Category: World News

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Zim Warriors vs Ivory Coast; Afcon 2017, Football friendly latest news

With many top players still involved in international club football, Zimbabwe Warriors will miss the likes of Knowledge Musona in their Abidjan friendly encounter against the elephants of Ivory Coast on Monday next week. China-based forward Nyasha Mushekwi who is attending to personal issues in UK will also miss the friendly, so is Sparta Prague defender Costa Nhamoinesu who has club commitments.

Sen. Cory Gardner must reject Rex Tillerson as secretary of state

In this June 15, 2012, file photo, Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson shake hands at a signing ceremony of an agreement between state-controlled Russian oil company Rosneft and ExxonMobil at the Black Sea port of Tuapse, southern Russia. The U.S. intelligence community has stated that Russia interfered with our free and democratic elections, and last week Donald Trump appointed ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson to be secretary of state.

Council shake-up as Conservative councillor switches to Greens

WELCOME: Cllr Claudia Moore, second left, with Cllr Jon Orrell, Cllr Clare Sutton and Green campaign coordinator Caz Dennett Picture: GARDIA PHOTOGRAPHY THE Green Party has gained another councillor in Weymouth and Portland after Claudia Moore crossed the floor from the Conservatives. Cllr Moore, who has been a councillor for Weymouth West since 2014, said she felt “more closely aligned with the Greens”, but also expressed concern about some Tory decisions.

Joseph Kabila prepares to crush protests in Congo power play

Flares are launched by DRCongo Police forces during a demonstration in Goma on September 19, 2016. At least 17 people, mostly civilians, were killed on September 19, 2016 when clashes erupted ahead of a planned opposition rally in the Congolese capital Kinshasa, a minister said, warning the toll was “provisional”.

Alleged BDS activist writer may be forced to leave Israel

A journalist who has allegedly engaged in activity supportive of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement may not be able to remain in Israel, the Government Press Office told The Jerusalem Post exclusively on Sunday. GPO director Nitzan Chen said he was leaning against renewing the press card of Antony Loewenstein, a Jerusalem- based freelance reporter who writes for The Guardian and other publications.

Scotland to Propose Plan to Stay in EU, Curb Brexit Damage

Scotland will publish proposals this week for how it can remain in the European single market after Britain leaves the European Union in order to avoid the “national disaster” of a “hard Brexit,” the Scottish government said Sunday. British Prime Minister Theresa May has said she will trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, the formal process of leaving the EU, by the end of March to kick off two years of exit talks.

Scotland to Propose Plan to Stay in EU, Curb Brexit Damage

Scotland will publish proposals this week for how it can remain in the European single market after Britain leaves the European Union in order to avoid the “national disaster” of a “hard Brexit,” the Scottish government said Sunday. British Prime Minister Theresa May has said she will trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, the formal process of leaving the EU, by the end of March to kick off two years of exit talks.

Gwyneth Paltrow on the biggest health trend for 2017 which is clean sleeping

BREAKING NEWS: Actress and socialite Zsa Zsa Gabor – famous for having nine husbands – has died of a heart attack aged 99 The Obamas’ new $5.3m DC home is being outfitted with enhanced security systems and renovated to include TWO offices as rumors swirl over their plans after the White House Attorney General Loretta Lynch says she ‘regrets’ THAT meeting with Bill Clinton on the tarmac during height of Hillary’s email investigation Canadian woman is among ten people shot dead as gunmen take tourists hostage at castle in Jordan in ‘cowardly terrorist attack’ Revealed – the dog breeds you should NEVER buy: Vet explains why you should avoid teacup pups, bulldogs and anything described as ‘fiercely loyal’ ‘Don’t go outside’: Arctic chill grips middle America with record lows felt as far south as Texas – as nine are killed nationwide on treacherous roads REVEALED: In-N-Out Burger is the most … (more)

Gwyneth Paltrow on the biggest health trend for 2017 which is clean sleeping

BREAKING NEWS: Actress and socialite Zsa Zsa Gabor – famous for having nine husbands – has died of a heart attack aged 99 The Obamas’ new $5.3m DC home is being outfitted with enhanced security systems and renovated to include TWO offices as rumors swirl over their plans after the White House Attorney General Loretta Lynch says she ‘regrets’ THAT meeting with Bill Clinton on the tarmac during height of Hillary’s email investigation Canadian woman is among ten people shot dead as gunmen take tourists hostage at castle in Jordan in ‘cowardly terrorist attack’ Revealed – the dog breeds you should NEVER buy: Vet explains why you should avoid teacup pups, bulldogs and anything described as ‘fiercely loyal’ ‘Don’t go outside’: Arctic chill grips middle America with record lows felt as far south as Texas – as nine are killed nationwide on treacherous roads REVEALED: In-N-Out Burger is the most … (more)

Bombing Syria was never going to help the people of Aleppo

As the traumatised survivors of Aleppo flee the ruined city – once the size of Newcastle, Birmingham, Cardiff and Glasgow combined – Libya is smouldering evidence that Britain bombing Syria would not have averted the bloodshed. In the 2013 Parliamentary rebellion, Tory dissidents sided with Ed Miliband’s Labour Party to stop David Cameron declaring war on tyrant Bashar al-Assad ‘s regime – and attempts at rewriting history to portray the revolt as a grave mistake ignore hugely uncomfortable facts.