Move over, Japan: Next year, Africa will debut its first high-speed train, in Morocco. Testing has begun on the French-made double-decker train cars that will reach speeds of 200 mph, to Casablanca and cut travel time more than in half.
Day: January 20, 2017
Joy erupts as Italian rescuers pull out avalanche survivors
With cheers of joy, rescue crews pulled survivors from the debris of an avalanche-crushed hotel in central Italy on Friday, an incredible discovery that boosted spirits two days after the massive snow slide buried around 30 people at the resort. Two children were among those rescued.
30 firefighters killed, many still missing in Iran building collapse
Iranian firefighters help their colleague during debris removal of the Plasco building which caught fire and collapsed on Thursday, in central Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 20, 2017. Firefighters remove debris of the Plasco building which was engulfed by a fire and collapsed on Thursday, in central Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 20, 2017.
Paul Nuttall set to be Ukip candidate for Stoke-on-Trent Central by-election
Ukip leader Paul Nuttall looks set to be the party’s candidate to fight the crucial Stoke-on-Trent Central by-election. A Ukip source confirmed Mr Nuttall has “thrown his hat into the ring” and will participate in a local hustings event alongside other nominees on Friday before the candidate is confirmed on Saturday.
Gambiaa s defense chief wona t fight, supports Barrow
Gambia’s chief of defense forces pledged his allegiance to the country’s new president Friday, a major shift as mediation continued to persuade the defeated Yahya Jammeh to cede power. Ousmane Badjie told The Associated Press the country’s security services all support the newly inaugurated Adama Barrow and said they would not fight a regional force that was poised to push out Jammeh if talks failed.
UN rights envoy slams Myanmar on military’s actions
Yanghee Lee, UN Human Rights Special Rapporteur to Myanmar, talks to journalists during a press briefing at a hotel Friday, Jan. 20, 2017, in Yangon, Myanmar. Lee visited conflict areas including Kachin and Rakhine State and met with government officials during her trip to Myanmar.
Over 30 employers set for major Ballymena job fair
Reminding the public that the countdown is on for the Mid and East Antrim Job Fair on February 2 is Joan Connolly, Ballymena Jobs & Benefits Office. Local jobseekers have been urged to ‘seize opportunities’ as Ballymena prepares to hold a major job fair with over 30 employers in attendance.
NPCI advises PhonePe App to comply with UPI guidelines
New Delhi, Jan 20 – The National Payments Corporation of India on Friday directed mobile phone e-wallet PhonePe to comply with the UPI guidelines. The development comes a day after the NPCI advised lending major ICICI Bank to ‘open UPI transactions’ through the mobile phone e-wallet ‘immediately’.
Is the IS the new normal for the Middle East?
Jaipur, Jan 20 – The Islamic State may be on the backfoot but is still entrenched in some of its strongholds like Mosul, leading to the worrying prospect if the terror outfit is be the new normal for the Middle East since the grievances that led to its rise have not been dealt with, warn area experts. While most of the regions of the world were improving, the Middle East, which has seen a number of major disruptions in the last few years, was not one of them, said British expert on the Middle East, Emma Sky in a session A World of Disruptions on the second day of the Jaipur Literature Festival-2017 on Friday.
Mukherjee congratulates new US President Trump
New Delhi, Jan 20 – President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday congratulated Donald J. Trump as the latter was sworn in as the 45th President of the US and said he looks forward to welcoming the Trumps in India. Please accept best wishes for your success, personal well-being and for continued progress & prosperity of the people of USA, President Mukherjee tweeted.
In time of troubles, Davos organizers send in the clown
With an ear-piercing whistle, a professional clown in the crowd startles to order a conference room full of some of the world’s elite thinkers, writers and religious minds. The Lebanese-born, curly-haired artist in baggy green trousers and with a frequent raspy laugh made her debut this week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, a special invitee more accustomed to entertaining refugees than livening up serious thought-fests.
Prince William to leave job as air ambulance pilot
Prince William will soon leave his job as an air ambulance helicopter pilot to spend more time on royal duties. Kensington Palace said in a statement Friday that William, his wife Kate and their two children will spend more time in London and less time at their country home in Norfolk.
Prosecutor: Extradition of El Chapo is milestone for justice
In this photo provided U.S. law enforcement, authorities escort Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, center, from a plane to a waiting caravan of SUVs at Long Island MacArthur Airport on Thursday in Ronkonkoma, N.Y. The infamous drug kingpin who twice escaped from maximum-security prisons in Mexico was extradited at the request of the U.S. to face drug trafficking and other charges, and landed in New York late Thursday, a federal law enforcement official said.
a Ia ve seen rain:a James Taylor bemoans end of Obama era
President Barack Obama sings “Jingle Bells” with James Taylor and others during the lighting ceremony for the 2016 National Christmas Tree on the Ellipse near the White House in Washington. Taylor, on vacation in French Polynesia, posted a video online Friday bemoaning the end of the Obama era, saying, “Hi, it’s James on the last day of the Obama administration, and it feels like it’s raining all over the world.” BOSTON >> Half a world away from Washington, James Taylor is greeting fans with a video bemoaning the end of the Obama era.
