Author: Editor

Trees felled by vandals in Brechin

An appeal has been launched by Angus Council and Police Scotland after several trees where felled in Brechin Public Park. A statement from Angus Council said: “Three trees have been felled at Brechin Public Park in an inexplicable act of vandalism.

101-year-old man jailed for historic sex crimes, becomes Britain’s oldest ever convict

A 101-year-old man, who last week became the oldest Briton to be convicted of a criminal offence, was jailed for 13 years on Monday for a string of historical sex crimes against two young sisters and their brother. Retired truck driver Ralph Clarke was found guilty of raping and abusing the sisters in the 1970s and early 80s, having earlier admitted indecently assaulting their brother and attempting to rape him when he was a schoolboy.

Akbar meets Czech Foreign Minister

New Delhi, Dec 19 : Minister of State for External Affairs M.J. Akbar on Monday held a meeting with visiting Foreign Minister of the Czech Republic Lubomir Zaoralek. [NK India] “In the closing weeks of 2016 diplomacy continues in Delhi.

Don’t subject army to political interference: CPI-M

New Delhi, Dec 19 : The CPI-M on Monday criticized the government for bypassing the established convention while naming a new army chief and said the military should not be subject to political interference. [NK India] “The appointment of the new Chief of Army Staff has been done bypassing the established convention of the senior most General assuming the post,” the Communist Party of India-Marxist said.

Pathankot Attack: Chargesheet filed based on

New Delhi, Dec. 19 : National Investigation Agency inspector general Alok Mittal on Monday asserted that the chargesheet filed against Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar and others JeM commander in the Pathankot attack probe are on the basis of irrefutable, digital, technical, oral and documentary evidences that has been collected through detail scientific investigation. [NK India] “After a very detail through scientific investigation, today we have filed a charge-sheet against t Jaish chief Masood Azhar name, his brother and two handlers Latif and Kashif Jan are there in the special NIA court Mohali.

Wind warning for much of Alberta, gusts of 100 km/h possible

WATCH ABOVE: It’s going to be a windy one! Here’s Mike Sobel’s Monday, December 19, 2016 early morning weather forecast for Edmonton, Alberta and the surrounding area. A wind warning is in effect for much of southern and central Alberta, including the city of Edmonton, as strong winds that may cause damage are expected or are already occurring.

Cong demands govt. explanation on Army Chief’s appointment

New Delhi, Dec. 19 : In the wake of the ongoing controversy surrounding the appointment of Lieutenant General Bipin Rawat as the next Army Chief, the Congress Party on Monday escalated its attack on the government while stating that this move would bring down the morale of the army top brass. [NK India] Congress leader Ashwani Kumar, however, said that the selection of Army Chief is the government’s prerogative.

Madras HC bans unauthorised ‘Sharia’ courts, asks Tamil Nadu Govt. to ensure they don’t function

Chennai, Dec. 19 : The Madras High Court on Monday banned all unauthorised ‘Sharia’ courts functioning from mosque premises in the state of Tamil Nadu. [NK Tamil Nadu] The court has also directed the Tamil Nadu Government not to allow such unauthorised courts and file a report within four weeks making it clear that religious places and other places of worships are meant for religious purposes only.

PM awards HAL for national apprenticeship programme

Kanpur, Dec 19 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday awarded HAL with a cheque for playing a constructive role under the Government’s National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme , a press release said. [NK India] Chairman and Managing Director of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited T. Suvarna Raju received the cheque worth Rs 82,19,368 on behalf of his company for playing a constructive role under the NAPS at the ‘Kaushal Mahotsava’ programme organised by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.

Friend of South Korea’s Park denies charges on first day of trial

Choi Soon-sil, a long-time friend of South Korean President Park Geun-hye who is at the center of the South Korean political scandal involving Park, arrives for her first court hearing in Seoul, South Korea, December 19, 2016. Korea Pool/via Choi Soon-sil , a long-time friend of South Korean President Park Geun-hye who is at the center of the South Korean political scandal involving Park, arrives for her first court hearing in Seoul, South Korea, December 19, 2016.

Russian military plane crashes in Siberia, 23 hospitalized: agencies

The Russian Defence Ministry said on Monday that one of its planes had crashed in northeast Siberia, but that nobody had been killed in the accident, Russian news agencies reported. The Defence Ministry Ilyushin Il-18 aircraft made an emergency landing 30 kilometers from an airfield near the town of Tiksi in the Sakha Republic at 4:45 a.m. local time, the TASS news agency reported.

Weeding out a deadly farming issue

LIVESTOCK CONCERN: Yenda Producers animal health consultant Korie Hoskinson urges farmers to inspect livestock of liver damage following growth of deadly weeds. PHOTO: Rebecca Hopper LIVESTOCK farmers in the Riverina are being encouraged to check their paddocks for potentially deadly weeds, spread by increased winter rain.

Mother-of-three avoids jail for causing crash that left woman with life changing injuries

Claire Pringle lost control of her car as she overtook on double white lines on a sharp bend, swerving into the grass verge and hedge on the A358 Chard to Taunton road in the Peasmarsh area. Her car ended up at a 90 degree angle to the road, hit a car on the opposite side of the road and veered into the path of a car coming in the opposite direction, while two other cars also collided, Taunton Crown Court heard on Friday.

