Five car bombs detonated in the Iraqi capital on Monday, marking a bloody start to the year as Iraq attempts to squeeze the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant from its last remaining territory in the country. Sixty-four people were killed in the attacks, according to a security official from Baghdad Operations Command, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Category: World News
Hessle firm Agencia hopeful of first Chinese contract after trade mission
An East Yorkshire-based company is looking to build on two years of developing links with the world’s second largest economy. Change management business Agencia is confident of securing its first contract in China after attending a major healthcare trade mission, headed by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt.
Asia stocks see subdued start to 2017, dollar resumes climb
Investors look at computer screens showing stock information at a brokerage house in Shanghai, China, April 21, 2016. REUTERS/Aly Song Asian stocks began 2017 on a flat note on Tuesday, uninspired by a surge in European markets to their highest in more than a year, while the dollar resumed its climb after last week’s stumble.
Oil prices rise as markets eye OPEC, non-OPEC production cuts
Oil prices rose in the first trading hours of 2017, buoyed by hopes that a deal between OPEC and non-OPEC members to cut production, which kicked in on Sunday, will be effective in draining the global supply glut. International Brent crude oil prices LCOc1 were trading up 31 cents, or 0.55 percent, at $57.13 a barrel at 0203 GMT on Tuesday – close to last year’s high of $57.89 per barrel, hit on Dec. 12. Oil markets were closed on Monday after the New Year’s holiday.
Former Davao City vice mayor joins Duterte admin as new DBP board member
Former Davao City vice mayor Luis Bonguyan has joined the Duterte administration as a new board member of the Development Bank of the Philippines . Bonguyan, who was Duterte’s vice mayor in early 2000, told reporters during the regular Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City on Monday that DBP’s mandate for this year is to focus its support to the local government units , the electric cooperatives and water districts in the country.
Making waves on the water at Fyans
RESIDENTS in and around Lake Fyans rang in the new year on the water, making waves in an afternoon of knee boarding and water skiing. It was a warm end to 2016 after Stawell reached a maximum of 28 degrees on New Year’s Eve.
Is Beijing concealing Pakistan-linked terror in Xinjiang1 hour ago
Hong Kong, Jan.3 : In the last six months of 2016, state-owned media in China has reported two terrorist incidents in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region , the most recent of which occurred in the province’s Karakax County, resulting in the death of one person. Both of these terror-related incidents took place this year on September 10 and December 28 respectively.
Donald Trump will not tolerate dual role from India’s neighbours: Transition team member1 hour ago
New Delhi, Jan. 03 : In an apparent reference to Pakistan, a member of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team has said that the incoming President will not tolerate dual role from India’s neighbour. “The President-elect has made that policy very very clear that he is not going to tolerate dual role from India’s neighbours,” transition team member Shalab Kumar told ANI.
Uttar Pradesh now has a clear choice to elect next govt.: BJP on Samajwadi Party feud23 min ago
Bengaluru , Jan. 3 : The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday said that the people of Uttar Pradesh now have a clear choice in the upcoming assembly polls as true colors of the Samajwadi Party are being exposed in their internal feud. “Instead of fighting the assembly elections they are fighting among themselves.
UP Polls: Congress divided on tying up with Samajwadi Party under Akhilesh Yadav 51 mins ago
Lucknow, Jan 3: Amid the ongoing crisis in Samajwadi Party, Congress’ stand seem divided on forming an alliance with the party under the leadership of Akhilesh Yadav in the crucial Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections this year. While the senior leadership of Congress compared the family feud in the Samajwadi Party to a 1990s soap opera and evaded questions of pre-poll alliance, majority of the party MLAs in Uttar Pradesh spoke in favour of tie-up with Samajwadi Party under the Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.
Supreme Court to hear petition challenging CBI interim director…
New Delhi , Jan. 3 : The Supreme Court will on Tuesday hear a plea challenging the appointment of interim Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation Rakesh Asthana, a 1984 Gujarat cadre Indian Police Service officer. The Public Interest Litigation filed by Prashant Bhushan on behalf of Common Cause, an NGO, sought the quashing of Asthana’s appointment in accordance with the Vineet Narain case.
Singapore GDP growth accelerates to three-year high
Office workers walk to the train station during evening rush hour in the financial district of Singapore on March 9, 2015. Singapore’s economic growth quickened to the fastest pace in more than three years last quarter as manufacturing and services rebounded.
PML-N office bearer remanded on 14-day judicial custody in gang-rape case20 min ago
Islamabad, Jan. 3 : A district and session court here has sent a ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Islamabad chapter’s office bearer on a 14-day judicial remand to Adiala Jail in an alleged gang-rape case. A woman was allegedly gang-raped in Islamabad on New Year’s Eve by four men, reports the Dawn.
Trump on North Korea ICBM: ‘It won’t happen!’
“North Korea just stated that it is in the final stages of developing a nuclear weapon capable of reaching parts of the US,” Trump tweeted. “It won’t happen!” Kim Jong-Un announced on Sunday that North Korea is in “final stages” of developing an intercontinental ballistic missile .
