26 killed in Mexico fireworks market blast

Mexico City, Dec 21 : At least 26 people were killed in a fireworks market explosion near Mexico City, an official said. [NK World] Mexico State Prosecutor Alejandro Gomez raised the toll of the Tuesday’s blast from the previous nine deaths, Xinhua news agency reported citing a local television.

KiwiRail cans electric trains, goes with diesel

KiwiRail, the state-owned rail and freight operator, said a small fleet of electric trains on New Zealand’s North Island would be phased out over the next two years and replaced with diesel locomotives. The North Island Main Trunk, or NIMT, runs from Auckland to Wellington but is only electrified between Hamilton and Palmerston North with a fleet of 16 almost 30-year old electric trains, Wellington-based KiwiRail said in a statement.

Kiwi Company Targets US Renovations Market

An award winning New Zealand company has launched a major export push into the US, offering consumers sustainable home renovations. Wanaka based Dream Doors which last year turned over $18m throughout Australasia, says they expect to open 100 US franchises within the next five years, which will lift their annual revenue to over $150m.

Damodar campaign donates $66k to WOWS

Wows Kids Fiji executives Don Sansom receives the $66,000:00 donation from Chief Excutive Officer,Div Damodar of Damodar Group Fiji as Taholo Kami of WOWS captures the moment in Suva today. Picture: RAMA Update: 2:11PM THE Walk On Walk Strong Kids Fiji Foundation was presented with a cheque worth $66,000 from the WOWS Div Damodar campaign to raise funds for children with cancer.

New Fiji TV program to showcase Africa

South African charge d’affaires Velelo Gardener Kwepile and television presenter Ajay Bhai Amrit during the launch of South African episode at Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva torday. Picture: RAMA Update: 1:54PM BULA South Africa is the latest television series to be launched by Bula Bollywood creator and presenter Ajay Bhai Amrit at Suva’s Grand Pacific Hotel today.

Calcutta

Surgeries and other medical procedures are being postponed and preventive health checks cancelled as the ravages of the cash purge tell on even medical necessities.

Bihar

A Class IX student of DAV Public School Walmi Complex had to get medical attention after a schoolteacher allegedly beat him up inside the school on Tuesday. Students of Patna Women’s College today organised pre-Christmas events to spread festive cheer among the transgender and rickshaw-puller communities as part of an outreach… The ongoing strike by employees of the Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation has completely paralysed the state-run corporation’s hotels across the state.

Sockeyes host Mission Thursday

Arjun Badh and the Richmond Sockeyes host Mission City Thursday night at 7 p.m. in their final game before the Christmas break. Photograph By Mark Booth Arjun Badh and the Richmond Sockeyes host Mission City Thursday night at 7 p.m. in their final game before the Christmas break.

Canadians heading to Mac’s tourney

Sasha Mutala is one of the big reasons why the Greater Vancouver Canadians are among the top scoring teams in the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League this season. The 15-year-old was taken sixth overall in the Western Hockey League Bantam Draft.

Trudeau promises two emergency towing vessels for West Coast

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says two emergency towing vessels that were promised as part of a federal plan to protect Canada’s oceans will operate on the West Coast. The vessels will help the coast guard tow large commercial ships that are in distress and pose a hazard to navigation and the marine environment.

Riverview Volunteer Association holds draw

Pictured from left are Riverview recreation supervisor Meggan Cameron, treasurer Shirley Oldford, resident Krista Gillis and board member Clarrie MacKinnon. This past year money has gone to help support social and recreation and education items not covered by community services.

Proposed Top End dam funding knocked back by Federal Government

Agriculture may provide the key for the Northern Territory Government as it seeks federal funding for a new dam to meet Darwin’s future water needs. An application to the National Water Infrastructure Development Fund to obtain support for a feasibility study into a new resource for urban water supply in the Darwin region was knocked back by the Federal Department of Agriculture earlier this year.

