Militants kill 6 troops in southwestern Pakistan
QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistani officials say militants opened fire on a paramilitary convoy in the country's southwest, killing at least six troops and wounding four others.
Abdul Qadus Bizenjo, the top elected official in the Baluchistan province, says Monday's attack took place in the town of Turbat, about 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) south of the provincial capital, Quetta.
No one immediately claimed the attack. Baluchistan is home to a low-level insurgency by separatists and tribes that want greater local autonomy. Islamic militants have also carried out attacks there.
More than 70 injured as Stock Exchange floor collapses in Jakarta
Jakarta, Jan 15 (IANS) Over 70 people were injured on Monday when part of the first floor of in one of the two towers that house Indonesia's stock exchange building collapsed, police said.
The injured, many of them students visiting the building at lunchtime, were taken to four hospitals here, Jakarta police said in a statement, reported Efe news agency.
Jakarta police spokesperson Argo Yuwono, talking to the media outside the building, ruled out an explosion as a cause of the collapse.
The collapse occurred shortly after the conclusion of morning stock trading at 12.10 p.m. local time. Later, the country's stock exchange administrator ordered resumption of trading.
Most of the workers at the stock market returned for the afternoon session.
Images on television and social media uploaded by witnesses showed rubble in the lobby of the building.
The police cordoned off the area while an investigation into the incident is on.
National police spokesman Inspector General Setyo Wasisto said investigators would probe blueprint of the building after the incident, reported Xinhua.
"Every building has its own blueprint, so there must be information stipulating how long a building will remain strong," he said at the police headquarters, also adding the cause of the incident was not an explosion.
The country's financial services authority also supported the investigation, said head of its international division Anto Prabowo.
Netanyahu calls PM Modi a revolutionary leader
New Delhi [India], Jan. 15 (ANI): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday called his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi "a revolutionary leader" who has revolutionised India.
"You are a revolutionary leader. You have revolutionised India and catapulting this state to the future. Your visit to Israel was groundbreaking as it was the first time an Indian leader visited," Netanyahu said during a joint press conference with Prime Minister Modi.
He said Jews in India have never witnessed antisemitism like in some other countries and that was testament to India's great civilisation, tolerance and democracy.
Remembering the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, Netanyahu said both India and Israel would fight terrorism together.
Earlier today, the two sides also signed nine Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) in various sectors to further strengthen the bilateral relations between the two countries.
Prime Minister Modi and Netanyahu also held delegation-level talks and discussed ways to further strengthen ties between the two sides.
Netanyahu, who is on a six-day visit to India, received a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhawan on Monday.
Netanyahu will be visiting Agra, Gujarat and Mumbai and will be accompanied by the Indian Prime Minister on extensive portions of his visit.
Four soldiers killed along LoC: Pak Army
Islamabad [Pakistan], Jan 15 (ANI): Pakistan on Monday stated that four of its Army soldiers were killed along the Line of Control (LoC).
An official statement by the Pakistan Army stated that the four soldiers were killed in Jandrot-Kotli Sector when they were "busy in line communication maintenance."
Meanwhile, India maintains that Pakistan resorts to frequent ceasefire violations along the LoC that are effectively retaliated.
Turkey unveils route of 45 km 'Istanbul Canal'
Istanbul, Jan 15 (AFP) The Turkish government today unveiled the route of its planned new canal for Istanbul, a hugely ambitious 45 kilometre (28 mile) project designed to be its answer to the famed artificial shipping lanes in Panama or Egypt's Suez.
The project, first announced by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan while he was prime minister in 2011, is by far the most complex of a string of new ventures for the city.
The government argues it will create attractive new living areas and take pressure off the Bosphorus Strait that splits the European and Asian sides of the city and is one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.
Transport and Communications Minister Ahmet Arslan said that the canal would begin in the Istanbul district of Kucukcekmece on the Sea of Marmara, where there is already an inland lake.
It will then head north towards the Sazlidere reservoir before emerging into the Black Sea just north of Durusu.
"The aim is to reduce the risks that can arise from vessels in the Bosphorus carrying dangerous materials," Arslan told a televised news conference.
