Day: January 2, 2017

Python makes meal of wallaby in horse paddock near Cairns

A 3-metre scrub python has made a meal out of a wallaby in far north Queensland on New Year’s Day – the second such event recorded in the area in recent weeks. Bernie Worlsfold came across the python mid-feed about 5:00pm on Sunday, while attending to the horses on the Kuranda property where he lives.

Hunt is on for Istanbul attacker

Turkish media reports say that authorities believe that the Islamic State group is behind the attack on a popular Istanbul nightclub during New Year’s celebrations. Hurriyet and Karar newspaper reports Monday cited unnamed security officials saying that authorities have determined that the gunman who killed 39 people comes from a Central Asian nation and is believed to be either from Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan.

Reports: IS believed to be behind Istanbul nightclub attack

Authorities also believe that the gunman, who killed 39 people, most of them foreigners, comes from a Central Asian nation and is likely to be either from Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan, the pro-government Karar and the mainstream Hurriyet newspapers reported, citing unnamed security sources. Police had also established similarities with the high-casualty suicide bomb and gun attack at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport in June and was investigating whether the same IS cell could have carried out both attacks, the papers reported.

Turkey: Gunman still on the run after deadly New Year attack

Turkish police officers stand guard on the site of an armed attack at the Reina nightclub in Istanbul on January 1, 2017. The gunman who killed at least 39 people in a shooting at a popular nightclub in the Turkish city of Istanbul remained at large Monday as authorities continued their search for the assailant.

2017: An Year Of Uncertainties In Asian…

One, Trump’s taking over in less than three weeks, two, China’s increasing aggressive behaviour, and third, Putin’s political ploys. Trump’s taking office on January 20, 2017 will have the most impact on Asian geopolitics because if Trump follows through his rhetoric, then we are looking at a serious conflict between the US and China that encompasses both trade and political and security issues.

Turkey Sees IS Link to Istanbul Attack

Turkish authorities believe the attacker who killed 39 people, including two Indians, at an Istanbul nightclub over the New Year is linked to Islamic State jihadists and may be from Central Asia, the Hurriyet daily said. Hurriyet said Turkish police and intelligence had received information over the risk of a New Year’s attack by IS in several Turkish cities and had carried out raids and arrests throughout December in response.

Open Championships begin

The 2017 Bowls Tasmania State Championships began on Monday with the men’s and women’s fours the first event of the series. GAME ON: Latrobe’s Phil Moore rolls one down the green on the opening day of Bowls Tasmania’s Gala Week.

Myanmar to investigate police abuse of Rohingya

Myanmar’s government on Monday pledged to investigate a video apparently showing police beating and kicking Rohingya civilians, a rare admission that authorities may have carried out abuses against the Muslim minority. Tens of thousands of people from the persecuted ethnic group — loathed by many of Myanmar’s Buddhist majority — have fled a military operation in Rakhine state launched after attacks on police posts.

Graham Ford: Want Dhananjaya de Silva to become a top-order batsman

Dhananjaya de Silva has managed to play just six Tests so far, but has performed reasonably well, scoring 615 runs, along with an average of 55.90 till date Getty Images With Sri Lankan batsman Dhananjaya de Silva showing some good batting skills against hosts South Africa in the ongoing Test series, especially in the middle-order, the selectors are backing him to push up the order and make him a top-order batsman, feels Lankan head coach Graham Ford . De Silva has managed to play just six Tests so far, but has performed reasonably well, scoring 615 runs, along with an average of 55.90 till date.

Canadian school ban’s Israelis because of ‘settlements’

A trade school in Canada which banned Israeli applicants due to Israel’s alleged “illegal settlement activity” rescinded the ban on Tuesday following an intervention by B’nai Brith Canada and members of the Canadian Jewish community. Stav Daron, an Israeli engineering student and amateur carpenter, had hoped to take a course at the Island School of Building Arts , located on Gabriola Island in the province of British Columbia.

Suicide bomber ‘aged around 10’ attacks market

One person was seriously injured when a suicide bomber aged around 10 blew herself up in a New Year’s Eve attack in the northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri, witnesses and aid workers told AFP Sunday. The girl approached a crowd around a food vendor in the Customs area of the city around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday and detonated her explosives, they said.

Sasikala must take charge as CM: Thambidurai

Two days after former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa’s aide V K Sasikala assumed charge as general secretary of the ruling AIADMK, senior party leader and Lok Sabha deputy speaker M Thambidurai on Monday urged her to take charge as the chief minister. CHENNAI: Two days after former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa’s aide V K Sasikala assumed charge as general secretary of the ruling AIADMK, senior party leader and Lok Sabha deputy speaker M Thambidurai on Monday urged her to take charge as the chief minister.

Events that led to Thakur’s removal as BCCI Chief

NEW DELHI: Following the removal of BCCI Chief Anurag Thakur and secretary Ajay Shirke , as per the Supreme Court orders, we look back at the events that transpired ever since the Apex court came up with the decision of implementing Lodha Panel reforms. – On July 18, 2016, the Supreme Court welcomes Lodha Panel’s recommendations of sweeping changes within the BCCI.