Briefly Nation

Thunder squall kills 10 in Orissa

BHUBANESWAR: A thunder squall lashed 9 districts of Orissa onThursday night and killed at least 10 people and injured 25. Six persons died due to lightning and four others were killed when walls collapsed and trees fell, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister,S N Patro said. Families of the people struck by lightning will be given Rs 50,000 each,as relief by the government,while those of the other victims will get Rs 1 lakh each.

7 police recruits run over by train in UP

LUCKNOW: Six recruits of the Uttar Pradesh Police were killed while one was injured after they were run over by a train while crossing the tracks in Kanpur district,on Friday. The victims were undergoing training at the Regional Training Centre. Government Railway Police ADG,A K Jain said when they heard their train being announced,the recruits ran to the tracks,and were caught between two trains.

HC asks Ramadhar Singh to surrender

PATNA: The Patna High Court on Friday asked senior BJP MLA,Ramadhar Singh,who had to resign as state cooperative minister,to surrender,as he has been declared an absconder by a court in Aurangabad district 16 years ago. Singh resigned as cooperative minister on Thursday,a day after the RJD petitioned Governor Devanand Konwar.

Iraq deputy foreign minister in India

NEW DELHI: In a high-level meeting that signals a re-establishment of diplomatic ties,the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iraq,Labeed Majeed Abbawi met E Ahamed,Minister of State for External Affairs,on Friday. Abbawis visit to India is the first meeting between the two Ministries in several years. A ministry official said that India looks forward to working with the Government of Iraq to 8216;revive and intensify their traditionally close and friendly relations.

Khandus son sworn in as minister

GUWAHATI: Nearly three weeks after former Arunachal Pradesh CM Dorjee Khandu died,his son Pema Khandu was sworn in as a minister in the Jarbom Gamlin government on Friday. Pema is not a member of the Assembly and is likely to be put up by the Congress as its candidate for the bypoll to Mukto,his fathers constituency. Pema was among the eleven ministers sworn in as part of the reconstituted Gamlin

cabinet.