"Another aim is to create an urban transformation for our citizens in this area... and also to increase the attractiveness of Istanbul as a global metropolis."
Some environmentalists have warned the project risks wrecking the maritime ecosystem and could also increase the risk of earthquakes in an area of high seismic activity.
But Arslan insisted that all precautions had been taken, saying the route had been chosen only after thorough earthquake risk assessment and computer modelling studies were undertaken.
Erdogan, whose rise to national political prominence began while he served as mayor of Istanbul, is presiding over a string of ambitious infrastructure projects in Turkey and especially its largest city.
With Erdogan fondly dubbing the schemes his "crazy projects", the last years have already seen the opening of metro and road tunnels underneath the Bosphorus as well as a third bridge across the waterway.
Construction of a massive new airport is meanwhile proceeding, with the facility set to see its first flight land in late February before opening officially in October.
I am not a 'racist', says Trump
Washington, Jan 15 (PTI) "I am not a racist," US President Donald Trump has said as he sought to steer clear of the controversy surrounding his reported derogatory remarks against immigrants from Haiti and Africa.
A row broke out last week over Trump's alleged use of the word "shithole" to describe African nations.
Trump reportedly used the word to describe African countries during an Oval Office meeting on Thursday with a bipartisan group of six senators on immigration reform.
People briefed on the conversation also say that during the meeting the president also questioned the need to admit more Haitians to the US.
"No No I'm not a racist. I am the least racist person you have ever interviewed. That I can tell you," Trump told reporters in Florida when entering Trump International Golf Course for a dinner with House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
"Did you see what various senators in the room said about my comments?" he said. "They weren't made."
Democratic Senator Dick Durbin, who attended the lawmakers' meeting, said that "shithole" was the "exact word used by the President, not just once but repeatedly".
"He said these hate filled things and he said them repeatedly," Durbin said.
On Friday, the African Union expressed "dismay and outrage" at the reports and demanded that Trump apologise.
At least four Democratic lawmakers said that they were boycotting the State of the Union Address of the president to protest against his alleged remarks.
However, one of the Republican Senators who attended the meeting today claimed that Trump never used that word.
Trump has himself denied having used that word but has admitted using "tough" language in the meeting.
Passenger jet skids off runway in Turkey
Istanbul [Turkey], Jan 15 (ANI): A passenger plane with 168 people onboard skidded off the runway on Saturday night at Trabzon Airport.
The aircraft slid down the edge of a cliff and stopped just short of plunging into the Black Sea.
According to the local media reports, no passengers or crew members on the Pegasus Airlines flight were seriously injured.
All 162 passengers and six crew members were evacuated while work was underway on Sunday to remove the Boeing 737-800 from the site.
Trabzon Governor Yucel Yavuz confirmed that all 168 people on board were evacuated safely.
Yavuz said the cause of the accident was not yet known.
The plane, belonging to private low-cost carrier Pegasus, had arrived from the capital Ankara. The airport was closed to all flights up until 8 am on Sunday morning.
"We stayed inside the plane for at least 20 minutes waiting for someone to help us," said Fatma Gordu, one of the passengers.
She said they first heard a loud noise and then the plane started "shaking" a short while after the plane landed and was advancing on the runway.
"It then swung to one side and back of the plane moved upwards. There was panic, people were screaming," she said, describing the moments of horror.
Meanwhile, Yuksel Gordu, another passenger said it was "a miracle" that they survived.
"The plane could have caught fire or fell into the sea. I thank God it didn't. I feel like going crazy whenever I think about those moments," he said.
RAF warplanes scrambled after Russian jets near UK airspace
London, Jan 15 (IANS) Two Royal Air Force (RAF) warplanes were scrambled in Scotland on Monday to monitor two Russian aircraft approaching Britain, but the incident ended when it was clear the Russian bombers had not entered British air space.
The alert was raised on Monday morning with the RAF jets engaged off the Scottish coastline, Xinhua news agency reported.
An RAF spokesman said: "We can confirm that Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) Typhoon aircraft from RAF Lossiemouth scrambled to monitor two Blackjack bombers approaching the UK."
