Hunt gives Corbyn by-election headache after quitting for V&A

Francis Elliott, Political Editor January 14 2017, 12:01am, The Times Tristram Hunt said that his decision to join the museum was not aimed at destabilising the Labour partyGetty Images Jeremy Corbyn faces four difficult by-elections in coming months after a leading Labour MP quit the Commons for a job in the arts.

No news yet whether serial rapist is coming home

Serial rapist Selvah Kumar Subbiah is due to be released from prison this month and authorities won’t say whether he’ll be deported to his native Malaysia, or returned to the streets of Toronto. KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian serial rapist, convicted of assaulting more than two dozen women in Canada, is likely to be deported back to Malaysia soon after serving out his 25-year prison sentence.

ILWU members rail against proposed regulations changes

More than two dozen members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada rallied outside the Transport Canada offices on Second Avenue West on Thursday morning to send a strong message to the federal government: allowing the end of cabotage and privatizing Canada’s ports and airports would be a devastating mistake for hundreds of thousands of Canadian workers. Led by president of ILWU Local 400 marine section Terry Engler and president of ILWU Local 523 Regan Fletcher, union members from Prince Rupert to Vancouver rallied to tell the new Justin Trudeau Liberal government to bring in what they promised: change.

VIDEO: 65 proud new Canadians

A bunch of proud new Canadians are waving their red and white flags after taking the Oath of Citizenship this week in Kelowna. A total of 65 local residents became official Canadian citizens on Wednesday at a joy-filled ceremony held at the Rotary Centre of the Arts.

New Australia Day lamb ad isn’t landing well with Indigenous Australians

The latest Meat and Livestock Association Australia Day ad has been widely hailed as diverse and progressive on social media, but many Indigenous Australians have reacted very differently. Ryan Griffen, creator of ABC drama Cleverman, believes the ad to be in “poor taste”, telling Daily Life: “as important as it is for Australians to celebrate multiculturalism, I feel for us to be able to appreciate an ad like this on screen a lot of work needs to happen off screen.”

Motorcyclist badly injured in Waihi crash

A motorcyclist has been flown to Waikato Hospital with serious injuries after a collision with a car in Waihi on Saturday. “The person on the motorcycle suffered some serious injuries and as a result has been flown to Waikato Hospital,” Simpson said.

Eight Indonesians deported over IS links freed

KUALA LUMPUR: Eight Indonesians deported from here for suspected links with the Islamic State have been freed by the Indonesian authorities. Riau Islands police spokesman Saptono Erland confirmed that the men, aged between 16 and 37, were released on Thursday after being interrogaA ted by the Indonesian counter-terrorism unit.

Relief as east coast storm surge fails to wreak havoc

Flood-threatened residents have expressed relief on parts of Britain’s east coast as a feared storm surge was not as bad as expected – but Essex is still bracing itself for the high tide. Thousands were evacuated from their homes as t he Environment Agency issued 17 severe warnings – which warn of danger to life – with those in Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex told they were most at risk.

Diplomat recalled, four held over nasty remarks

PETALING JAYA: A Malaysian diplomat has been transferred back after he allegedly made insulting remarks following the death of Tan Sri Adenan Satem, while several other people have been arrested for similar offences. It is understood the officer, who was based in the Philippines, had posted comments on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s Facebook page after the death of the Sarawak Chief Minister.

Abang Jo to continue the legacy

KUCHING: Sarawak’s new Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg is expected to continue the legacy of the late Tan Sri Adenan Satem, which won the former state leader much admiration around the country . Abang Johari, 66, was sworn in as the sixth Chief Minister in front of Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud at the Astana here yesterday, two days after Adenan passed away.

‘Absolutely verboten’ or ‘personal family vacation’: Trudeau…

In the wake of accusations he broke federal law when he flew on a private helicopter during a recent holiday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declined Friday to offer a justification for that decision. Trudeau and his family spent several days over the New Year as the guest of the billionaire philanthropist and spiritual leader the Aga Khan at the Aga Khan’s private island in the Bahamas.

China and Russia promise ‘countermeasures’ against a US-Korean missile defense system

China and Russia have expressed concern about a US plan to deploy an antimissile system in South Korea and vowed to take unspecified “countermeasures,” state media reported. The countermeasures “will be aimed at safeguarding interests of China and Russia and the strategic balance in the region,” China’s state news service Xinhua said on January 13. “China and Russia urged the United States and South Korea to address their security concerns and stop the deployment of [the antimissile system] on the Korean Peninsula,” Xinhua said.

