governmentVenezuelan government officials condemned what they said were terrorist attacks on Saturday. A broadcast by Maduro was cut short as he delivered the speech at an outdoors military event in Caracas and soldiers were seen running before the televised transmission was cut off.Drones loaded with explosives detonated close to a military event where Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was giving a speech on Saturday, but he and top government officials alongside him escaped unharmed from what Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez called an “attack” targeting the leftist leader.

Seven National Guard soldiers were injured, Rodriguez added. A Venezuelan who was visiting family close to the event in Caracas told Reuters she heard two explosions.

Photographs on social media appeared to show bodyguards shielding Mr. Maduro with black bulletproof panels. A photograph also showed an injured military official clutching his bloody head and being held up by colleagues.

Maduro, a former bus driver who replaced former President Hugo Chavez after his death in 2013, won a new six-year term in May but his main rivals disavowed the election and alleged massive irregularities.

Venezuelan government officials condemned what they said were terrorist attacks on Saturday. A broadcast by Maduro was cut short as he delivered the speech at an outdoors military event in Caracas and soldiers were seen running before the televised transmission was cut off.

While Maduro was speaking about Venezuela's economy, the audio suddenly went and he and others on the podium looked up, startled. The camera then panned to scores of soldiers who started running, before the transmission was cut.

Venezuela is suffering under the fifth year of a severe economic crisis that has sparked malnutrition, hyperinflation and mass emigration.

OPEC member Venezuela's once-thriving socialist economy has collapsed since the 2014 fall of oil prices.

The self-described “son” of Chavez, Maduro says he is battling an “imperialist” plot to destroy socialism and take over Venezuela's oil. Opponents accuse him of authoritarianism, saying he has destroyed a once-wealthy economy and ruthlessly crushed dissent.

Last year, rogue police officer Oscar Perez hijacked a helicopter and fired at government buildings in what he said was an action against a dictator. Perez was hunted down and killed by Venezuelan forces.

Source : Reuters

The death toll from Bangladesh's contentious Philippines-style war on drugs since May has hit 200, a local rights group said Tuesday (Jul 17), with some 25,000 others imprisoned.

Bangladesh launched the crackdown to smash the surging trade in "yaba", a cheap methamphetamine and caffeine pill, which authorities say has spread to almost every village and town.

 Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan has said the "war" will last until the narcotics trade is brought under control, saying those killed are all involved in at least 10 drugs crimes. But rights groups say that many of the victims are shot by police in cold blood and that the onslaught was in part being used as a cover to settle scores.

 In June the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, said he was "gravely concerned" that "such a large number of people" had died. Official declarations that none of the victims was innocent were "dangerous ... and indicative of a total disregard for the rule of law," a UN statement said. Bangladesh's state-run National Human Rights Commission has also expressed alarm.

"It is unprecedented in Bangladesh. So many people have been killed in such a short period of time," Sheepa Hafiza, executive director of Ain o Salish Kendra rights group, told AFP. "This is very unfortunate. We condemn these extrajudicial killings and want fair investigations into each of these killings," she said. Around 25,000 alleged drug dealers have been arrested, home ministry spokesman Sharif Mahmud Apu told AFP. The prison population has shot up to 89,589 people, almost two and a half times higher than the system's capacity, he said. 

Last month the killing of a border town councillor in an anti-drug raid sparked outcry when his wife went public with tapes that she says prove her husband was murdered in a set-up. Ayesha Begum says phone conversations she recorded with Akramul Haque on the night he died contradict the official narrative that he was armed and shot at police who returned fire in self-defence. "They killed him in cold blood," Begum told AFP from Teknaf in southeast Bangladesh, where her husband was gunned down May 27. 

Bangladesh has struggled to contain the trade in "yaba", with hundreds of millions of pills entering the country from Myanmar.Authorities last year seized a record 40 million pills but said an estimated 250 million to 300 million more entered the market. Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte's brutal war on drugs since coming to power in 2016 has left thousands of people dead and prompted allegations of crimes against humanity.