"The Russian aircraft were initially monitored by a variety of friendly nation fighters and subsequently intercepted by the RAF in the North Sea. At no point did the Russian aircraft enter sovereign UK airspace."
The spokesman told Xinhua the two RAF jets returned to their base.
The comments of the Russian side were not immediately available.
EU to remove Panama, Korea, UAE, 5 others from tax haven blacklist
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union officials have proposed removing eight jurisdictions from the blacklist of tax havens the bloc adopted in December, in what critics may see as a blow to its campaign against tax avoidance.
EU states decided last month to draw up the list in a bid to discourage the most aggressive tax dodging practices.
But eight of the 17 jurisdictions currently listed are set to be quickly removed from the list after they offered to change their tax rules, according to EU documents seen by Reuters.
Panama, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, Barbados, Grenada, Macao, Mongolia and Tunisia are the jurisdictions that EU officials have recommended be delisted.
The removal of Bahrain was also initially considered, but its delisting was eventually not recommended, the documents show.
The proposal will be discussed at a meeting of EU ambassadors on Wednesday and is expected to be adopted by EU finance ministers when they meet next week in Brussels for monthly talks.
Jurisdictions set to remain on the blacklist are American Samoa, Bahrain, Guam, the Marshall Islands, Namibia, Palau, Saint Lucia, Samoa, and Trinidad and Tobago.
The proposal for the delisting was made by the so-called Code of Conduct Group, which gathers tax experts from the 28 EU member states. It monitors countries' commitments to abide by EU standards on tax matters.
If the recommendation were confirmed by EU ministers, the eight jurisdictions will be moved to a so-called grey list which includes those who have committed to change their rules on tax transparency and cooperation. The grey list currently includes 47 jurisdictions.
The shrinking of the blacklist is likely to be criticised by tax transparency groups. In December some activists denounced the listing process as a whitewash and had called for the inclusion in the blacklist of some EU countries accused of facilitating tax avoidance, like Luxembourg, Malta, Ireland and the Netherlands.
The recommended removal of Panama may cause particular outcry, as it has been at the centre of one of the largest disclosures of offshore schemes, the so-called Panama Papers.
EU officials have said the purpose of the blacklist is to convince jurisdictions to become more transparent. Having fewer on the list means more countries have committed to changes, they say.
16 killed as gunmen attack Libya international airport
Tripoli, Jan 15 (IANS) At least 16 persons were killed and 48 others injured on Monday as an outlawed militia group attacked Libya's Tripoli International Airport with heavy weapons, a medical source said.
"The victims include civilians. The injured have been transferred to several hospitals and clinics in Tripoli," Abduddayem Al-Rabri, director of Tripoli field hospital, told Xinhua.
Rabri called on all Libyan doctors and medical assistants to help treat the injured people, stressing that many doctors are providing assistance.
The Special Deterrent Force in charge of securing the airport said: "The criminal militia known as Bashir al-Baqarah and all the criminals wanted by the Deterrent Force attacked the International Airport after escaping (jail) and joining the militia."
The force noted that the attackers were being dealt with "until they are defeated and expelled from the M'etiga airport and the prison, where more than 2,500 inmates are detained on various charges".
The force posted images of tanks deployed around the airport and confirmed that the situation was now under full control.
The head of the Civil Aviation Authority Nasr-Addin Shayeb al-Ain said the airport has been temporarily closed for security reasons.
The UN-backed government issued a statement condemning the attack, "which threatened the lives of travellers, nearby residents and the safety of air traffic".
"This attack aimed at freeing IS, al-Qaida and other terrorists from the detention centre supervised by the Interior Ministry's Special Deterrence Force," said the statement.
"Those acts not only attempted to free terrorists, but also attempted to hinder the peaceful political transition in the country, and also obstruct local and international efforts to achieve stability in our country. These acts will not go unpunished," the statement added.
The M'eiga International Airport of Tripoli witnessed frequent clashes and armed attacks, most recently in October 2017.
However, Monday's attack is the most violent one the airport has witnessed so far, as gunmen attacked the air hub and the prison inside it, where hundreds of terrorists have been detained over the past few years.
QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistani officials say militants opened fire on a paramilitary convoy in the country's southwest, killing at least six troops and wounding four others.
Abdul Qadus Bizenjo, the top elected official in the Baluchistan province, says Monday's attack took place in the town of Turbat, about 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) south of the provincial capital, Quetta.
No one immediately claimed the attack. Baluchistan is home to a low-level insurgency by separatists and tribes that want greater local autonomy. Islamic militants have also carried out attacks there.
More than 70 injured as Stock Exchange floor collapses in Jakarta
Jakarta, Jan 15 (IANS) Over 70 people were injured on Monday when part of the first floor of in one of the two towers that house Indonesia's stock exchange building collapsed, police said.
The injured, many of them students visiting the building at lunchtime, were taken to four hospitals here, Jakarta police said in a statement, reported Efe news agency.
Jakarta police spokesperson Argo Yuwono, talking to the media outside the building, ruled out an explosion as a cause of the collapse.
The collapse occurred shortly after the conclusion of morning stock trading at 12.10 p.m. local time. Later, the country's stock exchange administrator ordered resumption of trading.
Most of the workers at the stock market returned for the afternoon session.
Images on television and social media uploaded by witnesses showed rubble in the lobby of the building.
The police cordoned off the area while an investigation into the incident is on.
National police spokesman Inspector General Setyo Wasisto said investigators would probe blueprint of the building after the incident, reported Xinhua.
"Every building has its own blueprint, so there must be information stipulating how long a building will remain strong," he said at the police headquarters, also adding the cause of the incident was not an explosion.
The country's financial services authority also supported the investigation, said head of its international division Anto Prabowo.
Netanyahu calls PM Modi a revolutionary leader
New Delhi [India], Jan. 15 (ANI): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday called his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi "a revolutionary leader" who has revolutionised India.
"You are a revolutionary leader. You have revolutionised India and catapulting this state to the future. Your visit to Israel was groundbreaking as it was the first time an Indian leader visited," Netanyahu said during a joint press conference with Prime Minister Modi.
He said Jews in India have never witnessed antisemitism like in some other countries and that was testament to India's great civilisation, tolerance and democracy.
Remembering the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, Netanyahu said both India and Israel would fight terrorism together.
Earlier today, the two sides also signed nine Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) in various sectors to further strengthen the bilateral relations between the two countries.
Prime Minister Modi and Netanyahu also held delegation-level talks and discussed ways to further strengthen ties between the two sides.
Netanyahu, who is on a six-day visit to India, received a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhawan on Monday.
Netanyahu will be visiting Agra, Gujarat and Mumbai and will be accompanied by the Indian Prime Minister on extensive portions of his visit.
Four soldiers killed along LoC: Pak Army
Islamabad [Pakistan], Jan 15 (ANI): Pakistan on Monday stated that four of its Army soldiers were killed along the Line of Control (LoC).
An official statement by the Pakistan Army stated that the four soldiers were killed in Jandrot-Kotli Sector when they were "busy in line communication maintenance."
Meanwhile, India maintains that Pakistan resorts to frequent ceasefire violations along the LoC that are effectively retaliated.
Turkey unveils route of 45 km 'Istanbul Canal'
Istanbul, Jan 15 (AFP) The Turkish government today unveiled the route of its planned new canal for Istanbul, a hugely ambitious 45 kilometre (28 mile) project designed to be its answer to the famed artificial shipping lanes in Panama or Egypt's Suez.
The project, first announced by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan while he was prime minister in 2011, is by far the most complex of a string of new ventures for the city.
The government argues it will create attractive new living areas and take pressure off the Bosphorus Strait that splits the European and Asian sides of the city and is one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.
Transport and Communications Minister Ahmet Arslan said that the canal would begin in the Istanbul district of Kucukcekmece on the Sea of Marmara, where there is already an inland lake.
It will then head north towards the Sazlidere reservoir before emerging into the Black Sea just north of Durusu.
"The aim is to reduce the risks that can arise from vessels in the Bosphorus carrying dangerous materials," Arslan told a televised news conference.
