Category: World News

‘It wasn’t random’: The FBI is offering $20,000 for…

A US consular official was shot while driving out of a parking garage in Guadalajara, Mexico, on Friday a little after 6 p.m. local time. Christopher Ashcraft, 31, a foreign-service officer on his first posting with the US State Department, was struck on the upper right side of his chest but is in stable condition, according to Mexican authorities.

Police said to have recordings of Netanyahu, businessman discussing ‘quid pro quo’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a Conference of Israeli ambassadors at the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem on January 3, 2017 Police reportedly suspect that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and an Israeli businessman at one time conducted negotiations for an arrangement that would have see the businessman benefit in exchange for helping Netanyahu remain in power. According to a report Sunday in the daily Haaretz, officers are in possession of “a series” of audio recordings of Netanyahu that appear to corroborate the suspicions, part of a mysterious investigation whose details have remained hazy.

Pakistanis Skeptical of the Benefits of China’s Largesse

The dusty desert city of Khuzdar in southwestern Pakistan has no hospital and no commercial flights into its tiny airport, but government officials who visited recently spoke in glowing terms of its future as a hub of commerce. Pakistan’s new army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, was among a flock of dignitaries who descended upon Khuzdar, a city of 400,000, to tout the benefits of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor for the southwestern province of Baluchistan.

Lisbon: A great place to celebrate the new year

Lisbon is an alluring city any time of year, but why not celebrate the start of 2017 there? It’s similar in so many ways to San Francisco – seven hills, stunning bridges, dynamic neighborhoods, great food and wonderful people. A destination unto itself, it’s also very close to wine country, beaches, and mountains.

Editorial: What slogan for a city you cannot afford?

Taranaki, for example, is ‘like no other’, Whanganui is ‘all you need – and then some’, and Bulls is, as you would expect, ‘unforgettabull’. But Auckland, the ‘City of Sails’, ‘the place desired by many’, is probably in need of a complete branding rethink as we wind our way into 2017.

Violent clashes erupt in Sri Lanka over land, port deal with

At least 21 people were injured Saturday in violent clashes between Sri Lankan government supporters and villagers marching against what they say is a plan to take over private land for an industrial zone in which China will have a major stake. Police used tear gas and water cannons to try to break up the clashes, which took place as Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was attending an opening ceremony for the industrial zone, located near the port city of Hambantota, about 150 miles southeast of the capital, Colombo.

Iraq says deal reached over Bashiqa, Turkey says issue will be solved

Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Saturday an agreement had been reached with Turkey over an Iraqi demand that Turkish forces withdraw from the Bashiqa camp near Mosul in the north of the country, Iraqi state TV reported. However, a joint communique issued after Abadi met his Turkish counterpart Binali Yildirim in Baghdad did not refer to any such deal, but said both sides stressed that Bashiqa was an Iraqi camp.

12 dead after heavy rains in southern Thailand

Heavy rains continued to hammer Thailand’s flood-ravaged south on Saturday, bringing the death toll up to 12 and leaving thousands of villages partially submerged, authorities said. The flooding, which was roof-high in some areas, has affected more than 700,000 people since it started a week ago, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

Sri Lankan port area will become ‘Chinese colony,’ say protesters

Sri Lankan police used water cannons to try to break up violent clashes Saturday between government supporters and villagers marching against what they say is a plan to take over private land for an industrial zone in which China will have a major stake. The clashes took place as Prime Minister Ranil Wickeremesinghe was attending an opening ceremony for the industrial zone near the port city of Hambantota, about 240 kilometers southeast of capital Colombo.

Airport closure extended

The airport at Nakhon Si Thammarat province will remain closed until tomorrow for safety reasons, as floodwater on its runway was still high, the Department of Civil Aviation announced yesterday.

Verlaar Jr champion in Doha

Overnight leader Pierre Verlaar Jr of the Netherlands shot up a third round 70 to win the Qatar Open Amateur Golf Championship while Qatar’s Saleh Al Kaabi finished second at the Doha Golf Club yesterday. Verlaar Jr. finished with a scorecard of 210 while the home crowd favourite Al Kaabi, who fell to the sixth position after a four-over par 75 in the second round from the first round third place, came up an splendid show to take the runners-up spot.

Nearly 1 million swamped by relentless southern deluge

FLOODING in lower Thailand has now expanded to leave 10 of the 15 southern provinces inundated, affecting nearly a million people and claiming 11 lives, according to the Interior Ministry’s Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department. And eight provinces Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon, Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, Ranong and Phang Nga face more heavy rain until today.

Al Emadi Hospital accredited with Platinum level by ACI

Al Emadi Hospital has been accredited with Platinum level by Accreditation Canada International following a comprehensive survey in December, 2016. An ACI survey team visited the hospital and conducted tracers of different processes related to quality and patient safety and assessed compliance with ACI standards and Required Organizational Practices.

