News in Brief (10-1-2019)

Australian police probe suspicious packages found at consulates

SYDNEY, Jan 09: Australian police are investigating suspicious packages found at foreign consulates in Canberra and Melbourne. Melbourne's Metropolitan Fire Brigade said it had been called to "a number of incidents" across the city. Consulates of the UK, Switzerland, US and Pakistan are among those affected, as well as reportedly several others. — BBC

UK parliament begins Brexit debates

LONDON, Jan 09: MPs were set on Wednesday to begin five days of debate ahead of a historic vote on Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal, which faces daunting opposition while the clock ticks down before Britain leaves the European Union. With the country on a knife-edge, MPs will vote next Tuesday on the agreement that May negotiated with the EU, but Brexit supporters within her party looked set to rebel over fears it could tie Britain indefinitely to some kind of customs union with the bloc. — AFP

Italian minister visits Poland seeking allies in EU elections

WARSAW, Jan 09: Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini is visiting Warsaw to meet with Poland's powerful ruling party leader as well as his Polish counterpart, as their populist-nationalist parties explore a possible alliance in spring elections for the European Parliament. The May elections are shaping up into a battle between pro-EU forces under the leadership of French President Emmanuel Macron and populist euroskeptics led by Salvini. — AFP

Israel can thwart any 'polls meddling'

JERUSALEM, Jan 09: Israel's security service says it's able to thwart any foreign intervention or meddling in the country's upcoming election, after its director warned of such efforts. The Shin Bet said on Wednesday it has "the tools and capabilities to identify, monitor and thwart foreign influence efforts, should there be any." — AP

Some US officials ‘first-class idiots’

TEHRAN, Jan 09: Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday dubbed some US officials "first-class idiots" as he ridiculed them for predicting the collapse of the Islamic Republic. "Some US officials pretend that they are mad. Of course I don't agree with that, but they are first-class idiots," he said in speech in Tehran, quoted on his official Twitter feed. — AFP

HK bans insults to Chinese anthem

HONG KONG, Jan 09: Hong Kong unveiled a proposed law Wednesday to punish anyone who disrespects the Chinese national anthem with up to three years in jail, as Beijing ramps up pressure on the semi-autonomous city to fall into line. The bill, which will have its first reading in the city's parliament on January 23, sets up a fresh battle between authorities and democracy activists who say the financial hub's freedoms are being steadily dismantled. — AFP

'The Favourite' leads race for British Academy Film Awards

LONDON, Jan 09: Wickedly funny royal comedy-drama "The Favourite" lived up to its name on Wednesday, leading the race for the British Academy Film Awards. Yorgos Lanthimos' film received 12 nominations for the UK equivalent of the Oscars, including best film, best director and best actress, for Olivia Colman. Colman won a Golden Globe on Sunday for her performance as Britain's 18th-century Queen Anne. — AP