Proposed Norwegian office building will generate more power than it uses
If buildings that meet the rigorous qualifications of passive house construction seem impressive, or projects that attain the Living Building standard, such as the Bullitt Center , represent the cutting edge of sustainable design, a recently announced project in an Oslo suburb could be a game-changer, according to its developer. The Powerhouse Telemark, an 11-story office tower projected to open in Porsgrunn, Norway, promises to not just be sustainable, but to actually produce more power than it consumes.
Fitch Affirms Polish City of Katowice at ‘A-‘; Outlook Stable
WARSAW/LONDON, January 20 Fitch Ratings has affirmed the Polish City of Katowice’s Long-Term Foreign and Local Currency Issuer Default Ratings at ‘A-‘. Fitch has also affirmed the city’s National Long-Term Rating at ‘AA+ ‘.
The Latest: Barrow, still in Senegal, prays for Gambia peace
The Latest on Gambia’s political crisis, sparked by defeated leader Yahya Jammeh’s refusal to leave office : Red carpets have been laid out at the airport in Gambia’s capital in what appears to be preparations for a speech and a departure. West African leaders have been meeting with defeated leader Yahya Jammeh in an effort to persuade him to cede power to newly inaugurated leader Adama Barrow.
Desperate search for trapped Iran firefighters
Our eNewspaper network was founded in 2002 to provide stand-alone digital news sites tailored for the most searched-for locations for news. With a traditional newspaper format, more than 100 sites were established each with a newspaper-type name to cover the highest-ranked regions, countries, cities and states.
British police use stun-gun on their own black race relations adviser
Britain’s police watchdog is to hold an investigation after officers were filmed firing a stun-gun at their own local black race relations adviser who they apparently mistook for a wanted suspect, the force involved said on Friday. Judah Adunbi, 63, who is a founder member of an Independent Advisory Group which works with Avon and Somerset Police in western England to improve relations with the local black community, was shot with the high-voltage Taser gun last Saturday outside his home in Bristol.
AG on PM probes: No one above the law, I am doing my duty
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with then-cabinet secretary and current Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, May 26, 2015. Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit on Friday defended his role in the corruption investigations into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, telling attendees at a Bar Association conference in Eilat that everyone in Israel is answerable to the law, regardless of status.
PA forces rescue 4 settlers who entered Palestinian village
Israeli Border Police officers stand guard as Palestinian farmers use tractors to work the land in the village of Qusra in the West Bank, with the Esh Kodesh outpost in the background, on November 19, 2013. A group of Israeli settlers, including three off-duty soldiers, were rescued from a Palestinian village in the northern West Bank on Friday after they entered the area for as-yet-unknown reasons and were quickly set upon by local residents, the army said.
5 reported alive in rubble of Italian hotel hit by avalanche
Rescue workers on skis reached a four-star spa hotel buried by an … via AP). The interior of the Rigopiano Hotel is destroyed by an avalanche in Farindola, Italy, early Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017.
4 killed, 15 hurt after car strikes pedestrians in Melbourne
Police listen to witnesses at the scene of an incident in the central business district in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Jan. 20, 2017. A man deliberately drove into a street crowded with pedestrians on Friday, killing people, police said.
Emergency responders in Magdalen Road this morning. Picture: Sophie Grubb
A WOMAN has been found dead inside an East Oxford home after a ‘fear for welfare’ incident closed a street, police have confirmed. Thames Valley Police said the woman was believed to be in her 20s but investigations were expected to continue throughout the day.
7 Ways To Float Your Boat In London
St Peter’s Barge floats in the shadows of the huge glass skyscrapers around Canary Wharf. The West India Quay-based boat is part of the Parish of St Anne’s and is run by a permanent full-time Church of England minister alongside a team of four.
BHP and Vale Agree New Framework For Samarco Disaster Settlement
The preliminary agreement could ease the passage of a compensation deal and avoid the neccesity of fighting a $47.5 billion claim in court. BHP Billiton and Vale could avoid lengthy and risky court hearings relating to a fatal 2015 dam burst in Brazil after cutting a preliminary deal that will group various claims, including a $47.5 billion compensation demand, into a single negotiated settlement.
Museum gotta see – um
“EDITH HILLINGER: ABSTRACT COLLAGES,” AT THE PENINSULA MUSEUM OF ART IN BURLINGAME. The Peninsula Museum of Art presents “Edith Hillinger: Abstract Collages,” mixed-media works on canvas, whose influences range from Northern European Gothic to Middle Eastern ethnic patterns.
