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4 August 2015

Debris found on Indian Ocean island not related to MH370, Malaysian officials say

News from around the world.

Object a 'domestic ladder', Malaysian Civil Aviation official says

After initial investigations, Malaysian authorities on Sunday rejected the news that an object found on an island in the Indian Ocean was related to missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370. Malaysia's Director-General of Civil Aviation Azharuddin Abdul Rahman said that the object found on the French island of La Reunion was a "domestic ladder". The debris was found on the island's beach along with a wing flap of a Boeing-777, the model of the missing aircraft. The flight, which was carrying 239 people on board, disappeared while on route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur in March last year.

300 Muslim Brotherhood loyalists jailed in Egypt

An Egyptian court on Saturday sentenced 300 loyalists of the blacklisted Muslim Brotherhood group to jail over violence charges. Thirty one people were sentenced to 10 years and 269 were sentenced to 3 years after being convicted for various acts of violence. Earlier, Egypt's National Council of Human Rights said that the violence since the removal of former President and Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Morsi had resulted in the death of 2,600 people in the country, including civilians, police officers and army men. Morsi was removed by military forces in 2013 after mass protests against his rule. In June, a court had confirmed the death sentence awarded to Morsi over his alleged role in a mass jailbreak in the 2011 uprising that led to the removal of then-President Hosni Mubabrak.

Obama adopts tough stance against global warming

United States President Barack Obama on Sunday announced the adoption of ambitious regulations for cutting greenhouse-gas emissions in the country. The administration has issued guidelines which require every US state to reduce emissions from coal-burning power plants. A new version of Obama's "Clean Power Plan" project will also seek to accelerate the shift towards renewable energy while setting tougher goals for reducing carbon emissions blamed for global warming. The plan is part of the overall goal to cut carbon emissions from power plants in the country by 32 per cent by the year 2030. In a video message released by White House, Obama said that the plan was, "the biggest, most important step" the country had taken to tackle climate change.

Haqqani network founder endorses new Taliban leader

Haqqani militant network founder Jalaluddin Haqqani on Sunday expressed his support for newly-elected Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansoor. Haqqani's endorsement was posted by the Afghan Taliban on their website. "We fully recommend to all the senior and junior in-charge ranks of the Islamic Emirate to pledge their allegiance with him and to fully obey him," the statement from the Haqqani network read. Mullah Mansoor was chosen to lead the militant group after its former leader Mullah Omar's was reported by the Afghan government to have died two years go. However, after Mullah Omar's family rejected the appointment, deep rifts reportedly developed within the top ranks of the militant group. Mansoor's appointment has been seen as an opportunity to continue peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban.

Myanmar floods wreak havoc 

At least 27 people have been killed due to flooding caused by weeks of heavy rain in Myanmar. According to reports, rescue teams have not yet reached many areas and officials are still awaiting reports on the worst-hit regions. The United Nations said that the death toll due to the flooding was expected to rise over the coming days. Meanwhile, the country's Ministry of Irrigation and Agriculture said that more than half a million acres of rice paddy fields had been completely flooded. Thousands of people were reported to have taken shelter in Buddhist monasteries across the countries.

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