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WORLD IN BRIEF

NEW DRUG TUNNEL FOUND NEAR US-MEXICO BORDER
TIJUANA, Mexico: Mexican authorities said they have discovered a “sophisticated” tunnel likely intended for smuggling drugs and migrants across the US-Mexico border.

The entrance to the tunnel, which was still under construction, is located in a warehouse about 300 meters from the border between the Mexican city of Mexicali and Calexico, California, Mexicali police chief Marco Antonio Carrillo said. The tunnel, which is about 10 meters deep and 30 meters long, has a ventilation system and lighting and is considered the most “sophisticated” of such structures found in recent years, Carrillo said. Authorities uncovered it thanks to an anonymous tip, he added.

GAZA CHILD DIES IN MYSTERY EXPLOSION
GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories: A 6-year-old boy in Gaza died and three others were wounded in an explosion in Khan Yunis, Palestinian medical sources said. The Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis was not able to state what caused the explosion that resulted in the death of Moussa Kawaree. Israel maintains a “buffer zone” of at least 300 meters in the Gaza Strip along the border, and prevents access to Palestinians under threat of firing.

IRAN DESIGNS SOFTWARE FOR CONTROLLED SOCIAL MEDIA ACCESS
TEHRAN: Iran is designing “intelligent software” that would give citizens restricted and controlled access to banned social networking sites, local media Sunday quoted police chief Esmaeil Ahmadi Moghadam as saying. Facebook, Twitter and many other social websites are blocked by an official filtering mechanism as part of Iran’s strict Internet censorship. But many web users in Iran, where half of the 75-million population is connected to the Internet, have found ways around the blocks through sophisticated software known as VPN despite it being declared illegal in Iran. AFP

World

Japan PM shores up SE Asia ties over rising China

Published : Thursday January 17, 2013   |  Category : World   |  Hits:144
By : AFP

TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday left for Southeast Asia on his first overseas trip since winning power, seeking to shore up relationships as a counterweight to an increasingly confident China. Read more

Beijing needs drastic change to tackle smog

Published : Thursday January 17, 2013   |  Category : World   |  Hits:84
By : AFP

BEIJING: China has cleaned up its air before, but experts say that if it wants to avoid the kind of smog that choked the country this week it must overhaul an economy fuelled by heavily polluting coal and car use. Read more

Hagel wins key backing for Pentagon chief job

Published : Thursday January 17, 2013   |  Category : World   |  Hits:78
By : AFP

WASHINGTON, D.C.: US defense secretary-designate Chuck Hagel cleared a key bar to his Senate confirmation on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila), winning the backing of a powerful Democrat who had been concerned about his stances on Iran and Israel. Read more

Campus blasts kill 87 in Syria’s Aleppo

Published : Thursday January 17, 2013   |  Category : World   |  Hits:84
By : AFP

Campus blasts kill 87 in Syria’s Aleppo

Syrians gather at the scene of an explosion outside Aleppo University, between the university dormitories and the architecture faculty. AFP PHOTO DAMASCUS: Twin blasts ripped through university buildings in Syria’s second city Al... Read more

Democracy in decline worldwide, says study

Published : Thursday January 17, 2013   |  Category : World   |  Hits:81
By : AFP

WASHINGTON, D.C.: Democracy around the world was in decline in 2012 for the seventh year in a row as the Arab Spring led nervous autocratic leaders to clamp down on any stirrings of dissent, a US study said on Wednesday. Read more

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