3 shot dead in US state of Alabama
Washington, July 13 (IANS): Local police in US state of Alabama said on Wednesday that three people were killed in a shooting incident. The shooting took place at a mobile home park near the city of Birmingham earlier Wednesday, Xinhua reported. “We have three victims deceased on the scene, their identities cannot be released at this time,” Gardendale Police said on Facebook. Gardendale Police released a photo of the suspect, identified as 51-year-old white male Kenneth Dion Lever, who has fled the scene and the search for him has already been underway. Police said Lever is “armed and dangerous”, and asked anyone who sees him not to approach and inform the police.
4 policemen shot dead in Pakistan
Islamabad, July 13 (IANS): Four policemen were shot dead in Pakistan’s Quetta city on Thursday, the media reported. The gunmen opened indiscriminate fire at a police vehicle while it was patrolling the city’s Killi Deba area, Dawn news quoted officials as saying. Superintendent of Police Quaidabad Mubarak Shah was among the victims. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Merkel reaches Paris for Council of Ministers meet
German, July 13 (IANS): French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday received German chancellor Angela Merkel in Paris for a Franco-German Council of Ministers meet. The agenda will focus on defence cooperation and strengthening of the euro zone, reports Efe news. Merkel arrived at the Elysee Palace for a long working session that will go on until the joint press conference, scheduled to be held at 2 p.m. (local time). The two leaders visited the Franco-German Youth Office, where a programme to promote exchange between the two countries was presented to them.
Sri Lanka named Asia’s leading destination
Colombo, July 13 (IANS): Sri Lanka was named Asia’s Leading Destination at the World Travel Awards Ceremony, the Tourism Ministry said here Thursday. Tourism Minister John Amaratunga said the award was an important milestone in Sri Lanka’s tourism promotional efforts, reports Xinhua news agency. Sri Lanka’s tourism sector has seen mega growth following the end of the island’s civil conflict between government troops and the Tamil Tiger rebels which ended in May 2009. Amaratunga said securing the Leading Destination along with Leading Adventure Tourism Destination accolade will continue to draw the spotlight on Sri Lanka.
Over 4,000 migrants rescued in Central Mediterranean
Rome, July 13 (IANS): Over 4,000 migrants have been rescued in the Central Mediterranean in the past 24 hours, raising the number of arrivals to Italy to 90,000 since the start of the year, according to rescue organisations on Thursday. The Italian Coast Guard said the latest rescue concluded earlier in the day and involved 20 operations carried out by Italian military personnel and boats from the European Union’s (EU) EUNavforMed mission as well as NGOs deployed in the area, reports Efe news. The newest arrivals meant that more than 90,000 migrants had now been rescued and taken to Italian ports so far this year — a 20 per cent increase year on year, according to Interior Ministry data.
IS commander killed in Afghanistan drone strike
Kabul, July 13 (IANS): A commander of Islamic State (IS) terrorist group in Afghanistan’s Kunar province was killed along with his bodyguard in a drone strike on Thursday, officials said. “Acting upon intelligence report, an unmanned plane attacked IS hideout in Manogai district this morning, killing the group’s notorious commander Esmatullah and his bodyguard,” government spokesman Ghani Musamim was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency. The elimination of Esmatullah, involved in terrorist attacks in Manogai, Watapor and Chapa Dara districts, could prove a major setback to the IS group in Kunar and neighbouring Nuristan and Nangarhar provinces.
WikiLeaks caused Hillary Clinton’s defeat in US elections
London, July 13 (IANS): Criticism by documents posted by global whistleblower WikiLeaks on Twitter played a key role in the failure of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump’s victory in the 2016 US presidential race, an analysis of tweets suggests. The study, which analysed viral tweets during the final two months of the 2016 election race, showed that Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, was much more heavily criticised on the microblogging site as compared to her rival Trump. Posts relating to WikiLeaks were the most common form of attack on social media for Clinton, who was also heavily criticized on Twitter over an FBI investigation into her use of a private email server.
Protests break out over ex-Brazilian President’s jail sentence
Brasilia, July 13 (IANS): Protesters both in favour of and against the prison sentence handed to Brazil’s former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took to the streets of Sao Paulo. A protest in downtown Paulista Avenue on Wednesday calling for the resignation of Brazilian President Michel Temer – under fire over corruption scandals – ended up being overtaken by Lula supporters, reports Efe news. After Lula, 71, was handed a nine-and-a-half year prison sentence earlier on Wednesday on corruption and money laundering charges, two more demonstrations started on Paulista Avenue, the financial heart of the country.
