British govt set for reshuffle
LONDON, Jan 07: Britain's government is to undergo a reshuffle on Monday as Prime Minister Theresa May looks to reassert her authority following a string of high-profile departures, according to MPs. Deputy prime minister Damian Green is set to be replaced after stepping down last month over a pornography scandal, following on from the departures of ministers Michael Fallon and Priti Patel embroiled in separate controversies. A Labour MP who wished to remain anonymous told AFP that the reshuffle would take place on Monday, having received confirmation from Conservative colleagues. — AFP
Eight refugees die in shipwreck
TRIPOLI, Jan 07: At least eight refugees have died and 86 others were rescued off the coast of Libya after a rubber dinghy ran into trouble in what is believed to be the first Mediterranean shipwreck of 2018. Italy's coastguard said an aircraft on patrol for a European anti-smuggling operation spotted the dinghy on Saturday morning. Sergio Liardo, an Italian coastguard commander, told Italian state TV RaiNews24 that "it appears the dinghy deflated" after a puncture. All eight victims were women, Liardo said. —Al Jazeera
Nepal cold wave claims nine lives
KATHMANDU, Jan 07: The spell of cold wave has claimed at least nine lives in southern Nepal's districts of Terai region bordering India in the past two days, media reports said on Saturday. Six people died of freezing cold in Saptari district and three in Rautahat district, mostly children and elderly people, Republica Newspaper reported referring local authorities. "The unbearable cold could be the most probable reason for all of these deaths," Ranjit Kumar Jha, senior consultant at Gajendra Narayan Singh Sagarmatha Zonal Hospital, said. — Xinhua
Afghan airstrikes kill 20 militants
FARAH, Jan 07: At least 20 insurgents including their three local commanders were killed and eight others injured during airstrikes conducted by Afghan air forces in Farah province, west of Afghanistan on Saturday, defense ministry said in a statement released Sunday. The air forces targeted insurgents' hideouts in Khak-e-Safid district of Farah province on Saturday, killing at least 20 militants including their three commanders and injuring eight others," said the statement. — Xinhua
6.0-magnitude quake hits Manipur
NEW DELHI, Jan 07: A strong earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale hit India's northeastern state of Manipur Sunday, officials said. According to Indian Meteorological Department, the earthquake occurred at 12:17 p.m. (local time). Officials said tremors of the earthquake were felt across the state including capital city Imphal. However, there were no immediate reports of any damage or loss of lives in the earthquake. — Xinhua
Cambodian PM leads huge rally on anniversary of Khmer Rouge's fall
PHNOM PENH, Jan 07: Cambodian premier Hun Sen led a huge rally on Sunday marking the anniversary of the fall of the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime, seizing the opportunity to burnish his image as saviour of the nation. Tens of thousands of people attended the event organised by Hun Sen's ruling Cambodian People's Party, which has dominated the country since it was installed by the Vietnamese forces which toppled Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot on January 7, 1979. — AFP
Turkey to reopen 'Iron Church'
ISTANBUL, Jan 07: The leaders of Turkey and Bulgaria are Sunday due to reopen the Bulgarian St Stephen's Church in Istanbul after seven years of restoration, in a gesture of harmony in an often turbulent relationship between the two neighbours. The Bulgarian Orthodox church in Balat, a historic Istanbul neighbourhood on the shores of the Golden Horn traditionally home to Christians and Jews, was built in 1898 after its original wooden structure was destroyed in a fire. — AFP
Papua New Guinea evacuates hundreds as volcano erupts
SYDNEY, Jan 07: Some 600 residents on a tiny island off Papua New Guinea have been evacuated after a volcano previously believed to be dormant erupted and spewed a "continuous plume" of ash, officials and reports said Sunday. The volcano on the northern island of Kadovar, more than 500 metres (1,640-feet) high, erupted on Friday, the Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre Said. — AFP
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