computer-age love story, "Her"?

All the crazy outrageousness, the controversies over glamorizing not-so-victimless crimes and even the quite excellent performances in both "Hustle" and "Wolf" seem just a lot of noise when compared with the quiet but more inventive "Her," which plays like a fable for our times. "Her" should win, but "Wolf" will probably blow down the Globes door.

Best director

Ben Affleck was the surprise winner in this category last year, so anything could happen. Each of the nominees -- Alfonso Cuaron (for "Gravity"), Paul Greengrass ("Captain Phillips"), McQueen ("12 Years a Slave"), Alexander Payne ("Nebraska") and David O. Russell ("American Hustle") -- is a strong contender, but Cuaron's accomplishments in creating film technology could push him ahead of his peers, as might his easygoing, self-deprecating meet-and-greet campaign strategy.

"A movie about an astronaut alone in space for an hour and a half? Doesn't sound appealing!" he said with a laugh. "It was how the media presented the whole thing that made the difference. I'm surprised at what the response has been."

Still, it's more likely that this will go to a helmer for a film other than the one that takes home best picture to snag this as a consolation prize -- and yes, we mean you, McQueen.

Best performance by an actor in a motion picture -- drama

The leading men in the drama category are Chiwetel Ejiofor for "12 Years a Slave," Idris Elba for "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom," Tom Hanks for "Captain Phillips," Matthew McConaughey for "Dallas Buyers Club" and Robert Redford for "All is Lost." Ejiofor will probably win for his intelligent, emotional portrayal of Solomon Northup, but he's got some strong competition in McConaughey (who lost a ton of weight for his role) and Redford (an industry favorite). Although Redford's unnamed man had a rough time of it trying to survive at sea, the actor himself had it relatively easy, which means he can't rely on the usual awards narrative of suffering for his art.

"I just had the one ear infection," Redford said. "They worked very hard to protect me. I mean, there were certainly points where all hell was breaking lose, but you can't control everything."

First-time nominee McConaughey could downplay his "suffering" as well, but unlike the others, it doesn't matter what he says. His physical appearance in the film says it for him. But McConaughey's commitment to his performance as a man refusing to die from AIDS isn't just about the weight loss; it's about how he keeps transforming himself and disappearing into new identities. McConaughey should win.

Best performance by an actress in a motion picture -- drama

The leading ladies in the drama category are Cate Blanchett for "Blue Jasmine," Sandra Bullock for "Gravity," Judi Dench for "Philomena," Emma Thompson for "Saving Mr. Banks" and Kate Winslet for "Labor Day." Unlike most of the other categories this year, this one has a clear forerunner in Blanchett, whose bravura performance in Woody Allen's film has won her accolades from the National Society of Film Critics and the New York Film Critics Circle. In fact, one of the biggest surprises at the Gotham Awards was that Blanchett did not win: Up-and-coming actress Brie Larson managed to snag an award away from her. But that won't happen at the Globes, where Blanchett will and should win.

Best performance by an actor in a motion picture -- comedy or musical

Only Oscar Isaac can lay claim to the musical part of the category, with his breakthrough performance in "Inside Llewyn Davis," but the rest of the guys are nominated for making us laugh: Christian Bale in "American Hustle," Bruce Dern in "Nebraska," Leonardo DiCaprio in "The Wolf of Wall Street" and Joaquin Phoenix in "Her." The real race here is between DiCaprio, who goes all-out in "Wolf," and the long-overdue Dern, who puts in a more subdued performance as a confused alcoholic who thinks he's won a million dollars in "Nebraska."

The irony is that Dern himself doesn't even drink. "A lot of times, I just get a virgin pina colada," he said.

But a scene in which DiCaprio's character takes quaaludes, which could have become slapstick in someone else's hands, is what should convince the Globes that they need a new drug. Dern as the sentimental favorite will win, but DiCaprio should.

Best performance by an actress in a motion picture -- comedy or musical

Meryl Streep, who was nominated last year for "Hope Springs," might hope to dominate this category this year with her bitter pill of a character in "August: Osage County." Lucky for her, her competition does not include Jennifer Lawrence. Instead, she faces off against Amy Adams in "American Hustle," Julie Delpy in "Before Midnight," Greta Gerwig in "Frances Ha" and Julia Louis-Dreyfus in "Enough Said."

Streep will probably win, but Delpy's performance in "Before Midnight," the final installment of her walk-and-talk trilogy with Ethan Hawke, is the bigger accomplishment. Not only did Delpy co-write the film with Hawke and director Richard Linklater, but her biggest moment -- a fight scene in a hotel -- is performed half-nude. The effect is so real, so raw, that you almost refuse to believe it was scripted at all.

"It was trying to find the idea of romanticism without being overall romantic and silly and cheesy," Delpy said. "How do you find the right balance of real but romantic but not too cute but not too horrible, either? Because otherwise, a relationship could be a horror film!" Delpy should win.

Best performance by an actor in a supporting role in a motion picture

The supporting actors who will have to duke it out this time are Barkhad Abdi for "Captain Phillips," Daniel Bruehl for "Rush," Bradley Cooper for "American Hustle," Michael Fassbender for "12 Years a Slave" and Jared Leto for "Dallas Buyers Club." This is a tough race, and none of the contenders has won a Golden Globe before. Bruehl (who really shared enough screen time to be considered the lead in "Rush") managed to make a difficult personality (real-life race car driver Niki Lauda) actually sympathetic.

"It was a crucial thing to get that voice right, because it adds a sense of humor, of irony, of cockiness, you know? How can someone be so blunt? But then I thought there was something funny about it, too, and admirable, because he is so straightforward and a hundred percent honest," Bruehl said.

In any other year, Bruehl might win. But this year, he's facing off with Leto, the clear favorite, whose portrayal of a tra

nssexual AIDS patient, like his co-star McConaughey in "Dallas Buyers Club," required him to become ultra-thin. "I did it before, for 'Requiem for a Dream,' so I had some experience with it," Leto said. "It's a lot easier the second time!"

And this time, his dedication is being rewarded. Leto will and should win.