"Another aim is to create an urban transformation for our citizens in this area... and also to increase the attractiveness of Istanbul as a global metropolis."
Some environmentalists have warned the project risks wrecking the maritime ecosystem and could also increase the risk of earthquakes in an area of high seismic activity.
But Arslan insisted that all precautions had been taken, saying the route had been chosen only after thorough earthquake risk assessment and computer modelling studies were undertaken.
Erdogan, whose rise to national political prominence began while he served as mayor of Istanbul, is presiding over a string of ambitious infrastructure projects in Turkey and especially its largest city.
With Erdogan fondly dubbing the schemes his "crazy projects", the last years have already seen the opening of metro and road tunnels underneath the Bosphorus as well as a third bridge across the waterway.
Construction of a massive new airport is meanwhile proceeding, with the facility set to see its first flight land in late February before opening officially in October.
I am not a 'racist', says Trump
Washington, Jan 15 (PTI) "I am not a racist," US President Donald Trump has said as he sought to steer clear of the controversy surrounding his reported derogatory remarks against immigrants from Haiti and Africa.
A row broke out last week over Trump's alleged use of the word "shithole" to describe African nations.
Trump reportedly used the word to describe African countries during an Oval Office meeting on Thursday with a bipartisan group of six senators on immigration reform.
People briefed on the conversation also say that during the meeting the president also questioned the need to admit more Haitians to the US.
"No No I'm not a racist. I am the least racist person you have ever interviewed. That I can tell you," Trump told reporters in Florida when entering Trump International Golf Course for a dinner with House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
"Did you see what various senators in the room said about my comments?" he said. "They weren't made."
Democratic Senator Dick Durbin, who attended the lawmakers' meeting, said that "shithole" was the "exact word used by the President, not just once but repeatedly".
"He said these hate filled things and he said them repeatedly," Durbin said.
On Friday, the African Union expressed "dismay and outrage" at the reports and demanded that Trump apologise.
At least four Democratic lawmakers said that they were boycotting the State of the Union Address of the president to protest against his alleged remarks.
However, one of the Republican Senators who attended the meeting today claimed that Trump never used that word.
Trump has himself denied having used that word but has admitted using "tough" language in the meeting.
Passenger jet skids off runway in Turkey
Istanbul [Turkey], Jan 15 (ANI): A passenger plane with 168 people onboard skidded off the runway on Saturday night at Trabzon Airport.
The aircraft slid down the edge of a cliff and stopped just short of plunging into the Black Sea.
According to the local media reports, no passengers or crew members on the Pegasus Airlines flight were seriously injured.
All 162 passengers and six crew members were evacuated while work was underway on Sunday to remove the Boeing 737-800 from the site.
Trabzon Governor Yucel Yavuz confirmed that all 168 people on board were evacuated safely.
Yavuz said the cause of the accident was not yet known.
The plane, belonging to private low-cost carrier Pegasus, had arrived from the capital Ankara. The airport was closed to all flights up until 8 am on Sunday morning.
"We stayed inside the plane for at least 20 minutes waiting for someone to help us," said Fatma Gordu, one of the passengers.
She said they first heard a loud noise and then the plane started "shaking" a short while after the plane landed and was advancing on the runway.
"It then swung to one side and back of the plane moved upwards. There was panic, people were screaming," she said, describing the moments of horror.
Meanwhile, Yuksel Gordu, another passenger said it was "a miracle" that they survived.
"The plane could have caught fire or fell into the sea. I thank God it didn't. I feel like going crazy whenever I think about those moments," he said.
RAF warplanes scrambled after Russian jets near UK airspace
London, Jan 15 (IANS) Two Royal Air Force (RAF) warplanes were scrambled in Scotland on Monday to monitor two Russian aircraft approaching Britain, but the incident ended when it was clear the Russian bombers had not entered British air space.
The alert was raised on Monday morning with the RAF jets engaged off the Scottish coastline, Xinhua news agency reported.
An RAF spokesman said: "We can confirm that Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) Typhoon aircraft from RAF Lossiemouth scrambled to monitor two Blackjack bombers approaching the UK."
