Fighting in Kashmir city killed 4
AP, Srinagar, India
Anti-India protests and clashes erupted in the main city of disputed Kashmir on Wednesday after a gunbattle between militants and government forces killed at least two suspected rebels, a civilian and a counterinsurgency police official, residents and police said.
The gunbattle began early Wednesday after troops cordoned off a neighborhood in Srinagar on a tip that some rebels were present in a civilian home, police said. The exchange of gunfire lasted for about half an hour, police said, leaving two militants, a son of the house owner and a police official dead.
Afghan air force kills 20 militants
Xinhua, Kabul
At least 20 Taliban militants were killed following airstrikes in eastern province of Paktika, the Afghan Ministry of Defense said Wednesday.
The ministry said in a statement that the strikes were launched by Afghan Air Force in Omna district, southern of provincial capital Sharan city on Tuesday.
The strikes also destroyed three Taliban’s hideouts in the mountainous province.
Israel’s top court mulls appeal by barred US student
Reuters, Jerusalem
Israel’s top court weighed an appeal on Wednesday by a U.S. student facing deportation under a law against foreign pro-Palestinian activists who call for boycotts of Israel.
Lara Alqasem, 22, flew to Israel on Oct. 2 on a study visa but was refused entry by security officials who cited her role as president of a small local chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Florida.
S Korea denies refugee status to Yemenis
AP, Seoul, South Korea
South Korea has denied refugee status for nearly 400 asylum seekers from war-torn Yemen months after their arrival on the island of Jeju sparked an anti-immigrant uproar.
Seoul’s Justice Ministry on Wednesday did grant one-year humanitarian stays to 339 Yemenis who had applied for asylum, saying their safety and freedom would be put at risk if forced to leave.
India reports 80 Zika cases, 22 pregnant women
AFP, New Delhi
India has reported an outbreak of the Zika virus with 80 confirmed cases since last month including 22 pregnant women in the western state of Rajasthan, officials said Wednesday.
India, where the Aedes aegypti mosquito which carries Zika and other viruses is widely prevalent, reported its first Zika cases in January 2017 in neighbouring Gujarat.
Since Zika erupted on a large scale in 2015, more than 1.5 million people in more than 70 countries have been infected, with most in South America.
