98.1% Egyptians approve new constitution
Cairo: An overwhelming 98.1 per cent of voters approved Egypt's new constitution in a nationwide referendum, widely seen as a vote on a likely presidential bid by army chief Gen Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. The Supreme Electoral Committee (SEC) on Saturday announced that the newly drafted national charter was approved by 98.1 per cent of voters, Al-Ahram online reported.
S Sudan troops retake town from rebels
Juba: South Sudanese Government forces backed by Ugandan troops on Saturday recaptured the strategic town of Bor, defeating an Army of thousands of rebels, officials said. Army spokesman Philip Aguer said soldiers entered the town, capital of Jonglei State and situated 200 kilometres (130 miles) north of the capital Juba, in the afternoon following days of fierce fighting.
Bhutto case: Pak court summons 10 witnesses
Islamabad: A Pakistani anti-terrorism court summoned 10 witnesses in former premier Benazir Bhutto’s assassination case to appear on January 25.
China begins building 2nd aircraft carrier
Beijing: China has begun constructing the second of four planned aircraft carriers, days after its first such warship completed a series of tests and training programmes in the South China Sea.
Myanmar frees scores of child soldiers: UN
Yangon: Myanmar’s Army has freed 96 children and young people from its armed forces, the United Nations said on Saturday, hailing a “historic step” towards ending the use of child soldiers in the formerly junta-run nation.
Indian origin man denied parole in Canada
Toronto: A Canadian man of Indian-origin, convicted in a 2002 strip club murder case, has been denied parole. The Parole Board of Canada denied an appeal by Jagrup Singh, 38, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in December 2003 with no parole eligibility for 13 years, The Province news portal reported.
Another Indian held with gold in Nepal
Kathmandu: An Indian has been arrested with two-and-a-half kg of gold from Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu on Friday as gold smuggling from Nepal to India has surged in recent days.
7 militants killed in southern Russia
Moscow: Russian forces killed seven militants including an alleged would-be suicide bomber during a sweep in southern Russian three weeks before the Sochi Winter Olympics, officials said on Saturday.
Pope defrocked 400 priests in 2 years
Vatican City: In his last two years as pope, Benedict XVI defrocked nearly 400 priests for raping and molesting children, more than twice as many as the two years that preceded a 2010 explosion of sex abuse cases in Europe and beyond, according to a document and an analysis of Vatican statistics.