News in Brief

Modi thanks Sharif for gift
Afp, New Delhi

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday thanked his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif for gifting his mother a "wonderful" white sari in more warm words between the South Asian leaders.
"Nawaz Sharif ... has sent a wonderful white sari for my mother," Modi tweeted from his personal account. "I am really grateful to him & will send it to my mother very soon," he added.

Militant commander killed in NW Pakistan
Afp, Miranshah

A senior Taliban commander known for training suicide bombers was killed yesterday in a clash between rival factions in Pakistan's restive northwest, officials and militant sources said.
Ashiqullah Mehsud of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan was killed during a clash with a recent breakaway faction near the town of Mir Ali in the North Waziristan tribal district bordering Afghanistan.

D-Day leaders to dine in resistance landmark
Afp, Paris

The chateau where heads of state attending the 70th anniversary of D-Day will sit down for lunch today played a celebrated role in French resistance to the Nazis.
Queen Elizabeth II, US President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin are among the dignitaries who will be treated to a locally-sourced meal produced by Michelin-starred chefs at the Chateau de Benouville.

Palestinians to turn to UN over Israel settlement drive
Afp, Ramallah

The Palestinians said yesterday they would appeal to the United Nations after Israel announced plans for 1,500 new settler homes in response to the formation of a Hamas-backed unity government.
The new government of technocrats is recognised by both the European Union and the United States but Israel has vowed to boycott what it says is a "government of terror" supported by its Islamist foe.

Afghan border attack kills 4 Pak soldiers
Afp, Islamabad

Militants killed four soldiers and wounded three others on Wednesday in a cross-border attack on Pakistani checkpoints situated along the troubled frontier with Afghanistan, officials said.
The posts came under fire from the Afghan side early on Wednesday morning in the Manozangal and Mukha Tops areas of the Bajaur tribal region, one of seven such districts bordering Afghanistan.