News in Brief

Lanka opposition gets Buddhist backing
Afp, Colombo

Sri Lanka's main opposition candidate yesterday won important backing from a top Buddhist monk campaigning to scrap the executive presidency and return the country to a parliamentary democracy. Rajapakse called the election two years ahead of schedule in an apparent attempt to seek a fresh mandate before his party's popularity tumbles further, after dropping over 21 percent in September local elections.

Thai cops charged with royal defamation
Afp, Bangkok

Two high-ranking Thai police officers have been arrested for royal defamation, an official said yesterday, a rare charge against senior public servants as lese majeste cases mount following a May coup. Central Investigation Bureau chief Pongpat Chayapun and his deputy Kowit Vongrongrot have been charged under the strict lese majeste law, which can put offenders up to 15 years behind bars.

Controversy clouds Bahrain polls
Afp, Manama

Controversy clouded Bahrain's first election since Sunni authorities crushed protests led by the Gulf monarchy's Shia majority, with the opposition mocking government boasts of more than 50 percent turnout. The official electoral commission put turnout at 51.5 percent, but the Shia opposition, which has dismissed the polls as a "farce", said only 30 percent of eligible voters had cast their ballot on Saturday.

Up to 300 Swedes fighting with ISIS
Afp, Stockholm

As many as 300 Swedes could have joined the Islamic State insurgency, whose brutal tactics in Iraq and Syria have shocked the world, Sweden's intelligence chief said Saturday. Sweden announced late October that it would pass a law banning citizens from taking part in foreign armed conflicts.

India tea workers kill owner in pay row
Bbc Online

Workers at a tea plantation in eastern India yesterday killed the owner during negotiations over a pay dispute. Police say the owner of Sonali tea estate in West Bengal had come to pacify angry workers who had reportedly not been paid for two or three months. He died after being beaten up and stabbed by a crowd.