Thai Constitutional Court defuses political crisis
Thailand's Constitutional Court defused the latest political crisis on Friday. It dismissed a controversial case that alleged ruling party lawmakers trying to amend the “undemocratic” constitution were plotting to overthrow the monarchy. Had the court sustained the complaint, it could have ordered the party of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra dissolved. Many feared the move would provoke mass street protests. The court’s compromise verdict said sections of the charter could be amended, without rewriting it entirely. Judges said the amendment did not aim to topple the constitutional monarchy.
Israeli troops kill man crossing border from Egypt
Israeli troops shot dead a man trying to infiltrate the Sinai border with Egypt on Friday, the Israeli military said. Another man was wounded, Reuters reports. Both men, who crossed the desert border under cover of darkness, were unarmed. “Israeli border police identified two suspects infiltrating Israel through the Israel-Egypt border,” a military spokeswoman said. They failed to heed orders to stop, and the troops “fired at the suspects,” she added. Last month, armed men shot and killed an Israeli who was working on a fence being put up along the border.
Jordan's Islamists to boycott elections
Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood has said it will boycott the upcoming parliamentary elections in protest over recent changes in the election legislation. The movement may reverse its decision if the government makes “serious efforts” toward reforms, Brotherhood spokesman Jamil Abu-Bakr said on Friday, as cited by AP. The elections will be held at the end of the year. The new election law allows each voter two separate ballots. One is cast for representatives from local districts, the other for one of 27 candidates on a national list.
Cambodia denies it mistook Bangkok passenger jet for spy plane
Thailand and Cambodia are investigating reports that Cambodian troops fired on a Bangkok Airways passenger jet after mistaking it for a spy plane. The Cambodians opened fire as the plane circled the border region in bad weather this week, AP quoted a senior Thai army officer as saying. But Thailand's Foreign Minister Surapong Tovijakchaikul denies the reports. There were no reports of damage, and Bangkok Airways says it received no information of an aircraft coming under fire. Cambodian Col. Seng Phearin said on Friday that forces fired 18 gunshots into the air. The aircraft was military and not civilian, he said.
India successfully test-fires Agni-I ballistic missile
India on Friday successfully test-fired its nuclear capable Agni-I ballistic missile, with a strike range of 700 km. The surface-to-surface, single-stage missile was test-fired from a mobile launcher in the morning from the Integrated Test Range at Wheeler Island off Odisha coast, PTI news agency said. Defense sources described the launch as a routine trial by the strategic force command of Indian Army. The 15-metre-long Agni-I, capable of carrying payloads up to 1000 kg, has already been inducted into the Indian Army.
ASEAN fails to agree over China territorial dispute
Southeast Asian nations have failed to issue a joint statement at foreign ministerial meetings over whether or not to mention a touchy territorial dispute involving China. The failure to come up with the statement is unprecedented in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ 45-year history, AP said. The 10 member states of the bloc differ on how to deal with conflicting territorial claims in the South China Sea. ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan said on Friday that the Philippines and Vietnam wanted the statement to include a reference to the recent standoff between China and the Philippines at a shoal in the sea. The dispute also involves Taiwan.
Bomb attack on Pakistani political rally kills 5
A bomb has exploded near a political rally in southwest Pakistan, killing at least five people, officials say. Friday's explosion in Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province, also wounded 11 people, police officer Mohammed Arif said, as cited by AP. Most of the victims were attending the rally by the Awami National Party.
Two Afghans, NATO service member killed in bombings
Two separate bombings in Afghanistan have killed a NATO service member and a local official with the Afghan Ministry of Women's Affairs and her husband. NATO forces say the service member was killed by a roadside bomb in the south. The local official, Anifa Safi, and her husband were killed when a bomb that was hidden in their car exploded in the capital of eastern Laghman province, Mehterlam, AP said. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the Friday morning attacks.
China’s growth drops to 3-year low
China’s economic growth slowed to the weakest pace since the global financial crisis, its national statistics bureau said. The country’s GDP increased by 7.6 per cent last quarter from a year earlier, which is 0.1 per cent lower than the median forecast of economists. The slowdown undermines a global recovery, adding to the burden of Europe’s debt crisis and America’s limited growth.
Trouble flares as Protestants march through Catholic area in Belfast
Annual marches in Northern Ireland have descended into violence as Protestant Orange Order parades moved through Catholic areas of Belfast on Thursday. Police used water cannon and plastic bullets to disperse angry crowds of Catholic Irish nationalists, who hurled petrol bombs, stones and bottles at officers. Nine members of the police were injured and some rioters were arrested. The parades are held to mark the 1690 victory over a Catholic king and often spark religious and nationalist tension.
Police discover drugs tunnel between US and Mexico
The discovery of a drug-smuggling tunnel beneath the Arizona border with Mexico has been announced Thursday, Reuters cited a news release by the US police. The tunnel reportedly stretched over 200 meters and measured almost two meters in height. It was equipped with lighting and ventilation. Police have arrested three suspects in the course of their operation.
26 US states declare natural disaster over drought
The United States has declared a natural disaster in more than 1,000 drought-stricken counties in 26 states on Thursday. The declaration covers most of the country’s south-west, which has extensively suffered from wildfires, parts of the midwestern “corn belt”, and the south-east. The decision means that farmers from the affected areas are eligible for government assistance. This year’s drought is the most expansive in more than a decade, with some 56 per cent of the country being affected.
Nine die in avalanche at French ski resort
Nine climbers have been killed by an avalanche and 11 others injured on Thursday in Mont Blanc ski resort in the French Alps. Those who died were from the UK, Germany, Spain and Switzerland. Police said four other climbers originally reported missing were found later
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