Sri Lanka has also expressed interest in emulating Duterte, announcing plans to deploy the army and start hanging drug criminals, ending a near-half century moratorium on capital punishment.

Source : Channel News Asia

Cambodian voters on Sunday headed to the polling stations for the country’s sixth general election to elect 125 parliament members from 20 political parties. Polling began at 07:00 local time at nearly 23,000 polling stations and is due to close at 15:00 the same day.

Some 8.38 million eligible voters are expected to cast their ballots to choose their representatives in the country’s top legislature from political parties, including the Cambodian People’s Party and Union of Cambodian Democrats.

The winning party will form a new government. In capital Phnom Penh, residents started to vote early Sunday morning at different polling stations. Most of them hope for a better life no matter which party wins.

“I hope to see in the future, that the education in the country will be improved because the education system is lagging behind, especially in some remote areas. I hope that the next government can make education accessible to more,” said Soragena, a teacher.

“No matter which party wins, I hope that the Cambodian people can unite together and the country can progress, everyone would have a job, the salary would go up and the living standards would be improved. I hope that our living standards can catch up with our neighbor countries,” said Lenlalim, an employee in the tourism industry.

The Cambodian government has sent out about 70,000 security guards; in addition, nearly 90,000 Cambodian observers, as well as over 300 foreign observers, are monitoring the election. The preliminary results are expected to be announced on Sunday evening.

The Southeast Asian country holds a general election once every five years.
Source : Reuters

Pakistan is mourning the deaths of 149 people, including nine children, in the country's second deadliest militant attack since its independence.

A suicide bomber hit a campaign rally in Mastung, in the south-western province of Balochistan, on Friday. More than 180 were injured.

A local candidate was among the dead, police say. So-called Islamic State (IS) claimed the attack.

The attack comes ahead of a general election on 25 July.

The poll has been marred by violence and what observers say is a crackdown on political activists, journalists and critics of the powerful military. Earlier on Friday, a bomb attack on a similar rally in the northern town of Bannu killed at least four people.

Some 70 people are still in hospital following the attacks, government officials said on Sunday.
After Friday's bombings, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was arrested after flying home from the UK.The three-term prime minister was ousted last year after a corruption investigation. Earlier this month, he was sentenced in absentia to 10 years in prison.

Political leaders observed a day of mourning on Sunday for those killed, including nine children aged between six and 11, and Balochistan provincial assembly candidate Siraj Raisani, who was targeted in the attack.

Source : BBC

Voters in Zimbabwe are going to the polls in the country's first election without the involvement of long-time leader Robert Mugabe.

The country's founding president, Mr Mugabe was ousted last year after almost four decades in power.

The main contenders in the presidential vote are incumbent Emmerson Mnangagwa, of the ruling Zanu-PF party, and opposition leader Nelson Chamisa.

Parliamentary and local elections are also taking place on Monday.

Polls give Mr Mnangagwa, thought to be 75, a narrow lead over his 40-year-old rival, who leads the MDC (Movement for Democratic Change) Alliance.

The country is expecting a high turnout of first-time voters, where the youth vote is expected to be key. Almost half of those registered are under the age of 35.

Hundreds of international observers have been deployed to ensure the vote goes smoothly, but the opposition has repeatedly alleged irregularities in the voter roll.

They have also expressed concern over the security of ballot papers and voter intimidation in mainly rural areas.
 
Source : BBC

The number of civilians killed in the long-running war in Afghanistan reached a record high in the first six months of this year, the UN says.
Some 1,692 fatalities were recorded, with militant attacks and suicide bombs said to be the leading causes of death.

The report comes as at at least seven people were killed in an attack on the rural development ministry in Kabul.

Recent attacks claimed by Taliban and Islamic State group militants have killed scores across the country.

The figures for the conflict, which began in 2001, are the highest since the UN started keeping records in 2009.

The report, by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (Unama), says the number of recorded deaths rose by 1% compared with the same period last year.

