35 Indian fishermen held off Sri lanka’s w coast
Colombo/Rameswaram: At least 35 Indian fishermen have been arrested and their four boats have been seized for allegedly violating the international maritime boundary line, Navy said on Monday. Naval spokesman Commander Kosala Warnakulasuriya said the fishermen were arrested and their four trawlers were seized last night off Kalpitiya, Sri lanka’s west coast. They are currently being escorted to be handed over to Kalpitiya police, Warnakulasuriya said.
Pakistan shuts offices, schools near loC
Islamabad: Pakistan has ordered a complete shutdown of its Government offices and educational institutions near the loC for about a week amid continued tension in the area, a civilian official said on Monday. Increasing civilian casualties has led to this decision where two women were killed and seven others injured in the alleged firing by Indian troops on Sunday.
‘snowden stayed at Hong Kong consulate’
Moscow: Edward Snowden, the US intelligence leaker who was granted asylum in Russia, contacted Russian officials before he flew to Moscow and spent several days at the country’s diplomatic mission in Hong Kong, a newspaper said on Monday.
45 killed in China floods
Beijing: Forty five people have been killed and two others reported missing in floods triggered by downpours in southwest China’s Yunnan Province in the past four months. The deaths and those who went missing happened between May 1 (when the flood season started in the province) and August 20, State-run Xinhua news agency said.
Iraq court clears path for Maliki third term as PM
Baghdad: Iraq’s highest court on Monday overturned controversial term limits on senior posts, clearing the way for Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to chase a third term in elections next year.
Sri lanka monks protest UN chief’s visit
Colombo: Sinhalese Buddhist monks on Monday protested the UN rights chief’s fact-finding mission to the country over concerns about alleged war crimes by the Sri lankan military during the nearly three-decade-long conflict with the lTTE.
Contempt of court case filed against Prachanda
Kathmandu: Ex-Nepal Prime Minister and Maoist party chief Prachanda was on Monday slapped with a contempt of court case for disrespecting the Supreme Court by threatening those who took legal action against former rebels for war crimes. Advocate Dinesh Tripathi, who filed the case, said the threat by Prachanda was an attempt to obstruct justice and challenge to the court proceedings.
US ‘alarmed’ by eastern DR Congo violence
Washington: The United States condemned rebel attacks on civilians and UN peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo, hailing the world body’s efforts to protect the population. State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf on Sunday said the US was “alarmed” by the escalating fighting between the Army and rebels in the eastern DR Congo.
6-year-old girl shoots playmate in S Africa
Johannesburg: A six-year-old girl shot and killed her friend with her grandfather’s revolver while playing at a game reserve in South Africa. The incident occurred on Saturday afternoon when the victim, Sibongile Moima, was playing with her friend at a private game reserve where her father is the foreman, State-run news agency Sapa reported.
19th century Sikh turban on display in UK
london: A unique conical turban believed to have been worn by the Sikh warriors fighting for the British Army in the 19th century has been put on display at a museum in the UK. The turban has travelled to the Herbert Museum in Coventry on loan from the British Museum in london as part of the ‘Sikh Fortress Turban: A British Museum Tour’ exhibition.