Monday, 31 December 2018
The News,World
DHAKA: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has secured a fourth term with a landslide victory in polls the opposition slammed as "farcical" over claims of vote-rigging, and clashes between rival supporters that killed at least 17 people.Hasina’s ruling Awami League party and its allies won 288 seats in the 300-seat parliament, with the main opposition securing only six seats, Election Commission secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed said.Hasina’s government had mounted a crackdown on the opposition, an alliance led by the Bangladesh National Party, which urged the country’s election commission to void the results."We are demanding that a fresh election is held under a neutral government as early as possible," Kamal Hossain, who heads the alliance, told reporters.Deadly violence and bitter rivalry that marred the election campaign spilled over into voting day, even as authorities imposed tight security with 600,000 troops, police and other security forces deployed across the country.Thirteen people were killed in clashes between Awami League and BNP supporters, police said, while three men were shot by police who said they were protecting polling booths.An auxiliary police member was also killed by armed opposition activists, according to officials.Hasina, 71, has been lauded for boosting economic growth in the poor South Asian nation during her decade in power and for welcoming Rohingya refugees fleeing a military crackdown in neighbouring Myanmar.But critics accuse her of authoritarianism and crippling the opposition -- including arch-rival and BNP leader Khaleda Zia who is serving 17 years in prison on graft charges.The opposition alliance on Sunday accused Hasina’s party of using stuffed ballot boxes and other illegal means to fix the result.BNP spokesman Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal told reporters there were "irregularities" in 221 of the 300 seats contested."Voters are not allowed to enter booths. Especially women voters are being forced to vote for the boat," Alal said, referring to the Awami League symbol.- ‘We’ll cast your vote’ -Bangladesh election commission spokesman S.M. Asaduzzaman told AFP the body had "received a few allegations of irregularities" and was investigating.Hasina did not immediately respond to the accusations but said in the run-up to the vote that it would be free and fair.Voting in the capital Dhaka was largely peaceful as convoys of soldiers and paramilitary forces were on the streets where most traffic was banned.However, voters in provincial areas reported intimidation.One voter, Atiar Rahman, said he was beaten by ruling party activists in the central district of Narayanganj."They told me not to bother, ‘We’ll cast your vote on your behalf’," he told AFP.The opposition said the unrest was stirred up to deter voters, and presiding officers reported a low turnout across the country.Sunday’s deaths brought to 21 the official police toll for election violence since the ballot was announced on November 8.Police said they acted "in self-defence" when they fired on opposition supporters who stormed a polling booth, killing one. A man was also shot by police after he tried to steal a ballot box.- Free and fair? -Experts say Hasina’s victory will be sullied by accusations that she hamstrung opponents.The opposition claims more than 15,000 of its activists were detained during the campaign, crushing its ability to mobilise support.Seventeen opposition candidates were arrested over what they said were trumped-up charges while another 17 were disqualified from running by courts, which Hasina’s opponents say are government controlled.Human Rights Watch and other international groups said the crackdown created a climate of fear which could prevent opposition supporters from casting ballots.The United States raised concerns about the credibility of the election while the United Nations called for greater efforts to make the vote fair.The leadership of Bangladesh has alternated between Hasina and Zia, allies-turned-foes, over the last three decades.Hasina’s victory secures her third consecutive term in office, and her fourth overall.A daughter of Bangladesh’s first president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Hasina was gifted victory in the 2014 election when the BNP boycotted the vote claiming it was not free and fair.Rights groups have since accused her administration of stifling freedom of speech by toughening a draconian anti-press law and the enforced disappearance of dissenters.Hasina rejects accusations of authoritarianism but analysts say she feared young voters would support the BNP.Her government was criticised this year for its heavy handling of weeks of major student protests that brought Dhaka to a standstill.
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What kind of day will you have today? Read our horoscope...Your daily Horoscope for Sunday, December 30, 2018ARIES(March 21-April 19)Discussions about how to secure your future in practical ways will appeal to you today. You want to make things as perfect as they possibly can be.(And perhaps you can.)TAURUS(April 20-May 20)This is a good day to solve problems, because you have vision and imagination, and yet you won’t overlook details. In fact, you’re surprisingly practical.GEMINI(May 21-June 20)Your ideas to make more money might sound a bit pie-in-the-sky to others. Nevertheless, pursue them, because your imagination is grounded in reality. You might just pull this off!CANCER(June 21-July 22) Discuss future educational plans for yourself or for your children. Something can be done here. Likewise, creative ideas about publishing, especially for children, will be worthwhile.LEO(July 23-Aug. 22) Quiet research, perhaps at home, can yield surprising results about how to deal with shared property and debt. Hidden information might bring you the answers you need.VIRGO(Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Someone older or more experienced might surprise you by giving you intriguing, fascinating advice. You also see this person has your best interests at heart. Good.LIBRA(Sept. 23-Oct. 22)Discussions with authority figures – bosses, parents and teachers – will go well today. You might show how practical efforts actually can help someone, especially a co-worker. This can make a difference in someone’s life.SCORPIO(Oct. 23-Nov. 21)Your imagination and flights of fancy might plan future travel that actually is doable. Just hope for the best and keep on planning.SAGITTARIUS(Nov. 22-Dec. 21)Your idealism about how families should live together might come about in a secret and unexpected way. It’s as if behind-the-scenes forces are making things happen.CAPRICORN(Dec. 22-Jan. 19)Discussions with someone older and more experienced can lead to imaginative solutions for you, especially with a friend who might be difficult. Or perhaps your difficulties are with a group?AQUARIUS(Jan. 20-Feb. 18)A co-worker will be supportive today when you least expect it. This shows that you can never really judge a book by its cover. Be open to whatever is offered to you.PISCES(Feb. 19-Mar 20)Future travel plans or something related to higher education can benefit your kids or a child you know. Likewise, this same energy might go into planning a wonderful vacation down the road.
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WASHINGTON: Patrick Shanahan, who on Tuesday becomes the acting US secretary of defense, takes the helm of America´s massive military machine at a critical time.Shanahan is moving up from his position as deputy defense secretary to the top spot following the resignation of Jim Mattis, who quit over long-running -- and ultimately irreconcilable -- disagreements with President Donald Trump.Little known outside business and Washington circles, Shanahan will be thrust onto the world stage at a time of tumultuous changes and unpredictable foreign policy moves under Trump.The president this month ordered the withdrawal of all US forces from Syria and, according to US officials, a 50 percent draw down in Afghanistan -- momentous decisions that have left lawmakers and international allies fearing for what comes next.Shanahan must now oversee the US withdrawal from Syria and play a key role in helping Trump decide the pace of the pull out.Another consideration he must weigh is what, if any, protections should go to Kurdish forces that the US military had been backing to fight Islamic State jihadists.Turkey views the Kurdish YPG fighters as "terrorists" and has vowed to attack them in northern Syria.While Shanahan has not always had day-to-day involvement in thorny geopolitical issues like this, Pentagon officials say he is ready to tackle them."He´s had 18 months to observe all of these operations, he´s been in all of the meetings, he´s been in all the discussions, he´s briefed the White House," Shanahan´s spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Joe Buccino, told AFP.A Washington state native, the 56-year-old Shanahan spent more than three decades at Boeing, where he became senior vice president, worked on missile defense systems and was general manager of the 787 Dreamliner program.Trump announced Shanahan´s appointment in a December 23 tweet that also brought Mattis´s planned departure date forward by two months. According to US media, Trump was angry over news coverage of Mattis´s stinging resignation letter that laid bare his fundamental disagreements with the president.Fox in the henhouse? Despite a lack of foreign policy or military experience, Shanahan´s executive and technical knowledge made him well suited for the Pentagon´s number two position, which focuses more on the Defense Department´s business side.In his time as deputy, the soft-spoken Shanahan played a key role in helping Mattis and others develop vital policy documents such as the National Defense Strategy (NDS), a sweeping review that highlights a new era of "Great Power competition" with Russia and China.He also has voiced support for Trump´s aim of creating a "Space Force," a sixth branch of the military that still needs approval from the US Congress.Buccino pointed to the NDS as a key area for Shanahan´s focus."He sees the national defense strategy as the blueprint, as the guide for all actions, directions, policies for the Pentagon," Buccino said.Before starting at the Pentagon in July 2017, Shanahan´s lack of foreign policy chops got him in hot water with the late John McCain, the senior Republican senator who led the Senate Armed Services Committee.At his confirmation hearing, an irascible McCain said a lack of detail in some of Shanahan´s foreign policy answers was "almost insulting."McCain also expressed concerns that putting a former executive from a defense industry giant in the Pentagon could be akin to putting a fox "back in to the henhouse."International allies will look to Shanahan, as they did to Mattis, for reassurances about America´s commitment to longstanding alliances -- even as Trump assails partner nations for not paying more for their defense.Shanahan must tread a careful line with the mercurial president, especially if he wants to get rid of the "acting" prefix of his job title.Trump has shown an aversion to listening to dissenting advice, and has parted company with many of the top aides to have challenged him.He fired secretary of state Rex Tillerson, former national security advisor HR McMaster resigned, and White House Chief of Staff John Kelly is on his way out the door.An official close to Shanahan said he would feel comfortable giving Trump an opposing opinion if necessary. "His entire adult life, Shanahan has provided a dissenting voice to leadership when needed," the official said."He would have no qualms doing that."
