India: Gas Pipeline Blast Kills At Least 15 in Andhra Pradesh

India: Gas Pipeline Blast Kills At Least 15 in Andhra PradeshGoogle Maps

A blast in a gas pipeline run by the government-owned Gas Authority of India Limited (Gail) has killed at least 15 people in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.

The early morning explosion, which was said to have been caused by a leak in the pipeline, also injured at least 15 people, some of them critically.

"As per initial reports we have received, 14 deaths have been reported and some more are critically injured and undergoing treatment," Andhra Pradesh Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu told reporters.

Rescue operations are under way and the blaze has been brought under control following a two-hour-long battle. Flames also wrecked dozens of houses and shops in a nearby village.

The gas pipeline, which is located near an oil refinery, caught fire close to the ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation) connecting station.

Blaming the authorities for the blast, locals said complaints against the poor condition of the pipeline were ignored.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have expressed shock over the incident.

Gail is India's largest gas processing and distribution firm.

Obama Seeks Congress Approval For $500m to Arm Syrian Rebels

Forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad gather in Sheikh Zayyat village, after saying they have regained control of the areaReuters

US President Barack Obama is seeking Congress approval for hundreds of millions of dollars to train and arm Syrian rebels fighting against the Bashar al-Assad regime.

The White House said the president has sought Congress nod for $500m (£294m) to "train and equip appropriately vetted elements of the moderate Syrian armed opposition".

The funding would also be helpful in fighting against the Sunni outfit, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis), which is engaged in a fierce battle in neighbouring Iraq, the White House added.

"These funds would help defend the Syrian people, stabilise areas under opposition control, facilitate the provision of essential services, counter terrorist threats, and promote conditions for a negotiated settlement," said National Security Council spokesperson Caitlin Hayden in a separate statement.

"While we continue to believe that there is no military solution to this crisis and that the United States should not put American troops into combat in Syria, this request marks another step toward helping the Syrian people defend themselves against regime attacks, push back against the growing number of extremists like ISIL who find safe-haven in the chaos, and take their future into their own hands by enhancing security and stability at local levels."

Obama has long been hesitant to supply weapons to the poorly-armed Syrian opposition forces fearing that they would fall into the hands of extremists.

The present situation in the region is believed to have prompted Washington to reconsider its options.

Congress has also been heaping pressure on Obama to boost aid to the rebels, but the fate of the current proposal remains uncertain.

The amount will be part of the $1.5bn "regional stabilisation initiative" proposed by neighbouring nations including Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey.

Ramadan 2014: Don't Eat, Drink or Smoke or You can be Deported Says Saudi Arabia to Non-Muslims

A Muslim man walks past as he reads the Koran at the Al-Rajhi mosque east of RiyadhReuters

Saudi Arabia has threatened to deport any non-Muslim foreigners who don't respect the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan by eating, drinking or smoking in public.

An interior ministry statement on the official SPA state news agency urges non-Muslim expatriates in the kingdom to "respect the sentiments of Muslims by not eating, drinking or smoking during Ramadan's daylight hours in public places, including roads and workplaces."

Those who violate the regulations will be deported or sacked, according to the statement.

"They are not excused for being non-Muslim," it said, adding that "anyone living in this country should follow the laws of the Kingdom, including respecting religious sentiments".

The statement also asked companies to transmit the instructions to their employees.

Millions of Muslims from around the globe are preparing to observe Ramadan, the religious month of fasting.

For 30 days, they will not eat or drink from sunrise and sundown and refrain from sexual intercourse, smoking or profanity in a bid to become closer to Allah.

They are also encouraged to give back to the community and take part in charitable deeds.

Saudi Arabia applies a strict version of sharia law and it hosts more than nine million foreigners.

Last march, the Kingdom started a crackdown on illegal workers. The government issued an amnesty period in April 2013 giving illegal migrants seven months to gain legal status. Since then, one million Bangladeshis, Indians, Filipinos, Nepalis, Pakistanis and Yemenis have left.