Skegness couple ‘back on British soil’ after state of emergency call in Gambia
Alan Cupitt and his partner Gill Thomas contacted The Skegness Standard early this morning to confirm they had flown back from the west African nation. Alan and Gill were two of thousands of UK holidaymakers due to be flown home after the Foreign and Commonwealth Office warned against ‘all non-essential travel’ due to potential military intervention following presidential elections last month.
Independent thinking under threat: Manmohan
Calcutta, Jan. 20 : Independent thinking and free expression in Indian universities “are now under threat” former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Friday, targeting the Narendra Modi government at the Centre. Singh, 84, said that the recent attempts to interfere with free expression of the student community in Hyderabad Central University and Jawaharlal Nehru University were of particular concern and termed suppression of peaceful dissent as “inimical to learning” and “undemocratic”.
Judges for June 2017 Kozlova International Ballet Competition
The 7th Annual Valentina Kozlova International Ballet Competition, rewarding excellence in both classical and modern dance, will take place June 5-10 at Symphony Space, 95th Street & Broadway, New York City. Semi-finals were held in Posadas, Argentina, September 2016, and a second semi-finals event is scheduled for March 2-4, 2017, at the theater of the Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia.
Pliskova, Strycova to lead Czechs in Fed Cup against Spain
Karolina Pliskova and Barbora Strycova will lead defending champion Czech Republic against Spain in the first round of Fed Cup. Pliskova and Strycova both have reached the third round at the Australian Open.
Foreign Minister of Greenland Cancels Trip to Norway
Foreign Minister of Greenland Vittus Qujaukitsoq has postponed his scheduled trip to Norway to focus on the case of the two Greenlanders, suspected in the disappearance of an Icelandic girl, RUV reports. The 20-year-old Birna Brjansdottir has been missing since Saturday morning.
Ademola: It’s Amazing At Everton
Outside the English classroom at Everton Free School there is an acrostic poem taped to the wall. It reads: “Excel and achieve nothing but the best; Value the potential of team work; Enjoy new ways of thinking; Revel in learning; Tackle challenges without fear; Open new doors of opportunity; Nurture your talents and never give up.”
Gadbrook Park Barclays team to set up computer suite for homeless children in Malawi
The team work for the bank at Gadbrook Park at Rudheath, and have raised more than A 20,000 to buy the equipment in just nine months. The team will be working at the Chisomo Children’s Centre in Lilongwe, a partner centre of the north west-based charity Retrak.
Deaths from Nigerian refugee camp air strike rises to 90, could reach 170: MSF
People walk at the site after a bombing attack of an internally displaced persons camp in Rann, Nigeria January 17, 2017. MSF/Handout via Reuters The death toll from an accidental Nigerian air strike on a refugee camp in the town of Rann has risen to around 90 people, and could be as high as 170, Medecins Sans Frontieres said in a statement on Friday.
Miracle survivors found in the snow
Italian firefighters have found six survivors after an avalanche buried a hotel near Farindola, central Italy. Picture: Italian Firefighters/ANSA SIX people have been found alive under the avalanche that hit an Italian mountain hotel almost two days ago and rescuers are working to free them from the snow, a fire brigade spokesman says.
Your chance to take part in Norwich’s famous medieval festival
Entries for floats in this year’s Lord Mayor’s Procession have now opened and Norwich City Council is encouraging local people and businesses to get involved with the exciting event. The procession, the centre-piece of the three-day Lord Mayor’s Celebration, is expected to attract around 70 floats, 2,000 participants and 25,000 spectators on Saturday, July 8. Starting from Newmarket Road, the one-mile parade will make it’s way through the city centre, heading to St Martins at Palace Plain, via St Stephens, Castle Meadow and Tombland.
Syria: IS destroys part of Roman theater in Palmyra
By SARAH EL DEEB Associated Press BEIRUT – Islamic State group militants destroyed the landmark ancient Tetrapylon and parts of the 2nd century Roman theater in Syria’s historic town of Palmyra, the government and opposition monitoring groups said Friday. Maamoun Abdulkarim, the head of Syria’s antiquities department, said the militants destroyed the facade of the second-century theater along with the Tetrapylon, a cubic-shaped ancient Roman monument that sits in the middle of the colonnade road that leads to the theater.
Douglas Coupland on life without the Queen
One morning a few years ago I was standing in the lobby of London’s Covent Garden Hotel waiting for my 9am ride. From the breakfast room door emerged film star Lucy Liu .
Atlas V rocket blasts off with missile warning satellite
The rocket thundered from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Friday night, powered by a Russian main engine generating 860,000 pounds of thrust. Atlas V rocket blasts off with missile warning satellite The rocket thundered from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Friday night, powered by a Russian main engine generating 860,000 pounds of thrust.