3 SKorea workers die at n-plant site
Seoul: Three South Korean workers died today after apparently inhaling toxic gas at a construction site for a nuclear plant being built by South Korea’s monopoly nuclear power company, which has come under recent threats by hackers, a company official said.
5 die in Malaysia floods, PM cuts trip to US short
Kuala lumpur: Five people, including a toddler, have been killed and over 1,00,000 people evacuated in Malaysia after one of the country’s worst floods hit four states, forcing Prime Minister Najib Razak to cut short his holiday in the US.
Israeli court orders to raze West Bank outpost
Jerusalem: Israel’s supreme court has ordered Israeli authorities to demolish one of the oldest and most contentious Jewish settlement outposts in the West Bank. The court yesterday said the hilltop outpost of Amona must be evacuated within two years.
Rallies banned, security tightened in Bangladesh
Dhaka: Political rallies were banned in Gazipur on the outskirts of the Bangladeshi capital as opposition BNP and ruling Awami league’s student wing planned rival demonstrations at the same venue.
Turkey frees kid held for ‘insulting’ Erdogan
Ankara: A Turkish court on Friday ordered the release of a 16-year-old high school pupil arrested for “insulting” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, following accusations his detention was the latest sign of the country veering to authoritarianism.
Regime strikes kill 52 civilians in Syria
Beirut: Syrian regime air strikes killed 52 civilians, including seven children, in strongholds of the Islamic State jihadist group, a monitoring group said in a new toll.
30 dead in DR Congo river-boat wreck
Kinshasa: At least 30 people died when an overcrowded boat hit a rock and sank on the Congo river, sparking riots in which angry youths on the rampage set fire to public buildings, officials said.
Arrest warrant against Pak cleric
Islamabad: A non-bailable arrest warrant was issued against lal Masjid cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz for threatening civil society members who were protesting against him for not condemning the Peshawar school massacre.
1,300 migrants saved off Italy at Christmas
Rome: The Italian Navy rescued some 1,300 migrants in several operations late on Christmas Day, among them a Nigerian woman who gave birth on board one of the rescue vessels.