December, 2016

• 7 December

  IS-linked group ousted from Somalia town, officials claim

    Mogadishu / AFP The government of Somalia’s northern Puntland region said on Wednesday it had retaken control of a small port town from extremists who have declared allegiance to the IS group. “Puntland forces have secured control of Qandala and the armed militants have fled, now the situation is quite calm and everything is under control,” said Yusuf Mohamed Waceys, ...

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• 7 December

  Torrential rain strands 1,000 tourists on Indian island

    New Delhi/ AFP Torrential rain and rough seas have stranded around 1,000 tourists on one of India’s tropical islands off its east coast, officials said Wednesday. Officials from the local Andaman and Nicobar Islands administration said they have asked the Indian navy to help rescue tourists from Havelock, one of the smaller islands most popular with visitors. “Around 1,000 tourists ...

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• 7 December

  Israel set for vote to advance bill legalising settler homes

  

    Jerusalem / AFP Israeli lawmakers could vote on Wednesday to advance a bill legalising some 4,000 settler homes in the occupied West Bank despite international criticism and warnings over its implications. The bill was set for a first reading in the Knesset, or parliament, and if approved would require two more full votes before becoming law. A vote was expected ...

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• 7 December

  Theresa May’s difficult week

  

    These are tough times for Theresa May on the road to Brexit. The prime minister is facing a rebellion from lawmakers in her own Conservative Party over her secrecy about strategy, while her lawyers had a difficult first day as the Supreme Court began considering if she or Parliament has the right to start the exit talks. A Labour ...

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• 7 December

  Why are China’s fish disappearing?

    It sounds like something out of a dystopian novel: The fresh fish in many of Beijing’s biggest supermarkets simply disappeared last week, as if summoned to another realm. Social media buzzed with alarm and paranoia. The Beijing News placed a photo of an empty aquarium and an underemployed fishmonger on its front page. The truth turned out to be ...

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• 7 December

  Amazon Go: Where the checkout lines go away

  

    Have you watched that new video of Amazon Go, the store in test mode in Seattle where you just pick up stuff (prepared food and drinks, mostly) and walk out? I have, again and again. It’s pretty hypnotic, especially with the sound off. The gist of it, in case you don’t feel like watching right now, is that you ...

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• 7 December

  Indonesia’s elephant patrols

  

    Lampung / AFP It was the middle of the night when the villagers sounded the alarm: a huge Sumatran elephant was raiding their rice fields, and they needed urgent help to drive it back to the forest. Dodot — a veteran Indonesian elephant keeper trained to handle such emergencies — rushed to the scene, fearing villagers would take matters ...

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• 7 December

  Saffron, the crisis-beating spice of rural Spain

  

    Minaya / AFP On the arid, wind-swept plateau of central Spain, saffron producers are reaping the benefits of a return to favour of the precious spice introduced by Arabs in the Middle Ages. After a lull in production due to the high cost of growing saffron in Spain, farmers are now back in business as customers have started seeking ...

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• 7 December

  Jet Airways seeks $300mn fund for expansion on int’l routes

  

    Bloomberg Jet Airways India Ltd., the carrier part-owned by Etihad Airways PJSC, is seeking to raise about $300 million to fund expansion on international routes, people with knowledge of the matter said. Jet Airways, India’s second-largest airline by passengers, has started talks on a potential equity fundraising from investors other than Etihad, the people said, asking not to be ...

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• 7 December

  China needs 5,550 new pilots a year as travel soars

  

    Bloomberg Airlines in China need to hire 5,550 pilots a year for the next two decades as new plane orders and demand for air travel surges, according to Boeing Co. With the nation on course to eclipse North America as the world’s largest travel market, China will need 111,000 new aviators through 2035, Boeing said in a forecast released ...

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