China: SE Asia ministers concerned over Beijing's activities in South China Sea

Meeting in Singapore, the foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Tuesday aired concerns over China’s activities in disputed areas of the South China Sea, noting that land reclamation continued even after talks began between their 10-member bloc and Beijing to agree a code of conduct.

Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said, "We discussed the matters relating to the South China Sea and took note of the concerns expressed by some ministers on the land reclaimations in the area, which have eroded trust and confidence, increased tensions and may undermine peace, security and stability in the region”.

Singapore has taken over the role of chairing ASEAN for 2018, and this week hosts meetings of the group’s foreign and defence ministers. China and ASEAN adopted a negotiating framework for a Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea in August.

Malaysia, Taiwan, Brunei, Vietnam and the Philippines claim some or all of the South China Sea, one of the world’s busiest sea routes. China claims most of the waterway and has been aggressively building and militarizing artificial islands. Both sides hailed the move as a sign of progress, with China welcoming the talks as an opportunity to bolster mutual understanding and trust.

Critics, however, suspect Beijing of buying time to consolidate its maritime power.

Germany: Merkel ready for "painful compromises"

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was ready to make “painful compromises” to clinch a coalition deal with the Social Democrats (SPD), whose leader said Tuesday was “decision day” for negotiators after months of political uncertainty. 

Reportedly, Germany could face a new election or an unprecedented minority government if SPD members reject a coalition deal. But negotiators from both blocs said they must reach agreement on Tuesday. Andreas Scheuer, secretary-general of Merkel’s party, said there was no possibility of extending the talks; both blocs agreed they needed more time to reach a deal on renewing their “grand coalition” and decided to resume talks at the headquarters of Merkel’s party on Tuesday.

Merkel’s failure to cobble together a government more than four months after a national election has raised concerns among investors and partner countries at a time when Europe is facing multiple challenges - including the need for euro zone reform and Britain’s departure from the EU.

Germany has been governed by a caretaker government since the Sept. 24 election returned no clear outcome.

US: Houston man films, rapes 3-month-old baby girl, sent behind bars for life

A 38-year-old man has been sentenced to 4 consecutive life imprisonment after a Montgomery County jury found him guilty of inflicting repeated sexual assault on a child. David Vincent Akins, was arrested in 2016 for sexually abusing a 3-month-old baby.

Akins' was caught after his landlord found homemade videos of him performing the sexual assault on the infant. Reportedly, Akins has been convicted of raping his 5-year-old as well. He has been sentenced life without parole, i.e, life imprisonment till death and without mercy by the authorities.

Reportedly, Akins' landlord had complained against him for the possession of child pornography but after his laptop was obtained from his Harris County rental home, it was found out that the man in the videos was actually him and it wasn't just any other internet-downloaded porn. 

The victim was 1-3 months old at the time of the assault and was 3 years at the time of Akins' arrest; but the victim was not the only one, five more victims including Akins' sister came forward to report incidents of rape and assault against him. It was also revealed that Akins was sent for juvenile detention as he raped his 5-year-old sister.

Russia: Russian plane shot down by rebels in Syria

Reports from Syria say that a Russian plane has been downed. Reportedly, as the Su-25 was downed, the pilot ejected with a parachute, however, he was shot dead by terrorists in a rebel-held area near Idlib, northern Syria.

According to monitors in the country, the pilot resisted capture and fired at the militants before being killed. The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham alliance, which is dominated by jihadists, have claimed responsibility.

The Russian defence ministry confirmed both the downing of an Su-25 and the killing of the pilot, who they said, "was killed in fighting with terrorists".

South Africa: Cape Town drought hurts key tourism industry

Drought hit the tourism industry in Cape Town, as tourists were told not to use baths and to shower for less than two minutes!

It may be recalled 16 April is Day Zero, when taps will be turned off due to lack of water - officials are already starting to worry about the effect on the all important tourism industry. Around 10 million tourists visited Cape Town last year and tourism accounted for an estimated 9% of South Africa's economic output.

There are fears that, many tourists will stay away, causing trouble for a country already suffering from 25% unemployment, as water restrictions get tougher.

Enver Duminy, chief executive officer at Cape Town Tourism feel the knock-on effect of the water conservation crossroads has had an impact on tourism. There are no official numbers yet but tourism has already saw cancellations; even as the city residents themselves have a restriction that limit them to 50 litres of water per day. An average bath holds around 80 litres.

Using city drinking water to wash vehicles, hose paved areas, water gardens and fill pools is illegal and there are fines for those who break the rules.

While Cape Town has many ocean-side mansions accustomed to plentiful water supply, a quarter of its population lives in settlements where water comes from communal taps. The situation highlights the divide between the city's rich - many of whom are buying artificial grass, water tanks and bottled water - and its poor.

Egypt: 4,400-year-old tomb of Egyptian priestess found

In Egypt, the tomb of a high-ranking priestess believed to have lived more than 4,400 years ago has been found outside Cairo.

The team of Egyptian archaeologists that found the tomb near the pyramids found the tomb with well-preserved and colorful wall paintings depicting the woman. The scenes in the paintings are varied and one includes two monkeys - common pets at the time - eating fruit and dancing.

The woman is believed to be Hetpet,  priestess to Hathor, the goddess of fertility, and had close links to the Egyptian royals. She would have lived around 2,400BC, and is depicted in her tomb both hunting and fishing, as well as sitting at a large table where she receives offerings from her children.

Excavation leader Mostafa Waziri told that such scenes are rare and have only been found previously in the (Old Kingdom) tomb of Ka-Iber.