Lastnight World: Milestone in Pak: govt completes term,polls in may

Murdoch faces 600 new hacking allegations

London: Scotland Yard officers are reportedly investigating nearly 600 fresh claims of phone-hacking at media tycoon Rupert Murdoch’s now-defunct News of the World. The allegations are linked with new evidence obtained by Metropolitan police from a suspect-turned-informant,according to a report in Guardian published Saturday. PTI

Kenya’s Odinga challenges poll defeat

NAIROBI: Kenya’s defeated presidential contender Raila Odinga filed a legal challenge to his election loss Saturday in a major test of the country’s democratic system five years after a disputed vote triggered deadly tribal clashes. Police used teargas to break up a rally of about 100 of Odinga’s supporters outside the Supreme Court earlier. reuters

Three astronauts return to Earth from ISS

Arkalyk: Three astronauts returned safely to Earth from the International Space Station early Saturday,aboard a Russian capsule which landed on the freezing Kazakhstan steppe,mission control said. AP

Chavez laid to rest after final farewell

Caracas: Late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez has been laid to rest at a military museum after an emotional final journey through the streets of Caracas watched by hundreds of thousands. PTI

SL bars UK tourist with Buddha tattoos

Colombo: Sri Lankan immigration authorities deported a British national who had arrived on holiday to the island. The Briton was quizzed by authorities at Bandaranaike International Airport as he had images of Buddha tattooed all over his body. The act was deemed offensive to the majority Sinhalese community. PTI

Sikh man killed in Pakistan over his decision to marry a second time

Lahore: A Sikh man was murdered in this eastern Pakistani city over his decision to marry a second time,police officials said Saturday. An eyewitness told police that some persons entered 28-year-old Amarjeet Singh’s store in Lahore Friday and assaulted him. They then bundled Singh into a car and sped away. Singh was a ‘hakeem’ and dealt in natural medicines. Later,Singh’s body was found near Sheikhupura district,40 km from Lahore. The body bore marks of torture,police said.

When police contacted Singh’s family in Peshawar,they learnt he had recently decided to marry a second time despite opposition from the woman’s fiance. “The deceased’s family told us that Amerjeet had contracted a second marriage with Arjun Singh’s fiance. It is suspected that Arjun and brothers of Amerjeet’s second wife might be involved in this murder,” an official of Shalimar police station told PTI. PTI

China appoints new cabinet

Beijing: China’s longstanding Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi was Saturday appointed as the country’s chief negotiator of India-China boundary dispute while Wang Yi,a veteran diplomat,replaced him in the new cabinet unveiled by Prime Minister Li Keqiang. Yang replaced Dai Bingguo,the veteran Chinese chief negotiator of India-China boundary dispute for a decade. The 3000-member National People’s Conference approved four new vice-premiers,five state councillors,who are ranked higher than cabinet ministers,as well as 25 ministers. PTI