Category: Life

Istanbul nightclub ‘Santa attack’ kills 35

Istanbul governor Vasip Sahin said at least 35 people died and 40 were injured after at least one gunman reportedly dressed as Santa stormed an elite nightclub. Photo: AFP At least 35 people were killed in a “terror” attack in Istanbul Sunday when at least one gunman reportedly dressed as Santa stormed an elite nightclub where party-goers were celebrating New Year, the latest carnage to rock Turkey after a bloody 2016.

Istanbul attack revives terror jitters in New Year

In London, over 100,000 people lined the banks of the River Thames to watch a spectacular fireworks display set to a soundtrack featuring Bowie and Prince. Photo: AFP An attack that killed 35 revelers in an Istanbul nightclub cast a shadow on New Year celebrations attended by millions of people around the world to ring in 2017.

AP Photos: People around the world ring in 2017

Revelers around the world have been welcoming 2017 with crackling fireworks displays and loud cheering, saying goodbye to a year filled with political surprises, prolonged conflicts and the deaths of several beloved performers. The people of Sydney were treated to a glittering display over their famed harbor and bridge that honored the singer David Bowie and actor Gene Wilder, who both passed away in 2016.

New year has bleak start for Iraq’s displaced people

There were no big New Year’s celebrations for the Iraqi men, women and children who narrowly escaped the fighting in Mosul, only to wait for hours under armed guard while the fighting-age males among them were cleared of links to the Islamic State. The lucky ones would go with their families to one of the wind-swept camps for displaced Iraqis, where they will endure the remainder of northern Iraq’s bitterly cold winter in tents and learn to survive on insufficient supplies of food, heating oil and blankets.

Shopper docket the sleeper issue behind the Woolworths sale to BP

Arguably it was the single most fraught issue in retailing over the past two decades – shopper docket fuel discounts, which helped underwrite the emergence of the two dominant retailers, Coles and Woolworths, to control close to half of the national retail sales of petrol. The NSW government’s Fuel Check website says it provides real-time information on fuel prices across the state’s service stations.

No big New Year’s celebrations for Iraq’s displaced

There were no big New Year’s celebrations for the Iraqi men, women and children who narrowly escaped the fighting in Mosul, only to wait for hours under armed guard while the fighting-age males among them were cleared of links to the Islamic State. The lucky ones would go with their families to one of the wind-swept camps for displaced Iraqis, where they will endure the remainder of northern Iraq’s bitterly cold winter in tents and learn to survive on insufficient supplies of food, heating oil and blankets.

United Nations backs Russian-Turkish Syria efforts as cease-fire wavers2 min ago

Beirut, Jan 1: The UN Security Council has unanimously adopted a resolution supporting efforts by Russia and Turkey to end the nearly six-year conflict in Syria and jump-start peace negotiations, as a fragile country-wide cease-fire wavered.The resolution also calls for the “rapid, safe and unhindered” delivery of humanitarian aid throughout Syria. And it anticipates a meeting of the Syrian government and opposition representative in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana in late January.

Creative ways to ring in the new year

Counting down the hours until the new year can be exciting, as the world anxiously anticipates the adventures in store for the months ahead. Celebrating the new year dates back thousands of years to the ancient Babylonians, who celebrated a new year come the first full moon after the spring equinox.

Putin congratulates Trump, not Obama, in New Year’s statement

Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated US President-elect Donald Trump, rather than President Barack Obama, in his annual New Year’s greetings statement to foreign heads of state and government. However, Putin did convey his seasonal greetings to Obama, his family and the American people in a separate statement earlier Friday, while responding to the latest wave of US sanctions against Russia.

Australia kicks off global New Year party defying terror threat

SYDNEY: Global terror attacks have cast a pall over 2016 but Australia was Saturday set to defy the threats and ring in the New Year with bumper crowds gathering to watch a firework extravaganza on Sydney’s glittering harbour. 2016 has seen repeated bloodshed, most recently a deadly truck attack at a Berlin Christmas market, a similar incident on Bastille Day in France that killed 86, and atrocities in Turkey and the Middle East.

Pacific islands first to welcome in new year

Islands in Polynesia and the Central Pacific have ushered in the new year as the UK counts down to the start of 2017. Cities in the island nations of Samoa, Tonga and Kiribati were the first to welcome the new year as the clock hit 10am on New Year’s Eve in London.

Bravo, you saved $4: Why your New Year’s Eve fill-up to avoid…

While the rest of Canada was quietly stocking up on champagne and sparklers for the New Year’s countdown, in Alberta and Ontario there were long lineups as drivers queued for one last fill-up before 2017. The reason? New climate change legislation that, once in force on January 1, would jack up fuel prices by about five cents per litre.

Vancouver hotel manager guided newcomers into Canadian life

The families endured a frustrating period waiting to start their lives in a new land, but Mr. Ali and his staff tried their best to make the hotel feel like a home. The families endured a frustrating period waiting to start their lives in a new land, but Mr. Ali and his staff tried their best to make the hotel feel like a home.

Team GB lead the way in New Year Honours list

Britain’s first ever Tour de France cyclist, a cutler to the Queen with 76 years under his belt and the director of an agricultural show are among the Yorkshire recipients of New Year’s Honours Nationally, Olympic heroes Mo Farah, Andy Murray and Sheffield’ Jessica Ennis-Hill lead the way in a list dominated by Rio 2016’s Team GB. Others who will claim the title Sir in the new year include Kinks frontman Ray Davies, 72, and veteran comic Ken Dodd, 89, recognised for services to the arts, and entertainment and charity, respectively.

