News in Brief

Pakistan expels Indian journos

Afp, Islamabad
Pakistan has ordered the only two Indian journalists, Meena Menon of The Hindu newspaper and Snehesh Alex Philip of the Press Trust of India (PTI), stationed in the country to leave by May 20, telling them their visas would not be renewed, officials said yesterday. Both journalists had been posted in Pakistan for less than a year and no reason was given for the decision to deny them new visas.

Afghan polls result today

Reuters, Kabul
The final result of the presidential election held in Afghanistan over a month ago will be announced today, the country's Independent Election Commission said, delaying the announcement by a day. Preliminary results late last month showed no candidate emerging with an absolute majority which, if confirmed by the final results, will lead to a run-off between the two leading contenders.

Obama meets Syrian opposition leader

Afp, Washington
President Barack Obama met Syrian opposition leader Ahmad Jarba Tuesday in a show of support for moderate, embattled foes of President Bashar al-Assad.Both sides said the meeting was productive and marked an important step in the evolving relationship between the United States and the opposition. Jarba, according to a White House statement, thanked Obama for a total of $287 million in US aid to opposition forces.

Drone strike kills 3 militants in Pakistan

Dpa, Islamabad
A US drone killed three suspected militants in north-western Pakistan yesterday, the first such airstrike in nearly five months, officials said. The unmanned aircraft fired missiles on a suspected hideout and a car used by militants in Khyber tribal district near the Afghan border.

'Imminent' N Korea nuclear test unlikely

Afp, Seoul
Despite fears to the contrary, North Korea does not appear to be preparing an imminent nuclear test, a US think-tank yesterday said in an analysis of recent satellite images of Pyongyang's main test site. The international community has been on edge for a month after South Korea cited intelligence reports that the North was planning to conduct its fourth nuclear.

Militants hit Yemeni army posts; 18 killed

Reuters, Sanaa
At least eight Yemeni soldiers and 10 al-Qaeda militants were killed yesterday in clashes when insurgents attacked two military posts in a southern province where the government mounted an offensive two weeks ago, military sources said. The sources told Reuters the fighting in Gol al-Rayda and Azzan districts of Shabwa province started early in the morning and raged for several hours. An army colonel was among the dead, a Defence Ministry source said.

One-in-four people in world anti-Semitic

Afp, Washington
More than one-in-four adults harbor anti-Semitic attitudes and barely half worldwide have heard of the Holocaust, according to a global study released Tuesday by a major Jewish rights group. The US-based Anti-Defamation League, in a survey in 102 countries and territories, "found that anti-Semitic attitudes are persistent and pervasive around the world."