Briefly World

Nepals top court on Sunday ordered the government to halt the promotion of a tainted general accused of human rights violations by the UN rights watchdog.

Nepal court halts promotion of tainted general

KATHMANDU: Nepals top court on Sunday ordered the government to halt the promotion of a tainted general accused of human rights violations by the UN rights watchdog. A single bench of Supreme Court issued a stay order on the government decision to promote Maj Gen Toran Jung Bahadur Singh to the post of Chief of the General Staff,the second-in-command of the Nepal Army. The apex court said it will conduct further hearing on January 10.

Iraq to support Blackwater lawsuit

BAGHDAD: Iraq will help victims of the 2007 shooting of civilians in Baghdad to file a US lawsuit against employees of security firm Blackwater,an incident that turned a spotlight on the United States use of private contractors in war zones. Last week,a US judge threw out charges against five guards accused of killing 14 Iraqi civilians at a Baghdad traffic circle,saying the defendants constitutional rights had been violated. Iraq called that decision unacceptable and unjust on Sunday.

Oil leak threatens Yellow River

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BEIJING: Yellow River,the main source of water for millions of Chinese,has been polluted after large amounts of diesel fuel spilled into the Chishui River,a tributary of the worlds sixth-longest river. Late Saturday,about 150 cubic meters of oil leaked from a branch of the Lanzhou-Zhengzhou-Changsha pipeline in north China that transports fuel from the countrys Northwest to the central regions,the official Xinhua news agency on Sunday reported. The leakage site was nearby the Chishui River in Huaxian County.

Malaysian govt to appeal Allah verdict

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian government will appeal against a decision by a top court,which terming as constitutional,allowed a Catholic weekly magazine to use the word Allah in its publication while referring to God. The Prime Ministers Department will appeal against the recent High Court decision. Its minister,Maj-Gen (Rtd) Jamil Khir Baharom said he would meet the NGOs representatives soon to hear their views and to discuss the matter further.

Iran: 11 policemen killed in drugs case

TEHRAN: Iran says a shootout with drug smugglers in an eastern desert region has left 11 policemen dead. The state IRNA news agency says gunfire erupted when police stopped a smugglers convoy on Friday near the town of Birjand,about 800 km southeast of Tehran.

Peruvian SC confirms sentence for Fujimori

LIMA: The Peruvian Supreme Court early Sunday unanimously confirmed a 25-year prison sentence for the countrys former president Alberto Fujimori. A Supreme Court review of Fujimoris convictions was requested in November by his lawyer,who asked the High Court to revoke his clients sentence for human rights abuses.