The government created a task force of 1,200 labour ministry officials who raided shops, construction sites, restaurants and businesses in a hunt for foreign workers employed without permits.

More than 16,000 people were rounded up.

Iraq Crisis: Military Capture Key University After Launching Raid on Isis-Held Tikrit

Fighters of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) patrol on a vehicle in Tikrit, which the group overran.Reuters

Iraqi forces loyal to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki have launched an airborne assault on Tikrit, the hometown of Saddam Hussein which was captured by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis) militants in their lightning charge through northern Iraq.

The forces seized control of the city's university, the location of which is of strategic value, according to officials.

Security forces flew into the city by helicopter and engaged with Isis fighters before capturing the university campus.

The capture of the education institute is viewed as a way to retake the city after it was overrun by Sunni militants earlier this month.

"All of Tikrit is in the hands of the militants," an Iraqi police colonel said at the time of the city's capture.

Hundreds of prisoners were freed by the Islamist group as security forces lost the battle to thwart militants in heavy clashes near the Salaheddin provincial government headquarters in the city centre.

Tikrit is the hometown of fallen former dictator Saddam Hussein and lies 150km (95 miles) north of Baghdad and 223km (139 miles) south of Mosul, Iraq's second city, which has also been captured by the group.

More to follow...

Crude Prices Dip Ahead of US Data and Iraq's Plan to Increase Exports

A member of the Kurdish security forces guarding an oil refinery on the outskirts of Mosul, Iraq, on 22 June, 2014.Reuters

Crude oil prices traded lower on 26 June, ahead of data that could underscore a US economic recovery and after Iraq said oil exports from its southern terminals will increase despite the insurgency in the north.

Brent August contract was trading 17 cents lower to $113.83 a barrel at 11:30 BST in London. The European benchmark hovered at a premium of $7.40 to the WTI.

WTI August contract shed six cents to $106.44 a barrel in New York.

Prices have risen around 8% so far this year.

The US, the world's leading oil consumer put out jobless claims and personal spending data at 13:30 BST.

Meanwhile, Iraq's Oil Minister Abdul Kareem al-Luaibi has said that his nation's crude exports will increase in July. Opec's second-largest crude producer exports about 2.5 million barrels a day at present and around 75% of the country's oil production is concentrated in the south.

Commerzbank Corporates & Markets said in a note to clients: "Brent is trading largely unchanged at just shy of $114 per barrel, oil prices finding support from the situation in Iraq. Although oil exports in the south of the country remain unaffected by the fighting in the north, heavy fighting is nonetheless still raging in a bid to gain control of the country's largest refinery in Baiji.

"What is more, Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki has rejected not only the US demand for a unified government comprising Kurds and Sunnis, but also his own resignation. There is therefore still a risk of additional Sunnis joining forces with the [Isis] extremists and of Kurds splitting from Iraq."

"[Earlier], the US Department of Commerce granted two US energy companies permission to export ultra-light and only minimally-refined oil. The Department classifies this oil as a refined petroleum product that is subject to no legal export restrictions. This has been interpreted by the market as the first step towards relaxing the ban on the export of crude oil that has been in place since the 1970s.

"In response, the WTI price climbed for a time to $107.5 per barrel before coming under pressure again as a result of US inventory data. The US Department of Commerce stressed that this would not be accompanied by any change in current practice.

"Nonetheless, it could serve as a precedent, as other companies could also follow this example and be granted an export permit. According to US industrial sources, the US could export around 750,000 barrels per day of slightly-refined light crude oil. The first exports could begin as soon as August," Commerzbank analysts wrote.

Iraq War

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has welcomed Syrian airstrikes against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis) militants within Iraqi territory.

Al-Maliki confirmed the military action by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces in an exclusive interview with BBC News. He added that Iraq, which is battling Sunni insurgency, had not requested the strikes against the militant group.

