checkmate

Baby, teachers among dead in Thai attacks

BANGKOK: Six people, including a one-year-old girl and two teachers, were gunned down in separate attacks on a teashop and school in Thailand’s insurgency-plagued south on Tuesday, police said.



Gunmen sprayed bullets at villagers as they were having breakfast at the teashop in Narathiwat, one of three southern provinces to have suffered nearly nine years of unrest, killing the child, a 25-year-old woman and two men aged 37 and 70.

Four others were injured in the shooting, including a 10-month-old boy.

Police said the group of at least six gunmen stole a school vehicle to make their getaway.

Hundreds of schools in Pattani and Narathiwat have staged brief closures in recent weeks to protest at the risks facing educators, more than 150 of whom have died in the insurgency.



World

Japan, Vietnam vow to cooperate on sea row

Published : Friday January 18, 2013   |  Category : World   |  Hits:31
By : AFP

HANOI: Vietnam and Japan must “play a more active role” in maintaining regional peace and security, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said in the face of growing maritime tensions with China. Read more

Algeria troops surround Islamist hostage-takers

Published : Friday January 18, 2013   |  Category : World   |  Hits:28
By : AFP

ALGIERS: Algerian troops surrounded Islamists holding foreign hostages at a gas field on Thursday, a day after a deadly attack the gunmen said was in reprisal for Algeria’s cooperation in French operations in Mali. Read more

Floods bring Indonesia’s capital to near stand still

Published : Friday January 18, 2013   |  Category : World   |  Hits:25
By : AFP

JAKARTA: Waist-deep floods brought the Indonesian capital Jakarta to a standstill on Thursday, with roads impassable, thousands of homes under water and the president forced to roll up his trousers at the palace. Read more

Obama unveils sweeping gun control measures

Published : Friday January 18, 2013   |  Category : World   |  Hits:22
By : AFP

WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Barack Obama on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) demanded an assault weapons ban and universal background checks for gun buyers as part of sweeping gun control measures in response to the Newtown school massacre. Read more

WORLD IN BRIEF

Published : Friday January 18, 2013   |  Category : World   |  Hits:19
By : AFP

NO SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE TO ARREST PAKISTAN PMISLAMABAD: The head of Pakistan’s anti-corruption watchdog told the Supreme Court on Thursday he did not yet have enough evidence to move against Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and 15 Read more

Hosting Powered and Design By: I-MAP WEBSOLUTIONS, INC