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WASHINGTON: Outgoing White House chief John Kelly said in an interview published Sunday that he had "nothing but compassion" for undocumented migrants crossing into the US, and undercut President Donald Trump´s claims to be building a "wall" at the Mexico border.As a partial government shutdown entered a ninth day due to an impasse over Trump´s demands for funding the US-Mexico border barrier, the president´s chief of staff told the Los Angeles Times: "To be honest, it´s not a wall.""The president still says ´wall.´ Oftentimes frankly he´ll say ´barrier´ or ´fencing,´ now he´s tended toward steel slats," Kelly said."But we left a solid concrete wall early on in the administration, when we asked people what they needed and where they needed it," he added.Building a solid "wall" along the 2,000-mile (3,200-kilometer) US-Mexico frontier was a central plank of Trump´s 2016 election campaign, and he has tweeted about it almost 100 times this year alone."Either we build (finish) the Wall or we close the Border," Trump -- who has adopted the 2020 re-election mantra "promises made, promises kept" -- posted as recently as Friday.A former Marine general who led the military command responsible for Latin America, Kelly was Trump´s Homeland Security secretary before becoming White House chief of staff in July last year.His relationship with the president reportedly deteriorated, however, and he is to be replaced at the end of the year by Mick Mulvaney, the current budget director."Illegal immigrants, overwhelmingly, are not bad people," Kelly told the LA Times, adding that many had been manipulated by traffickers. "I have nothing but compassion for them, the young kids." The remarks were in sharp contrast to the rhetoric of the president who regularly appeals to his overwhelmingly white political base by taking a hard line on immigration.'Pathetic immigration policies'Trump has spoken of an "invasion" of migrants and complained of "many gang members and some very bad people" among a thousands-strong caravan of immigrants that traveled to the US in October.Migrants from Central America say they want to reach the US to escape poverty and gang violence.Trump has threatened to end aid to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, despite a State Department announcement on December 18 that the US was ready to offer $4.5 billion in investment in Central America and southern Mexico, and that the administration was requesting an additional $180 million in assistance to the region.On Saturday Trump blamed opposition Democrats "and their pathetic immigration policies" for the deaths of two Guatemalan children who crossed the border illegally with relatives who were taken into custody by US Border Patrol. In a departure from the stance taken by his boss, Kelly said the way to halt illegal immigration was to "stop US demand for drugs, and expand economic opportunity" in Central America.Kevin McAleenan, the commissioner of US Customs and Border Protection, said on ABC´s "This Week" that investment in Central America was one element of a "multi-faceted problem" that also requires funding border security.'Wasting taxpayer dollars'He called for a "sober-minded non-partisan look at our immigration laws" as part of the solution to an upsurge in family and child arrivals."We´ve asked for about 1,000 miles of wall... And what we´re talking about is not just a dumb barrier," McAleenan said. "We´re talking about censors, cameras, lighting, access roads for our agents, a system that helps us secure that area of the border."The Democrats are refusing to provide billions for Trump´s border wall project and the president insists he will not fully fund the government unless he gets the money.As long as the debate holds up approval of a wider spending bill, about 800,000 federal employees are not getting salaries and non-essential parts of the government are unable to function.Kellyanne Conway, a close Trump advisor, said on "Fox News Sunday" that whether the border barrier was a "wall" or not was "a silly semantic argument," adding that the president had already compromised, since he had originally asked for $25 billion.Mulvaney told Fox last week that the administration had shown movement on the latest $5 billion demand for border security. "We actually came off of our $5 billion slightly," he said.Democratic Congressman Hakeem Jeffries agreed on ABC´s "This Week" that immigration reform and enhanced border security were needed."At its core, our responsibility in government is to manage public money. We can either manage it efficiently or we can waste taxpayer dollars," he said. "And what Donald Trump and the Republicans want to do is waste $5 billion in taxpayer money on an ineffective medieval border wall that is a fifth-century solution to a 21st century problem."
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TEHRAN: Iran´s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appointed the head of the judiciary, Sadegh Amoli Larijani, as chairman of the powerful Expediency Council on Sunday, according to his website.The Expediency Council is a key behind-the-scenes institution, settling disputes between different branches of government.It was led for many years by one of the Islamic republic´s founding figures, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, until his death in early 2017.Larijani, 58, was personally sanctioned by the United States in January 2018 for "human rights abuses" and "supporting Iranian weapons programs", according to the US Treasury.He was also appointed to the 12-man Guardian Council -- a post he previously held -- that vets legislation and election candidates, according to a statement on Khamenei´s website.A new judiciary chief was expected to be named shortly.Larijani takes over the Expediency and Guardian council posts from Ayatollah Hashemi Shahroudi, who died last week.He is one of five Larijani brothers who all hold powerful positions within the establishment, most notably his eldest sibling Ali Larijani who is speaker of parliament.Khamenei´s statement said "critical changes" were expected within the Expediency Council in the near future, without giving details.
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Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin has reassured his US counterpart Donald Trump that Moscow remains "open to dialogue" despite the year ending without the hoped-for warming of relations, the Kremlin said on Sunday."Russian-US relations remain an important factor in order to guarantee strategic stability and international security," the presidency said in a New Year statement.Putin "has confirmed that Russia is open to dialogue with the United States on the maximum number of subjects," the statement added.In December 2017, Putin said he hoped to "normalise" relations with Donald Trump but the chances of that evaporated with multiple investigations of Moscow´s alleged meddling in US politics.Washington this year dramatically announced its intention to pull out of a key Cold War-era nuclear weapons deal -- the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty -- to which Putin responded that Moscow would develop new missiles.Putin also sent messages to other heads of state including Britain´s Theresa May and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.In his message to May, Putin wished the British people "wellbeing and prosperity" in 2019.In 2018, relations between London and Moscow were badly damaged by the poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia on UK soil.Britain pointed the finger at Russia, but Moscow denied any involvement.Addressing President Erdogan, Putin underlined the "promising direction" of relations between Moscow and Ankara after the completion of the offshore phase of the TurkStream gas pipeline underneath the Black Sea and the start of work on Turkey´s first nuclear power station, which is being built by Russia."The Russian head of state confirmed that the joint forces of Moscow and Ankara will make a final decision on the fight against terrorism in Syria and the continuation of the process of political regulation," the Kremlin said.After the surprise announcement of the withdrawal of US forces from Syria, Russia and Turkey agreed on Saturday to "coordinate" their actions on the ground, including the return of refugees and the creation of a demilitarised zone in Idlib, the last bastion of rebels in the country.
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ISLAMABAD: A top official at a Indian state-run university urged his students to “murder” fellow students if confronted instead of complaining to him, amid a wave of violence being reported from across the state where the school is based.“If you’re a student of this University, never come crying to me,” said Raja Ram Yadav, vice-chancellor of Purvanchal University, in a speech, video from Reuters partner ANI showed, a private TV channel, reported on Sunday.Adding: “If you ever get into a fight, beat them, if possible murder them, we’ll take care of it later.”Yadav was speaking on Friday at a college event in Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state.In the same city a police officer was stoned to death during violent protests on Saturday, though there is no indication of a link with Yadav’s remarks.Uttar Pradesh is notorious for communal tensions and crime, and has been plagued by incidents of mob violence in recent weeks.A senior police officer and another man were killed in another incident of violence earlier this month after local residents protested because they say they had seen some people slaughtering a cow, an animal sacred in Hindu culture.That was in Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr district.