Risk of Australia’s first 2016/17 cyclone this week

A slow-moving tropical low in the Indian Ocean could intensify into Australia’s first cyclone of the 2016/17 season, forecasters said on Monday. The near-stationary low was situated 550 km north northwest of Karratha, an oil, gas and iron ore mining hub along Australia’s west coast, the Bureau of Meteorology said.

Leanspoon, Truworth ink deal for corporate wellness services

Hyderabad, Dec 19 : LeanSpoon, a health food startup, and Truworth Wellness, a digital health and wellness company, have partnered to integrate health and wellness requirements for corporate workforce, a statement said on Monday. [NK Andhra Pradesh] LeanSpoon and Truworth Wellness’ The Wellness Corner, a web and mobile engagement platform, will enable users to order healthy and nutritionally-balanced meals that match up to their personal nutrition requirements.

Local Taliban Commander Killed In Afghan Checkpoint Clash

The Afghan police repelled a Taliban attack on security checkpoint in the eastern province of Laghman on Monday, killing three militant, China’s Xinhua news agency reported quoting the provincial government. “Armed militants stormed an Afghan Local Police post in Dawlat Shahi district roughly at 1.30 am local time and the ALP fought back the attack after three hours exchange of firing, killing three militants,” it said in a statement.

Amnesty: Myanmar may be guilty of crimes against humanity

Amnesty International said Myanmar may be guilty of crimes against humanity in a report published Monday documenting a brutal “scorched earth” campaign against the Rohingya Muslim minority. “The Myanmar military has targeted Rohingya civilians in a callous and systematic campaign of violence,” Rafendi Djamin, Amnesty International’s director for South-east Asia and the Pacific, said in a statement.

A Christmas tale of thievery

Sylvia was partial to the idea of spending Christmas in New York City, of seeing the big tree, shopping at the original Macy’s and such. But Tom had that TV preacher’s spiel bouncing around in his head: Christmas in the Holy Land.

Ap Photos: Editor selections from the past week in Asia

In this Friday, Dec. 16, 2016, photo, Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, left, share a light moment during their visit to the Kodokan judo hall in Tokyo. Russia and Japan agreed Friday to hold talks on joint economic development on four islands at the center of a territorial dispute between the countries.

S. Korea begins trial of confidante of disgraced president

Choi Soon-sil, the jailed confidante of disgraced South Korean President Park Geun-hye, center, appears for the first day of her trial at the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. less Choi Soon-sil, the jailed confidante of disgraced South Korean President Park Geun-hye, center, appears for the first day of her trial at the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Dec. 19, … more Choi Soon-sil, the jailed confidante of disgraced South Korean President Park Geun-hye, center, appears for the first day of her trial at the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016.

Pressure on Myanmar as region holds Rohingya talks

Myanmar faced growing pressure from its neighbours on Monday over claims its army has carried out a bloody campaign of abuse against its Rohingya minority as ministers held emergency talks on the crisis. More than 27,000 from the Muslim ethnic group have fled northwestern Myanmar for Bangladesh since the start of November to escape a heavy-handed military counterinsurgency campaign.

Mowden could link up with Newcastle Falcons

DARLINGTON Mowden Park could be offered the chance to “buddy up” with Newcastle Falcons next season if RFU plans are given the go-ahead. The main aim is for financially-strapped Championship clubs who have no interest in promotion to utilise up to 12 under-used players from a Premiership club, plus academy youngsters.

Bronze Age burial site in suburbia given heritage protection status

A Bronze Age burial site in suburban London, Victorian lamp-posts and Britain’s oldest water chute ride are among the more unusual heritage protected this year. More than 1,000 places have been given protected status across England in 2016, and government body Historic England has released details of 21 of the most surprising and lesser known sites which are now on the heritage list.

RPT-High-flying Freeport CEO steers towards new Indonesia mining deal

JAKARTA, Dec 16 Chappy Hakim, a retired air force chief who says he knows next to nothing about mining, now heads Indonesia’s biggest copper producer, entrusted to use his connections to guide it through regulatory uncertainty to a renewed contract for its mine. Picking another former military officer to lead the local unit of U.S. mining giant Freeport-McMoRan underlines how pivotal political ties can be in Indonesia, where the firm got its start nearly 50 years ago helped by close relations to late autocratic President Suharto.

French foreign minister visits Haiti city devastated by

France’s foreign minister has visited a Haitian city devastated by Hurricane Matthew two months when the Category 4 storm’s center tore through the impoverished country’s southwest. The French Embassy in Port-au-Prince says the purpose of Jean-Marc Ayrault’s visit to Jeremie on Sunday was to express France’s solidarity with its former colony as affects areas struggle to recover from Matthew’s Oct. 4 passage.

Ex-soccer star, now mayor, ends hunger strike in Mexico

Former Mexican soccer star Cuauhtemoc Blanco says he is ending a hunger strike to defend his mayorship of the city of Cuernavaca, after Mexico’s Supreme Court issued a stay against efforts to impeach him. He had begun sitting outside the cathedral early Saturday to protest the state congress’ decision to refer the impeachment process to a three-judge panel.