International

PTI, Balasore : India on Tuesday test-fired its indigenously developed Prithvi-II missile, which is capable of carrying 500 kg to 1,000 kg of warheads and has a strike range of 350 km, from a test range at Chandipur near here. The test was carried out as part of a user trial by the Army. The surface-to-surface missile was test fired from a mobile launcher in salvo mode from launch complex-3 of the Integrated Test Range at about 0948 hrs. “The...

BBC Online : Fourteen people have been killed and 10 injured in a stampede at a mosque in China’s northwest Ningxia region, according to state media. It happened as traditional food was being handed out at an event to commemorate a religious leader, Xinhua news agency said. An investigation is underway into the cause of the stampede in Xiji town, 60km (35 miles) west of Guyuan city. Four of the injured were in critical condition, the reports said. The incident...

BBC Online : A judge in the Indian capital, Delhi, has said that pre-marital sex is “immoral” and against the “tenets of every religion”. Judge Virender Bhat made the remarks after ruling that sex between two adults on the promise of marriage did not amount to rape. Pre-marital sex remains a cultural taboo in India. Last year, a court in Delhi said live-in relationships were immoral and an “infamous product of Western culture”. Judge Bhat presides over a fast-track court...

Reuters, Cairo : Egypt’s foreign ministry summoned Qatar’s ambassador on Saturday to complain about interference in its internal affairs after Doha criticized Cairo’s crackdown on the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood. The formerly close Qatari-Egyptian relationship has soured since the Egyptian army ousted Islamist President Mohamed Mursi, who had been firmly supported by Doha, last July following mass protests against his one-year rule. Cairo then launched a wide crackdown against Mursi’s Muslim Brotherhood group and labeled it a terrorist group last week....

BBC Online : Direct talks on ending the conflict in South Sudan have officially opened in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. The negotiations are focusing on bringing about a ceasefire and the release of political prisoners. The talks, led by teams representing the warring parties, are expected to get under way in earnest on Sunday. Rebels supporting sacked Deputy President Riek Machar are involved in fierce fighting with the forces of President Salva Kiir. At least 1,000 people have been...

BBC Online : The US says it is speeding up the supply of military equipment to Iraq to help its government fight militant groups in western Anbar province. The White House said additional surveillance drones would be delivered within weeks and more Hellfire missiles sent in the next few months. Fighting in Anbar has led to some of the heaviest clashes in Iraq for years. Iraqi forces are preparing for an assault on the city of Fallujah, which has fallen...

BBC Online : A US ice-breaker is to help two ships that are stuck in thick ice in Antarctica following a rescue mission. The Polar Star has been asked to cut a path through the ice in order to free the Xue Long and the Akademik Shokalskiy, the US Coast Guard said. The Chinese boat, Xue Long, became ice-bound after helping to rescue 52 passengers stranded on Akademik Shokalskiy on Thursday. The Russian research vessel has been trapped since 24...