News in Brief

Uttarakhand death toll climbs to 822
Pti, Gauchar

Helicopter rescue operations to evacuate around 9000 stranded people picked up pace after rain and fog in the morning delayed the mission in calamity-hit Uttarakhand where the death toll mounted to 822 with 127 more bodies recovered from Kedarnath.
Fresh incidents of landslips were also reported from Tehri district in which a woman and a child were killed.
Our New Delhi correspondent reported an Indian Air Force helicopter yesterday crashed during rescue operations in rain-ravaged Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, killing eight persons onboard, including five crew members.
This is the second incident of a helicopter crash this week in the hill state.

Iraq bombings kill 14
Afp, Kirkuk

Bombings targeting protesters and pilgrims outside of Baghdad killed 14 people yesterday, the latest in a surge of violence that has sparked fears of a revival of all-out sectarian conflict in Iraq.
The latest attacks come a day after 35 people were killed nationwide, most of them in a series of car bombs across Baghdad, as the country grapples with a prolonged political deadlock and months of protests from its Sunni Arab minority.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks, but Sunni militants linked to al-Qaeda frequently target Shia Muslims -- both the protesters and the pilgrims were from Iraq's Shia majority -- whom they regard as apostates.

Koreas websites shut down on war anniversary
Ap, Seoul

Major government and media websites in South and North Korea were shut down for hours Tuesday on the 63rd anniversary of the start of the Korean War. Seoul said its sites were hacked, while it was unclear what knocked out those north of the border.
Seoul said experts were investigating attacks on the websites of the South Korean presidential Blue House and prime minister's office, as well as some media servers. There were no initial reports Tuesday that sensitive military or other key infrastructure had been compromised.