News in Brief

Car hits crowd at Virginia parade, 60 injured
BBC Online

Up to 60 people were hurt when a car hit a crowd during a parade in the US state of Virginia, officials said yesterday.
They say more than 10 people have been taken to hospital in a serious condition from the small town of Damascus.
The crash happened at about 14:30 local time during an annual festival celebrating the Appalachian Trail.

Iran executes two suspected spies
Afp, Tehran

Iran hanged two convicted spies yesterday, one found guilty of working for Israel, the other for the United States, the Tehran prosecutor's office announced.
Mohammad Heydari was convicted of "receiving payment to provide intelligence on various security issues and national secrets in repeated meetings with the Mossad," Israel's intelligence agency, a statement said.
Koroush Ahmadi was found guilty of "providing intelligence on various issues to the CIA."

Lankan Tamils defy ban on rebel memorial
Afp, Colombo

Sri Lanka's main opposition Tamil party Saturday defied a military ban and staged a commemoration of their war dead as the government celebrated the fourth anniversary of defeating Tamil Tiger rebels.
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) said it staged the remembrance in the northern town of Vavuniya for those who died in the final battle which also killed Tamil Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran and his entire top leadership.
"We had a meeting to commemorate all those who died in the conflict," TNA lawmaker Suresh Premachandran told AFP from Vavuniya, 260 kilometres (162 miles) north of Colombo.

Tunisian police clash with Islamists
Reuters, Kairouan

Supporters of the hardline Islamist group Ansar al-Sharia clashed with Tunisian police yesterday after the government banned its annual rally, saying it posed a threat to society.
Ansar al-Sharia, which openly supports al Qaeda, is considered the most radical of the hardline Islamist groups to emerge in Tunisia since a 2011 revolution overthrew secular dictator Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.
The annual rally, expected to have drawn tens of thousands of members, was due to have been held in the central city of Kairouan, and supporters there threw stones at police, who fired teargas in response, a Reuters witness said.

US lottery winner scoops $590.5m jackpot
Afp, Washington

One ticket-holder won a record Powerball lottery jackpot of more than $590 million, organizers said yesterday, ending a days-long American quest for a life-changing payout.
The winning numbers — 10, 13, 14, 22, 52 and a Powerball of 11 — were drawn just before 11:00 pm eastern time (0300 GMT Sunday) and the winning ticket was sold in Florida, according to the competition's website.
Americans by the droves plunked down their cash yesterday in a last-minute push for a chance at scooping the top prize, snapping up the USD 2 tickets at supermarkets, corner stores and gas stations.