UN pushes for peace on visit to Colombia
BOGOTA, Jan 14: UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is telling Colombians there is no justification for armed violence following recent attacks by the nation's last remaining rebel group after the expiration of a temporary cease-fire.In televised remarks Saturday, Guterres said that peace is the only answer to deep-rooted problems like poverty and inequality. — AFP
Eight die in Portugal fire
LISBON, Jan 14: Fire ripped through a local community centre in northern Portugal late Saturday, killing eight people and injuring another 50, police said. "Around 70 people were having dinner in the building when the fire broke out and we have a number of dead people as well as between 50 and 60 people injured," civil protection chief Paulo Santos told the news agency. — AFP
Iranian tanker sinks, engulfed in flames
BEIJING, Jan 14: A Iranian oil tanker burst into flames from end to end and sank Sunday, eight days after a collision with a cargo ship off China, state media said. A Tehran official said even before news of the sinking that there was no hope of saving some 30 missing crewmen. But Chinese officials played down fears of a major environmental disaster. — AFP
Iraqi PM to lead diverse coalition in May election
BAGHDAD, Jan 14: Iraq's prime minister says he will lead a "cross-sectarian" list in national elections proposed for May, hoping to build off last year's victory against the Islamic State group. In a statement issued late Saturday, Haider al-Abadi says his Victory Alliance will "boost the country's integrity and national sovereignty, correct mistakes and achieve justice and equality for all Iraqis." He says the "miracle of victory and unity must lead to a new and brighter era." Al-Abadi, who comes from Iraq's Shiite majority, assumed office in 2014, weeks after IS stormed across northern and central Iraq. — AP
Double murder at luxury HK hotel
HONG KONG, Jan 14: A foreign man has been arrested for the suspected murder of a woman and a boy on Sunday at the luxurious Ritz-Carlton hotel on Hong Kong's harbourfront, police said. Officers rushed to the hotel after receiving a report on Sunday morning that a man and a woman were fighting. The woman and a boy were found dead at the scene and the man was arrested on suspicion of murder and sent to a hospital. — AFP
