While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Dec 27

Russia is ready to act as a mediator between North Korea and the United States if both parties are willing for it to play such a role, the Kremlin said on Tuesday (Dec 26).

Moscow has long called for the two sides to hold negotiations aimed at reducing tensions over the nuclear and missile programme North Korea is pursuing in defiance of years of UN Security Council resolutions.

"Russia's readiness to clear the way for de-escalation is obvious," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a phone call with reporters.

French prosecutors have opened a probe into salmonella contamination and a major international recall of baby milk produced by dairy giant Lactalis, a legal source told AFP on Tuesday (Dec 26).

The investigation will focus on possible charges of causing involuntary injuries and endangering the lives of others but also possible cheating and failures in carrying out a product recall, the source said.

Reports of some 20 children falling sick after consuming Lactalis powdered milk - sold under several different brand names in France and abroad, including Picot and Milumel - first emerged in early December.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a number of trade deals with Chad on Tuesday (Dec 26), on his first visit to what is one of the poorest and most corrupt countries in the world.

After landing at the airport in the capital N'Djamena, where he was met by his counterpart Idriss Deby, the two leaders made deals in a number of areas, including income tax, cooperation on youth and sports, technical development, investment and information-sharing, according to a statement by the Chadian presidency.

Erdogan headed a delegation of a dozen ministers, including defence and foreign affairs, as well as 100 Turkish businessmen.

Manchester United came from two goals down to rescue a dramatic 2-2 draw against Burnley, thanks to Jesse Lingard's double, while Tottenham striker Harry Kane shattered a Premier League record with a hat-trick in a 5-2 rout of Southampton on Tuesday (Dec 26). With Manchester City not in action until Wednesday's trip to Newcastle, United are now 12 points behind the runaway leaders. Ashley Barnes gave Burnley the perfect start in the third minute when he poked home from Johann Berg Gudmundsson's free-kick. READ MORE HERE

Former Peru soccer federation president, Manuel Burga, was found not guilty on Tuesday (Dec 26) of racketeering conspiracy by a US jury in New York.

Burga was charged along with Juan Angel Napout, the former president of the South American soccer governing body CONMEBOL and Paraguay's soccer federation, and Jose Maria Marin, former president of Brazil' soccer federation, with taking bribes in exchange for the award of valuable marketing and media rights to international soccer matches.

The three men were the first to stand trial on charges brought by US prosecutors in 2015 as part of investigations of world soccer's governing body Fifa. Napout and Marin were both convicted on several counts on Friday, following a five-week trial in federal court in Brooklyn.

Manchester United came from two goals down to rescue a dramatic 2-2 draw against Burnley, thanks to Jesse Lingard's double, while Tottenham striker Harry Kane shattered a Premier League record with a hat-trick in a 5-2 rout of Southampton on Tuesday (Dec 26).

With Manchester City not in action until Wednesday's trip to Newcastle, United are now 12 points behind the runaway leaders.

Ashley Barnes gave Burnley the perfect start in the third minute when he poked home from Johann Berg Gudmundsson's free-kick.