Twin quakes kills at least 29 in south Japan; many trapped

Mashiki, Japan (AP):  Two powerful earthquakes a day apart shook southwestern Japan, killing at least 29 people, injuring 1,500, trapping many beneath flattened homes and sending thousands to seek shelter in gymnasiums and hotel lobbies.

The exact number of casualties remained unclear as rescue efforts continued to unfold Saturday. Oncoming rains could further complicate the relief operation and set off more mudslides in isolated rural towns, where people were waiting to be rescued in collapsed homes.

Kumamoto Prefectural official Tomoyuki Tanaka said the death toll was climbing by the hour, with the latest standing at 19 from Saturday’s magnitude-7.3 quake that shook the Kumamoto region on the southwestern island of Kyushu at 1:25 a.m. On Thursday night, Kyushu was hit by a magnitude-6.5 quake that left 10 dead.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said that 1,500 people have been injured, 80 of them seriously. Nearly 70,000 have left their homes, he said.

 

A series of aftershocks ensued, including a magnitude-5.4 Saturday morning. The Japan Meteorological Agency said that the quake that struck earlier Saturday may be the main quake, with the earlier one a precursor. The quakes’ epicenters have been relatively shallow — about 10 kilometers (6 miles) — and close to the surface, resulting in more severe shaking and damage. NHK TV said as many as eight quakes were being felt an hour in the area.

 

Japanese media reported that nearly 200,000 homes were without electricity. Drinking water systems had also failed in the area. TV footage showed people huddled in blankets, quietly, shoulder to shoulder, on floors of evacuation centers.

Suga told reporters the number of troops in the area was being raised to 20,000 for rescue efforts, while additional police and firefighters were also on the way. He said 80 people had been seriously injured, while holding back on giving a death tally, warning that such numbers may grow. Some 1,500 people were injured, and nearly 70,000 people had evacuated, he said.

He pleaded with people not to panic. “Please let’s help each other and stay calm,” he said in a nationally televised news conference.
Mount Aso, the largest active volcano in Japan which is located on Kyushu, erupted for the first time in a month, sending smoke rising about 100 meters (328 feet) into the air, but no damage was reported. It was not immediately clear if there’s a link the seismic activity and the eruption. The 1,592 meter (5,223 foot) high mountain is about 1 ½ hour drive from the epicenter.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority reported no abnormalities at Kyushu’s Sendai nuclear plant.

Turkey's military declares coup; Erdogan says he is still President

Ankara: Tanks opened fire around the Turkish parliament building and military jets were seen flying low over the city as the Turkish military claimed it has seized control of the country late on Friday night.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, addressing Turkey via Facetime, asserted he is President and vowed to crush the opposition forces.

“I am calling on our nation. Go to squares, let us give them the best answer,” Erdogan said in a video message, “I do not believe this coup attempt will be successful. No coup-plotter in history has ever succeeded,” he said.

First Army commander Umit Dundar said that the coup-plotters represent a small minority in First Army command. “There is nothing to worry about. We are taking necessary measures with the soldiers who have not joined them and are still acting within chain of command.”

Erdogan said he was Turkey’s commander in chief and there had not been any attempt against him. The Turkish presidency said the president is at a secure location.

Erdogan identified the group as belonging to the FETO/PDY terrorist organization, which three years ago staged an unsuccessful overthrow of the government, Turkey’s Anadolu agency reported.

“This is an insurgency against democracy and national will,” Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told the nation on live TV late on Friday night. “We will not allow it. There will never be any compromise on democracy. The perpetrators will pay the heaviest price.”

State broadcaster TRT said the military had declared martial law and a curfew, in a statement signed by a group calling itself the “Council for Peace in the Homeland”.

“The power in the country has been seized in its entirety,” said a military statement quoted by Turkish media.
It said the coup had been launched “to ensure and restore constitutional order, democracy, human rights and freedoms and let the supremacy law in the country prevail, to restore order which was disrupted”.
“All our international agreements and commitments retain their validity,” the statement added.

“We hope our good relations will continue with all countries in the world.”
The presidency said the statement was invalid.
Major bridges, Bosphorus Bridge and Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, in Istanbul were closed and gunfire was heard at Istanbul airport as soldiers took to the streets of Ankara and Istanbul.

There were reports that coup attempters opened fire on civilians, who hit the streets in several cities to protest the attempt, Hurriyet Daily News online reported.
Soldiers fired bullets at civilians who walked to the Bosphorus Bridge.

Another incident was in the Bayrampasa district of Istanbul, where one person was wounded.
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said those responsible for what he described as an attempted coup by a faction within the military would pay the highest price.

He said they would not be allowed to do anything to interrupt democracy.
Meanwhile, President Erdogan is reportedly seeking asylum in Europe, amid the military coup.
US military sources were quoted as telling NBC News that Erdogan’s presidential jet was allegedly denied landing rights at Istanbul’s airport, before it headed out of the country.

He was then denied asylum in Germany, according to NBC, before heading to London.
He also said “This country can’t be managed from Pennsylvania,”

India's bid to NSG opposed by China on 'principle': Pakistan

Islamabad: Calling Beijing as Islamabad’s ‘all time friend’, Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry has said that that China acted upon its principled stance in opposing India’s membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

In an interview with state-owned Pakistan Television (PTV), Chaudhry said that regarding India’s bid to NSG membership, China along with other countries supported the principled stance that it would be a bad precedent if New Delhi was granted membership without signing the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

“We remained in touch with them in Seoul (during the NSG session) and we are happy that the truth has won,” Dawn quoted him as saying.

Chaudhry claimed that Pakistan based its case on two points, one that the Indian membership will further increase the strategic and conventional imbalance in South Asia.

“Our second point was that when in 2008 they (India) got a waiver, they increased their nuclear stockpile. It was clear that they are using their own fissile material for military purposes and were taking the material from other countries for civil purposes…the world appreciated this point,” he said.

He said the matter has not ended and Islamabad will continue to pursue the matter of NSG membership.
The Nuclear Suppliers Group on Thursday failed to reach consensus on New Delhi’s membership application after several members of the 48-member group insisted on adhering to Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) condition for admission.

China, Russia, Brazil, Austria, New Zealand, Ireland and Turkey are the countries that opposed India’s application.

Dhaka attack: Affluent and educated killers

DHAKA: The Bangladesh capital woke up to a cloudy Sunday after incessant rain through the night. But another spectre crept up and menaced Dhaka as it emerged that most of the cafe terrorists came from well-to-do families and might have been alumni of elite private institutions.

“Terror activities in our country were always linked to madarsa students coming from a poor background and brainwashed by religious teachers…. The terror attack at the Holey Artisan cafe is a game-changer. I was surprised to learn about the background of the terrorists,” said a businessman before taking a flight to Calcutta from Dhaka’s Shah Jalal International Airport.

Several times in the past, the rise of radicalisation has been linked to the spread of madarsas – which do offer an avenue for parents who cannot afford mainstream education for their children – across the country with funding from the Jamaat-e-Islami, the hardline party.

 ALSO READ: Bangladesh ruling party leader’s son identified among hostage-takers

Against this backdrop, the limited information trickling out has caught Bangladesh by surprise and convulsed social media.

