16 dead in south Yemen fighting

Aden: Yemeni pro-government forces were battling on Sunday to oust Iran-backed rebels from a southern province where they have made gains in recent weeks. Ground fighting and air strikes by a Saudi-led coalition killed 12 rebels in Daleh province, military sources said. Four loyalists were also killed.

Iran seeks N-watchdog probe’s closure

Tehran: Iran said on Sunday there would be no final implementation of a nuclear deal with world powers unless a probe into allegations of past weapons research is closed. The declaration, by a top security official, comes after the head of the UN nuclear watchdog said a report into the possible military dimensions of Iran’s activities would not be “black and white.”

Italy headmaster draws flak for carol ban

Rome: Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has slapped down a headmaster who has banned Christmas concerts and carols in his school near Milan in the name of multiculturalism. “Christmas is much more important than a headmaster being provocative,” Renzi told Sunday’s edition of Corriere della Sera.

‘China’s infra loans expensive than Japan’

Beijing: Pitching for large scale Chinese investments into India’s massive infrastructure expansion plans, NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Arvind Panagariya has said China should make its loans attractive compared to Japan’s “incredibly attractive” finance.

US woman tapes dog’s mouth for barking

Houston: A Florida woman who taped her dog’s mouth for barking and then bragged online about her cruel disciplinary techniques by sharing a picture of the suffering pooch is facing a police probe after furious pet lovers jammed the police hotline.

China issues heavy smog alert

Beijing: China on Sunday issued the highest smog alert of the year for capital Beijing, upgrading it from yellow to orange after the readings of deadly PM2.5 reached about 17 times the recommended level in some parts of the city. The municipal weather centre said humidity and lack of wind would mean the smog will linger for another two days, before a cold front arrives on Wednesday.

fossil shows how snakes lost legs

london: Snakes lost their limbs when their ancestors evolved to wriggle through burrows, and not in order to live in the sea, according to a new analysis of a 90 mn-year-old reptile fossil skull.