Officials say car bombs targeted Turkish military

A suicide car bomb targeting military personnel exploded at the entrance gate to a university in the central province of Kayseri on Saturday, killing 13 Turkish troops and wounding 55 other people, authorities said. The blast comes a week after a car bomb attack claimed by Kurdish militants killed 44 people, mainly riot police posted outside a soccer stadium in Istanbul.

Gambian electoral crisis tops agenda at West African summit

In this Friday Dec. 2, 2016 file photo, Gambians celebrate the victory of Opposition coalition candidate Adama Barrow, run past an army soldier on the streets of Serrekunda, Gambia. The United Nations secretary-general says a takeover by Gambia’s security forces of the country’s electoral commission offices could compromise “sensitive electoral material” as the president refuses to accept being voted out of power.

It’s a crowded starting line for France’s Socialist primary

Former French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, now candidate for the socialist party primary election, gestures during the inauguration of his campaign headquarters, Wednesday Dec. 14, 2016, in Paris. Valls hopes to unite the Socialists under his banner and give the left a chance to stay at the Elysee, in the most ambitious challenge of his political life after president Francois Hollande decided not to run for re-election next year.

Supporters, opponents of embattled Park stage big rallies in Seoul

Supporters of South Korean President Pak Geun-hye rallied on Saturday for her reinstatement while opponents gathered to repeat their demands that the leader impeached over a corruption scandal step down immediately. A banner bearing images of South Korean President Park Geun-hye and her father, the late South Korean former military dictator Park Chung-hee, is seen as they attend a protest opposing her impeachment near the constitutional court in Seoul A woman cries while praying for the South Korean President Park Geun-hye’s impeachment to be accepted, in front of the constitutional court in Seoul, South Korea, December 17, 2016.

Saving ancient treasures

The Turkish Cypriot tourism office and the local council of Trikomo have signed an agreement to open an archaeology museum in the town, as part of a drive to ensure every town has a museum. Tourism office head, Fikri Ataoglu, and the leader of the local council, Hasan Sadikoglu, believe the museum will draw visitors to the town and allow them to see the historical artefacts of the island.

Deal reached that could restart Aleppo evacuation

A Syrian man pulls their belongings after he was evacuated with his family from Aleppo, near Idlib, Syria, Friday, Dec. 16, 2016. Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu says 7,500 civilians have been evacuated from the Syrian city of Aleppo and that he has reached out to Tehran in a bid to keep the process on track.

NWA dismisses claim that Southern Coastal Highway is a iffya

Chief Executive Office of the National Works Agency EG Hunter says that there is nothing “iffy” about the process leading up to the start of work on the proposed US$384-million Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project. Hunter was responding to a remark by St Thomas Eastern Member of Parliament Fenton Ferguson that there was something “iffy” about the project, as Opposition members of the House of Representatives’ Infrastructure and Physical Development Committee pressed him for details about the agency’s main projects.

MoBay EDM fest tonight

EBMF, now in its fourth year, has become a marquee event on Montego Bay’s entertainment calendar. With its two stages, one catering to dancehall and hip hop and the other to Electronic Dance Music and soca, patrons are in for a treat.

Turkish news agency reports car bomb attack

A deadly car bomb attack hit the central Anatolian province of Kayseri on Saturday morning, according to Turkish media reports. State-run Anadolu Agency said the car bomb went off at an entrance gate of Erciyes University, hitting a public transportation bus that included on-leave soldiers among its passengers.

Twitter

Four cultural preservation projects in Paphos district, aimed at protecting the island’s common cultural heritage, will start next year, following a series of conservation studies. At a press briefing and tour in Paphos, the UNDP-PFF outlined plans for structural and aesthetic restoration of a hamam and three mosques in and around Paphos.

.com | EXCLUSIVE: DRC nationals in SA vow to ‘remove envoy from Pretoria office’

Democratic Republic of Congo nationals living in South Africa are threatening to take things into their own hands and remove their ambassador in Pretoria from office should President Joseph Kabila not step down on Monday. Ilunga Mpanga Kazadi, a Gauteng-based Congolese community leader, told News24 “we will go to the ambassador on Tuesday and ask him to hand over his credentials, and then he must go”.

Is Kate going to be Pippa’s bridesmaid?

Duchess Catherine will still “play a part” in her sister’s wedding. The 34-year-old royal – who is married to Prince William has reportedly decided not to be a bridesmaid or maid of honour when Pippa Middleton ties the knot with James Matthews next May because she doesn’t want to upstage the bride, but insiders insist that doesn’t mean she will be stepping back from proceedings altogether.

