Texas carries out first US execution in 2019
WASHINGTON, Jan 31: The US carried out its first execution of 2019 on Wednesday, putting to death a Texas man convicted of murdering a police officer 30 years ago during an attempted robbery. Robert Mitchell Jennings, 61, was pronounced dead at 6:33 pm (0033 GMT Thursday) at a prison in Huntsville. Jennings gunned down Elston Howard in a Houston adult bookstore on July 19, 1988, according to a court filing and local media. — AFP
21 militants surrender in E Afghanistan
KABUL, Jan 31: A total of 21 anti-government militants including 20 Taliban and one Islamic State (IS) fighter have given up fighting in eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, a statement from the provincial government said on Thursday. According to the statement, 20 Taliban fighters in Ghani Khil, Mohmandara, Khogiani and Achin districts handed over weapons to local authorities in provincial capital Jalalabad on Wednesday. A militant loyal to the IS group who was active in Haska Mina district also handed over his weapon to local authorities, the statement added. — Xinhua
Malaysia enthrones new king after abdication
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 31: Malaysia on Thursday installed a new king, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, after the last monarch abdicated in a historic first following his reported marriage to a Russian ex-beauty queen. In a ceremony steeped in pomp and centuries of tradition, the sports-loving sultan, dressed in aqua blue formal wear, took the oath of office at the national palace in Kuala Lumpur. The ceremony was televised nationally and attended by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and hundreds of guests decked out in Islamic finery. — AFP
Djibouti migrant boat capsize death toll hits 52
ADDIS ABABA, Jan 31: The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Thursday that the death toll from the two migrant boats that had capsized off the coast of Djibouti on Tuesday has reached 52. "As of Wednesday evening, IOM's team has learned that the remains of 52 victims have been recovered -- three men and two women found on Tuesday and another 47 persons on Wednesday," the statement from the United Nations' migration agency IOM read. — Xinhua
Lopez declares country's war on drugs over
MEXICO CITY, Jan 31: Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador declared the country's war on drugs over on Wednesday, saying his government would no longer prioritize using the army to capture cartel kingpins. However, critics questioned the announcement, pointing out that the leftist president has not taken the army off the streets as he pledged during his campaign, and is proposing the creation of a national guard that opponents say would permanently militarize the country. Mexico has deployed its army since 2006 to fight its powerful drug cartels. — AFP