New York: Billionaire Chen Guangbiao's 'Lunch for Poor' Backfires When He Doesn't Give Them $300 Each

Chen Guangbiao giving homeless people money.Getty Images

An eccentric Chinese billionaire who threw a charity lunch for some of America's poorest people has been criticised for not giving his guests $300 each.

Chen Guangbiao invited 1,000 poor Americans to lunch at the Boat House restaurant in New York's Central Park.

In adverts in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, he said would provide lunch, would personally sing the 1985 charity single We Are The World, and would give each attendee $300 (£170).

However, after the lunch, which was held on 25 June, it soon emerged the poverty-stricken guests would not be getting their cash.

Chen put on lunch for America's poorest.Getty Images

Four guests were brought on stage and given the money, after which Chen – with a 200-strong backing troupe – sang the charity song.

Rumours quickly began to spread among the guests that no-one else would be getting any cash, and they began chanting "where's the money? Where's the money".

Chen assured guests this was not the case, but left shortly after – taking all his money with him.

It emerged that security concerns highlighted by homeless advocates and police meant Chen was unable to give out the money. They had said homeless guests might spend the money on drugs, and that it could be better used in their programmes.

Some said they felt they had been used as part of a publicity stunt after the event.Getty Images

Harry Brooks, a Vietnam war veteran who attended the event, told the Telegraph: "We have been duped to come along here under false pretences and now we are just part of a propaganda trick for the rich.

"We don't need their steak, we need the money so that we can pay for food and clear debts. Now we're never going to see it. This is a disgrace."

Edward McCure, one of the four diners who was given money, said he gave the cash to the shelter that he had been staying at for the last four nights. "It gives you hope," he told New York Daily News.

China Liberalises Foreign Currency Deposit Rates in Shanghai

Skyscrapers in Shanghai's financial district of PudongReuters

Banks operating in Shanghai are now allowed to set their own foreign-currency deposit rates, as China moves ahead with its proposed interest-rate liberalisation in the country.

Earlier, China tested the reform in the city's free trade zone, and the programme is being expanded to the whole of Shanghai from 27 June.

Under the plan, Shanghai will first liberalise interest rates on small-sum foreign currency deposits from companies, and then expand to those from individuals, according to the Shanghai Head Office of the People's Bank of China (PBoC).

In March, the Shanghai Free Trade Zone removed the cap on deposit rates on small foreign currency accounts with holding below $3m (£1.8m, €2.2m). Deposit rates on foreign currency accounts holding more than $3m have been liberalised throughout China since 2000.

The move is part of the PBoC's plan to liberalise state-set deposit rates within one to two years. In July 2013, the central bank removed the floor on almost all lending rates.

"This is an important experiment for China's interest rate liberalisation as it is extended across the wall and involved the domestic banking system," said Liu Li-Gang, analyst at ANZ Bank.

"The PBoC's bold extension of the liberalisation to the whole Shanghai, China's financial centre, indicates China's determination to quicken the reform. It also suggests that China may soon start similar experiment for RMB deposits in the FTZ or banks' Free Trade Accounts."

If the experiment becomes successful, China would roll out the programme across the country. Foreign currency deposits in China totalled $566bn in May, representing about 3% of all deposits.

Nevertheless, the existing cap on the yuan deposit rates in the country still remains. As a result, the pricing of the yuan and foreign currencies in the money and foreign exchange markets is expected to be distorted, resulting in arbitrage opportunities, according to Liu.

"The PBoC is expected to watch closely the market flows and keep a tight rein," he said.

Somalia: Al Shabaab Militants Disguised as Military Storm African Union Hotel

Al-Shabaab militantsReuters

Al-Shabaab militants have attacked a hotel in central Somalia which is being used as a base by the African Union (AU) peacekeeping force, killing at least two soldiers from Djibouti.

