B’desh parties join hands to protect Hindus
Dhaka, January 10
Leaders of the ruling Awami League and the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) have come together to protect the minority Hindu community in Gaibandha district.

Paris, January 10
A French magazine today alleged that Francois Hollande routinely drives through the streets of Paris on a scooter to spend the night with his mistress, raising concerns for the security of the head-of-state.

Hollande reacted furiously to the allegation-backed up by photos reportedly showing the president entering the flat of actress Julie Gayet-but did not deny it, threatening legal action over what he called an attack on his right to privacy.

Closer's Friday edition carried a seven-page report on the 59-year-old president's alleged infidelity under the headline "Francois Hollande and Julie Gayet, the President's secret love". "It's a real passion that has... turned their lives upside down and makes them take insane risks," the magazine wrote.

To back up its claims, the magazine printed photos of Gayet, 41, arriving at a flat in an upmarket part of Paris on December 30, not far from the Elysee palace where Hollande lives.

Half-an-hour later, a man whom they identify as Hollande's bodyguard inspects the hallway of the apartment block before the arrival of a scooter with two helmeted men on board, one of whom they say is Hollande-although his face is never revealed. The alleged bodyguard, however, does show his face and is identified as part of Hollande's official security detail.

The next day, according to the photos, the alleged bodyguard arrives at the flat around 8am with a small bag that Closer says contains croissants.

Three hours later, a helmeted man is pictured mounting a chauffeur-driven scooter under the eyes of the alleged bodyguard.

Speaking in a personal capacity, Hollande slammed the report as an attack on the right to privacy, to which he "like every other citizen has a right".

The President, in a statement released to AFP, said he was "looking into possible action, including legal action," against the weekly magazine. But he did not deny the allegations.

Rumours that Hollande is having an affair with Gayet, a mother-of-two, have swirled for months.

In December, French actor Stephane Guillon made innuendos on the subject during a talk show where he and Gayet were invited to promote a film in which they co-star. When the host asked Gayet about her public support for Hollande, Guillon, sitting next to her, started laughing.

Asked why, he stuttered and finally said: "He would come on set. The President likes the film, his wife much less." Hollande lives with his partner Valerie Trierweiler, a journalist for whom he left fellow Socialist politician Segolene Royal, the mother of his four children. — AFP

Washington, January 10
Officials now believe Taliban insurgents brought down a US military helicopter in December in southern Afghanistan, in an incident that was first portrayed as a crash.

Six US troops were killed when the Blackhawk chopper went down in Zabul province on December 17, but the precise circumstances around the crash have been the subject of confusion.

"The families of the soldiers killed in the December 17 helicopter crash have been notified that enemy action caused the crash and loss of life," the NATO-led International Security Assistance Forces said in an email to AFP. "The investigation is ongoing, and more details will be provided when the investigation is complete," ISAF said.

US defence officials said investigators were looking at the possibility that the aircraft triggered a homemade explosive when flying at a low altitude.

US officers suggested the helicopter went down due to a mechanical failure but that the crew may have come under fire once the chopper crashed. But officials later backed away from that account, ruling out any enemy fire. — AFP

Damascus, January 10
Nearly 500 persons, at least 85 civilians among them, have been killed in a week of fighting pitting Syrian rebels against jihadists in the north of the strife-torn country.

The fighting raged as Western governments that back the revolt against President Bashar al-Assad prepared to intensify pressure on the Opposition to participate in peace talks with the regime planned for later this month.

A new front opened last Friday in Syria's nearly three-year-old war, when powerful massive rebel groups combined to attack bases and checkpoints of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

While the jihadists were initially welcomed by other rebels, allegations of brutal abuses against civilians as well as rival opposition fighters sparked a backlash, and even accusations that they were serving the interests of the regime.

"We have documented the killing of 482 people in the fighting -- 85 civilians, 240 members of the rebel brigades and 157 members of ISIL," said Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman.

Among the civilians and rebels killed were 42 hostages who were executed in Aleppo by ISIL.

Rebels also executed 47 ISIL members, mainly in Idlib province in northwestern Syria, Abdel Rahman said.

"The rest of the deaths came during the fighting. It is likely dozens more people have lost their lives, but it is impossible to accurately document all the killings," he added.

He called for "crimes being committed in Syria to be brought before an international court." — AFP

Trenton, January 10
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on Thursday fired a top aide who apparently helped orchestrate massive traffic jams at a busy commuter bridge to settle a score, saying he had been blindsided in the scandal that threatened to tarnish his political image.

As Christie apologised publicly for the abrupt lane closings seemingly ordered by some of his staff, and which he said he did not know about beforehand, the office of the US Attorney in New Jersey said it was launching an investigation.

Also on Thursday, a class-action lawsuit over the traffic jams was filed against Christie and other government officials by Fort Lee-area residents. Revelations that his staff may have had a hand in plotting the four-day lane closures at the George Washington Bridge in September, causing hours-long jams that stalled commuters, school buses and ambulances, come as Christie has emerged as a powerful figure in the Republican Party and a possible presidential contender.

The controversy erupted with the release on Wednesday of emails showing Christie's aide and allies appearing to plan lane closings in what critics said was a bid to punish the Democratic mayor of Fort Lee, at the New Jersey end of the bridge, because he had declined to endorse Christie's re-election effort.

"I am embarrassed and humiliated by the conduct of some of the people on my team," Christie said. "I am who I am, but I am not a bully." As the head of the party's governors association and a possible 2016 White House contender, the tough-talking governor has sought to present himself as a leader who can work with opponents and forge bipartisan alliances.

Christie said at his news conference that he dismissed his deputy chief of staff, Bridget Anne Kelly, who in the most damning of the emails, wrote to a Port Authority executive in August, saying: "Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee." The executive, David Wildstein, replied: "Got it." Wildstein later admitted ordering the lane closures and resigned his post. He supplied the emails to the media in response to a subpoena issued by a panel of state lawmakers.

Appearing before the panel on Thursday, Wildstein declined to answer questions, repeatedly invoking the constitutional protection not to say anything that might incriminate him. — Reuters

Charleston, January 10
The White House has issued a federal disaster declaration in West Virginia, where a chemical spill that may have contaminated tap water has led officials to tell at least 300,000 people not to bathe, brush their teeth or wash their clothes.

The chemical, a foaming agent used in the coal preparation process, leaked yesterday from a tank at Freedom Industries, overran a containment area and went into the Elk River.

The spill shut down much of the rural state's capital city and surrounding counties, even as the cause and extent of the incident remained unclear.

Schools and restaurants closed, and grocery stores sold out of bottled water. "It was chaos, that's what it was," convenience store cashier Danny Cardwell said.

Officials said they were not sure what hazard the spill posed to residents. It was not immediately clear how much of the chemical spilled into the river and at what concentration.

"I don't know if the water is not safe," West Virginia American Water company president Jeff McIntyre said. "Until we get out and flush the actual system and do more testing, we can't say how long this (advisory) will last at this time." Kanawha County emergency officials said the chemical is called 4-methylcyclohexane methanol.

According to a fact sheet from biotechnology company Fisher Scientific, the chemical is harmful if swallowed and could be so if inhaled and causes eye and skin irritation.

Officials from Freedom, a manufacturer of chemicals for the mining, steel, and cement industries, haven't commented since the spill, but a woman who answered the phone at the company said it would issue a statement today. — AP