Reports in local media, which spoke to acquaintances of the attackers and picked up information from social media, suggested that the gunmen were not have-nots. Although tight-lipped on specific information, officials also echoed the view.

Official sources have identified five of the gunmen as Akash, Bikash, Don, Badhon and Ripon. However, The Daily Star newspaper of Bangladesh said friends of three of these attackers cited different names: Nibras Islam, Meer Saameh Mubasher and Rohan Imtiaz.

Sikh politician Sardar Sooran Singh shot dead in Pakistan

Peshawar: A prominent Pakistani Sikh politician was shot dead on Friday by unidentified motorcycle- borne gunmen near his home in the country’s restive northwest.

Sardar Sooran Singh, the Special Assistant to Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on Minority Affairs, was assassinated in Pir Baba area of Buner district in the province when he was going back to his home after a routine walk, police said.

He was immediately taken to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead. Police said that Singh had no guard at the time of attack.
Initial postmortem report stated that he received only one bullet in his head.

Nobody has claimed responsibility for the killing.
Governor KP Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Special Assistant to KP Mushtaq Ghani and Provincial Ministers Shahram Tarakai have condemned the killing of Singh.

They vowed to bring to justice all those responsible for the killing.
Singh was a doctor, TV anchor and politician.

Before joining Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in 2011, Singh was a member of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan for nine years.

He was also member of Tehsil council, Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee and Evacuee Trust Property Board.

Singh also hosted programme ‘Za Hum Pakistani Yam’ for three and a half years with Khyber News.

Bernie Sanders, Ted Cruz emerge victorious in Wisconsin primaries, blow to Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton

Milwaukee: Republican Ted Cruz stormed to a commanding victory in Wisconsin Tuesday, denting front-runner Donald Trump’s chances of capturing the Republican nomination before the party’s convention.
Democrat Bernie Sanders defeated Hillary Clinton, but still faces a mathematically difficult path to the White House.

Trump’s defeat capped one of the worst periods of his campaign, a brutal stretch that highlighted his weaknesses with women and raised questions about his policy depth. While the billionaire businessman still leads the Republican field, Cruz and an array of anti-Trump forces hope Wisconsin signals the start of his decline.

“Tonight is a turning point,” Cruz told cheering supporters at a victory rally. “It is a call from the hardworking people of Wisconsin to America. We have a choice. A real choice.”
Cruz, an ultraconservative Texas senator with a complicated relationship with Republican leaders, also cast his victory as a moment for unity in a party that has been roiled by a contentious primary campaign.

But Trump was unbowed. His campaign put out a biting statement: “Ted Cruz is worse than a puppet— he is a Trojan horse, being used by the party bosses attempting to steal the nomination from Mr. Trump.”

Sanders’s sweeping win in virtually every county in Wisconsin, except Milwaukee, gives him greater incentive to keep competing against Clinton. But he still trails her in the pledged delegate count and has so far been unable to persuade superdelegates— the party officials who can back any candidate — to drop their allegiance to the former secretary of state and back his campaign.

At a raucous rally in Wyoming, Sanders cast his victory as a sign of mounting momentum for his campaign.
“With our victory tonight is Wisconsin, we have now won 7 out of 8 of the last caucuses and primaries,” he declared. Sanders is favored to win the Wyoming Democratic caucuses on Saturday.

The results in Wisconsin make it likely both parties’ primaries will continue deep into the spring, draping front-runners Trump and Clinton in uncertainty and preventing both from fully setting their sights on the general election.

With an overwhelming white electorate and liberal pockets of voters, Wisconsin was favorable territory for Sanders. In a sign of Clinton’s low expectations in the Midwestern state, she spent Tuesday night at a fundraiser with top donors in New York City. The focus of the campaign now turns to New York which holds its critical primary on April 19.

Clinton congratulated Sanders on Twitter and thanked her supporters in Wisconsin. “To all the voters and volunteers who poured your hearts into this campaign: Forward!” she wrote.

Because Democrats award delegates proportionally, Sanders’ victory in Wisconsin will not cut significantly into Clinton’s lead in the pledged delegate count. With 86 delegates at stake in Wisconsin, Sanders will pick up at least 44 and Clinton will gain at least 28. The state-by-state nominating contests are choosing delegates to the parties’ national conventions that will select the presidential nominees.

18-year-old Pak woman burnt alive for love marriage

Lahore: A Pakistani woman was arrested on Wednesday after dousing her daughter with kerosene and burning her alive, allegedly because the girl had defied her family to marry a man she was in love with, police said.

Police official Sheikh Hammad said that the killing took place in the eastern city of Lahore, the country’s cultural hub, and that the mother was arrested the same day.

The suspect, Parveen Rafiq, has confessed to tying up her 18-year-old daughter Zeenat Rafiq to a cot after which, with the help of her son, Ahmar Rafiq, she poured the oil on the girl and set her ablaze, Hammad said.
Nearly 1,000 women are killed each year in so-called “honor killings” in Pakistan for allegedly violating conservative norms on love and marriage.

A schoolteacher, Maria Bibi, was assaulted and set on fire last week for refusing to marry a man twice her age. Before she died, she managed to give a statement to the police, testifying that five attackers had broken into her home, dragged her out to an open area, beat her and set her ablaze.

The prime suspect in the case, the father of the man she refused to marry, and the other four are all in custody.

A month earlier, police arrested 13 members of a local tribal council who allegedly strangled a girl and set her on fire for helping a friend elope. The charred body of 17-year-old Ambreen Riasat was found in a burned van.

The daughter killed in Lahore, Zeenat Rafiq, had gotten married last month before a court magistrate to a motorcycle mechanic, Hasan Khan, said Hammad.

Three days ago, he said, the girl’s mother and an uncle visited her to try to persuade her to return home and have the marriage ceremony repeated in a traditional family function, instead of being labelled her whole life as someone who had “eloped”.

Khan, her husband, told the local Geo News TV station that his bride had feared the worst.

Saudi Arabia threatens to liquidate 750 billion dollars worth of US assets

New York: Saudi Arabia has threatened to liquidate 750 billion dollars worth of U.S. Treasury holdings if Congress goes ahead and approves a bill that strips Riyadh of its immunity against private lawsuits relating to 9/11 attacks.

The objective of the bill is to allow 9/11 victims to sue the Saudis for their alleged involvement and financing of the infamous mass murder.

If the Saudis lose their immunity, their U.S. Treasury holdings can be frozen or confiscated by courts in America, and the only way to prevent it, would be to sell them at any price.

On the other hand, if the Saudis are interested in preserving their assets and choose to liquidate their USD 750 billion over a year or so, on the assumption that they have a buffer to do this before being convicted of anything, then the bond market should remain stable, Thinkstock has reported.

According to the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), the size of the U.S. Treasury market as of December 31, 2015, is USD 15,141.1 billion (over USD 15 trillion). Saudi Arabia holds about USD 750 billion of that total, behind China’s USD 3.2 trillion and Japan’s USD 1.3 trillion.

These three countries, therefore, together own 35 percent of the entire U.S. government bond market.
Japan’s holdings have been steady since 2012, while China’s have fallen 20 percent since 2014, for an absolute fall of USD 780 billion in 21 months. Despite that sell-off, interest rates on US government debt have not increased since China began liquidating its treasuries.

