OMAN
Army storms sit-in
The army yesterday stormed the Earth roundabout in the northern industrial town of Sohar, removing a small group of pro-reform protesters and ending a month-old sit-in, witnesses said. Army troops attacked the central area of the town at dawn, witnesses said, adding that less than 20 demonstrators were on the roundabout. ONA state news agency said security forces arrested some “wanted people in Sohar” for “blocking roads and attacking security men.” The spot had become central for anti-corruption protests after one demonstrator was killed by security forces at a nearby police station at the end of last month. About 300 demonstrators have since been gathering in the evenings at the Earth roundabout, demanding jobs, better pay and an end to alleged corruption. Sultan Qaboos took several outreaching measures aimed at calming protests that spread to the capital, including reshuffling the Cabinet and giving orders to vest the toothless parliament with legislative and regulatory powers. Demonstrators insisted that their protest was aimed at “corrupt” officials, not at Qaboos himself, who has ruled for 40 years.
UNITED STATES
Cobra on the loose
A deadly Egyptian cobra led a New York zoo on a snake hunt on Monday after escaping its enclosure and forcing a shutdown of the entire reptile section. The Bronx Zoo said the “Reptile House will be closed until further notice,” while keepers scoured for the venomous cobra, which is an adolescent female and still only 50cm long. The snake-out happened late on Friday and the zoo said the fugitive is so hard to catch that it might stay on the slither for weeks to come. “This may take days or even weeks,” Bronx Zoo director Jim Breheny said in a statement. Breheny said the wily reptile will have no trouble hiding in the “extremely complex environments” of the building, filled with pumps, motors and other machinery. However, New Yorkers don’t need to start checking under their beds, he said. “We remain confident that the snake is contained within the Reptile House.”
RUSSIA
Insurgent reportedly dead
The leader of the Islamist insurgency in the Northern Caucasus, Doku Umarov, may have been among the 17 militants killed in a special operation by security forces, reports said yesterday. However the reports were not confirmed and officials have repeatedly over the last years prematurely announced the death of Umarov, only to be proved wrong later. Umarov, whose Caucasus Emirate rebel group aims to enforce Islamic rule across the Northern Caucasus, claimed to have organized both the Moscow metro bombing one year ago and the suicide attack at Domodedovo airport in January. The Interfax news agency quoted security officials as saying that Umarov may have been among those killed in Monday’s special operation in Ingushetia, but emphasized that authorities were awaiting further confirmation.
UNITED KINGDOM
Prince gets stamped
The Royal Mail is celebrating Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding with a new set of stamps that feature their official engagement portraits. Two pictures of the couple taken by fashion and celebrity photographer Mario Testino will be printed on the set of commemorative stamps. The collectibles have been approved by William and will be released on April 21, the birthday of Queen Elizabeth II. The stamps can be ordered from Royal Mail’s Web site from April 7.
MONEY GRAB: People were rushing to collect bills scattered on the ground after the plane transporting money crashed, which an official said hindered rescue efforts A cargo plane carrying money on Friday crashed near Bolivia’s capital, damaging about a dozen vehicles on highway, scattering bills on the ground and leaving at least 15 people dead and others injured, an official said. Bolivian Minister of Defense Marcelo Salinas said the Hercules C-130 plane was transporting newly printed Bolivian currency when it “landed and veered off the runway” at an airport in El Alto, a city adjacent to La Paz, before ending up in a nearby field. Firefighters managed to put out the flames that engulfed the aircraft. Fire chief Pavel Tovar said at least 15 people died, but
LIKE FATHER, LIKE DAUGHTER: By showing Ju-ae’s ability to handle a weapon, the photos ‘suggest she is indeed receiving training as a successor,’ an academic said North Korea on Saturday released a rare image of leader Kim Jong-un’s teenage daughter firing a rifle at a shooting range, adding to speculation that she is being groomed as his successor. Kim’s daughter, Ju-ae, has long been seen as the next in line to rule the secretive, nuclear-armed state, and took part in a string of recent high-profile outings, including last week’s military parade marking the closing stages of North Korea’s key party congress. Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) released a photo of Ju-ae shooting a rifle at an outdoor shooting range, peering through a rifle scope
India and Canada yesterday reached a string of agreements, including on critical mineral cooperation and a “landmark” uranium supply deal for nuclear power, the countries’ leaders said in New Delhi. The pacts, which also covered technology and promoting the use of renewable energy, were announced after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney hailed a fresh start in the relationship between their nations. “Our ties have seen a new energy, mutual trust and positivity,” Modi said. Carney’s visit is a key step forward in ties that effectively collapsed in 2023 after Ottawa accused New Delhi
Gaza is rapidly running out of its limited fuel supply and stocks of food staples might become tight, officials said, after Israel blocked the entry of fuel and goods into the war-shattered territory, citing fighting with Iran. The Israeli military closed all Gaza border crossings on Saturday after announcing airstrikes on Iran carried out jointly with the US. Israeli authorities late on Monday night said that they would reopen the Kerem Shalom crossing from Israel to Gaza yesterday, for “gradual entry of humanitarian aid” into the strip, without saying how much. Israeli authorities previously said the crossings could not be operated safely during
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