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Kabul: Afghanistan´s presidential election will be delayed until July 20, an official said Sunday, three months later than the ballot had been scheduled to be held.The announcement by the Independent Election Commission (IEC) comes after weeks of speculation that the vote would be postponed to create space for US-led efforts to end the 17-year war with the Taliban.Provincial and district council elections, as well as a previously postponed parliamentary vote in Ghazni province, will be held on the same day, IEC chief Abdul Badi Sayyad told reporters.The presidential ballot was originally scheduled for April 20, which many observers had considered unrealistic given the IEC was still finalising results of October´s shambolic parliamentary elections.A spokesman for President Ashraf Ghani, who plans to seek re-election, welcomed the new timeline.
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TEHRAN: Hundreds of Iranian students held protests for a second day on Sunday, calling for university officials to resign over a bus crash that killed 10, state news agency IRNA said.The demonstrating students reportedly carried photos of victims of Tuesday´s crash at a square leading to the university, in a rare display of dissent at Tehran´s Islamic Azad University.They demanded the university´s chairman of the board of trustees Ali-Akbar Velayati resign, the sports and youth ministry´s news agency Borna reported.The bus was carrying 30 students along a mountainous road within the university´s science and research campus in northwestern Tehran when it veered off the road and hit a concrete column.Seven were killed instantly, state TV said, while an updated death toll of 10 was reported by the conservative Tasnim news agency the day after the crash.The university initially blamed Tuesday´s crash on the driver having a stroke, which was later denied by the coroner´s office.On social media, the public and students have pointed to the university´s ageing bus fleet and poor maintenance.Several mid-tier managers were fired in the wake of the accident and some arrested, the university told semi-official news agency ISNA on Wednesday.Students have called for the university´s bus fleet to be replaced.They want an emergency centre to be set up on-campus and for guard rails to be erected along the entire mountainous road where the accident happened.Iran´s prosecutor general Mohammad-Jafar Montazeri visited the protesting students and called for calm.He promised them he would follow up on the case personally and punish wrongdoers "if they were found guilty."Iran is the world´s seventh deadliest country per capita for road accidents, according to 2013 data -- the latest available -- published by the World Health Organisation.Efforts to modernise Iran´s ageing and highly polluting vehicle fleet have been hampered by a lack of investment.Foreign companies Peugeot and Renault were forced to withdraw this year due to the return of US sanctions.
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Dhaka: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina appeared headed for a landslide win in a general election Sunday marred by opposition claims of rigged voting as 14 people were killed in clashes between rival supporters.Early results showed Hasina racing into a clear lead, winning each of the first 29 seats declared -- some by tens of thousands of votes -- according to Channel 24, which is compiling results from around the country.The deadly violence and bitter rivalry that marred the election campaign spilled over into voting day, even as authorities imposed tight security with 600,000 troops, police and other security forces deployed across the country.Ten people were killed in clashes between Hasina´s ruling Awami League party and supporters of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, police said, while three men were shot by police who said they were protecting polling booths.An auxiliary police member was also killed by armed opposition activists, according to officials.Hasina, 71, has been lauded for boosting economic growth in the poor South Asian nation during her decade in power and for welcoming Rohingya refugees fleeing a military crackdown in neighbouring Myanmar.But critics accuse her of authoritarianism and crippling the opposition -- including arch-rival Khaleda Zia who is serving 17 years in prison on graft charges -- to cling on to power.The BNP-led opposition alliance Sunday accused Hasina´s party of using stuffed ballot boxes and other illegal means to fix the result, which was to be announced Monday.BNP spokesman Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal told reporters there were "irregularities" in 221 of the 300 seats contested. Its ally Jamaat-e-Islami said it would reject the results."Voters are not allowed to enter booths. Especially women voters are being forced to vote for the boat," Alal said, referring to the Awami League symbol.- ´We´ll cast your vote´ -Bangladesh election commission spokesman S.M. Asaduzzaman told AFP the body had "received a few allegations of irregularities" and was investigating.Authorities ordered mobile operators to shut down high speed internet services until midnight Sunday "to prevent the spread of rumours" that could trigger unrest. One independent television news channel complained that its broadcasts were blocked.Voting in the capital Dhaka was largely peaceful as convoys of soldiers and paramilitary forces were on the streets where most traffic was banned."I have never missed voting in my life. This is probably the last election for me and I want a suitable candidate for my country," 98-year-old Abdus Salam said at a Dhaka polling station.However voters in provincial areas reported intimidation. Atiar Rahman said he was beaten by ruling party activists in the central district of Narayanganj."They told me not to bother, ´We´ll cast your vote on your behalf´," he told AFP.The opposition said the unrest was stirred up to deter voters, and presiding officers reported a low turnout across the country.Sunday´s deaths brought to 18 the official police toll for election violence since the ballot was announced on November 8.Police said they acted "in self-defence" in the southern town of Bashkhali, when they fired on opposition supporters who stormed a polling booth, killing one.In a separate incident a man was shot by police after he tried to steal a ballot box.- Free and fair? -Hasina needs 151 seats to control parliament but experts say a victory would be sullied by accusations that she hamstrung opponents.The opposition says more than 15,000 of its activists were detained during the campaign, crushing its ability to mobilise support.Human Rights Watch and other international groups said the crackdown created a climate of fear which could prevent opposition supporters from casting ballots.The United States raised concerns about the credibility of the election while the United Nations called for greater efforts to make the vote fair.Seventeen opposition candidates have been arrested over what they claim are trumped-up charges while another 17 were disqualified from running by courts, which Hasina´s opponents say are government controlled.The Bangladeshi leadership has alternated between Hasina and Zia, allies-turned-foes, over the last three decades.Hasina rejects accusations of authoritarianism but analysts say she feared young voters would support the BNP.Her government was criticised this year for its heavy handling of weeks of major student protests that brought Dhaka to a standstill.Hasina, daughter of Bangladesh´s first president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was gifted victory in the 2014 election when the BNP boycotted the vote claiming it was not free and fair.Rights groups have since accused her administration of stifling freedom of speech by toughening a draconian anti-press law and the enforced disappearance of dissenters.
from The News International - World http://bit.ly/2BOehZH
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LONDON: Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton happily played board games as they appeared to patch up their differences over the festive period, it has been claimed.The Royal sisters-in-law played scrabble on Christmas Day at the Queen’s Sandringham retreat.The Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, 36, and the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, 37, even teamed-up during traditional quiz games, according to a Sun source.This comes as it was claimed the couple had clashed over Meghan’s “pushy” behaviour and treatment of household staff.The source said: “If German and British troops could put their differences to one side to play football during World War One, the feeling was Kate and Meghan could follow suit for Scrabble.“After watching the Queen’s speech, the board games were brought out and both women got stuck in.“Pregnant Meghan wasn’t drinking but Kate had a glass of wine or two, and everyone was in great spirits.“They were chuckling along together."You wouldn’t know there was any tension between the two. It was a wonderful day and night.”The Duchess of Cambridge and Duchess of Sussex put on a united front at Sandringham in the face of claims they the pair are locked in a feud.They made a smiling appearance together for the Royal Family’s Christmas Day church service. Pregnant Meghan was even seen patting Kate on the back.Rumours of a rift have exploded since Prince Harry and Meghan announced they were moving out of Kensington Palace, where Kate and Prince William lives.Harry and Meghan, who are expecting their first child, will instead take up residence at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor. Royal insiders have claimed Meghan has been nicknamed "Duchess Difficult”.Sources have previously said Meghan and Kate are "very different people" who just "don't get on". But reportedly the Queen ordered the duo to make up.Kensington Palace took a rare step earlier this year when it denied a series of reports that Kate told Meghan off for scolding members of the Royal staff.
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Los Angeles: A malware attack that appears to have originated outside the US delayed the hardcopy distribution of several major newspapers, according to a report.The LA Times said Saturday that the attack, which was first assumed to have been a server outage, hit a computer network at Tribune Publishing which is connected to the production and printing process of multiple newspapers around the country.As a result, the delivery of the Saturday editions of the LA Times and San Diego Union Tribune were delayed.It also hit the distribution of the West Coast editions of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, which are printed at the LA Times' printing plant.The report said it could not provide firm numbers on how many subscribers were impacted but a majority of LA Times customers received their papers Saturday morning, albeit several hours late."We believe the intention of the attack was to disable infrastructure, more specifically servers, as opposed to looking to steal information," the LA Times quoted a source with knowledge of the situation as saying.The paper cited officials as saying it was too soon to know whether it was carried out by state or non-state actors."We are aware of reports of a potential cyber incident effecting several news outlets, and are working with our government and industry partners to better understand the situation," the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.
