Rushdie wins Pen Pinter writing prize
london: India-born Booker Prize winning author Salman Rushdie was on Friday named the winner of this year’s prestigious Pen Pinter prize for his outstanding literary output and support for freedom of expression.
Dewani's murder trial date set for Oct 6
Cape Town: Indian-origin businessman Shrien Dewani, extradited to South Africa from the UK to face murder charges in the killing of his Indo-Swedish wife, will stand trial on October 6 if a panel of psychiatrists deems him mentally stable, a court here ruled on Friday.
lanka Muslims cut back prayers after unrest
Colombo: Sri lanka’s Muslim minority held shortened Friday prayer services as religious tensions gripped the island after clashes with hardline Buddhists killed four people, an official said.
Global refugee figure crosses 50 mn mark
United Nations: The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Friday said that the number of refugees has exceeded 50 million globally for the first time since World War II, media reported.
Pak lawmaker succumbs to bullet injuries
lahore: A Pakistani woman parliamentarian, who was critically injured in a gun attack by unidentified men two days ago, succumbed to her injuries early on Friday at a hospital here.
At least ten dead in Bulgaria flooding
Sofia: At least ten people, including a child, died in heavy floods as torrential rain lashed Bulgaria, police said. The Black Sea city of Varna was particularly hard-hit on Thursday, with cars swept away and streets and houses flooded.
China shuts down 1,222 porn websites
Beijing: China has shutdown 1,222 websites as part of a crackdown against online pornography in the country, authorities said on Friday.
20 feared drowned as tractor falls in canal
Islamabad: At least 20 people were feared drowned when a tractor-trolley fell into a canal in Pakistan’s Punjab province on Friday, local media reported.
4 guards dead in Afghan convoy clashes
Kabul: Guards in a provincial Governor’s convoy traded gunfire with policemen at a checkpoint on Friday in northern Afghanistan, prompting clashes that left four of the guards dead and four policemen wounded, officials said.
12 militants killed in North Waziristan op
Islamabad: At least 12 more militants were killed on Friday when Pakistan’s military targeted their hideouts in the ongoing operation in the North Waziristan tribal region, the Army said.
bomb kills at 34 in Syria’s Hama: media
Damascus: A car bomb claimed by rebels killed at least 34 people on Friday in a Government-controlled village in the central Syrian province of Hama, State news agency SANA reported.