What could be of concern to the United States is the fact that the Saudis might force the American bond market to crash in an act of revenge, and send interest rates skyrocketing.

According to JPMorgan, the amount of Treasuries that can now be sold in 2015 without affecting price is USD 80 million worth, down from USD 280 million in 2014.

.South Korea says North fails with attempted missile launch

SEOUL: South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that North Korea attempted to launch an unidentified missile at about 5:20 AM local time but that it is presumed to have failed.

The JCS says it is further analysing the situation, and gave no other immediate details.

The apparent launch failure comes amid tensions over recent nuclear and missile progress that has outsiders worried North Korea is closing in on its goal of a nuclear missile that can hit mainland America.

South Korea has also rejected recent North Korea overtures to talk, part of what some analysts see as an attempt to start dialogue meant to win the impoverished country aid.

Modi arrives in Mozambique

Maputo: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Mozambique on Thursday morning, the first leg of his four-nation tour to Africa.

“An early morning arrival in Mozambique. Important talks await the PM in this brief but important visit,” the Prime Minister’s Office tweeted.

Modi is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi.
He will also meet with Veronica Macomo, President of Mozambique’s National Assembly.

His other programmes in the day include an interaction with students at the Science and Technology Park, Maluana, and an Indian community reception.

He will leave for South Africa, on Thursday evening.
This is the Prime Minister’s first official visit to mainland Africa. He is also scheduled to visit Tanzania and Kenya.

Renowned Qawwal Amjad Sabri shot dead in Pakistan

Karachi: Amjad Sabri, one of Pakistan’s finest Qawwals and known for his soul-stirring renditions of mystic poetry, was today killed by unidentified gunmen who shot him in the head in a targeted attack here.

Sabri, 45, and an associate were travelling in a car in Karachi’s Liquatabad 10 area when unidentified motorcycle- borne gunmen fired at their vehicle, critically injuring them.
The two were rushed to Abbasi Shaheed hospital, where Sabri succumbed to his injuries. His associate also died.

“Sabri was shot in the chest and head and he was shifted to Abbasi Shaheed hospital immediately, where he succumbed to his injuries. His associate was also killed in the targeted attack,” a police official said.
Additional police surgeon Dr Rohina Hasan confirmed Sabri’s death. He was shot thrice  twice in the head and once on the ear.

Amjad Sabri was the son of renowned Qawwal Ghulam Farid Sabri whose family is famous in the subcontinent for their contribution to this sufi art and mystic poetry.

Sabri was one of Pakistan’s finest qawwals, known for his soul-stirring renditions of mystic poetry.
Some of the most memorable and famous qawwalis of the Sabris were ‘Bhar Do Jholi Meri’, ‘Tajdar-i-Haram’ and ‘Mera Koi Nahin Hai Teray Siwa’.

Sabri, who travelled widely to Europe and USA for his concerts, was known as the “rockstar” of Qawali due to his modern style of rendition.

His killing comes just two days after the son of the Sindh High Court Chief Justice was kidnapped and it raises serious concern about the security situation in Pakistan’s biggest city. This week a doctor belonging to the minority Ahmadi community was also shot dead in his clinic by gunmen.

Opposition politicians have described Sabri’s killing as a total failure of the provincial government to ensure proper law and order situation in Karachi which is the economic hub of the country.

The spokesman for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insasaf party, Naeem ul Haq, called for those involved in heinous crimes to be given exemplary capital punishment.

EgyptAir flight lands in Uzbekistan after bomb threat

Cairo: A bomb threat forced an EgyptAir aircraft en route to Beijing from Cairo to make an emergency landing in Uzbekistan on Wednesday, Egyptian officials said, the latest in a series of deadly or damaging air travel incidents involving Egypt.

The plane, an Airbus A-330-220, landed at the airport in the town of Urgench, about 840 kilometres west of the Uzbek capital, Tashkent, three hours after it took off from Cairo at around 11:30 pm on Tuesday.

ALSO READ: Stop shaming India abroad, Shiv Sena tells PM
All 135 passengers and crew on board were evacuated and the aircraft was being searched, the officials said. They had no word on whether a bomb or any other suspicious object was found on board.
According to the Egyptian officials, an anonymous caller telephoned security agents at the Cairo airport to say a bomb was on board the flight.

The agents immediately contacted the aircraft and ordered it to land at the nearest airport, they said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media.

In Russia, the news agency RIA Novosti quoted an unnamed official with Uzbekistan Airways as saying the airport has been closed following the EgyptAir plane’s emergency landing.

The incident came nearly three weeks after an EgyptAir flight crashed in the Mediterranean Sea as it was approaching the Egyptian coast while en route to Cairo from Paris.
All 66 people on board were killed and the search for the plane’s flight and data recorders – the so called black boxes – is still underway.

Egyptian officials say the Paris-Cairo plane was most likely downed by an act of terror.

ALSO READ: Bihar: Three fodder scam files go missing, FIR registered
Last October, a Russian airliner crashed in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula shortly after taking off from the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, killing all 224 people on board.

A local affiliate of the extremist Islamic State group claimed responsibility for downing the aircraft just hours after the crash.
In November, Russia said an explosive device brought down the aircraft.

The Russian airliner’s crash has decimated Egypt’s already battered tourism industry. While the cause of the May 19 EgyptAir crash remains unknown, it has associated Egypt with another air disaster that further dented the once lucrative industry.

Explained: Why, how is UK voting to stay in or leave EU?

LONDON: The United Kingdom will vote Thursday on whether to remain in the European Union. As months of fierce campaigning wind down and Britons hold their breath for what has been described as a “once-in-a-lifetime” decision, We explain the purpose and mechanics of the vote.

WHY WAS THE VOTE CALLED?
British Prime Minister David Cameron courted conservative and anti-EU voters during the last election by promising to hold a referendum on the U.K.’s membership in the 28-nation bloc by the end of 2017. Those campaigning to leave say the EU has evolved into an undemocratic and oppressive entity far removed from its original purpose as a trading bloc that Britain originally joined in 1973. They claim that only a British exit — or Brexit— can restore sovereignty and effectively limit immigration. Those campaigning to remain argue that the EU ensures peace and prosperity for more than 500 million people from Portugal to Finland and the benefits far outweigh the costs.

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WHO CAN VOTE?
British and Irish citizens 18 and over who reside in the United Kingdom, as well as U.K. residents of Commonwealth countries who have the right to live in the country, can vote in the referendum. U.K. nationals who live outside the country but were registered to vote in parliamentary elections in the past 15 years, and Irish citizens overseas who were born or registered to vote in Northern Ireland in the same period, can also vote. In addition, some citizens of Gibraltar — a British enclave on the south coast of Spain — and members of the House of Lords, who cannot normally vote in general elections, have been given permission to participate in the referendum. The Electoral Commission says a record number of 46,499,537 voters were registered for the referendum by Tuesday.

What kind of Muslims are these, who are killing other humans during Ramzan: Hasina

Dhaka: Commenting on the heart wrenching terror attack in Dhaka’s restaurant, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has condemned the attacks and  lashed out heavily at the attackers, questioning their religious beliefs and ideologies. 