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DHAKA: At least 12 people were killed in election-day clashes in Bangladesh Sunday, after a bloody campaign overshadowed by a crackdown on the opposition by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is expected to win a historic but controversial fourth term.Three men were shot by police while eight others died in clashes between activists from the ruling Awami League Party and opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), police said.An auxiliary police member was killed after being attacked by opposition activists armed with guns and sticks, according to officials.Voting, which ended at 4:00pm (1000 GMT), was held under tight security. Polls have predicted that Hasina will clinch a third-consecutive term and record fourth overall.Bangladesh’s leader has been lauded for boosting economic growth in the poor South Asian nation during an unbroken decade in power and for welcoming Rohingya refugees fleeing a military crackdown in neighbouring Myanmar.But critics accuse her of authoritarianism and crippling the opposition -- including arch-rival Khaleda Zia who is serving 17 years in prison on graft charges -- to cling on to power.The election campaign was marred by violence between supporters of Hasina’s Awami League and Zia’s BNP.Some 600,000 security personnel were deployed across the South Asian country, including at 40,000 polling stations.Authorities ordered mobile operators to shut down 3G and 4G services until midnight on Sunday "to prevent the spread of rumours" that could trigger unrest.The election-day deaths brought to 16 the official police toll for election violence since the ballot was announced on November 8.Police said they acted "in self-defence" in the southern town of Bashkhali, when they opened fire on opposition supporters who attempted to storm a polling booth, killing one.In a separate incident another man was shot by police after he tried to steal a ballot box.- Free and fair? -Opinion polls show Hasina, who has presided over six percent GDP expansion every year since she won a landslide in 2008, heading for a comfortable victory that would extend her reign as the country’s longest-serving leader.She needs 151 seats in the first-past-the-post system to control the 300-seat parliament but experts say a victory would be sullied by accusations that she hamstrung her opponents’ campaign and scared people into voting for her.The opposition says more than 15,000 of its activists have been detained during the weeks-long campaign, crushing its ability to mobilise grassroots support."We are getting disturbing reports outside Dhaka that overnight votes have been cast illegally," said Kamal Hossain, the 82-year-old architect of Bangladesh’s constitution who is helming the opposition coalition.Presiding officers at polling stations across Dhaka reported a low turnout.Human Rights Watch and other international groups have decried the crackdown, saying it has created a climate of fear which could prevent opposition supporters from casting ballots.The United States has raised concerns about the credibility of the Muslim-majority country’s election while the United Nations called for greater efforts to make the vote fair.Seventeen opposition candidates have been arrested over what they claim are trumped-up charges while another 17 were disqualified from running by courts, which Hasina’s opponents say are government controlled."This is not (a) free and fair election. It is more a controlled selection," said a Western diplomat who asked not to be named.- Student protests -The Bangladeshi leadership has alternated between Hasina and Zia, allies-turned-foes, over the last three decades.Hasina rejects accusations of creeping authoritarianism but analysts say she mounted the clampdown over fears that young voters were set to hand a victory to the BNP.Her government was criticised this year for its heavy handling of weeks of massive student protests over the abolition of job quotas and poor safety standards on Bangladesh’s dangerous roads.Hasina, the daughter of Bangladesh’s first president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was gifted victory in the 2014 election when the BNP boycotted the vote claiming it wasn’t free or fair.Since then, rights groups have accused her administration of stifling freedom of speech through the toughening of a draconian anti-press law and the enforced disappearance of government dissenters.
from The News International - World http://bit.ly/2BLsN4h
from The News International - World http://bit.ly/2BLsN4h
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The International Forum for Justice and Human Rights (IFJHRJK) has said that a total of 355 people including a 10-year-old boy, a pregnant woman and three PhD scholars lost their lives to Indian state terrorism in Kashmir in 2018. According to Kashmir Media Service (KMS), the report released by the International Forum for Justice and Human Rights said 95 cordon and search operations took place in Kashmir in the year in which 120 houses were destroyed.The report said a journalist, two-mentally challenged men and a 14-year-old were also among the victims of Indian state terrorism.It said 355 Kashmiri Muslims and 95 forces’ personnel lost their lives in 2018. The report stated that Musharraf Fayaz (10) died after getting injured in an explosion in Shopian in January, while a pregnant woman, Firdousa lost her life to forces’ bullets.Senior journalist Shujaat Bukhari was also shot dead outside his office at the Press Enclave.The report said November has been bloodiest month in the year with 49 killings.It also marks April 1, as the deadliest day, when 20 people were killed, while over 200 were injured in a single day in Kashmir.“This year we saw 120 houses were razed to the ground. A house is a person’s life long investment.Nobody will invite combatants to his house.We have filed petitions in this case, but there has been no reply. There is no policy to rehabilitate them.Justice bodies should take cognizance of it,” IFJHRJK Chairman Ahsan Untoo said in a media interview in Srinagar.Meanwhile, the President of Jammu and Kashmir Council for Human Rights, Dr Syed Nazir Gilani has strongly condemned the continued killings by Indian forces in occupied Kashmir and has demanded of the world powers to take action against Indian brutalities.Dr Nazir Gilani in a letter addressed to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, said, Indian forces used gun powder to blow up a residential house in village Bon Hajin in Rajpora area of District Pulwama on Saturday 29th December 2018 and killed three Kashmiris.
from The News International - World http://bit.ly/2EYXYwp
from The News International - World http://bit.ly/2EYXYwp
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What kind of day will you have today? Read our horoscope...Your daily Horoscope for Saturday, December 29, 2018ARIES(March 21-April 19)In the next few weeks, you’ll enjoy relationships with parents and family members. Life will bring more peaceful time at home. Some will want to redecorate.TAURUS(April 20-May 20)For various reasons, you will notice more beauty in your daily surroundings in the next few weeks. You even might discover how much love there is around you. GEMINI(May 21-June 20)Many of you will see new ways to earn money in the next few weeks – while others will spend money on beautiful goodies. (It’s a two-way street.)CANCER(June 21-July 22) You might want to buy wardrobe goodies in the next few weeks, because you’re going to like what you see in the mirror. You feel more attractive and more pleasing to others.LEO(July 23-Aug. 22) Solitude in beautiful surroundings will appeal to you in the next few weeks. Seek out moments to be by yourself in order to feel calmer and more at peace with the world.VIRGO(Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Friendships will be warmer in the next few weeks. You might make new friends. And for some, friends will become lovers!HOROSCOPELIBRA(Sept. 23-Oct. 22)Others might ask for your creative input at work during the next few weeks. They want your advice on design, layout, furniture arrangement or how a document looks.SCORPIO(Oct. 23-Nov. 21)Travel for pleasure in the next few weeks, because it will please you. You’ll also love to see beautiful places that inspire you because your appreciation of beauty will be heightened.SAGITTARIUS(Nov. 22-Dec. 21)The next few weeks are a good time to ask for a loan or a mortgage, because others are receptive to your requests. Expect gifts, goodies and favors to come to you.CAPRICORN(Dec. 22-Jan. 19)Patch up quarrels and mend broken fences during the next few weeks with those who are close to you. Close friends want to be even closer.AQUARIUS(Jan. 20-Feb. 18)Cooperation with co-workers is easy in the next several weeks. Some of you might put energy into making where you work look more attractive as well.PISCES(Feb. 19-Mar 20)Romance, love affairs, vacations, the arts, creative adventures and playful times with children will be tops on the menu for you for the next few weeks. Enjoy your good fortune!
from The News International - World http://bit.ly/2SsUZA6
from The News International - World http://bit.ly/2SsUZA6
Sunday, 30 December 2018
The News,World
Jakarta : A volcano on the Indonesian holiday island of Bali erupted Sunday, belching ash high into the air and over nearby villages as officials warned tourists to keep clear of the area.Mount Agung has been erupting periodically since it rumbled back to life in 2017, when it grounded hundreds of flights and left 120,000 visitors stranded.On Sunday morning, the volcano -- which is about 70 kilometres (44 miles) from the tourist hub of Kuta -- sent ash skywards as it erupted for about three minutes, according to the country´s volcanology centre."Residents near Mount Agung as well as climbers and tourists should not carry out any activity in the danger zone or within four-kilometre radius from the crater," the centre said in a statement. On December 22, an eruption from Anak Krakatoa triggered a tsunami which hit the western tip of the neighbouring island of Java and southern Sumatra, killing at least 426 and leaving more than 7,000 injured.In the latest eruption, several villages on Bali were covered in a thin layer of ash but no smoke or lava was detected coming from the crater and no evacuation has been ordered.The volcanology centre also warned residents near rivers in the area to be on alert for cold lava flows -- a type of mudflow that can form from rock and ash in the rainy season and which is often a prelude to the blazing orange lava of popular imagination. In June, dozens of flights were cancelled after Agung erupted and shot a fresh plume of smoke and ash more than 1,000 metres (3,300 feet) into the sky. Agung´s last major eruption in 1963 killed around 1,600 people. Indonesia is the world´s most active volcanic region and lies on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where tectonic plates collide, causing frequent volcanic and seismic activities.
