News in Brief

Modi to visit Japan at the end of August
Afp, New Delhi

India's new Prime Minister Narendra Modi will head to Japan at the end of the month on his first bilateral visit outside South Asia since coming to power, officials said yesterday. Modi will visit from August 31 to September 3 and plans to meet with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe and Emperor Akihito, said a statement from India's foreign ministry.

Excessive salt causes 1.7m deaths: Study
Tnn, Mumbai

Almost 1.65 million people across the world die due to heart problems brought on by excess intake of salt, said a research analyzing populations from 187 countries. The paper, published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) on Thursday, found that the average consumption of salt across the globe was 3.95gm per day, nearly double the 2gm recommended by the World Health Organization. The highlight of the NEJM study is that it's the first to quantify the effect of excess sodium on cardiovascular diseases.

Philippines militants pledge allegiance to IS
Afp, Manila

Hardline Muslim guerrillas Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and the Abu Sayyaf rebels yesterday said they have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, the extremist jihadists who now control large swathes of Iraq and Syria.

Landslides kill 10 in Nepal monsoon
Afp, Kathmandu

Multiple landslides triggered by monsoon rains have left at least 10 people dead in Nepal and caused a major bridge along a national highway to cave in, officials said yesterday. Heavy rains have swept away homes and damaged roads across the country's hilly western region and along the eastern plains bordering India, said home ministry spokesman Laxmi Prasad Dhakal.