Ancient infant helps scientists discover America's genetic history
PARIS, Jan 04: A baby girl who died in Alaska some 11,500 years ago belonged to a formerly-unknown population group whose discovery has shed light on the peopling of the Americas, a study of her genome revealed Wednesday. By decoding the child's genetic fingerprint, scientists could look back on the history of the first people to conquer the New World, and conclude they likely arrived from Siberia some 20,000 years ago. — AFP
Blockade of Cuba not solution: EU foreign policy chief
HAVANA, Jan 04: Blockading Cuba is not the solution, the European Union's foreign policy chief said Wednesday on a trip aimed at strengthening ties with Havana, after Washington tightened restrictions on the island. Much of the half-century-old US economic embargo against Cuba remains entrenched in law, but under former president Barack Obama federal authorities began to loosen some rules-something his successor Donald Trump vowed to reverse. — AFP
Flood risk warnings for Western Germany
BERLIN, Jan 04: Heavy rainfall in recent days has increased the risk of flooding in western Germany. German news agency dpa reported Thursday that the Mosel river was closed to all shipping, with water levels 4 meters (13 feet) higher than usual. Along the lower reaches of the Rhine, water levels were predicted to continue to rise until Friday. Ships along the busy waterway near Cologne have been ordered to reduce their speed and remain in constant radio contact with authorities. — AP
China puts Tibetan language adv on trial for subversion
BEIJING, Jan 04: A Tibetan who has waged a campaign to preserve his region's ancestral language was put on trial in China for inciting separatism Thursday in a case Amnesty International denounced as "ludicrously unjust". Tashi Wangchuk was featured in a New York Times documentary that followed him on a trip to Beijing, where he attempted to get Chinese state media and courts to address what he describes as diminishing use of the Tibetan language. — AFP
Four perish in South Africa train crash
JOHANNESBURG, Jan 04: A passenger train collided with a truck in rural South Africa on Thursday, killing four people and injuring dozens of others and bursting into flames, local media and rescue workers said. Video of the crash in Free State province showed at least one train carriage on fire and billowing smoke. Passengers, some of whom were reportedly heading home after the holidays, were seen with their luggage on the side of the road near the wreck. — AP