from The News International - World http://bit.ly/2ETFHjW
from The News International - World http://bit.ly/2ETFHjW
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DHAKA: Two people were killed in election-related violence in Bangladesh Sunday as voting began following a campaign marred by deadly clashes and a crackdown on the opposition by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government.One man died when police opened fire on opposition supporters who authorities said had attacked a polling station, while an activist for the ruling Awami League party was beaten to death in a separate incident.Voters began casting ballots at 8:00 am (0200 GMT) under tight security in a parliamentary election that is expected to deliver a historic but tainted fourth victory for Hasina.Bangladesh’s leader has been lauded for boosting economic growth in the poor Asian nation during an unbroken decade in power and for welcoming Rohingya refugees fleeing a military crackdown in neighbouring Myanmar.But critics accuse her of growing authoritarianism and crippling the opposition -- including arch-rival Khaleda Zia who is serving 17 years in prison on graft charges she says are politically motivated -- in a bid to cling on to power.The weeks-long election campaign was marred by violence between supporters of her ruling Awami League party and activists from the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by Zia.Some 600,000 security personnel were deployed across the South Asian country, including at 40,000 polling stations, in a bid to prevent further skirmishes.Authorities have also ordered the country’s mobile operators to shut down 3G and 4G services until midnight on Sunday "to prevent the spread of rumours" that could trigger unrest.The election-day deaths bring to six the number of people confirmed by police to have been killed since the ballot was announced on November 8, marking the country’s 11th parliamentary election since independence in 1971.Police said they acted "in self-defence" in the southern town of Bashkhali, where they opened fire on opposition supporters.The Awami League activist died after he was beaten on the head by opposition supporters during a clash in the southeastern hill district of Rangamati, said local police chief Najibul Islam.- Free and fair? -Opinion polls following the crackdown show Hasina, who has presided over six percent GDP expansion every year since she won a landslide in 2008, heading for a comfortable victory that would extend her reign as the country’s longest-serving leader.She needs 151 seats in the first-past-the-post system to win in the 300-seat parliament but experts say any victory would be sullied by accusations that she hamstrung her opponents’ campaign and scared people into voting for her.The opposition says more than 15,000 of its activists have been detained during the weeks-long campaign, crushing its ability to mobilise its grassroots support.Human Rights Watch and other international groups have decried the crackdown, saying it has created a climate of fear which could prevent supporters of opposition parties from casting their ballots.The United States has also raised concerns about the credibility of the Muslim-majority country’s election while the United Nations has called for greater efforts to make the vote fair.Seventeen opposition candidates were arrested over what they claim are trumped-up charges while another 17 were disqualified from running by courts which Hasina’s opponents say she controls."This is not (a) free and fair election. It is more a controlled selection," said a Western diplomat who asked not to be named.- Student protests -The Bangladeshi leadership has alternated between Hasina and Zia, former allies-turned-foes, over the last three decades and the pair are nicknamed the "Battling Begums".Hasina rejects accusations of creeping authoritarianism but analysts say she mounted the clampdown over fears that young voters were set to hand a victory to the BNP.Her government was criticised earlier this year for its heavy handling of weeks of massive student protests over the abolition of job quotas and poor safety standards on Bangladesh’s dangerous roads.Hasina, the daughter of Bangladesh’s first president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was gifted victory in the 2014 election when the BNP boycotted the vote claiming it wasn’t free or fair.Since then, rights groups have accused her administration of stifling freedom of speech through the toughening of a draconian anti-press law and the enforced disappearance of government dissenters.Polls close on Sunday at 4:00 pm (1000 GMT).
from The News International - World http://bit.ly/2RmuHSM
from The News International - World http://bit.ly/2RmuHSM
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DUBAI: A rescue helicopter crashed on Saturday in the emirate of Ras Al-Khaimah, killing all crew members, according to the United Arab Emirates state news agency WAM.Sheikh Saud bin Saqr al-Qasimi, ruler of Ras Al-Khaimah, ordered an investigation into the incident that took place at 5:50 pm (1350 GMT)."The General Civil Aviation Authority announced the crash of an Agusta 139 helicopter during a rescue mission in Jebel Jais in Ras al-Khaimah," said the report.It was not immediately clear how many crew members were on board.The UAE comprises the emirates of Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm al-Qaiwai
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from The News International - World http://bit.ly/2QbOMGH
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GIZA, Egypt: Crowds of tourists stared in awe at the towering pyramids of Giza near Cairo Saturday undaunted by a nearby bomb attack a day earlier that killed holidaymakers from Vietnam.A roadside bombing claimed the lives of three tourists and their Egyptian guide Friday when it ripped through the bus they were on as it travelled near the world-famous attraction.The attack comes as Egypt´s vital tourism sector has begun to recover after years of instability and jihadist violence that scared visitors away.Excited holidaymakers rode camels and queued to enter a tomb as they snapped pictures of the Great Pyramid, the only surviving structure of the seven wonders of the ancient world.Hawkers followed the tourists, doggedly trying to sell trinkets and souvenirs.Despite the steady flow of visitors, Egyptians working at the site said they were shaken by the attack -- and concerned that it could hit their livelihoods.Earlier hit hard by a string of bloody attacks and unrest, visitor numbers to Egypt have more recently staged a partial recovery.In October 2015, a bomb claimed by a local affiliate of the Islamic State jihadist group killed all 224 people on board a passenger jet carrying Russian tourists over the Sinai peninsula.That incident dealt a severe blow to Egypt´s tourism industry, which was still reeling from the turmoil set off by the 2011 uprising that forced veteran leader Hosni Mubarak from power.The official statistics agency says arrivals reached 8.2 million in 2017, up from 5.3 million the year before.But that figure was still far short of the record influx in 2010 when over 14 million came.
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from The News International - World http://bit.ly/2AiE8Zx
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BERLIN: Airport traffic resumed at Hanover airport on Saturday after being suspended when a car crashed through a barrier onto the runway, police said.The driver of the vehicle, a European managed around 20, was quickly arrested and tested positive for cocaine and amphetamines, Hanover police said.The car, registered in Poland, had been searched but no weapons were found, a police spokesman told the German DPA news agency."Hanover airport resumed operations around 2005 (1905 GMT)," police said on Twitter.Incoming flights had earlier been diverted to other airports.
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from The News International - World http://bit.ly/2AvZiUv
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PANDEGLANG, Indonesia: The Indonesian volcano which caused a tsunami that killed more than 400 people last week lost more than two-thirds of its height following the eruption which triggered the killer waves.A section of Anak Krakatoa´s crater collapsed after an eruption and slid into the ocean, generating the tsunami last Saturday night.A visual analysis by the Indonesian volcanology agency found the volcano has lost more than two-thirds of its height, an official said Saturday.Anak Krakatoa which used to stand 338 metres (1,109 feet) high was now just 110 metres tall.The agency estimated the volcano lost between 150 and 180 million cubic metres of material as massive amounts of rock and ash have been slowly sliding into the sea following a series of eruptions."Anak Krakatoa is now much shorter, usually you can see the peak from the observatory post, now you can´t," Wawan Irawan, a senior official at the agency, told AFP.Before and after satellite images taken by Japan´s space agency showed that a two square kilometre chunk of the volcanic island had collapsed into the water.The volcano, whose name means Child of Krakatoa, was a new island that emerged around 1928 in the crater left by Krakatoa, whose massive 1883 eruption killed at least 36,000 people.The crater´s status has been raised to high alert, the second-highest warning on Indonesia four-point danger scale.The exclusion zone has been extended from two to five kilometres (1.2 to three miles).A week after the tsunami, thousands of Indonesian Muslims attended a mass prayer on Saturday to remember the victims and pray for the safety of their tsunami-prone hometown.Residents of Pandeglang regency, which was hit the hardest by the disaster, gathered in the early morning, some in tears as they chanted their prayers."I prayed for the victims and I also pray for the safety of the people who live in the tsunami affected area," Dadan Suryana, a tsunami survivor, told AFP."My prayer is for the victims to get help and be granted patience and I also pray the government will immediately help us to rebuild, to provide clothes and food, or at least to give us moral support," fellow congregant Dian Rosdiana said.Authorities said at least 426 people were killed and 23 missing in the disaster.Some 7,202 people suffered injuries and nearly 1,300 homes were destroyed after the waves crashed into the coastlines of western Java island and south Sumatra.More than 40,000 people have been evacuated for fear of another tsunami as Anak Krakatoa continues to rumble.Indonesia, a vast Southeast Asian archipelago, is one of the most disaster-hit nations on Earth due to its position straddling the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, where tectonic plates collide.