Italy expels Tunisian with indirect link to Berlin attacker

Italy says it has expelled a Tunisian who allegedly was in contact with an Islamic State group member with links to the Berlin attacker. The Interior Ministry said Friday that the 32-year-old Tunisian, who was living in Ancona, Italy, praised IS on his Facebook page and was in contact with a fellow Tunisian who is an IS member.

Kosovo says Serbia’s train to its north violates sovereignty

Kosovo considers Serbia’s effort to launch a rail link between the two countries as a provocation and an aggressive violation of its sovereignty. The Serbian government announced Friday it will launch a railway link between Belgrade and northern Mitrovica in Kosovo, where most of the country’s ethnic Serb minority is located.

Today in History

On Jan. 13, 1967, the Rolling Stones’ double-A sided single “Let’s Spend the Night Together” and “Ruby Tuesday” was released in the United Kingdom by Decca Records.

Cyprus Talks Moving Toward Endgame

United Nations officials say negotiations aimed at wrapping up a reunification deal for the divided Mediterranean island of Cyprus will resume next week. The adviser to the U.N. secretary general on Cyprus, Espen Barth Eide, described Thursday’s international conference on the island as a turning point for negotiations.

Oil Falls on China Concerns, Down for the Week on OPEC Doubts

Oil prices fell on Friday and ended the week 3 percent lower on lingering doubts over the extent of OPEC cuts, with sentiment worsened by concerns over the economic health of the world’s second-largest oil consumer, China, after it reported the steepest falls in overall exports since 2009. Record Chinese crude imports of 8.6 million barrels per day in December helped to buoy prices somewhat, traders said, but they could not hide underlying fears over the overall health of the world’s second-biggest economy.

Rich history of Whanganui Inlet shows how much we’ve lost

OPINION: At the start of every summer for the last 20 years or so our family has headed out with the same group of friends to set up camp at Rakopi on the northern edge of Whanganui Inlet. The weather in mid-December can be dodgy, but tucked behind the forested dune amongst the sparse stands of kanuka affords good protection from whatever mother nature can dish up.

Maintenance stems clashes over Syrian capital water source

Maintenance workers arrived in Syria’s rebel-held valley near Damascus Friday to fix the water facility there, signalling an end to the violent standoff that has dried out the capital for weeks and threatened a fragile cease-fire, activists and the government said. For days, negotiations stalled, failing to restore the water flow to the capital restricted since Dec. 22 and to end a government offensive there to uproot rebels in control of the area for years.

Cubans sold everything to reach U.S., now hundreds stranded

A group of Cuban migrants share travel stories outside the Caritas shelter for migrants in Panama City, Panama, January 13, 2017. Lilia Gonzales , a staff member of the Caritas shelter for migrants, explains the center policy and options to new Cuban migrants that arrived the previous night to the center in Panama City, Panama, January 13, 2017.

Acting DEA Administrator Meets With Drug Control Officials in China

At the invitation of the China Ministry of Public Security , Drug Enforcement Administration Acting Administrator Chuck Rosenberg visited China this week to discuss issues of mutual concern and to build on the DEA’s existing relationship with Chinese counternarcotics law enforcement authorities. Rosenberg emphasized the increased cooperation between the DEA and the MPS and recognized China’s actions toward combating global synthetic drug trafficking and illicit money laundering.

Train hits car in Waikato

Emergency services were called to the crash on the rail tracks at the south end of Matamata, at State Highway 27, at 7.21am on Saturday. The driver, the sole occupant, was able to get out of the car before the train hit it, Northern Fire Communications shift manager Colin Underdown.

Power company wants to introduce sea water A/C system to Jamaica

Jamaican power and conservation solutions company, New Leaf Power said it is desirous of introducing sea water air conditioning technology to Jamaica following a 12-member public and private sector study tour of two alternative energy systems in Canada. This is against the background that in the Caribbean, according to the Caribbean Development Bank , air conditioning accounts, on average, for 50 per cent of total energy consumption in commercial buildings, while sea water technology is estimated to reduce electricity consumption for air conditioning by up to 90 per cent.

Despite doping scandals, Russia could bid for 2028 Olympics

Still mired in a doping scandal and with a track team banned from international competition, the president of the Russian Olympic Committee said his country may put forth a bid to host the 2028 Games. Alexander Zhukov said Friday that Russia is considering three cities as candidates for a 2028 bid, even as it battles accusations of a mass doping coverup at the Sochi Olympics three years ago.