Taichung-Ho Chi Minh flights launch this month

Vietnamese budget carrier VietJet Air will launch a new route later this month, linking Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam with Taichung in Taiwan, as the central Taiwan city seeks to promote itself as an operations base for low-cost carriers. The new route will be officially launched on Jan. 15, with four flights a week – Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday – and a flying time of more than three hours between the two cities, according to the airline.

Blast in Syrian town on Turkish border kills nearly 50

A car bomb ripped through a busy commercial district in a rebel-held Syrian town along the Turkish border Saturday, killing nearly 50 in a huge explosion that damaged buildings and left rescuers scrambling to find survivors amid the wreckage, opposition activists said. Rescuers and doctors said the explosion was so large there were nearly 100 wounded and burned.

Ghana swears in Akufo-Addo as president

Ghana’s President elect Nana Akufo-Addo takes the oath of office during the swearing-in ceremony lead by Ghana Chief Justice Georgina Theodora Wood at Independence Square in Accra, Ghana January 7, 2017. Ghana’s President elect Nana Akufo-Addo takes the oath of office during the swearing-in ceremony lead by Ghana Chief Justice Georgina Theodora Wood at Independence Square in Accra, Ghana January 7, 2017.

Taking gifts from ‘sugar daddy’ is corruption, Yachimovich says of PM

Politicians criticize Netanyahu’s conduct following probe into Israeli leader’s alleged acceptance of hundreds of thousands of shekels worth of cigars from businessman Arnon Milchan Zionist Union MK Shelly Yachimovich criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Saturday for taking gifts from a “sugar daddy,” following reports that the Israeli leader had been questioned by the police for allegedly accepting expensive cigars for years from Hollywood producer and businessman Arnon Milchan, as well as more goods from a second businessman. “The Prime Minister had a sugar daddy for expensive products, it is corruption for its own sake, so it seems,” Yachimovich said at an event in Tel Aviv, according to Israel Radio.

FIR filed against Sakshi Maharaj for ‘population growth’ comment

The Meerut Police filed an FIR against BJP leader Sakshi Maharaj, who controversially said – without naming Muslims – that those entitled to marry four times and have 40 children are responsible for the country’s population explosion. NEW DELHI: The Meerut Police today filed an FIR against BJP leader Sakshi Maharaj , who on Friday controversially said – without naming Muslims – that those entitled to marry four times and have 40 children are responsible for the country’s population explosion.

Why do you want Nnamdi Kanu dead, IPOB asks UK govt

By Chinedu Adonu ENUGU- INDIGENOUS People of Biafra condemned British Government for seeking the death of leader of IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and that she was an accessory to the genocide on Biafrans. IPOB also said that it has classified classified information which incontrovertibly placed the British Government as an accessory to genocide on Biafrans.

Akufo-Addo to be sworn in as Ghana’s new president

Nana Akufo-Addo is to be sworn in as Ghana’s new president on Saturday after beating incumbent leader John Dramani Mahama in elections last month. The 72-year-old former human rights lawyer will take the oath of office at a ceremony in Independence Square in central Accra before more than 6,000 guests and members of the public.

Court awards deaf, dumb N4m damages for assault

Benin High Court presided over by Justice Alero Edodo-Eruaga has awarded the sum of N4million as general damages to a hearing impaired man, Mr. Kingsley Eromosele. Mr. Eromosele had dragged the First Bank of Nigeria and two of its staff, Messers Jerry Osoleaso and Adetola Busari to court for damaging his car and assaulting him.

Tube workers are due to walk out for 24 hours from 6pm on Sunday

Last ditch talks aimed at averting a strike by London Underground workers will be held today, with little sign of the action being called off. Members of the Transport Salaried Staffs Association and the Rail, Maritime and Transport union are due to walk out for 24 hours from 6pm on Sunday, causing travel chaos for millions of passengers.

Gunmen kill eight Hazara miners in Afghanistan

Unidentified gunmen killed eight members of Afghanistan’s Hazara minority who were working as miners in the northern province of Baghlan, a local government official said. Faiz Mohammad Amiri, governor of Taleh va Barfak district, said the eight dead and three other wounded, who all came from Daykundi province in central Afghanistan, had been pulled out of a vehicle and shot on Friday.

BNP announces demonstrations across Bangladesh on Sunday

Dhaka [Bangladesh], Jan. 7 : Bangladesh Nationalist Party has announced for a countrywide agitation on Sunday to mark the third anniversary of the January 5 election which it calls as Democracy Killing Day. [NK World] The party said that they are also protesting for not being allowed to hold a rally at Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka.

Will highlight law and order situation, jungle raj and biased politics in UP: Mayawati

Lucknow , Jan. 7 : The Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Saturday called a meeting of the party workers to discuss the failure of the Uttar Pradesh ruling party and also beware the people of the state not to be deceived by the tactics used by the rival parties. [NK India] “I have called a joint meeting of senior party holders of BSP state unit and candidates for all the 403 seats to discuss the ongoing family feud in Samajawadi Party and the loopholes especially the law and order situation, jungle raj and biased politics in Uttar Pradesh.