from The News International - World http://bit.ly/2ESCwsI
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LAHORE: A Pakistani taxi driver namely Ahmed has won the hearts of Indian on social media for his love and brotherhood for an Indian guest.According to details, Prabhdeep Singh, an Indian national visited Lahore to attend the wedding ceremony of his friend. Singh was warmly welcomed in Pakistan, however, the most fascinating thing that won his heart was friendly gesture of a Pakistani taxi driver Ahmed.Prabhdeep Singh took to Twitter to share his feelings and experience of traveling with Ahmed.Singh tweets, “I have taken Uber in five continents but my best Uber experience was earlier this week in Pakistan.”He added “Ahmed dropped me to Wagah border from Lahore. Refused to take money because I am an Indian and a guest. Waited till I crossed the border. Spoke about love and brotherhood.”
from The News International - World http://bit.ly/2LCNOTe
from The News International - World http://bit.ly/2LCNOTe
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Giza, Egypt: Egyptian police killed 40 alleged "terrorists" in a crackdown on Saturday after a roadside bomb hit a tour bus claiming the lives of three Vietnamese holidaymakers and an Egyptian guide.The suspects were killed in separate raids in the Giza governorate, home to Egypt´s famed pyramids and the scene of Friday´s deadly bombing, and in the restive Sinai Peninsula, the interior ministry said.Two raids in the Giza governorate killed 30 "terrorists", while the remaining 10 were killed in the North Sinai, the ministry said in a statement.It said authorities acted after receiving information the suspects were preparing a spate of attacks against state and tourist institutions and churches."Information was received by the national security that a group of terrorists were planning to carry out a series of aggressive attacks targeting state institutions, particularly economic ones, as well as tourism, armed forces, police and Christian places of worship," the statement said.Early on Friday evening, a roadside bomb hit a tour bus in the Al-Haram district near the Giza pyramids, killing the three Vietnamese holidaymakers and their Egyptian guide, officials said.A statement from the public prosecutor´s office said 11 other tourists from Vietnam and an Egyptian bus driver were wounded.There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing, the first attack to target tourists since 2017.
from The News International - World http://bit.ly/2SlSzmU
from The News International - World http://bit.ly/2SlSzmU
Saturday, 29 December 2018
The News,World
Pandeglang: The Indonesian volcano which caused a tsunami that killed more than 400 people last week lost more than two-thirds of its height following the eruption which triggered the killer waves.A section of Anak Krakatoa´s crater collapsed after an eruption and slid into the ocean, generating the tsunami last Saturday night.A visual analysis by the Indonesian volcanology agency found the volcano has lost more than two-thirds of its height, an official said Saturday. Anak Krakatoa which used to stand 338 metres (1,109 feet) high was now just 110 metres tall.The agency estimated the volcano lost between 150 and 180 million cubic metres of material as massive amounts of rock and ash have been slowly sliding into the sea following a series of eruptions."Anak Krakatoa is now much shorter, usually you can see the peak from the observatory post, now you can´t," Wawan Irawan, a senior official at the agency, told AFP.Before and after satellite images taken by Japan´s space agency showed that a two square kilometre chunk of the volcanic island had collapsed into the water.The volcano, whose name means Child of Krakatoa, was a new island that emerged around 1928 in the crater left by Krakatoa, whose massive 1883 eruption killed at least 36,000 people.The crater´s status has been raised to high alert, the second-highest warning on Indonesia four-point danger scale.The exclusion zone has been extended from two to five kilometres (1.2 to three miles).A week after the tsunami, thousands of Indonesian Muslims attended a mass prayer on Saturday to remember the victims and pray for the safety of their tsunami-prone hometown.Residents of Pandeglang regency, which was hit the hardest by the disaster, gathered in the early morning, some in tears as they chanted their prayers."I prayed for the victims and I also pray for the safety of the people who live in the tsunami affected area," Dadan Suryana, a tsunami survivor, told AFP. "My prayer is for the victims to get help and be granted patience and I also pray the government will immediately help us to rebuild, to provide clothes and food, or at least to give us moral support," fellow congregant Dian Rosdiana said.Authorities said at least 426 people were killed and 23 missing in the disaster. Some 7,202 people suffered injuries and nearly 1,300 homes were destroyed after the waves crashed into the coastlines of western Java island and south Sumatra.More than 40,000 people have been evacuated for fear of another tsunami as Anak Krakatoa continues to rumble. Indonesia, a vast Southeast Asian archipelago, is one of the most disaster-hit nations on Earth due to its position straddling the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, where tectonic plates collide.
from The News International - World http://bit.ly/2GHUcK8
from The News International - World http://bit.ly/2GHUcK8
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RIYADH: Saudi Arabia´s new foreign minister struck a note of defiance Friday in the face of international outrage over critic Jamal Khashoggi´s murder, denying the kingdom was in crisis and that his predecessor had been demoted.Ibrahim al-Assaf, a former veteran finance minister who was briefly detained last year in what Riyadh said was an anti-corruption sweep, replaced Adel al-Jubeir as foreign minister in a major government shake-up on Thursday ordered by King Salman.The surprise reshuffle was seen partly as an attempt to elevate the kingdom´s marginalised old guard, adding a veneer of checks and balances to the policy decisions of 33-year-old Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who faces intense global scrutiny over the October 2 murder of journalist Khashoggi.But speaking to AFP in his first interview since his appointment, Assaf insisted the restructuring was motivated not by the Khashoggi affair, but the need to make the government machinery more efficient."The issue of Jamal Khashoggi... really saddened us, all of us," Assaf told AFP at his residence in Riyadh, adorned with mahogany furniture, a wall-mounted elephant tusk and other hunting trophies."But all in all, we are not going through a crisis, we are going through a transformation," he added, referring to social and economic reforms spearheaded by the crown prince.In Thursday´s reshuffle, Jubeir was appointed minister of state for foreign affairs, fuelling speculation that he had been demoted after he failed to quell global criticism over Khashoggi."This is far from the truth," Assaf said.Jubeir´s new role, he insisted, was tantamount to a division of labour and not a demotion, in a bid to accelerate the task of remaking a ministry known to be overly bureaucratic."Adel represented Saudi Arabia and will continue to represent Saudi Arabia... around the world," Assaf said."We complement each other."Jubeir was not immediately reachable for comment.
from The News International - World http://bit.ly/2AuX9sb
from The News International - World http://bit.ly/2AuX9sb
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ISTANBUL: A Turkish prosecutor on Friday launched an investigation into a prominent TV news presenter less than two weeks after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lambasted the journalist, local media reported.The prosecutor´s office said it was investigating Turkey´s Fox Haber channel´s Fatih Portakal for "openly inciting others to commit a crime" after the journalist speculated whether Turks could protest like those in the "Yellow Vest" movement in France, Hurriyet and Milliyet dailies said."Come on, let´s have a peaceful protest, a protest against ... rising natural gas fees. Come on, let´s do it. Would we be able to do it?" the journalist who has over six million followers on Twitter asked."For the love of God, tell me how many people would come out?" Portakal demanded as he speculated about the impact of Turks´ fears of protesting in a news programme on December 10.During anti-government protests in 2013, Erdogan was criticised for the police´s heavy-handed crackdown against demonstrators.Portakal´s comments were interpreted by Turkish officials as a call for protests as the country is suffering high inflation. Consumer prices reached over 25 percent in October before falling to 21.62 percent in November. Portakal had made the comments during a news segment about France´s "yellow vest" movement, which started as a demonstration against fuel price hikes in November but has since snowballed into broader anti-government opposition.Erdogan has repeatedly criticised the journalist for his comments, saying in mid-December: "He is calling people to get out on the street. Know your place! If you don´t know your place, the people will teach you a lesson."Earlier this week, Turkey´s audiovisual authority RTUK fined Fox Haber Turkey for an undisclosed amount and said the channel had to suspend three future broadcasts of the primetime news show.Fox Haber Turkey gives greater coverage to the opposition parties than other mainstream channels in an increasingly constricted media landscape in Turkey under the rule of Erdogan.Fox Haber, which means Fox News in Turkish, is not linked to the Fox News Channel in the United States.The investigation comes after two famous Turkish actors were accused of insulting Erdogan during a television programme on Halk TV last week.An Istanbul court on Monday released the two men on conditional bail after they were summoned to give statements to prosecutors.Turkey´s allies and human rights defenders have raised concerns over a clampdown on freedom of expression under Erdogan, with dozens of journalists and civil society activists imprisoned.
