Bodies of 8 labourers found in Pakistan
Islamabad: Eight bullet-ridden bodies and an injured man were found on Sunday in Pakistan’s Balochistan province. The injured man told police that he and the eight victims were labourers and were kidnapped by unidentified militants while working on a poultry farm in Sakran region Saturday afternoon.
Koreas exchange fire near border
Seoul: Militaries of South Korea and North Korea (DPRK) exchanged fire on Sunday across their border near Paju city in Gyeonggi Province. South Korea’s joint chief of staff said South Korea fired warning shots at the North Korean border post at around 5.40 pm when North Korean soldiers were approaching the military demarcation line in Paju.
Search to continue as 11 still missing in Nepal
Kathmandu: Nepalese officials have rescued 63 trekkers stranded in the Himalayas five days after a devastating snowstorm struck the country, while the search for 11 missing hikers would continue.
Iran summons Pak envoy over border killings
Tehran: Iran has summoned the Pakistani ambassador and demanded immediate steps to stop attacks by “terrorists and rebels” that sparked deadly clashes on the countries’ border, state media reported on Sunday.
37 militants killed Pakistan's tribal region
Islamabad: At least 37 militants were killed on Sunday by security forces during search operations in Pakistan's Taliban-dominated Khyber tribal region. The security forces had launched a search operation named Zarb-e-Azb Khyber-1 in the Bara district of Khyber region on Friday.
Bishops scrap welcome to gays in sign of split
Vatican City: Catholic bishops have scrapped their landmark welcome to gays, showing deep divisions at the end of a two-week meeting sought by Pope Francis to chart a more merciful approach to ministering to Catholic families.
4,000 take part in Mount Fuji eruption drill
Tokyo: Nearly 4,000 people took part on Sunday in a mass evacuation drill to test responses to a possible eruption of Japan’s highest peak Mount Fuji, weeks after a nearby volcano blew its top and killed at least 56. The 3,776-metre Fuji last erupted in 1707 but geologists have included it as one of 47 volcanoes in the Pacific rim, believed to be at risk of eruption in the coming century.
All robotic eyes on comet for Mars flyby
Washington: All eyes on Mars were focused toward a comet the size of a small mountain set to whiz past the Red Planet on Sunday. NASA's fleet of Mars-orbiting satellites and robots on the planet's surface were primed for the flyby of the comet, known as Siding Spring (C/2013 A1). It was set to hurtle past Mars at a close distance of about 141,600 kilometers on Sunday at 2:27 pm. NASA hopes its spacecraft will be able to photograph the once-in-a-million-years encounter as the comet passes.