“What kind of Muslims are these, who are killing other humans during Ramzan?” said PM Hasina. “Bangladesh government is determined to root out terrorism from the country”, she added.

Armed militants struck at the heart of Bangladesh’s diplomatic zone on Friday night, taking dozens of hostages at a restaurant popular with foreigners.

According to the agency sources, 2 big explosions were also heard inside Dhaka restaurant.
Two police officers were killed and at least 26 people wounded in a gun battle as security forces cordoned off the area and sought to end the standoff. After a long gun battle, 6 militants have been nabbed and a total of 13 hostages have been rescued.

Meanwhile, the ISIS has claimed the responsibility of the deadly attack.

Donald Trump 'is a demagogue': Stephen Hawking

LONDON: Describing Donald Trump as a “demagogue”, one of the world’s top scientists, Stephen Hawking on Tuesday said he has failed to understand the rise of the presumptive Republican Party presidential nominee, who he said seems to “appeal to the lowest common denominator”.

The author of “A Brief History of Time” was asked in an interview whether his knowledge of the universe meant he could explain the controversial American businessman-turned- politician’s mass appeal.
“I can’t,” 74-year-old Hawking replied.

“He is a demagogue who seems to appeal to the lowest common denominator,” he said.
The University of Cambridge professor, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 1963 but went on to become one of the world’s most famous scientists, gave his thoughts on Trump and more in an interview to ITV News.

ALSO READ: South Korea says North fails with attempted missile launch
The Trump campaign did not immediately reply to a message requesting comment, CNN reported.
Hawking is not the first British public figure to make comments critical of the 69-year-old real estate billionaire.

Trump’s comments on Islam on the campaign trail — including a claim that Britain has a “massive Muslim problem” — have provoked a backlash in the UK, with British Prime Minister David Cameron and London Mayor Sadiq Khan among the many politicians weighing in against .

British parliamentarians even debated a potential ban on Trump from the UK — which was triggered by a public petition — for alleged hate speech over his comments.

Brazil's lower house votes for President Dilma Rousseff's impeachment

Brasilia: The lower house of Brazil’s parliament have voted in favour of impeaching President Dilma Rousseff, a move that could see the country’s first female leader removed from power.

After over five hours of voting late Sunday night, more than 342 lawmakers, the two-thirds majority required by law, have voted in favour of impeachment, CNN reported.

More than 130 lawmakers have voted against it.
The 513 legislators voted one by one, all of them given 30 seconds to speak before casting their ballots.
The impeachment motion will now go to the Senate which will vote whether to open a trial against the president.

If a majority approves it, Rousseff will have to step down for 180 days to defend herself in the trial. She would be replaced by Vice President Michel Temer, leader of the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB) who broke away from the government two weeks ago and decided to support the process leading to Rousseff’s dismissal.

If the Senate approves the impeachment motion, Rousseff could be suspended as early as May which would be about three months before the Summer Olympics start in Rio de Janeiro, an event that was supposed to showcase Brazil as a rising power on the global stage.

Thousands of pro- and anti-impeachment protesters gathered in the capital Brasilia and other cities to watch the dramatic vote, broadcast live on national television.
Advocates for impeachment dressed in yellow and green at protests across the country.

Pro-government supporters wore red, the colours of Rousseff’s Workers’ Party.
Lawmakers have accused Rousseff of hiding a budgetary deficit to win re-election in 2014.
Opponents blamed Rousseff for the worst recession since the 1930s, now in its second year.

She is also held accountable for a massive bribery and corruption scandal that has engulfed dozens of politicians in the Workers’ Party and coalition government.

Rousseff’s exit would mark the end of an era for the Workers’ Party, which assumed the presidential office in 2004 with the election of former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva who remained in office for two terms.

Effective immediately, transgender Americans will serve the armed forces

New Delhi: Defence Secretary Ashton B.Carter in a landmark decision lifted its ban on transgender individuals serving openly in the US military. The removal of one of the last barriers to army service based on sex came ahead of the changing role of women and the inclusion of bisexuals and gay service members in the recent years. 

According to the Associated Press, Carter said that the transgender society can no longer be discriminated against for being who they are. “They no longer can be discharged or otherwise separated from the military for just being transgender.”
The community will receive the same medical coverage as any other military member and will receive all the medical help that the doctors consider necessary.

Despite facing resistance from some, the change has been put to effect immediately and aims to ensure that the US military continues to retain and recruit the most qualified people. Carter said, “Our military, and the nation it defends, will be stronger.”

The groundwork to implement this historic move had begun last year itself when a 2015 July press release called the transgender ban ‘outdated’. The US has now joined 18 other countries that allow transgender troops to serve openly without negative consequences.

The lifting of the ban will have an impact beyond the transgender individuals and will send a strong message to the rest of the world that right to equality should mean access to the same opportunities regardless of sex.

Florida shooting: Friends, family remember victims

ORLANDO: A gunman wielding an assault-type rifle and a handgun opened fire inside a crowded gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, early Sunday, killing at least 50 people in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Here are stories of some of the victims.

Edward Sotomayor, 34, was a caring, energetic man known for wearing a silly top hat on cruises, according to David Sotomayor, who said the two discovered they were cousins after meeting at Orlando’s annual Gay Days festival around a decade ago.

David Sotomayor, who lives in Chicago, told The Associated Press Sunday that Edward worked for a company that held gay cruises and often traveled to promote the company’s events.
“He was just always part of the fun,” David Sotomayor said.

The two texted regularly and kept in touch, last seeing each other earlier this year at a filming of the television reality show “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” David Sotomayor said.

David Sotomayor is a drag queen who appeared on a season of the show using the name “Jade.” He said Edward Sotomayor supported him and often sent him Facebook messages. They last exchanged messages late last week.

“You never think that’s going to be the last time you speak to him,” David Sotomayor said. “It’s just heartbreaking to know it just can happen anytime.”
Juan Ramon Guerrero, 22, told his cousin Robert Guerrero he was gay about two years ago, but he was worried about how the rest of his family would react. He did not tell them until just before the beginning of this year. And when he did?

“They were very accepting,” said Guerrero, 19. “As long as he was happy, they were OK with it.”
On Sunday morning, after learning that so many people had died at a gay nightclub, Pulse, that his cousin had gone to once in a while, Guerrero started to become concerned. Later in the day, his fears were realized when the family learned that Guerrero was identified as one of the victims.

Robert Guerrero said his cousin worked as a telemarketer and in recent months he started attending college at the University of Central Florida. Guerrero said his cousin didn’t quite know what he wanted to study, but he was happy to be in school. And he was happy in a relationship with a person his relatives came to regard as a member of the family, Guerrero said.

“He was always this amazing person (and) he was like a big brother to me,” he said of his cousin. “He was never the type to go out to parties, would rather stay home and care for his niece and nephew.”
Stanley Almodovar III’s mother had prepared a tomato-and-cheese dip for him to eat when he came home from his night out.

British MP Jo Cox stabbed and shot to death on street

LONDON: A 41-year-old British woman MP from the opposition Labour Party was killed today after being shot and stabbed in her constituency in northern England by a man who shouted “Britain first”, a week before the crucial referendum on UK’s EU membership.