from The News International - World http://bit.ly/2BMwyGx
from The News International - World http://bit.ly/2BMwyGx
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Manila: A 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck off the southern Philippine island of Mindanao on Saturday, monitors said, adding that a tsunami threat was possible for parts of the Philippines and neighbouring Indonesia.The quake struck southeast of Davao City at a depth of 59 kilometres (35 miles), the US Geological Survey said, while the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said "hazardous tsunami waves from this earthquake are possible" along the coasts of Indonesia and the Philippines.
from The News International - World http://bit.ly/2LFfcAf
from The News International - World http://bit.ly/2LFfcAf
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GIZA: Three Vietnamese holidaymakers and an Egyptian tour guide were killed Friday when a roadside bomb blast hit their bus as it travelled close to the Giza pyramids outside Cairo, officials said.A statement by the public prosecutor´s office said 11 other tourists from Vietnam and an Egyptian bus driver were wounded when the homemade device exploded. The improvised explosive device was placed near a wall along the Mariyutiya Street in Al-Haram district near the Giza Pyramids, it said. The bus was carrying a total of 16 people including 14 Vietnamese tourists, an Egyptian driver and a tour guide, according to the statement. Armed security personnel quickly deployed to the site and cordoned off the area for inspection. The white tourist bus could be seen with its windows shattered and surrounded by soot-covered debris. Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli visited the injured tourists in hospital, where he announced that the tour guide had died from his wounds. Madbouli urged against "amplifying" the incident as he insisted that "no country in the world can guarantee that its 100 percent safe"."It´s possible at times that an individual incident takes place here or there," he told journalists."We have to know that it´s possible that it would be repeated in the future." There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast. Tourism struggling Egypt´s tourism industry has been struggling to recover from terror attacks and domestic instability that has hit the country in recent years.In July 2017, two German tourists were stabbed to death by a suspected jihadist assailant at the Egyptian Red Sea beach resort of Hurgada. In October 2015, a bomb claimed by a local affiliate of the Islamic State group killed 224 people on board a passenger jet carrying Russian tourists over the Sinai peninsula. That incident dealt a severe blow to Egypt´s tourism industry still reeling from the turmoil set off by the 2011 uprising that forced veteran leader Hosni Mubarak from power. Egypt has since been seeking to lure tourists back and spur the lucrative sector by touting new archaeological discoveries and bolstering security around archaeological sites and in airports.Tourism has slowly started picking up. The official statistics agency says tourists arrivals in Egypt in 2017 reached 8.2 million, up from 5.3 million the year before. But that figure was still far short of the record influx in 2010 when over 14 million visitors flocked see the country´s sites. Egypt has for years been battling an Islamist insurgency in North Sinai, which surged following the 2013 military ouster of president Mohamed Morsi.Security forces have since February been conducting a major operation focused on the Sinai Peninsula, aimed at wiping out a local IS branch.More than 450 suspected jihadists and around 30 Egyptian soldiers have been killed since the offensive began, the army said in October.The pyramids of Giza are the only surviving structure of the seven wonders of the ancient world and a major tourist draw attracting visitors from across the globe.
from The News International - World http://bit.ly/2Snj8Ic
from The News International - World http://bit.ly/2Snj8Ic
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BAMAKO: Qatar has sent 24 armoured vehicles to Mali, army officials from both countries said Friday, as Doha pledges closer ties with the West African Sahel country locked in a battle with jihadist insurgents.Qatari General al-Ghaffari said the vehicles would be used by the Malian army operating in areas with mines and improvised explosives."There will now be permanent cooperation between our armies in the fields of training, unit equipment and military exchanges between our countries," he told reporters in Mali´s capital Bamako Friday.Malian general Moustapha Drabo said the vehicles would help "protect our forces against ambushes, which is the tactic used by the terrorists". Mali has been struggling to return to stability after Islamist extremists took control of the north in early 2012, prompting a military intervention by France.The extremists were routed in the French operation in 2013 but large stretches of the landlocked African state remain out of government control.Qatar has recently been looking to shore up allies outside its own region, where it is in a bitter feud with its Gulf neighbours."With this gesture, Qatar is clearly showing that Mali is among its allies in the Sahel, where Doha will be visibly more present," Malian sociologist Mamadou Samake said.Qatar has found itself isolated since Saudi Arabia, along with Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, severed diplomatic ties with Doha in 2017, accusing it of supporting terrorism and fostering close ties with their regional rival Iran -- charges that Doha denies.
from The News International - World http://bit.ly/2EQzk0O
from The News International - World http://bit.ly/2EQzk0O
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GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories: A Palestinian man was killed Friday by Israeli fire during protests and clashes near the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel, the health ministry in the coastal enclave said.Karam Fayyad, 26, was killed east of the Gaza city of Khan Yunis, ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra told AFP.Eight other Palestinians were wounded by live fire during clashes with Israeli soldiers along the border, Qudra added.Around 5,000 Palestinians demonstrated on Friday along various parts of the border between Gaza and Israel, a spokeswoman for the Israeli army said.The protesters threw stones at the soldiers and also hurled explosive devices which fell on the Gaza side of the border, the spokeswoman said.Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have held often violent protests backed by its Islamist rulers Hamas since March 30.Protesters are calling for Palestinian refugees to be allowed to return to their former homes now inside Israel.At least 240 Palestinians have been killed since the demonstrations began, most of them by Israeli fire during border clashes but also by air and tank strikes.Two Israeli soldiers have been killed over the same period, one by a Palestinian sniper and another during an aborted special forces operation inside Gaza.Israel accuses Hamas of seeking to use the protests as cover to carry out infiltrations and attacks, and says the army´s actions are necessary to defend the border.
from The News International - World http://bit.ly/2LI0aK4
from The News International - World http://bit.ly/2LI0aK4
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WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump threatened Friday to seal the US-Mexico border "entirely" if Congress does not approve billions of dollars in funding for a wall.In a burst of early morning tweets, the president said the alternative to funding his controversial wall project would be total separation from Mexico -- including making US car companies pull out their factories based on the other side of the frontier.The threat yet again upped the ante in a political row that has led to a partial shutdown of the US government and seems set to dominate the start to the third year of Trump´s presidency."We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall," Trump tweeted.Trump said he would then take US-Mexican relations back to the days before the NAFTA agreement opened free trade across Canada, Mexico and the United States.That would "bring our car industry back into the United States where it belongs," he said.It was not clear how separating the two huge neighbors would work. Bilateral trade totaled an estimated $615.9 billion in 2017, according to US government figures.Neither did Trump make any mention of the new free trade agreement, known as the USMCA, which he only recently signed with the two neighboring countries to replace NAFTA and which he has repeatedly praised as a huge boost for American commerce.In Mexico, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador sidestepped Trump´s threat, telling journalists: "We don´t want to be imprudent and we don´t think we should get into this."Trump wants $5 billion in funding for a wall along the more than 2,000-mile border, which he says is currently too porous to stop illegal immigration and which he says has become a magnet for criminals, drugs and even terrorists.Opponents -- especially in the Democratic party but also some in Trump´s Republican party -- say that a physical wall is impractical and that the idea is being used as a political tool to whip up xenophobia in Trump´s right-wing voter base.Both sides have dug in. Democrats refuse to approve funding and the president -- who has made hardline immigration polices a centerpiece of his presidency -- has retaliated by refusing to sign off on a wider spending bill, leaving some 800,000 federal employees without pay.Negotiations on lifting that partial government shutdown, perhaps by providing some border security funding, have sputtered out and no new debate is scheduled before next Wednesday.The president, who had already scrapped a Christmas visit to his Florida golf resort has also "canceled his plans for New Year´s," his incoming chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, said on Fox News.Asked about the startling rhetoric, Mulvaney told Fox that Trump "is trying to draw light to the fact this is a crazy discussion to be having."Experts are divided on solutions to policing the long, often inhospitable border separating the world´s biggest economy from the far poorer countries to its south.Although there is a huge cross-border drug trade and immigrants often enter illegally, others have genuine claims for asylum. Central Americans are also deeply integrated in the US economy, often performing physically demanding, low-pay jobs in construction, agriculture and other vital sectors.Trump has consistently painted the asylum seekers and economic migrants in outlandish terms, raising the specter of rapists, gang members and people with infectious diseases roaming freely across the border.Trump has latched particularly on to what have become known as the "caravans" -- groups of several hundred or even more migrants who walk on epic treks across Central America and Mexico to try and reach the United States.According to Trump the "caravans" amount to organized attempts at invading the United States.In one tweet Friday, Trump warned: "word is that a new Caravan is forming in Honduras and they are doing nothing about it."As a result, he said, "we will be cutting off all aid" to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.The impoverished, often dangerous countries have long received American assistance to boost democracy, human rights, education and security.But according to State Department figures, the aid is already dropping steeply.Honduras is currently set to receive $65.7 million in 2019, down from $105.6 million in 2017, while Guatemala is slated for $69.4 million, down from $145 million.El Salvador received $88 million in 2017 and is set for $45.7 million next year.
