News in Brief

US landslide death toll rises to 24
Afp, Arlington

Rescuers digging through the debris of a monster US landslide found another 10 bodies Tuesday, officials said, bringing the death toll to 24 with potentially more than 170 still unaccounted for. A day of rain hampered efforts to find survivors in the vast pile of mud and timber which crashed into the tiny town of Oso on Saturday.

Subrata Roy gets conditional bail
Tnn, New Delhi

The Supreme Court yesterday asked Sahara group chief Subrata Roy to deposit Rs 10,000 crore with the market regulator Sebi for his release on interim bail from judicial custody. The SC has also agreed to defreeze bank accounts of Sahara companies to raise the Rs 10,000 crore and adjourned the case for today asking the group to give details of the bank account numbers which are to be defreezed.

Turkey court orders to lift Twitter ban
Afp, Istanbul

A Turkish court yesterday overturned the government's controversial Twitter ban imposed after audio recordings spread via the social media site implicated Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a corruption scandal. The Twitter ban took effect on March 20 after Erdogan defiantly vowed to "wipe out" the online messaging service, alleging it breached privacy.

Venezuela arrests generals for 'coup'
Afp, Caracas

Three Venezuelan air force generals accused of plotting a coup against the leftist government of President Nicolas Maduro were arrested Tuesday, amid a widening crackdown on the opposition. The stunning disclosure -- the first known significant threat from within Maduro's government -- comes amid a growing crackdown on the president's opponents after more than six weeks of street protests that have left at least 34 dead.

Iraq PM announces poll delay
Afp, Baghdad

Iraq's premier yesterday warned that April legislative polls may be delayed as he pushed for a controversial election law to be amended after electoral chiefs suddenly quit complaining of political interference. The elction was  scheduled on April 30.