Labour MP Jo Cox was holding a meeting with constituents, in her local constituency when an altercation reportedly led to the attack.

Sky News television quoted unconfirmed reports that the shooter shouted “Britain first” — possibly a reference to a far-right group of the same name.

Cox was rushed to Leeds General Infirmary, where armed police stood guard while medical experts tried to save her life inside.

Another man, in his 70s, was also injured in the attack and is also being treated for his wounds, which are said to be non-life threatening.

A West Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: “We are sad to confirm that Jo Cox died from the injuries she sustained in the attack today.”
“We urge any eyewitnesses who were in the area to come forward and help us with our inquiries to establish factually what exactly happened,” the spokesperson added.

West Yorkshire Police confirmed a 52-year-old man has been arrested. Weapons, including a firearm, have been seized from the man.

“We are not looking for anyone else in relation to this tragic incident,” the spokesperson said.
The arrested man has been locally named as Tommy Mair but there is no confirmation on the motive or the exact nature of the attack, with some local witnesses describing hearing gun-shots while others saying it was a stabbing incident.

Sanjeev Kumar, an Indian-origin shopkeeper from the area, told BBC: “She was lying on the pavement and bleeding a lot. Someone had already called for an ambulance by the time I got to the scene”.
The local community is to hold a vigil in Cox’s memory at the local church in Birstall.

She is survived by her husband and two children.
Cox retained the Batley and Spen constituency for the Labour party in the 2015 General Election and has been in Parliament for just over a year.

She was due to celebrate her 42nd birthday next Wednesday and had been spoken of as a future minister for the Labour party due to her reputation as a strong politician and plain speaker.

As a sign of respect, both sides campaigning for next Thursday’s European Union (EU) Britain Stronger in Europe and Vote Leave announced they would suspend their campaign for Friday.

Recent attacks blamed on radical Islamists in Bangladesh

DHAKA: Gunmen have stormed a restaurant in the diplomatic quarter of Dhaka, taking hostages while engaging security forces in a gunbattle that has left two officers dead, authorities say. Some people in the restaurant managed to run to the rooftop and escape, but one witness says about 35 people are still trapped inside, including some foreigners.

The hostage crisis was unusual for Bangladesh, but comes after several years of deadly attacks by radical Islamists targeting secular writers, publishers and members of Bangladesh’s minority religious communities. Here is a list of those attacks, starting in 2013:

— Feb. 15, 2013: Assailants wielding machetes kill secular blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider after he posts comments online about religious fundamentalism.

— Feb 27, 2015: At least two assailants attack Bangladeshi-American blogger and writer Avijit Roy with meat cleavers, killing him and injuring his wife on a crowded street inDhaka, the capital. A previously unknown group, Ansar Bangla 7, which intelligence officials believe is part of the Ansarullah Bangla Team, claims responsibility.

— March 30, 2015: Three men use meat cleavers to hack 26-year-old blogger Washiqur Rahman Babu to death in Dhaka. Bystanders chase down two of the attackers, but a third escapes. The captured suspects say they are students at Islamic schools and were ordered to commit the crime. Police have been unable to determine who gave the order.

— May 12, 2015: Four men with meat cleavers kill online atheist activist and science magazine editor Ananta Bijoy Das as he leaves his home in the northeastern city of Sylhet. Police arrest a newspaper photographer and two others. Al-Qaida on the Indian subcontinent, which is believed to be affiliated with the Ansarullah Bangla Team, claims responsibility.

— Aug. 8, 2015: A fourth blogger, Niloy Chottopadhay, is killed by men who enter hisDhaka apartment, posing as potential tenants, and assault him with cleavers. The Ansarullah Bangla Team claims responsibility in an email, though the authenticity of the message has not been confirmed.

— Sept. 28, 2015: Three assailants on a motorcycle gun down Italian citizen Cesare Tavella in Dhaka’s diplomatic quarter. The Sunni extremist group Islamic State claims responsibility, according to the terror monitoring group SITE. Officials reject the claim and accuse local Islamist groups of attempting to destabilize the country. A month later, police arrest four suspects who say they were hired by “a big brother” to attack “a white man” to create chaos in the country, according to authorities.

Bodies removed after worst mass shooting in US history

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Dozens of bodies were slowly removed overnight from a popular Orlando gay club after a gunman sprayed the helpless crowd with bullets in violence that killed 50 people and devastated a city famous for family-friendly theme parks.

When the attacker opened fire in the early hours of Sunday morning, it interrupted an evening of drinking, dancing and drag shows at a club known for tolerance for all people.

Authorities say suspect Omar Mateen emerged, carrying an AR-15 and fired relentlessly — 20 rounds, 40, then 50 and more. In such tight quarters, the bullets could hardly miss. He shot at police. He took hostages.
When the gunfire at the Pulse Orlando club finally stopped, 50 people were dead and dozens critically wounded in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Mateen, who authorities said had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in a 911 around the time of the attack, died in a gun battle with SWAT team members.

“I’ve always felt so safe here for my family, kids. And now, I don’t know,” said Marlon Massey, who lives across the street from the club.

Authorities are wondering if it was an act of terrorism and are probing the background of Mateen, a 29-year-old American citizen from Fort Pierce, Florida, who had worked as a security guard. The gunman’s father recalled that his son recently got angry when he saw two men kissing in Miami and said that might be related to the assault.

Thirty-nine of the dead were killed at the club, and 11 people died at hospitals, Mayor Buddy Dyer said.
Sunday night, workers were removing bodies four at a time on stretchers out of the club and loaded them into white vans. The action was repeated over and over. The covered bodies were taken to the County Medical Examiner’s office.

Jon Alamo had been dancing at the Pulse for hours when he wandered into the club’s main room just in time to see the gunman. “You ever seen how Marine guys hold big weapons, shooting from left to right? That’s how he was shooting at people,” he said.

“My first thought was, oh my God, I’m going to die,” Alamo said. “I was praying to God that I would live to see another day.”
Pulse patron Eddie Justice texted his mother, Mina: “Mommy I love you. In club they shooting.” About 30 minutes later, hiding in a bathroom, he texted her: “He’s coming. I’m gonna die.”
Justice’s would eventually be added to the city’s list of those killed in the shooting.

At least 53 people were hospitalized, most in critical condition, and a surgeon at Orlando Regional Medical Center said the death toll was likely to climb.

The previous deadliest mass shooting in the U.S. was the 2007 attack at Virginia Tech, where a student killed 32 people before killing himself.

Remain or Leave: Results could go either way

London: As polling in Britain on whether to Remain or Leave the European Union nears the end, surveys show that the results could still go either way.

An Ipsos MORI survey shows 52 per cent wanting to stay in the European Union, against 48 per cent for a Brexit.
The final poll conducted before polls opened was by Populus for the Financial Times.

The survey of 4,700 people was conducted right up to midnight on Wednesday night, and put Remain on 55%.
The bookies have consistently given Remain a bigger lead in the betting than they have in the polls, although Leave shortened in the EU referendum betting odds last week before easing again, said the mirror.co.uk.
Polls close at 10 p.m., but the future of Britain’s relationship with the EU will come in during a frantic three-hour period on Friday, between 4 a.m. and 7 a.m.