About 60 killed after Brazil prison gang massacre
About 60 people were killed in a bloody prison riot in the Amazon jungle city of Manaus sparked by a war between rival drug gangs, officials said on Monday , in the worst violence in over two decades in Brazil’s overcrowded penitentiary system. The head of security for Amazonas state, Sergio Fontes, told a news conference that the death toll could rise as authorities get a clearer idea of the scale of the rebellion sparked by a fight between rival drug gangs.
Migos – “Call Casting” Video
Near the end of last month, Atlanta rap trio Migos, flying high on the strength of their stupidly addictive single “Bad & Boujee,” went to perform in the Nigerian metropolis of Lagos. The footage of them doing “Bad & Boujee” in front of a ridiculously hyped-up Nigerian crowd is the best thing you will see today: “Bad And Boujee” is the first single from the trio’s forthcoming album Culture .
Diminished in 2016, what lies ahead for Malaysia?
To many, 2016 was a year of diminishment for Malaysia. Not only has the ringgit’s value declined considerably, public confidence and consumer sentiment have waned noticeably.
As the federal government launched Canada’s 150th birthday, PM Trudeau vacationed in The Bahamas
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau flew his family to The Bahamas to ring in 2017, leaving behind a videotaped message asking Canadians to join in “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity a together” as the federal government kicked off celebrations for the country’s 150th anniversary. Trudeau was already out of the country by the time fireworks lit up the sky over Parliament Hill at a $2.5-million New Year’s Eve party paid for by the federal government.
Israeli police question Benjamin Netanyahu over corruption allegations the PM calls ‘baseless’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gestures during a Likud faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem on January 2. Netanyahu denied any wrongdoing ahead of his expected questioning by police in a graft probe, telling his political opponents to put any “celebrations” on hold. A bodyguard of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu closes the gates to the residence of the PM as members of the media wait for the arrival of police investigators on January 2. An Israeli police car is seen at the entrance to the residence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the same day as police were expected to question Netanyahu over whether he illegally accepted gifts from wealthy supporters.
Being your own boss the key reason for starting a new business – Xero
The biggest reason for Kiwis starting their own business is to be in charge, even if they are the only employee. Being their own boss is the reason more than half the Kiwi business owners in a recent survey left their day jobs.
Israeli police question Netanyahu over corruption allegation
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was grilled by police investigators for over three hours at his office Monday night, opening what could be a politically damaging criminal investigation into suspicions that he improperly accepted gifts. Netanyahu has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, but the arrival of the national fraud squad indicated questions raised about him are considered serious enough to merit an investigation.
At least 56 inmates killed in prison riot in northern Brazil
An attack by members of one crime gang on rival inmates touched off a riot at a prison in the northern state of Amazonas, leaving at least 56 dead, including several who were beheaded or dismembered in the worst bloodshed at a Brazilian prison since 1992. Authorities said the riot grew out of a fight between two of the country’s biggest crime gangs over control of prisons and drug routes in northern Brazil.
The Latest: Raid at Istanbul apartment ends without arrests
An assailant believed to have been dressed in a Santa Claus cos… . This image taken from CCTV provided by Haberturk Newspaper Sunday Jan. 1, 2017 shows the attacker, armed with a long-barrelled weapon, shooting his way into the Reina nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey on Sunday morning.
New year, new gas prices
Sunday marked the first day of our state’s new gas tax. It’s 7 cents a gallon more than before, but we’re seeing a much bigger jump than that here in mid-Michigan.
Royal treasures: Queen’s jeweller is put up for sale
What the This is Money team would like to see in 2017: From stamp duty cuts, to customers losing misplaced loyalty and rates to rise Which is the best used family saloon for under A 10k? We put an Audi, BMW, Mercedes and VW to the test Plans for 14 garden villages and 200,000 homes in some of Britain’s most desirable areas are given the green light Round pound coins will cease to be legal tender in OCTOBER: New 12-sided A 1 will hit the streets in March – as will new Jane Austen A 2 M&S shoppers face price hikes of ‘up to 15% on basic goods’ despite a pledge to shield customers from the falling value of the pound What would you do with a windfall worth A 100,000? Five experts reveal how they would invest a big lump sum How to soften the blow of rising rail fares: As train ticket prices rise once more, we deliver tips to save money Pain at the pumps: Price of petrol may soar to 125p a … (more)
O2 plans A 10bn stock market listing in UK
What the This is Money team would like to see in 2017: From stamp duty cuts, to customers losing misplaced loyalty and rates to rise Which is the best used family saloon for under A 10k? We put an Audi, BMW, Mercedes and VW to the test Plans for 14 garden villages and 200,000 homes in some of Britain’s most desirable areas are given the green light Round pound coins will cease to be legal tender in OCTOBER: New 12-sided A 1 will hit the streets in March – as will new Jane Austen A 2 M&S shoppers face price hikes of ‘up to 15% on basic goods’ despite a pledge to shield customers from the falling value of the pound What would you do with a windfall worth A 100,000? Five experts reveal how they would invest a big lump sum How to soften the blow of rising rail fares: As train ticket prices rise once more, we deliver tips to save money Pain at the pumps: Price of petrol may soar to 125p a … (more)
Environmentalists protest hunting bison plan in Poland
In this March 16, 2010 file photo bison are pictured at a reserve in the Bialowieza forest, in Bialowieza, eastern Poland. Environmentalists are protesting plans by the authorities to allow hunters to kill 10 bison in the Borecka forest saying the protected animals should be allowed to die of natural causes.