The Al-Qaeda-linked gunmen stormed the compound of the Amalow hotel in Bulobarde, some 200km (125 miles) north of the capital Mogadishu, which is used by the UN-backed Amisom (African Union Mission in Somalia) - which comprises mainly Somali and Djiboutian soldiers.

The two Shabaab fighters, dressed in military uniforms, threw grenades at the gate of the hotel, according to AFP.

The group's spokesman, Abdulaziz Abu Musab, claimed responsibility for the attack and boasted of killing six African Union troops. But the spokesman for the AU mission refuted the claims and said the militants failed to enter the compound.

Residents told Reuters that they heard a loud explosion followed by a firefight which lasted about an hour.

"We don't know of any casualties. The place is now surrounded by many Amisom and Somali forces," he said.

The Islamist group killed several Djibouti soldiers in an attack at the same hotel in March. Three Somali soldiers, three AU soldiers from Djibouti and seven al-Shabaab fighters were killed in the attack.

The militants, who once controlled most of southern and central Somalia, were driven out of the capital Mogadishu two years ago but have continued to launch attacks against government and security targets.

Salwa Bugaighis: Libyan Pro-Democracy Activist Gunned Down in Benghazi

Salwa BugaighisAFP/Getty Images

Libyan human rights lawyer Salwa Bugaighis, who was part of the country's 2011 revolution that ousted the regime of Muammar Gaddafi, has been gunned down by assailants in the eastern city of Benghazi.

A security official told AFP that "unknown hooded men wearing military uniforms" attacked the woman in her home and shot her several times. She was taken to the hospital in critical condition where she died shortly afterwards.

A family member said her husband, who was in the house at the time of the attack, has disappeared.

Bugaighis played a key role in the country's botched transition to democracy. A former member of the National Transitional Council, the rebellion's political wing, she was vice-president of a preparatory committee for national dialogue in LIbya.

The activist helped organise peaceful demonstrations outside Benghazi's courthouse on 17 February 2011, which paved the way for the revolution. The pro-democracy protests started when Fathi Terbil, a fellow lawyer, was arrested.

The US ambassador to Libya, Deborah Jones, called the news "heartbreaking" and denounced on Twitter a "cowardly, despicable, shameful act against a courageous woman and true Libyan patriot".

Bugaighis was pictured yesterday voting in Libya's general election.

The UN support mission in Libya condemned the assassination and called on Libyan authorities to investigate the killing.

GM Car Recalls: Some Defective Ignition Switches Were Made in China

GM car recalls: Some defective ignition switches were made in China.Reuters

General Motors has said that ignition switches linked to a recent recall of some 3.4 million cars were manufactured in China, where British car maker Aston Martin reported a substandard part earlier in the year.

The ignition switches were made by China-based Dalian Alps Electronics, majority owned by Japan's Alps Electric. The problem switches found their way into the Chevrolet Impala and Monte Carlo, Buick LaCrosse and Lucerne, and Cadillac DeVille and DTS cars that were recalled earlier in the month.

Alps has admitted it had shipped ignition switches to GM but said it had not been contacted by the US firm regarding any defect.

Alps also said its ignition switches were based on designs by the Detroit automaker.

"As of [25 June], we have not been contacted, or received any complaint from GM of any problems or defects with Alps' switches," Takashi Sogo, group manager of investor and public relations, told Reuters.

The problem is similar to the ignition switch issue linked to at least 13 deaths in an earlier recall of 2.6 million Chevy Cobalts, Saturn Ions and other cars that resulted in a record US fine of $35m amid several US federal and state investigations.

Takata Air-Bag Recall

GM will be the latest firm to recall vehicles over potentially defective air bags supplied by troubled Japanese firm Takata.

GM is getting ready to recall about 33,000 Chevrolet Cruze sedans to fix air bag issues. The Cruze is its best-selling car in North America.

The issue, however, is not directly related to other problems with Takata air bags that have led to the recall of some 10.5 million vehicles globally, many of them made by Japanese firms Honda Motor, Nissan, Mazda and Toyota Motor.