By breakfast time, the result of the EU referendum should be known.
Pollster YouGov will announce the results of its survey once voting has closed on Thursday night – which will be the last indication of which way the vote has swung.

The Electoral Commission has forecast that turnout could be as high as 80 per cent.
A change in the law after chaos at polling stations in 2010 – when some people were denied a vote because of long queues – means that people queuing at 10 p.m. will be allowed to vote, reports the telegraph.co.uk
At the close of the poll, thousands of sealed ballot boxes are collected from schools and church halls which have been doubling up as polling stations and transported to one of 382 counting venues across Britain.
For the count, Britain has been divided into 382 counting areas, which will first verify each ballot, allowing each area to announce the turn out. Then the counting will begin.

The results will be collated and fed by local counting officers to regional counting officers in 12 electoral regions. The results will be announced only when all the areas have concluded their counts.
Unlike at a general election, when MPs only need to win a majority in their constituency to win the seat, in this election every vote counts – which means that the final results for Leave and Remain will creep up slowly as regions make their declarations.

Brexit: Pound takes a hit, as results incline towards 'leave camp'

London: After the voting closed for the historic referendum on whether the United Kingdom should remain a member of the European Union or leave, early results showing leaning towards the ‘leave’ camp and the pound taking a hit with it.

According to the Electoral Commission, over 46 million people are entitled to take part in the referendum.
It is only the third nationwide referendum in UK history and comes after a four-month battle for votes between the Leave and Remain campaigns.

According to UK media reports, Sunderland was one of the first areas to report election results, and 61 percent of voters there voted to leave, spooking the market and causing the value of the pound to plunge.
By around 1 a.m, ‘leave’ stood at 1,038,777 votes, while ‘remain’ stood at 901,013 as 31 out 382 states declared their results.

However, city of London voted to ‘Remain’ with 3,312 votes in favour compared with 1,087 votes for ‘Leave’.
Some 16.8 million votes will be needed overall to secure victory, so it is still very early
A forecast from the experts at the University of East Anglia are predicting a clear majority for ‘leave’.
Meanwhile, European Commission Chief Jean-Claude Juncker warned there would be no further renegotiation whatever the result, after EU leaders reached a deal on a new settlement for Britain

As terrorists strike Dhaka, India calls for quick adoption of global anti-terror pact

United Nations:  As terrorists struck a massive blow in the region on Friday, India called for quick action to adopt the long-stalled Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) and expressed disappointment that the General Assembly failed to push for its early adoption.

Speaking at the General Assembly while Islamic State terrorists were carrying out an attack in Dhaka’s diplomatic enclave and taking hostages, India’s Permanent Representative Syed Akbaruddin said, “The perpetrators of terrorist attacks as well as the States that support and sponsor or provide safe havens to terrorists or terrorist groups must be made accountable.”

Urging all nations to adopt the CCIT by the next session, he said that India was disappointed that the resolution on Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy adopted by the Assembly failed to advance its early enactment.

Adopting it “would show that the international community is determined and pledges to take concrete actions on counter-terrorism by filling in the gaps that are there in the existing regime,” he said.
The resolution lacked a sense of urgency as it merely called upon “all States to make every effort to conclude a comprehensive convention on international terrorism.”

Akbaruddin later explained to IANS that India’s “disappointment was that we would have preferred stronger language” in the resolution about the CCIT, “basically setting a finite time frame for adoption of CCIT.”
The convention was originally proposed by India 20 years ago and its draft has been deadlocked since 2012 because of differences on defining terrorism and terrorists. Certain countries claim they are “liberation movements” and “freedom fighters” and try to exempt those that they favor.

“No belief, justification, political cause or argument can be used to justify the acts of terrorism,” Akbaruddin said in his speech to the Assembly.

The failure to adopt the convention, Akbaruddin said, “Signals that the exponential rise in terrorist activities around the world has left us untouched.”

He reiterated India’s suggestion to create a counter-terrorism czar at the UN to oversee the fight against terror across the organisation and “convey a clear signal that counter terrorism has a significant place on the UN agenda.”

Indian doctor escapes death by inches in Dhaka hostage crisis

DHAKA: Indian doctor Satyapal nearly escaped death today after being released, apparently because he spoke fluent Bengali and was considered to be a Bangladesh national by the gunmen, who held people hostage in an upscale cafe Holey Artisan in Dhaka’s diplomatic zone last evening.

Twenty people including foreigners were shortly killed with sharp weapons by the gunmen after taking the diners hostage.

The deceased include eight Italians, some Japanese and South Koreans and one Indian and some Bangladeshi nationals.

External affairs Minister of India Sushma Swaraj confirmed that 19-year-old Indian, Tarishi was killed during the attack.

“Tarishi was 19 years old. She passed out from American School Dhaka. Presently, she was a student at Berkeley,” Swaraj tweeted.

Meanwhile, according to Daily Star a top military officer has insisted that not all of the 20 killed by the militants were foreigners.

However, reports suggest that at least four Bangladeshis were among the victims.
According to Japan times, seven Japanese citizens remained unaccounted after the 12-hour hostage crisis in Dhaka ended Saturday.

After the cafe hostage siege finally on earlier today after a bloody fight between commandos and militants, Brigadier General Nayeem Ashfaq Chowdhury, Director of Military Operations said that as per instruction by the government, the Bangladesh Army conducted ‘Operation Thunderbolt’ to end the hostage crisis and police took part in the over an hour operation starting at 7:40 a.m.

Thirteen hostages were rescued in the operation which included two Sri Lankans and a Japanese.
He added that six terrorists were killed and joint forces detained a suspected attacker from the spot.
A pistol used by terrorists, folded butt AK 22 rifle, Improvised Explosive Device (IED), walkie-talkie set and a large number of locally made sharp weapons were recovered from the spot, General Nayeem said.
Though it was reported that the Islamic State claimed responsibility on the attack, the U.S. State Department has said it cannot yet be confirmed.

The Islamic State has claimed a number of past attacks in Bangladesh through its media affiliates, but the government has consistently denied presence of the militant in the country.

Britain votes to leave European Union, forecast UK channels

LONDON: The camp in favour of Britain’s exit from the European Union (EU) was leading by four percentage points over the Remain camp with over 90 per cent of results declared in the referendum today as a BBC forecast said the results were for ‘Brexit’.
LIVE UPDATES:

• Britain votes to leave EU by 52 percent to 48 percent after nearly all the results have been counted: BBC
• Sensex crashes over 1,000 points as local media forecasts Britain votes to leave the European Union; Nifty plunges 318 points.
• Britain votes to leave EU: BBC forecast
• Don’t think Brexit will impact India in medium or long term: Banking Secretary Anjuly Duggal.
• Govt, RBI ready with measures to curb volatility: Finance Secretary Ashok Lavasa on Brexit.
• RBI intervenes in forex market with liquidity support: Sources
• Oil falls more than 5.0 percent as Brexit looms: AFP
• Sensex plunges 634 points in pre-open session..Sensex opens 940 points down as leads show ‘Leave’ camp ahead in ‘Brexit’ referendum vote; Nifty tanks 281.50 pts.
• Rupee nosedives 74 paise against US dollar to 67.99 in early trade as leads show ‘Leave’ camp ahead in ‘Brexit’ referendum vote.
• Pound collapses to lowest since 1985 on Brexit shock: Bloomberg
• With 200 of 382 results declared, Brexit leads 51.7%

Ballot boxes are on the way to more than 380 count venues after the EU referendum in Britain closed at 10 p.m. local time.