from The News International - World http://bit.ly/2EW8Mem
from The News International - World http://bit.ly/2EW8Mem
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SAN ROQUE, Spain: A charity rescue vessel carrying 311 mainly African migrants plucked off Libya docked in Spain on Friday, ending a traumatic journey which saw them spend Christmas at sea and several European nations denying the ship entry.The migrants cheered and applauded as the vessel docked in the port of Crinavis near the southern city of Algeciras and Proactiva Open Arms, the Spanish charity which runs the Open Arms vessel carrying them, feted the arrival with a "Mission accomplished" tweet.The migrants come from 19 different countries, including Somalia, Syria and the Ivory Coast. More than a third of them,139, are minors.By early afternoon all of the migrants had disembarked from the boat and received clothes and food, as well as medical tests if required, from Red Cross officials. Women and children left the boat first."They are in good health in general," said Inigo Vila, who is in charge of emergencies for the Red Cross in Spain.Police will identify the migrants before moving them to shelters.The migrants were rescued on December 21 from three vessels but were denied entry by Italy and Malta. Libya, France and Tunisia did not respond to Proactiva Open Arms´ requests for permission to dock, Madrid said.On Saturday, a newborn baby and his mother were helicoptered from the boat to Malta, while a 14-year-old suffering from a serious skin infection was taken to the Italian island of Lampedusa."These are people, both children and adults, who have had really horrible experiences in both their countries of origin and during their journey," Vicente Raimundo, the director of intervention in Spain for the NGO Save The Children.Photos and videos posted by the charity showed the rest of the rescued migrants celebrating Christmas at sea listening to music and singing. Some children wore red Santa hats as they huddled together on the small ship."We are talking about lives in danger, of people who need help. And it is really deplorable to have to travel for eight days at sea to take them to a safe port when international rules say to go to the nearest safe port," said Proactiva Open Arms founder Oscar Camps.Proactiva Open Arms operates in the sea between Libya and southern Europe, coming to the aid of migrants who get into difficulties during the crossing from northern Africa.This was the first time since August that Spain has allowed a charity rescue ship to dock and unload migrants in the country.The Open Arms resumed its patrols of the Mediterranean off the Libyan coast in late November, along with two other boats run by migrant aid groups.In August it had suspended its missions, accusing governments, and Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini by name, of "criminalising" migrant rescue charities.Salvini has denied the groups access to Italy´s ports, accusing them of acting as a "taxi service" for migrants. Malta too has been increasingly unwilling to host rescue vessels."Your rhetoric and your message will, like everything in this life, end," Camps told Salvini on Twitter earlier."But you should know that in a few decades your descendants will be ashamed of what you do and say."More than 1,300 migrants have perished trying to reach Italy or Malta since the beginning of the year, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).That makes this stretch of the Mediterranean the most deadly for migrants attempting to cross to Europe.Spain meanwhile has become Europe´s main entry point for migrants this year, overtaking Greece and Italy.More than 56,000 migrants have arrived in Spain by sea this year, and 769 have died trying, according to the IOM.
from The News International - World http://bit.ly/2EUTMi2
from The News International - World http://bit.ly/2EUTMi2
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NEW DELHI: India will send a three-member team into orbit for up to a week when it launches its first manned space mission expected in 2022, the government announced Friday.Indian ministers approved $1.4 billion to provide technology and infrastructure for the programme, according to a government statement.The sum would make India´s one of the cheapest manned space programmes, stepping up its space rivalry with China. But the statement said India also hopes to take part in "global" space projects.India will become the fourth nation after Russia, the United States and China to send a manned mission into space.Ministers approved financing to launch an Indian-developed craft into a "low earth orbit" for a duration ranging from one orbital period to a maximum of seven days, the statement said.Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in August that India will launch a manned space flight by 2022 with at least one astronaut. The cabinet had not approved the project however.There will be two unmanned and one manned flights to launch the Gaganyaan (Sky-Vehicle) Programme, the statement said.Without giving a date for the blast off, the government said the manned flight would be "within 40 months" of Friday´s meeting.Modi has hailed the national space programme as a prestige project.The government has stated that space flights will boost the economy, generate jobs and enhance capabilities in areas such as medicine, agriculture and fighting pollution.A successful manned mission would allow India to become a "collaborating partner in future global space exploration initiatives with long term national benefits," said the statement.The country has invested heavily in its space programme in the past decade.The Indian Space Research Organisation announced in July that it planned to send an unmanned mission to the moon in 2019.India launched an orbiter to Mars in 2013 which is still operational and last year launched a record 104 satellites in one blast-off.New Delhi is competing with other international players for a greater share of the satellite market, and hopes its low-cost space programme will give it an edge.China put its first humans into space in 2003 but its Shenzhou programme cost more than $2.3 billion.Experts say the United States spent the equivalent of about $110 billion at current values on preparatory flights and the mission to put the first man on the moon in 1969.
from The News International - World http://bit.ly/2So6msV
from The News International - World http://bit.ly/2So6msV
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ATME, Syria: Torrential rains have washed away hundreds of tents in camps sheltering displaced Syrians in the north of the war-wracked country, aid groups have said, as residents pleaded for help."On December 26... hundreds of tents were washed away in Atme, Dana, Sarmada and Qah in the northern countryside of Idlib," the Union of Medical Care and Relief Organisations said in a statement Thursday."Many shelters, food and water stocks were ruined by flooding," it said.In the Omar camp in the town of Atme near the Turkish border, two days of heavy rains flooded flimsy plastic tents and turned nearby fields into pools of mud, said an AFP correspondent, who toured the area on Thursday.Residents of the makeshift homes said the deluge destroyed their few belongings, including bedding, leaving them with nothing as temperatures plunged below zero."My tent has been flooded and the waters have carried away the mattresses and the carpets we used to sleep on," said Umm Adi, a widow and mother of four, who had sought refuge from the seven-year conflict in Omar camp."Even the spoons and the food are gone," she told AFP."Everything was lost in the floods. We have nothing left."Tens of thousands of displaced Syrians in the north of the country depend on handouts from humanitarian aid groups, including food, blankets and heating fuel, to survive the cold winter climate.Since 2011, Syria´s war has killed more than 360,00 people and caused more than half the country´s population to flee their homes.Firas al-Modhi, 18, who fled the town of Halfaya in the central Hama province, also saw his family´s tent in Omar camp destroyed by the downpour."The rain and the water submerged our tent. Everything is wet. We don´t have a blanket left," he said.With temperatures of zero degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit) there was little to help him and his family stay warm, he said."We appeal to aid groups to help us," the young man said.The Union of Medical Care and Relief Organisations, a France-based coalition of non-governmental organisations, also urged the international community and aid agencies "to release emergency funding" for those stricken by the floods."People living in camps in northern Syria are facing difficult humanitarian conditions... The displaced people are humbly asking for help," it said in its statement.It said rescuers were trying to assess the needs of the displaced and provide those affected by the bad weather with food aid.Displaced Syrians in the north whose camps have been flooded are in need of "adequate shelter, heating, clothing, water and food," it added.
from The News International - World http://bit.ly/2AkYYaN
from The News International - World http://bit.ly/2AkYYaN
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