News in Brief

Pakistan to free 367 Indian prisoners
Pti, Islamabad

 
Pakistan will release 367 Indian prisoners next week to send a positive message to its neighbour amid high tension due to firing on the LoC, Pakistani sources said yesterday.
The two sides are trying to ease pressure on the Line of Control (LoC) after about two weeks of ceasefire violations that started after five Indian soldiers were killed in an attack by Pakistani troops early this month.
There are 491 Indian prisoners, including 437 fishermen and 54 civilians, in Pakistani prisons, sources said.

Indian cops nab top LeT terrorist
Afp, New Delhi

 
Indian police yesterday said they had arrested a top member of a banned militant outfit near the Nepal border accused of helping mastermind over 40 deadly bomb attacks across the country, including the 1993 Mumbai blasts.
Police accused Tunda, 70, of being a "well-known Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) explosive expert and terrorist" and said he was sought for his alleged role in 1993 serial blasts in Mumbai which killed at least 250 people in a single day.

MDC drops Mugabe re-election challenge
Reuters, Harare

 
Zimbabwe's opposition MDC withdrew a court challenge against President Robert Mugabe's re-election through a vote the party had denounced as fraudulent, saying on Friday it would not get a fair hearing.
Mugabe, 89, and his ZANU-PF party were declared winners of the July 31 election but the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) led by outgoing Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai had filed a motion for the constitutional court to overturn the result.

Taliban attacks kill 17 Afghan civilians
Afp, Heart

 
At least 17 civilians have been killed in multiple Taliban attacks in Afghanistan, officials said yesterday, underscoring increasing insecurity for ordinary people as foreign forces complete their withdrawal next year.
An insurgent attack on a road construction workers' camp in Karukh district in the western province of Herat left nine construction workers dead overnight.