However, the report adds, injuries fell by 5% to 3,430, and the total number of civilian casualties - accounting for deaths and injuries - dropped by 3% to 5,122.

The record high death toll came despite an unprecedented ceasefire by Afghan security forces and the Taliban last month, which was largely respected by both sides, Unama said.

Earlier this month, Nato leaders gathered at a summit in Brussels to discuss the conflict in Afghanistan.

The US has said it is planning a strategic review a year after President Donald Trump agreed to remain involved in the 17-year conflict.

The US-led invasion drove the hardline Taliban from power in 2001, as part of a crackdown on Islamist militants after the 9/11 attacks in the US.

Source : BBC

A powerful earthquake has struck a popular tourist destination in Indonesia, killing at least 10 people.The 6.4 magnitude quake hit the central Indonesian island of Lombok just before 07:00 local time (00:00 GMT) on Sunday. The island attracts tourists from around the world and is located about 40km (25 miles) east of Bali. Many buildings have been damaged and dozens of people have been injured, officials say.

The US Geological Survey said the epicentre of the earthquake was 50km (31 miles) northeast of the city of Mataram, in northern Lombok. It was followed by more than 60 smaller earthquakes, with the largest recorded at a magnitude of 5.7.

"Some 40 people are injured and dozens of houses were damaged," Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for the country's disaster agency, said in a statement."We estimate the number will keep rising because we are not done collecting data," he added. "The main focus now is evacuation and rescue. Some of the injured are still being treated at clinics."he said. 

Source : BBC

Cuba has revealed new details about plans to reshape its government, courts and economy with a constitutional reform set to be approved by the national assembly this month.

The reform of the 1976 constitution would create the position of prime minister alongside the president, splitting the roles of head of government and head of state. The constitution keeps the Communist Party as the sole political force in the country and says the communist state will remain the dominant economic force.

The constitution does, however, create new recognition of the free market and private property in Cuban society, and creates a new presumption of innocence in the justice system. The proposed constitutional reform described in the main state paper is also expected to be approved in a later national referendum.

Officials say the 1976 charter does not reflect changes made in Cuba in recent years. “The experiences gained in these years of Revolution” and “the new paths mapped out” by the Communist Party are some of the reasons for reforming the constitution, the official Granma newspaper said.

The new constitution will maintain rights such as religious freedom but will also make explicit the principle of non-discrimination due to gender identity.
The text released in Granma did not specify to what extent the state would recognise same-sex marriages.

Source : Press Association

Violence has erupted as millions head to the polls in Pakistan, with the worst incident seeing at least 31 killed by a bomb in the city of Quetta. Elsewhere, minor blasts and clashes between party workers left several injured and two dead.

Voters are deciding between the parties of the former cricket star Imran Khan and the disgraced former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. But the campaign has been overshadowed by concerns of fraud and violence. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan says there have been "blatant" attempts to manipulate the polls.

Despite tight security across the country, with more than 370,000 troops and hundreds of thousands more police officers deployed to secure the ballot, there have been incidents of violence.

Officials say the attack in Quetta, in Balochistan province, was the work of a suicide bomber targeting police at the gate of a polling station. The Islamic State (IS) group said it was behind the attack.

Source : BBC

A suicide bomber has killed at least 128 people at a campaign rally in south-western Pakistan - the deadliest attack in the country since 2014. A local candidate was among the dead in the Mastung town, police say. So-called Islamic State (IS) claimed the attack.

Earlier, a bomb attack on a similar rally in the northern town of Bannu killed four people. The attacks come ahead of general elections on 25 July. 

More than 150 people were injured in Mastung, officials say.Among those killed was Baluchistan provincial assembly candidate Siraj Raisani, his family said. He was a candidate for the Balochistan Awami party. Local officials say the attacker detonated a bomb inside a crowded compound where the campaign rally was being held.

"Human remains and red bloody pieces of flesh were littered everywhere in the compound," local journalist Attah Ullah was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency. "Injured people were crying in pain and fear," the journalist said.