Millions of Britons went to about 41,000 polling stations on Thursday to cast their ballots in the EU referendum on whether their country should remain in or leave the European bloc.

As the referendum started at 7 a.m., several polling stations opened late on as overnight downpours hit London and southeast England, according to Xinhua.

Local media said two polling stations were closed by Kingston Council because of flooding, and voters were instructed to cast their ballots at alternative locations. Another polling station in Dover had power outage due to storms.

Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina pays tribute to Dhaka terror attack victims

DHAKA: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid homage to the victims of the Gulshan attack at the Army Stadium in Banani here on Monday morning.

The 12-hour-long hostage crisis had ended on Saturday morning after a two-hour long assault by armed forces’ commandos killing six gunmen and capturing one alive.

Nine Italians, seven Japanese, one Indian, one Bangladeshi American and two Bangladeshis were among the 20 killed in the terror attack at Holey Artisan Bakery in Gulshan on Friday nightTwo senior police officers-Banani Police Station officer-in-charge Salauddin Ahmed Khan and Detective Branch Assistant commissioner Robiul Islam also lost their lives while trying to rescue the hostages.

While Salauddin was laid to eternal rest at Banani Graveyard in Dhaka, Robiul was buried at her village home in Manikganj.

Meanwhile security continues to be tight at all sensitive points in the capital, with police checking all vehicles especially in the secured diplomatic area where the gruesome hostage killings took place.

US Secretary of State John Kerry had also called the Bangladesh Prime Minister and offered her assistance from American law enforcement, including the FBI, in the wake of the terror attack in Dhaka.

State Department spokesperson John Kirby said that the Secretary yesterday encouraged the Bangladesh to conduct its investigation in accordance with the highest international standards and offered immediate US assistance in this regard. (ANI)

Muslim group break Ramadan fast with Irish LGBT community

Dublin: A Muslim group aimed at fostering peace and integration in Ireland has joined members of the country’s LGBT community to break fast during Ramadan, it was reported on Monday.
In an effort to display “true Islamic ideals”, the Irish Muslim Peace & Integration Council invited a whole host of people from outside the faith to share in the spirit of the holy holiday on Saturday.
Fasting is observed from dawn to sunset during Ramadan to display self-restraint and is one of the five pillars of Islam.
ALSO READ: Dhaka attack: Affluent and educated killers
During the day, participants in the holy event must refrain from eating, drinking, smoking, sex, and other pleasures until nightfall.
“As more than one billion Muslims worldwide celebrate Ramadan by fasting and appreciating the blessings given to us it is equally important for the Irish Muslim community to reach out to our neighbours as an example of true Islamic ideals,” said Shaykh Umar Al-Qadri, imam and chairman of the council.
ALSO READ: Dhaka attack: 20-year-old killed after refusing to leave female friends behind
The shared Iftar dinner, the meal when the fast is ended, took place in Dublin and was also attended by Jewish holocaust survivor and guest speaker Tomi Reichental.

5 police officers dead, 6 injured in Dallas protest shooting: Police

DALLAS (AP) : Snipers opened fire on police officers in the heart of Dallas, killing five officers and injuring six others during protests over two recent fatal police shootings of black men, police said.

Three people are in custody and a fourth suspect was exchanging gunfire with authorities in a parking garage downtown, Dallas Police Chief David Brown said early Friday morning.
The suspect is not cooperating and has told negotiators he intends to hurt more law enforcement officials, the chief said.

The gunfire broke out around 8:45 p.m. Thursday while hundreds of people were gathered to protest fatal police shootings this week in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and suburban St. Paul, Minnesota. Brown told reporters the snipers fired “ambush style” upon the officers. Mayor Mike Rawlings said one member of the public was wounded in the gunfire.

Protests were also held in several other cities across the country Thursday night after a Minnesota officer on Wednesday fatally shot Philando Castile while he was in a car with a woman and a child. The aftermath of the shooting was livestreamed in a widely shared Facebook video. A day earlier, Alton Sterling was shot in Louisiana after being pinned to the pavement by two white officers. That, too, was captured on a cellphone video.

Video footage from the Dallas scene showed protesters were marching along a street in downtown, about half a mile from City Hall, when the shots erupted and the crowd scattered, seeking cover.
Brown said that it appeared the shooters “planned to injure and kill as many officers as they could.”

The search for the shooters stretched throughout downtown, an area of hotels, restaurants, businesses and some residential apartments. The scene was chaotic, with helicopters hovering overhead and officers with automatic rifles on the street corners.

“Everyone just started running,” Devante Odom, 21, told The Dallas Morning News. “We lost touch with two of our friends just trying to get out of there.”

One woman was taken into custody in the same parking garage where the standoff was ongoing, Brown said. Two others were taken into custody during a traffic stop.

Pokemon Go more popular than Tinder: Survey

New Delhi: According to a survey, the gaming app ‘Pokemon Go’ is currently installed on more US Android smartphones than ‘Tinder’.

It was installed on 5.16 per cent of all Android devices in the US, and Nintendo stocks today rose more than 20 per cent after the game’s success, just two days after the app’s release.

The data analysis also showed that around 3 per cent of the entire US population who use Android smartphones are users of Pokemon Go, and around 60 per cent of them using it every day.

The gaming app allows players to capture virtual Pokemon creatures through the phone’s camera. It shows the players the virtual version of their environment which is spread throughout with imaginary Pokemon creatures, and allows them to explore their area to capture, train, battle, and trade these creatures.

With thousands of users gathering in cities around the globe to collect and train these virtual creatures, the app has shot to great popularity.

But the police in Missouri warned the users to be careful about roaming into secluded and lonely areas. Armed assailants and robbers were using this app to lure unsuspecting victims to such areas, and one woman discovered a dead body while searching for Pokemon creatures.

SHOCKING: 'Campus carry law' allows students to carry guns in Texas colleges

Houston: A new law has come into effect in US’ Texas state that allows students to carry guns onto the campuses of public universities across the state.

The new Campus Carry Law, passed in 2015, went into effect on Monday, CBS News reported.
The state’s controversial law allows students who are at least 21 years old and who have a concealed handgun license to carry their guns at all public colleges and universities.

Some college facilities, including sports arenas and chemical labs, are off-limits for concealed gun holders while private schools and two-year community colleges are excluded until next year, when the law takes effect at those schools, reports NBC News.

The law took effect on the 50th anniversary of the clock tower massacre, in which a student gunman shot 49 people, killing 16, at the University of Texas at Austin on August 1, 1966.

The shooter, Charles Whitman, a Marine-trained 25-year-old engineering student, climbed to the 28th-floor observation deck of a campus clock tower and began firing on students and staff. The massacre is one of the deadliest mass shootings in American history, NBC News reported.

Texas is one of eight states that allow students to carry guns into college buildings, including those on the University of Texas system, which includes nearly 215,000 students.
The killing spree first introduced the US to the concept of a “mass shooting”.