The Latest: John Kerry concerned by rhetoric out of Turkey

The Latest on the development in the Syrian civil war and the aftermath of the assassination of Russia’s ambassador to Turkey : John Kerry’s spokesman says the U.S. Secretary of State has raised concerns about “some of the rhetoric coming out of Turkey with respect to American involvement or support, tacit or otherwise, for this unspeakable assassination yesterday because of the presence of Mr. Gulen here in the United States.” “We need to let the investigators do their job and we need to let the facts and the evidence take them where it is before we jump to conclusions,” Kirby added.

Man arrested in Berlin truck attack released-Image3

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility Tuesday for a truck attack on a crowded Berlin Christmas market that German authorities said came right out of the extremist group’s playbook, inflicting mass casualties on a soft target fraught with symbolic meaning. The Monday night attack on the popular market by the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in the heart of former West Berlin left 12 dead and 48 injured – the first mass casualty attack by Islamic extremists carried out on German soil.

NASDAQ:WINS Investor Alert: Investigation over Possible Securities…

Wins Finance Holdings Inc is under investigation over potential securities laws violations. The investigation was announced for investors in NASDAQ:WINS shares in connection certain financial statements made by Wins Finance Holdings Inc. Investors who purchased shares of Wins Finance Holdings Inc , have certain options and should contact the Shareholders Foundation at mail@shareholdersfoundation.com or call 858-779-1554.

Man guilty of recording child abuse of nephew

A court has heard how a 27-year-old man videoed and photographed his six-year-old disabled nephew being seriously sexually assaulted. Clonmel Circuit Court heard the man, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim, has pleaded guilty to producing child abuse material.

Central Bank officer, four others convicted for fraud

Chennai, Dec 20 : A CBI court here on Tuesday convicted a Branch Manager of the Central Bank of India and four others, who will undergo rigorous imprisonment, the Central Bureau of Investigation said. [NK Tamil Nadu] In a statement, the CBI said R. Krishnadoss, Branch Manager of the Central Bank of India, was sentenced to five years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 50 lakh for sanctioning loans based on fake property documents to Mars Communications.

4 Jordanian police killed in clash with gunmen during raid

Four policemen were killed Tuesday in an exchange of fire with wanted men in a central Jordanian province where assailants had killed 10 people in a series of ambushes earlier this week, state media said. Several wanted men were killed and others arrested after the firefight in the province of Karak, the official news agency Petra reported.

Yarmouth organizations clean up flood damage

Cleanup and recovery work from massive flooding continued Tuesday morning at HOPE Centre and at the Boys and Girls Club of Yarmouth . Both facilities received extensive water damage, suspected from ruptured pipes in ceilings and floors due to extreme cold chill last weekend.

Kilpeck church provides the inspiration for the latest Merrily Watkins story

THE latest title in Phil Rickman’s Merrily Watkins series, All of a Winter’s Night, is published on Thursday, January 5, but local readers will have the opportunity to pick up a copy a bit earlier, as Phil visits local bookshops to sign copies on December 30 and 31. The new novel is inspired by Kilpeck church, regarded as the classic example of Norman Romanesque architecture, emerging from a meeting of Celtic, Roman, Saxon and Viking traditions. A survey by the British Society of Dowsers found a stream underneath, which seems to have governed its orientation, along with hints of a neolithic stone circle.

Security tightens up at Christmas markets across Europe

Security was tightened at Christmas markets across Europe on Tuesday after a deadly truck attack on a market in Berlin – and pointed questions arose over why the German capital was vulnerable despite months of warnings. Monday night’s truck rampage in Berlin left 12 people dead and nearly 50 wounded.

PKK offshoot claims Kayseri bus bombing that killed 13 soldiers: Hurriyet

An offshoot of the militant Kurdistan Workers Party has claimed responsibility for a weekend car bomb attack on a bus in central Turkey that killed at least 13 soldiers and wounded more than 50, the Hurriyet newspaper reported on Tuesday. The militant group previously claimed responsibility for an attack earlier this month outside a soccer stadium in Istanbul that killed more than 40 people.