IS militants later used their news outlet to claim the group carried out the attack. IS has carried out a number of attacks in the region bordering Afghanistan in recent years. However, security has improved since the military managed to clear large swathes of territory.

Friday's bombing was the deadliest attack since militants from the Pakistani Taliban assaulted an army-run school in Peshawar in December 2014, killing 141 people, 132 of them children.

Earlier in the day, a campaign convoy of another candidate was attacked in Bannu. Akram Khan Durrani, who represents the MMA party, was unhurt, officials say. No group has so far claimed responsibility for that attack.

Source : BBC

The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) had suffered a major setback before Pakistan’s general elections to be held on July 25. Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FAI) on Saturday declared former President Asif Ali Zardari a fugitive for allegedly making a money laundering of Rs 35 billion. In this case, 20 other suspects, including Zardari’s sister, have also been declared absconders. Prior to the election, this kind of action against Zardari can lead to problems of Pakistan People’s Party chief and Zardari’s son Bilawal Bhutto. The FBI introduced invoice in court against a famous banker and close associate of Asif Ali Zardari, Hussein Lovie, and other suspects. Zardari has alleged that he had opened a fake account and used them to allegedly bribe and illegal money.

PPP is trying to make a full impact in these elections under Bilawal Bhutto’s leadership. Bilawal Bhutto has a totally aggressive attitude in this election, and in such a way, such action against Zardari may cause him a shock. On Friday, Bilawal had said that terrorism is the biggest threat to the country’s present situation and future and he needs people’s support to end this threat from the country.

Prior to this action on Zardari, the Supreme Court of Pakistan had given former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif 10 years and his daughter Mariam Sharif seven years’ imprisonment in the case of corruption. Nawaz Sharif and his daughter are currently lodged in Adiala prison in Rawalpindi.

This time the name of former cricketer and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan is the most discussed. Imran Khan, who has been the captain of Pakistan’s world champion cricket team, is considered the strongest in this general election this time. However, it took 22 years to reach this position. PTI Leader Imran Khan started a nation-wide movement against Nawaz Sharif after coming out in the name of Sharif’s family in ‘Panama Papers’ in 2013. Against Nawaz Sharif, he fought from road to court. After the same issue in 2017, Sharif was disqualified for the post of Prime Minister, after which Nawaz had resigned. Then Imran Khan’s political career started coming in the mainstream.

Catholic bishops in Barbados have thrown their weight behind a recent decision by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) that ruled the government has breached its charter by mandating the death penalty for murder convicts.

Senior clergy praised the move this month but said more work is needed to eliminate “barbaric” capital punishment from this Caribbean island.

“The CCJ’s decision is a step in the right direction but does not remove the death penalty from the laws in Barbados, so there is still some work to be done,” Archbishop Charles Jason Gordon of Port of Spain and the apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Bridgetown, said in a statement, The Daily Herald reports.

“Every life is a precious gift from God,” the statement read. “The taking of one life does not therefore justify the taking of another.”

The CCJ ruled in 2017 that imposing a mandatory death sentence was unconstitutional as it breaches Section 11 of the charter by depriving individuals of the right to have a court of law decide their fate.

In an earlier statement issued in 2016, Archbishop Gordon and other bishops from the Antilles Episcopal Conference (AEC) urged politicians to adopt a “restorative” approach to crime and violence.

“[This] focuses on holding the offender accountable in a more meaningful way and helping to achieve a sense of healing for both victims and the community,” it read.

“It embraces socialization, rehabilitation and reconciliation, rather than retribution and vengeance.”

Pope Francis has described the death penalty as being “contrary to the Gospel,” echoing similar sentiments by his predecessors including St. Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI.

Archbishop Gordon said it synchronizes with a “diminishing respect for life” in society and has been met with a spike in violent crimes rather than a reduction.

“The mandatory death penalty [leaves] no room for a judge to consider mitigating circumstances [like] conversion, mercy or forgiveness,” he said.