Former Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra appeared in court on Friday (January 15) for the start of a lengthy corruption trial that critics say is an attempt by the ruling junta to further restrict the influence of her and her family. Yingluck, whose government was ousted by the army in 2014, is the sister of ousted populist Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was also deposed by the army in 2006 and remains the most divisive […]
International
FBI not looking for co-conspirators in Philadelphia police shooting
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is not currently looking for co-conspirators in the shooting of a Philadelphia police officer, with evidence gathered so far indicating the gunman acted alone, the FBI chief told reporters on Thursday (January 14). FBI Director James Comey said reports that authorities were looking for three other suspects were false. Philadelphia police said suspected gunman Edward Archer, 30, pledged allegiance to the Islamic State militant group before allegedly opening fire on […]
Australian Foreign Minister, condems “horrific attacks” in Jakarta
Australian Foreign Minister, Julie Bishop condemned the attacks that took place in Jakarta on Thursday (January 14), and has offered assistance if Indonesia asks for it. “I confirm that the Australian Government condemns these horrific attacks and that we stand with Indonesia in countering terrorism and we’ll do what we can to support them in the investigation as to how this occurred and who is responsible. I have been able to confirm that at this […]
Indonesians worried after Jakarta attacks
Some Indonesians expressed concern about their safety as the country’s capital awoke to a new day on Friday (January 15) following a deadly attack claimed by Islamic State. Just seven people were killed in the three-hour siege near a Starbucks cafe and Sarinah, Jakarta’s oldest department store, despite multiple blasts and a gunfight, and five of them were the attackers themselves. Nevertheless, it was the first time the radical group has targeted the world’s most […]
Argentine economic growth to speed up from 2017, minister says
Argentina’s economy will edge higher this year as the new government lifts interventionist controls, later fuelling growth of about 4.5 percent annually between 2017 and 2019, Finance Minister Alfonso Prat-Gay said on Thursday (January 14). “With our numbers we calculate an estimated (economic growth) of between 0.5 percent and 1 percent this year in 2016, but above all with much stronger growth in the second half of the year,” he said, during a news conference […]
Chemical container blaze restricts Brazil’s Santos port
Up to a dozen containers carrying chemicals caught fire at a terminal at Brazil’s largest port of Santos on Thursday (January 14, 2016), restricting ship movement, representatives of the port authority Codesp said. The fire at the container terminal operated by logistics company Localfrio in Guaruja, on the eastern side of Santos, started around 3 p.m. Brasilia time (1700 GMT), sending plumes of smoke across the shipping channel at the commodity exporting port. A spokeswoman […]
Jimmy Morales sworn in as new president of Guatemala
Jimmy Morales was inaugurated as president of Guatemala during a swearing-in ceremony in Guatemala City on Thursday (January 14). Morales, a former TV comedian who had never held office, swept to power in October after public anger over a corruption scandal that deepened distrust of the country’s political establishment. The 46-year-old Morales overwhelmingly beat centre-left rival and former first lady Sandra Torres in a run-off vote despite his lack of government experience and some policy […]
Middle East refugee indicted in Sacramento for making false statement involving terrorism
A man from the Middle East who came to the United States as a refugee was indicted on Thursday (January 13) on a federal charge for making a false statement involving international terrorism. The U.S. Department of Justice has said that the defendant, Aws Mohammed Younis al-Jayab, 23, is a Palestinian who was born in Iraq and came to the United States in 2012 as a refugee from Syria. Al-Jayab was one of two Middle […]
Defense officials confim sailors’ navigational error, warn of more Islamic State attacks
Defense officials on Thursday (January 14) said to brace for more attacks, like the one in Indonesia claimed by Islamic State, as the organization was looking to distract from setbacks on the battlefield. The officials made the comments at a news conference at the U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Florida, where Defense Secretary Ash Carter also confirmed a navigational error caused sailors to stray into Iranian waters where they were detained. An Indonesian and a […]
NASA set to award space station cargo contracts
A three-way competition to fly cargo to the International Space Station for NASA has ended, and the U.S. space agency announce the winners on Thursday (January 14). “With that today we are announcing the next chapter in the path of public private partnership with American companies. To ensure that NASA maintains the capability to resupply the space station from the United States through 2024,” Ellen Ochoa, NASA Space Center Director said. “First Orbital ATK of […]
Islamic State behind Jakarta attack – police chief
(Reuters) — Indonesia blamed Islamic State for an attack by suicide bombers and gunmen in the heart of Jakarta on Thursday (January 14) that brought the radical group’s violence to the world’s most populous Muslim country for the first time. Just seven people were killed despite multiple blasts and a gunfight, and five of them were the attackers themselves, but the brazenness of their siege suggested a new brand of militancy in a country […]
Argentina wants debt deal as fiscal deficit balloons
Argentine Finance Minister Alfonso Prat-Gay said the South American country would hold tough debt negotiations with U.S. investment firms suing over unpaid debt, as preliminary talks got underway in New York on Wednesday (January 13). He did say it was imperative to resolve the country’s legal dispute because financing of the country’s fiscal deficit this year may depend on progress on the issue. Solving the more than decade-long debt battle would enable Argentina to return […]