An earlier Texas law signed in 1995 allowed students with concealed carry licenses to carry weapons on campus sidewalks, streets and parking lots.

Some of the most deadly mass shootings in the US have taken place in college campuses.
In 2007, a student at Virginia Tech University killed 33 people and injured 23 others. The following year, a former student of Northern Illinois University walked into a classroom at the school, killing six people and wounding 21 more before taking his own life, NBC News added.

Apparent military coup attempt in Turkey, tanks reportedly seen on highways

Istanbul: In a shocking turn of events that can have wide scale implications in the world, Turkish army apparently is attempting a coup in Istanbul. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has said that a faction of military forces have attempted to dethrone the government.

An army group in Turkey has said it has taken control of the country, with bridges closed in Istanbul and aircraft flying low over Ankara, shortly after, the Prime Minister of Turkey said on Friday night that factions of the military had attempted a coup.

“This is a mutiny attempt; we will not let it win,” Yildirim was quoted as saying.

Yildirim told NTV television by telephone: “Some people illegally undertook an illegal action outside of the chain of command,” and added, “Those who are in this illegal act will pay the highest price.”

60% of Indians will live in urban areas by 2050: Government

New Delhi: The central government on Wednesday said about 60 per cent Indian population will live in cities by 2050.

“It is estimated that by 2050, 60 per cent population of the country will live in cities as the rate of urbanisation in India is dramatic,” Union Minister of State for Urban Development Rao Inderjit Singh told the Lok Sabha during question hour.

He said according to 2011 Census, nearly 31 per cent of the country’s population resides in urban areas, and a large number of people would migrate to cities in coming decades.

But he maintained that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has drawn up plans and under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) steps will be taken to strengthen big cities first and infrastructure and other facilities will be strengthened in smaller cities in the second stage.

AMRUT provides for improvement of basic urban infrastructure like water supply, sewerage, storm water drainage, urban transport and development of green space and parks with special provision.
He also said that states and Union territories can raise funds required against their share through own resources or through the World Bank or foreign financial institutions.

Some of the broad targets of AMRUT scheme — launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015 — are ensuring access to tap water and sewerage facilities, greenery like parks and open spaces, digital and smart facilities like weather prediction, internet and WiFi facilities, and pollution reduction by encouraging secure public transport.

Rio Olympics: Usain Bolt brings light to a sport in peril

Since he coasted to the 100-meter finish line in world-record time at the Bird’s Nest eight years ago, Usain Bolt has been the smiling face of track and field. He has served as the anchorman of the Olympics — virtually the only reason any casual fan would pay attention to a sport that has orchestrated its own slow, sad, drug-infused downfall.

His tender hamstring improving, Bolt will be back for a final go-round at Olympic glory when track starts in Rio de Janeiro on Aug. 12. If, as expected, the Jamaican wins all three sprint events — the 100, 200 and 4×100 relay — he’ll only add to his legacy and cement himself at the fore of any conversation about Greatest Olympian Ever. He already is the first person to win back-to-back Olympic gold at 100 and 200 meters.

Whether viewed over the six days he runs in Rio, or over the eight years he’s graced the world with his once-in-a-lifetime mix of speed, smiles and showmanship, the World’s Fastest Man has offered track a reprieve from the wasteland of corrupt countries, reshuffled medals and win-at-any-cost malfeasance it has become.

Russians will be absent from this year’s Olympic track meet — banned by the sport’s governing body, the IAAF, which contributed to the problems as much as solved them over the years. Even with those 67 athletes out of the mix, the 10-day meet is bound to be filled with suspicious glances among the 2,000-plus runners, throwers and jumpers who will be present — all wondering if they’ll get a fair shot in a sport that once defined the Olympics but now is hurting because its leaders have proven themselves either unwilling or unable to stop all the cheating.

“It breaks my heart,” said John Carlos, the 1968 bronze medalist, whose glove-fisted Black Power salute in Mexico City created one of the games’ seminal moments. “It’s a hurting thing to see your peers, their names being erased out of the record books because individuals ran faster times that might be enhanced by substances. And the powers that be might turn their heads, because they had people coming through the turnstiles with fists full of dollars.”

Money is always a good place to start when seeking the seeds of the destruction of almost any enterprise.
But the Olympics have also long been a place for countries and political movements to make bold statements. During the Cold War, the motivation was obvious: Winners and losers at 100 meters certainly didn’t decide the arms race, but the Olympic medal count was the sort of scoreboard-driven result either side could use to claim superiority in the increasingly bleak standoff between East and West.

“I remember going over to the Olympics thinking, as a 20-year-old, that it’s the most idealistic of institutions,” said Tom McMillian, a member of the 1972 American basketball team that lost the gold-medal game to the USSR after officials gave the Soviets three chances to inbound the ball with 3 seconds left. “Then, you wake up the next morning thinking, ‘This is a flawed institution.'”

The Soviet Union is history, but what’s currently happening in Russia has been described, time and again, as ’70s and ’80s, Eastern Bloc-style cheating.

Security tightened as death toll in Baghdad hits 213

Baghdad: As the death toll from the weekend truck bombing in Baghdad climbed to 213, Iraq’s embattled prime minister ordered new security measures, including abandoning the use of bomb-detection wands that U.S. experts pronounced worthless years ago.

But security forces were still using the devices Monday evening, as a string of smaller bombings in the capital killed 16 people and wounded dozens more.
Sunday’s suicide attack by the Islamic State group was the single deadliest bombing to hit Baghdad in more than a decade of war and insurgency.

Also Monday, five convicted terrorists were executed in Baghdad, the Ministry of Justice said in an announcement that appeared aimed at restoring faith in Iraq’s security forces in the wake of the devastating attack.

Firefighters and medical teams were still uncovering bodies from the city’s Karada neighborhood Monday morning. Officials said a dozen people were missing and at least 60 of the dead were women and children. At least 190 people were wounded.

The blast struck after midnight when the neighborhood was bustling with people breaking their daylight fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The attack demonstrated the Islamic State’s ability to strike the capital despite a string of defeats on the battlefield, including the loss of Fallujah just over a week ago.

With public anger mounting, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered new security measures Sunday evening, including increased aerial scanning and intelligence-gathering in the capital and the installation of X-ray systems at the entrances of provinces.

He also ordered security forces to stop using a handheld electronic device that was widely sold as a bomb detector but has been repeatedly branded bogus by technical experts. And he ordered the reopening of an investigation into the purchase of the ADE 651s, which cost the Iraqi government tens of thousands of dollars each.

Many Iraqis blame their political leadership for the way large amounts of explosives have made it past multiple checkpoints into crowded neighbourhoods with disastrous results.

Small-scale bombings occur on a near-daily basis in Baghdad, and in May a string of large-scale bombings, many of them claimed by IS, and killed more than 200 people in a single week.

Writer Taslima Nasreen makes another controversial remark

New Delhi: Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen has again made it to the headlines over a fresh controversial remark. This time Nasreen has sent across a strong message for Muslim parents whose kids could be shaping as “future terrorists”.

Nasreen stated that “Dear Muslim parents, if you notice your kid becoming too religious, praying, reading or listening religious texts, stop him. May be he is a terrorist in the making”.