"The Russian aircraft were initially monitored by a variety of friendly nation fighters and subsequently intercepted by the RAF in the North Sea. At no point did the Russian aircraft enter sovereign UK airspace."
The spokesman told Xinhua the two RAF jets returned to their base.
The comments of the Russian side were not immediately available.
EU to remove Panama, Korea, UAE, 5 others from tax haven blacklist
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union officials have proposed removing eight jurisdictions from the blacklist of tax havens the bloc adopted in December, in what critics may see as a blow to its campaign against tax avoidance.
EU states decided last month to draw up the list in a bid to discourage the most aggressive tax dodging practices.
But eight of the 17 jurisdictions currently listed are set to be quickly removed from the list after they offered to change their tax rules, according to EU documents seen by Reuters.
Panama, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, Barbados, Grenada, Macao, Mongolia and Tunisia are the jurisdictions that EU officials have recommended be delisted.
The removal of Bahrain was also initially considered, but its delisting was eventually not recommended, the documents show.
The proposal will be discussed at a meeting of EU ambassadors on Wednesday and is expected to be adopted by EU finance ministers when they meet next week in Brussels for monthly talks.
Jurisdictions set to remain on the blacklist are American Samoa, Bahrain, Guam, the Marshall Islands, Namibia, Palau, Saint Lucia, Samoa, and Trinidad and Tobago.
The proposal for the delisting was made by the so-called Code of Conduct Group, which gathers tax experts from the 28 EU member states. It monitors countries' commitments to abide by EU standards on tax matters.
If the recommendation were confirmed by EU ministers, the eight jurisdictions will be moved to a so-called grey list which includes those who have committed to change their rules on tax transparency and cooperation. The grey list currently includes 47 jurisdictions.
The shrinking of the blacklist is likely to be criticised by tax transparency groups. In December some activists denounced the listing process as a whitewash and had called for the inclusion in the blacklist of some EU countries accused of facilitating tax avoidance, like Luxembourg, Malta, Ireland and the Netherlands.
The recommended removal of Panama may cause particular outcry, as it has been at the centre of one of the largest disclosures of offshore schemes, the so-called Panama Papers.
EU officials have said the purpose of the blacklist is to convince jurisdictions to become more transparent. Having fewer on the list means more countries have committed to changes, they say.
16 killed as gunmen attack Libya international airport
Tripoli, Jan 15 (IANS) At least 16 persons were killed and 48 others injured on Monday as an outlawed militia group attacked Libya's Tripoli International Airport with heavy weapons, a medical source said.
"The victims include civilians. The injured have been transferred to several hospitals and clinics in Tripoli," Abduddayem Al-Rabri, director of Tripoli field hospital, told Xinhua.
Rabri called on all Libyan doctors and medical assistants to help treat the injured people, stressing that many doctors are providing assistance.
The Special Deterrent Force in charge of securing the airport said: "The criminal militia known as Bashir al-Baqarah and all the criminals wanted by the Deterrent Force attacked the International Airport after escaping (jail) and joining the militia."
The force noted that the attackers were being dealt with "until they are defeated and expelled from the M'etiga airport and the prison, where more than 2,500 inmates are detained on various charges".
The force posted images of tanks deployed around the airport and confirmed that the situation was now under full control.
The head of the Civil Aviation Authority Nasr-Addin Shayeb al-Ain said the airport has been temporarily closed for security reasons.
The UN-backed government issued a statement condemning the attack, "which threatened the lives of travellers, nearby residents and the safety of air traffic".
"This attack aimed at freeing IS, al-Qaida and other terrorists from the detention centre supervised by the Interior Ministry's Special Deterrence Force," said the statement.
"Those acts not only attempted to free terrorists, but also attempted to hinder the peaceful political transition in the country, and also obstruct local and international efforts to achieve stability in our country. These acts will not go unpunished," the statement added.
The M'eiga International Airport of Tripoli witnessed frequent clashes and armed attacks, most recently in October 2017.
However, Monday's attack is the most violent one the airport has witnessed so far, as gunmen attacked the air hub and the prison inside it, where hundreds of terrorists have been detained over the past few years.
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