Five people die in Zimbabwe fuel hike protests
HARARE, Jan 15: A human rights group in Zimbabwe says five people were killed in clashes between demonstrators protesting fuel hikes and security forces who opened fire on some crowds. The Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights on Tuesday reported the death toll as many businesses in the capital, Harare, and other cities were closed following Monday's violence. — AP
Australian state to pump oxygen into rivers as fish die
CANBERRA, Jan 15: An Australian state government on Tuesday announced plans to mechanically pump oxygen into lakes and rivers after hundreds of thousands of fish have died in heatwave conditions. Up to a million dead fish were found floating last week in the Darling River in western New South Wales state and the state government announced that 1,800 more rotting fish had since been found in Lake Hume in the state's south. — AP
China slams Trudeau’s remarks on Canadian’s death penalty
BEIJING, Jan 15: Beijing on Tuesday slammed Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for making "irresponsible remarks" after he criticised a Chinese court's death sentence against a convicted Canadian drug smuggler. "We urge the Canadian side to respect the rule of law, respect China's judicial sovereignty, correct their mistakes, and stop making such irresponsible remarks," foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a press briefing.-AFP
New York hosts Iran’s first film festival
NEW YORK, Jan 15: The Iranian cinema has already won a world-class reputation. Now, it's getting a wider American audience at the first Iranian Film Festival being held in New York. The organisers are hopeful that it will help bridge the divide between Iran and the United States. — Al Jazeera
NASA chief accepts invitation to visit Russia
MOSCOW, Jan 15: NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine has accepted an invitation to make a working visit to Russia in the next several months, Russian space agency Roscosmos said on Tuesday on its website. According to a statement by Roscosmos, Bridenstine and Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin on Monday held a telephone conversation that focused on "further cooperation on space exploration and a possible meeting." They agreed to continue working together on the International Space Station and lunar projects, as well as other missions to explore deep space, added the statement. — Xinhua
Landslide leaves eight dead in Pakistan
ISLAMABAD, Jan 15: Pakistani police say a landslide triggered by this week's rains engulfed a bus carrying workers on a dam project in the northwest, killing eight people. Regional police chief Raja Abdul Saboor says the incident took place on a hilly road late on Monday. He says rescuers managed to retrieve all the bodies. The bus was taking workers to their homes from the site of Dasu Dam being built on the Indus river in Kohistan district. — AP