Merkel says Islamist terrorism is biggest test for Germany

German Chancellor Angela Merkel poses for photographs after the television recording of her annual New Year’s speech at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, December 30, 2016. Islamist terrorism is the biggest test facing Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday in a New Year’s address to the nation, and she vowed to introduce laws that improve security after a deadly attack before Christmas in Berlin.

600 places to catch fireworks tonight

New year fete : As the world welcomes the New Year, tradition has been that fireworks take centre stage at the stroke of midnight. And to usher in 2017 tonight, the Inspector General of Police, Gen Kale Kayihura, has cleared 618 venues for the spectacular display of fireworks.

European cities ramp up security for New Year after Berlin attack

European capitals tightened security on Friday ahead of New Year’s celebrations, erecting concrete barriers in city centres and boosting police numbers after the Islamic State attack in Berlin last week that killed 12 people. In the German capital, police closed the Pariser Platz square in front of the Brandenburg Gate and prepared to deploy 1,700 extra officers, many along a party strip where armoured cars will flank concrete barriers blocking off the area.

Chinese Muslims face further infringements of basic rights as authorities demand passports

Stand Up For Uyghur Rights Washington demonstration against Chinese President Xi Jinping visit to the US, September 25, 2015 A few weeks ago, the Uyghur Muslims experienced further discrimination, as the regional police ordered an arbitrary recall of their passports indefinitely, curtailing the citizens’ freedom to travel. Over 10 million Uyghurs in China will be affected by this policy, which had already been implemented in various counties across Xinjiang since last April.

Turkey to raise minimum wage by 8 percent to 1,400 liras

Turkey will raise the monthly minimum wage by 8 percent to 1,404 Turkish liras , Labor Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu said at a press conference on Dec. 29 in Ankara, a level that trade unions did not welcome. “The minimum wage in Turkey is increasing from 1,300 Turkish liras per month to 1,404 liras per month, as of 2017, after we reached an agreement with stakeholders,” he said.

Coulter: Tweeting the 2016 Campaign

And GOP can’t figure out why Trump is sweeping the country. @AnnCoulter Jan. 15 Bush campaign lands the coveted Lindsey Graham endorsement, bringing an additional 0.0% support to the juggernaut that is Jeb! @AnnCoulter Jan. 30 Sweaty little liar Rubio sucks up to Iowans with Jesus talk, but he tried to replace them with 30 million Mexicans.

10 Things to Know for Today

A Turkish news agency says Ankara and Moscow are working to ensure that the truce would come into effect at midnight, although there was no immediate confirmation from the Turkish Foreign Ministry. “People relate to aspects of my stories and that’s nice for me because then I’m not all alone with it,” she told The AP in 2009.

10 Things to Know for Today

A Turkish news agency says Ankara and Moscow are working to ensure that the truce would come into effect at midnight, although there was no immediate confirmation from the Turkish Foreign Ministry. “People relate to aspects of my stories and that’s nice for me because then I’m not all alone with it,” she told The AP in 2009.

Hanukkah candelabrum lit up at Prague centre

Lights on a nine-branched candelabrum were lit up to celebrate the eight-day Jewish holiday Hanukkah in the Prague centre Tuesday evening. The participants in the ceremony paid respects to the victims of the latest terrorist attack in Berlin last week, which claimed 12 lives, including that of one Czech woman.

Poll: One-third of Czechs plan to make New Year’s resolution

Roughly one-third of Czechs, mainly young people under 29, plan to make New Year’s resolutions that most often concern a healthy lifestyle, according to a STEM/MARK poll conducted for the Naturhouse chain of diet advisory centres and released to CTK. More than a half of the polled have ever made a New Year’s resolution.

KDU-CSL and TOP 09 heads have problems to crack

The chairmen of the Czech junior government Christian Democrats and the opposition rightist TOP 09, Pavel Belobradek and Miroslav Kalousek, respectively, had no reason to rejoice during the Christmas holidays, Lukas Jelinek wrote in daily Pravo on Tuesday. Belobradek, 40, who has led the party since 2010, may be faced with a serious rival in the election of the chairperson next year.

Three-day heatwave in Sydney to be the hottest end of December in 50 YEARS

It’s gonna be a scorcher! Three-day 40C heatwave in Sydney to be the hottest end of December in 50 YEARS Sydney is on track to swelter through its hottest end to a year in over 50 years, with forecasts of a three-day heatwave bringing temperatures in the high 30s to low 40s. The Bureau of Meteorology predicts perfect summer weather for Sydney on Tuesday and Wednesday, with temperatures tipped to reach 30 degrees with cloud coverage.

Next 25 Articles

Trump transition officials have asked for the names of State Department officials working on efforts to counter violent extremism, two State Department officials familiar with the questionnaire confirmed to CNN. The officials confirmed the request involves programs throughout the department aimed at preventing extremism in various ways, such as recruitment.

The Latest: Russia: All causes for plane crash being eyed

The Latest on the crash of a Russian aircraft with 92 people on board en route to Russia’s air base in Syria : Russia’s transport minister says investigators are looking into all possible reasons why a Russian military plane crashed into the Black Sea with 92 people on board, including the option of a terror attack. Earlier, a Russian official had downplayed any suggestion of a terror attack.