Briefly World: Jiang Zemin takes a public step back

Jiang Zemin takes a public step back

BEIJING: Former President Jiang Zemin has been moved down the top leadership's pecking order as the Communist Party prepares for the final stages of a generational handover in power. Xinhua said Wednesday that Jiang asked leaders to group him with other retired elders at formal events. He used to be second to President Hu Jintao in protocol.

Editor gets 10 yrs jail for Thai royal 'insult'

BANGKOK: A Thai magazine editor was sentenced to a decade in prison Wednesday for allegedly defaming Thailand's monarchy. Somyot Pruksakasemsuk was convicted of publishing two articles that made negative references to the crown.

North Korea hints at new nuclear test

SEOUL: North Korea said on Wednesday that its nuclear weapon programme was no longer negotiable, and indicated it might conduct its third nuclear test to retaliate against the UNSC's tightening of sanctions against it.

Bomber kills 22 in Iraq Shia mosque

BAGHDAD: A suicide bomber disguised as a mourner killed 22 people inside a Shia mosque in northern Iraq on Wednesday when he detonated his explosives in the middle of a funeral ceremony.

Call to burn Bibles: Malaysia polls tense

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's Bar Council said on Wednesday that an independent member of parliament, Ibrahim Ali, should be prosecuted on grounds he called for the mass burning of Bibles as religious tensions flared ahead of a tight election.

'Didn't know of Libya staff's security concerns'

WASHINGTON: In her testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday asserted that she had moved quickly to improve the security of US diplomats after the September attack in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans. "As I have said many times since September 11, I take responsibility," Clinton said. She choked up as she recounted the grim moment when she and the President received the bodies of those killed. She asserted she was never made aware of the security requests from Benghazi by Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and added that she had recently gotten an update on leads into the Benghazi attack and was seeing how best to pursue them.

ALSO READ

Nawaz Sharif calls for warmer ties with India

At least 18 killed in twin blasts targeting election campaigns

Over 37 killed in Bangla violence

Agent in America raises funds for Imran's party, sends over $7 lakh