5.1 magnitude quake hits Indonesia

Jakarta, Dec 17 : An earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale jolted Abepura in Indonesia, the US Geological Survey said. [NK World] The epicentre of the quake on Friday was determined at 3.1272 degrees south latitude and 139.1478 degrees east longitude, Xinhua news agency reported. py/

Indian scientists generate electricity from water sans using energy

New Delhi, Dec. 17 : Soon, a device that runs on a few drops of water could revolutionise the way electricity is generated, thanks to a team of scientists at Delhi’s National Physical Laboratory . [NK Technology] Researchers have developed a novel way of producing electricity from water at room temperature without using any power or chemicals.

Festive misery for travellers as airport crews vote to strike

TENS of thousands of festive travellers are facing the prospect of holiday misery after unions announced a series of strikes at Scotland’s three biggest airports in the days running up to Christmas. Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen are among 18 UK airports targeted by the Unite union as more than 1500 check-in staff, baggage handlers and cargo crew stage a 48-hour walk-out in the runup the December 25. Members of Unite employed by Swissport will walk out on December 23 and 24 at other airports including Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Bournemouth, Cardiff, Doncaster, East Midlands, Gatwick, Heathrow, Leeds/ Bradford, Luton, Manchester, Newcastle, Southampton and Stansted.

Bisaya songs in Play Store

Collaboration. FPT Software signs an agreement with 22 Tango Records’ Cattski Espina and Kadasig’s Jude Gitamondoc for the development of IslaTunes, an application that will serve as platform for homegrown music.

Santa Cruz County jobs picture better than a year ago

SANTA CRUZ >> Santa Cruz County saw farm jobs shrink by 2,700 and hospitality jobs drop 600 in November, typical for the season, but compared to a year ago, the employment picture is much improved, according to state figures posted Friday. • The county’s unemployment rate was 6.1 percent, down from 7.2 percent a year ago and the lowest for November since 2007, when it was 5.4 percent.

Poland’s Kaczynski leaves parliament after police remove protesters

Jaroslaw Kaczynski attends a pro-government demonstration to mark the 35th anniversary of the marshal law in Warsaw, Poland, December 13, 2016. The head of Poland’s ruling Law and Justice party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, left parliament in the early hours of Saturday after the police forcefully removed protesters blocking the exit from parliament, television footage showed.

India rebuff’s China, says Dalai Lama’s visit wasn’t political

New Delhi, Dec. 16 : After China took strong objection to Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama’s sharing dais with President Pranab Mukherjee at the Rashtrapati Bhavan during a children’s summit, India on Friday rebuffed Beijing’s charges, saying it was a non-political event orgnaised by Nobel Laureates dedicated to the welfare of children. [NK India] “You are aware of India’s consistent position.

Election Commission extends ‘Every Indian Vote counts’ deadline till Dec.31

New Delhi, Dec. 17 : In view of increasing participation by respondents to the Election Commission of India’s online creative competition for Overseas Indian Citizens on the topic ‘Every Indian Vote Counts’, the last date for submitting entries has now been extended to December 31. [NK India] The winner of the competition shall get return air tickets for two to India sponsored by national carrier Air India. The Online Survey and Competition for Overseas Indian Citizens developed in collaboration with the Tata Institute of Social Sciences , was launched on October 20, 2016.

Rahul Gandhi saying irrelevant things to ensure his relevance in Congress: BJP

New Delhi, Dec. 17 : Reacting to Rahul Gandhi’s opinions on demonetisation, the Bharatiya Janata Party has said the Congress vice-president always says irrelevant things in order to stay relevant within the party and Indian politics. [NK India] “As far as the speeches of Rahul Gandhi are concerned, his working in principle nod is to talk irrelevant in order to be relevant within the Congress party and Indian politics.

Vancouver Island cannabis growers high on legal pot prospects

Tilray president Brendan Kennedy says the company will enter the recreational marijuana market but with a different brand and product than its medical marijuana line. Licensed medical marijuana producers on Vancouver Island are already angling for expansion into a legalized recreational market as proposed new rules take shape.

china alarmed by chilli – conspiracy’ in Indonesia

China’s embassy in Indonesia has expressed alarm at media reports accusing China of using a “biological weapon” against Indonesia, after four Chinese nationals were arrested for planting imported chilli seeds contaminated with a bacteria. The headlines splashed across Indonesian media have sparked a wave of anti-Chinese sentiment on social media in a country with a history of simmering resentment towards its giant neighbour and a minority ethnic Chinese community.

Businesses in Swindon wear it festive for charity

Nationwide, in Pipers Way, raised money for its charity partner Shelter – which seeks to end homelessness in the UK – with a variety of activities including festive treats, quizzes, and employees dressed in their favourite Christmas jumpers. Stephan Uden, head of social investment at Nationwide, said: “It’s great to see all our people coming together to help make a difference to end homelessness in the UK.