Video prompts Myanmar to investigate police brutality against Rohingya villagers
The Myanmar government has launched an investigation into police brutality against members of the Muslim Rohingya minority after video has emerged that appears to show police beating civilians in the west of the country. The selfie-style video was filmed on November 5, according to the office of State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, and after it was posted to YouTube on Saturday, quickly went viral.
Did a coal fire sink the Titanic?
Did an intense fire on board R.M.S. Titanic lead to one of the worst disaster’s in maritime history? A new documentary by author and journalist Senan Molony suggests the emergence of pictures hidden in a forgotten album for a century prove that the supposedly unsinkable passenger ship was weakened by a smoldering coal fire even before it left on its catastrophic maiden voyage. Titanic, which at the time of its sinking in 1912 was the biggest ship afloat, hit an iceberg in the north Atlantic on the night of April 14 and went down with the loss of about 1,500 lives.
Cologne police accused of racial profiling on NYE
Cologne’s chief of police has rejected criticism over accusations that officers used racial profiling while conducting identification checks on New Year’s Eve. Authorities in the city had stepped up security measures for revelers after last year’s spate of sexual assaults which were blamed on refugees of North African descent.
The Latest: Turkey monitoring social media accounts
Turkey’s deputy prime minister says authorities are monitoring hundreds of “provocative” social media accounts that allegedly support terrorism and foster divisiveness in society. Numan Kurtulmus said Monday that 347 social media accounts which were determined to “sow seeds of enmity among the public” were under investigation, with legal action taken against 92 individuals.
Israeli police question PM over corruption allegations
Israeli police are questioning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over corruption allegations, local media reported after police cars arrived at his residence Monday. The police team did not speak to journalists, but Israeli media said they are looking into suspicions that Netanyahu inappropriately accepted expensive gifts from two businessmen.
Airstrike in Syria kills 8 jihadi militants
An air raid has struck several cars in northwestern Syria, killing at least eight people, including al-Qaida-linked fighters and a senior commander with a Chinese Islamic militant faction, an activist group and a local jihadi commander said Monday. The attack occurred late Sunday on a road leading from the town of Sarmada to the Bab al-Hawa area on the border with Turkey, said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and a local commander with the Fatah al-Sham Front, an al-Qaida-linked group.
Right-wing militia trains Russians to fight the next war – with or without Putin
In a half-lit basement on a side street in St. Petersburg, 18 men holding reproduction Makarov pistols were fumbling through an exercise, racking the slides, taking aim and firing. Click, click, click, click, click.
Taliban ramp up attacks in southwestern Afghanistan as NATO casualties hit a low
The Taliban have continued their assault on Afghanistan’s southwestern Helmand province with fresh attacks in two key districts, Afghan security forces said, as NATO announced that its forces last year suffered the fewest casualties since the U.S. invasion in 2001. The latest round of fighting began Dec. 31 in Sangin and Marjah districts, a provincial spokesman said.
Nigeria plans to close airport in capital for runway repairs
Nigeria’s government plans to close the airport in the capital, Abuja, for six weeks to repair a runway that some airlines have described as dangerous, an aviation ministry statement said Monday. The government plans to close Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, the country’s second-busiest, for most of February and March.
IS suicide bomber kills 36 in Baghdad market
A suicide bomber driving a pickup loaded with explosives struck a bustling market in Baghdad on Monday, killing at least 36 people in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group hours after French President Francois Hollande arrived in the Iraqi capital. The bomb went off in a fruit and vegetable market that was packed with day laborers, a police officer said, adding that another 52 people were wounded.
Bardwell School in Bicester, where fire destroyed a shed last night
A SHED full of play equipment, toys and bikes at a Bicester school was razed to the ground last night. The incident is understood to have taken place at Bardwell School in Hendon Place, which caters for youngsters aged two to 19 with special educational needs, at about 11pm.
Political pasta: Ma’aleh Adumim first-ers eye Netanyahu-Trump meeting
Trump can’t be expected to be more hawkish on Israel than the Israeli prime minister – even if his choice for ambassador to Jerusalem, David Friedman, is. A senior political observer recently compared Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to a piece of cooked spaghetti: If you try to push the piece of spaghetti with your finger, it won’t move.
Iraq: Suicide Bombing Kills at Least 22 in Baghdad
A suicide bomber blew up his explosives-laden vehicle Monday in a bustling market area in Baghdad, killing at least 22 people, Iraqi officials said, hours after the arrival of French President Francois Hollande to the country and amid a fierce fight against the Islamic State group. The bomber driving a pickup truck attacked an outdoor fruit and vegetable market, day laborers and a police checkpoint in Baghdad’s eastern Sadr City district, a police officer said.