Australia tightens laws in
wake of 'cracked' tower
SYDNEY, Feb 10: Australia's most populous state said on Sunday it would embark on the "biggest overhaul of building laws" in its history, months after residents were evacuated from a recently completed Sydney high-rise apartment that made "cracking noises". There have been question marks hanging over New South Wales' building and construction industry after some 300 people in the 38-storey Opal Tower in the Sydney Olympic Park were evacuated on Christmas Eve after the cracking reports. — AFP
More violence in Paris as
protesters keep marching
PARIS, Feb 10: Thousands of French "yellow vest" demonstrators marched on Saturday for their 13th weekend of action, with scuffles in Paris and a demonstrator's hand mangled by a small explosive. There was also an overnight arson attack on the Brittany residence of the National Assembly head - though no immediate link was made to the actions against President Emmanuel Macron. — Reuters
Losing climate change race a
disaster for Africa: UN
ADDIS ABABA, Feb 10: The United Nations chief says the world is losing the race with climate change and "this can be a disaster for Africa" and beyond. Antonio Guterres urged more political will for financing and adaptation as he spoke on Saturday ahead of a summit of the African Union continental body. He says Africa will pay a "higher price" over climate change because of the dramatic impacts, while the continent "doesn't contribute much" to global warming. Temperature increases will be greater in Africa. — AP
Fury at HIV data leak in Singapore
SINGAPORE, Feb 10: Rico has lived with HIV for almost a decade, confiding in only a small number of people in socially conservative Singapore, fearful of the reaction. Last month, he got a phone call saying information about his condition had been published online. Rico was one of 14,200 people whose HIV status, name and address were dumped on the internet by an American man who is believed to have obtained the confidential data from his partner - a senior Singaporean doctor. — AFP
Afghanistan airstrikes kill 21 civilians
KABUL, Feb 10: An Afghan lawmaker says airstrikes in the southern Helmand province have killed 21 civilians, including women and children. Mohammad Hashim Alkozai, a senator from Helmand, said Sunday that 13 civilians were killed in one strike and eight in another. Both airstrikes were carried out late Friday in the Sangin district, where heavy fighting is underway between NATO-backed Afghan forces and the Taliban. Alkozai says at least five other people were wounded in the airstrikes. — AP
Protests erupt in Kashmir as five rebels die
NEW DELHI, Feb 10: Five rebels were killed in fighting with government forces in disputed Kashmir on Sunday, the Indian army said, triggering anti-India clashes in which at least 10 civilians were injured. The fighting began after Indian government forces cordoned off a village in the Himalayan region's southern Kulgam area following a tip that militants were hiding there, said Col Rajesh Kalia, a spokesman for the Indian military in Kashmir. — AP
Najib to go on trial over 1MDB scandal
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 10: Malaysia's toppled leader Najib Razak will go on trial this week over an extraordinary financial scandal that contributed to the downfall of his long-ruling coalition and reverberated around the world. The former prime minister and his cronies are accused of stealing $4.5 billion from Malaysian sovereign wealth fund 1MDB in a mind-boggling fraud that stretched from Switzerland to the Seychelles.— AFP
© 2024 - All Rights with The Financial Express