Laura Andres's Email

GM has been grilled by Congress for disregarding the safety of its customers after emails from 2005 revealed that a GM employee had warned a "big recall" may be needed because of an ignition switch fault.

Emails made public on 18 June showed that GM employee Laura Andres in 2005 wrote to engineers and to the then vice-president of North American engineering Ed Koerner, warning that a 2006 Chevy Impala Special car she owned had suffered an engine stall when moving between a paved road and gravel.

Andres's email added that a technician had told her the problem could be with a part of the ignition switch. The 2006 Impala was recalled only on 16 June.

16 June Recall

Ignition switches in the 16 June recall can be knocked out of the "run" position, resulting in vehicle stalls and potentially affecting the power steering, power brakes and air-bag deployment.

But they do not need to be replaced, GM said, adding it will replace or re-design ignition keys to prevent a dangling key ring from slipping to one side and pulling the ignition key out of the "run" position.

GM has recalled over 20 million vehicles this year, mostly in the US. Close to 6.5 million of these were recalled because of ignition switch faults.

Chinese Suppliers

In February, luxury car maker Aston Martin recalled most of the sports cars it had built since 2007 after a Chinese supplier was found to be using substandard plastic.

The Warwickshire-based company recalled 17,590 cars after it found that Chinese firm Shenzhen Kexiang Mould Tool was using "counterfeit" plastic material supplied by Synthetic Plastic Raw Material of Dongguan.

Aston Martin said that low quality plastic, used to mould the accelerator pedal arms by the Chinese sub-supplier could result in breakage, increasing the risk of a crash.

Iran Secretly Operates Drone Flights from Former American Base in Iraq

MQ-1 Predators sit on the Bravo South parking ramp at Balad Air Base, Iraq in this undated USAF handout photo obtained by Reuters February 6, 2013.Reuters

Iran is secretly operating surveillance drones from an airfield in Baghdad as the Sunni militia makes a stronger push across Iraq in its march on the capital to topple the Shiite-led administration of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

Tehran is also giving Iraqi forces tonnes of military equipment and other supplies after the US-trained troops failed to withstand the onslaught of the fighters from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isis) since the beginning of the month.

The New York Times reported that Iranian transport planes are making regular flights to Baghdad, ferrying military equipment and supplies. There are two flights every day and each sortie carries 70 tonnes of equipment and supplies, an unnamed US official told the newspaper.

"It's a substantial amount ... It's not necessarily heavy weaponry, but it is not just light arms and ammunition."

Iran has reaffirmed its commitment to assist the Shiite-led administration in Baghdad against the advancing Sunni militants, while officially saying the US should not intervene in the current crisis in Iraq.

However, in reality the US, Iran and Syria are on the same side fighting against the common enemy.

The US is sending as many as 300 military specialists to Iraq, while about a dozen officers from Iran's paramilitary Quds Force have reached Baghdad to advise the government. Syria carried out airstrikes on Isis fighters in western Iraq.

US allies in the Middle East such as Saudi Arabia are wary of Iran's direct military involvement in Iraq and Tehran has stopped short of deploying troops in the strife-torn country.

However, it has readied at least 10 divisions of the Quds Force along the border with Iraq and is willing to send the forces in if it perceives a threat to Shiite holy shrines in the country.

According to US officials, Iran has at least two dozen battle-ready aircraft stationed in the west of the country.

Iran's special control centre at Rasheed Air Base in Baghdad is overseeing the operation of surveillance drone flights over Iraq. The command centre also has a signals intelligence unit that intercepts electronic communications between Isis fighters, the NYT said.

The US army had used the Rasheed Air Base in Baghdad in 2003, in the early phase of its occupation.

The Isis fighters who are closing in on Baghdad aim to establish a hardline Sunni Islamist caliphate straddling Iraq and Syria.