Saudi arabia beheads murderer
Riyadh: Saudi Arabia beheaded one of its citizens on Wednesday in the eastern province of Qatif after he was convicted of murdering a fellow Saudi, the Interior Ministry said. Ali al-Saeedi shot dead Ali Abdelhay during a dispute, said the statement published by the official SPA news agency. The execution takes to 32 the number of people put to death in Saudi Arabia since the beginning of the year, according to an AFP count.
Test-tube baby pioneer Robert Edwards dead
london: British scientist Robert Edwards, who was awarded a Nobel prize for his pioneering work in developing in vitro fertilisation (IVF) leading to the birth of the first test tube baby, died on Wednesday. He was 87. “It is with deep sadness that the family announces that Professor Sir Robert Edwards, Nobel prizewinner, scientist and co-pioneer of IVF, passed away peacefully in his sleep on 10th April 2013 after a long illness,”Cambridge University said in a statement.
laden’s son-in-law to go on trial on Jan 7
New York: Osama bin laden’s son-in-law will go on trial in January on charges that he conspired to kill Americans in his role as al-Qaeda’s chief spokesman, a judge said on Tuesday. US District Judge lewis Kaplan announced the January 7, 2014 date for Sulaiman Abu Ghaith in a one-sentence order. Kaplan said he had hoped to start the trial as early as this autumn until a public defender complained at a hearing Monday that across-the-board federal budget cuts, known as sequestration, would force some lawyers to be furloughed for more than five weeks, making it impossible to prepare for trial quickly.
Zardari makes rare appearance in Karachi
Islamabad: Shunning his tight security cover, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari made a rare public appearance when he dined out with his daughter Aseefa at a Chinese restaurant in the southern port city of Karachi. Zardari went to the China Kitchen in the post Clifton neighbourhood on Monday evening, surprising both the management of the restaurant and other diners. The restaurant is located close to Bilawal House, Zardari’s private residence in Karachi.
20 injured in Bangladesh clashes
Dhaka: At least 20 people have been injured in clashes between police and activists near Bangladesh’s capital on the second day of a national strike called by opposition parties. ATN Bangla TV station says clashes occurred in Narayanganj district after opposition supporters brought out a procession that was intercepted by police on Wednesday. Witnesses say about a dozen homemade bombs also have exploded in parts of the capital, Dhaka.
Museum gets renowned $1B Cubist collection
New York: New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art is getting a billion-dollar Cubist collection it says will “transform” it. The museum announced on Tuesday cosmetics executive and philanthropist leonard lauder has pledged his renowned collection of Cubist works.
‘Dead’ Qaeda leader Shehri delivers message
Dubai: Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has posted online an audio message from its second-in-command, Saeed al-Shehri, whose death was announced by Yemen in January, a monitoring group reported on Wednesday. The 14-minute audio produced by AQAP’s media arm Al-Malahem Foundation is accompanied by what the US-based SITE Monitoring Service said was a new photograph of the Saudi militant. Shehri’s death has been announced several times by the Yemeni authorities, most recently on January 24.
Kuwait proposes $1M fine for insulting emir
Kuwait City: Kuwait’s Information Minister is defending a proposed media law that reports say could bring fines of about US $1 million for insulting the Gulf nation’s emir and other members of the ruling family. The government has not given details of the draft regulations, which would cover both traditional media and online posts. But the liberal Kuwait daily Qabas reported today that the proposed codes also could include fines reaching about USD 700,000 for stirring internal tensions.
Malaysia to hold general elections on May 5
Kuala lumpur: Malaysia will hold general elections on May 5, an electoral official said on Wednesday, in a tough test of the ruling coalition’s 56-year hold on power in the country. The Election Commission announced that General Elections will be held on May 5 while nomination process will take place on April 20. The EC said all 222 parliamentary and 505 state seats would be decided the same day.