DEHRADUN: Military helicopters dropped emergency supplies Wednesday to thousands of tourists and pilgrims stranded by flash floods that tore through towns and temples in northern India, killing at least 120 people, officials said. Thousands of people have already been evacuated after floods and landslides caused by early monsoon rains forged a path of devastation through two tourist states in the Himalayas, officials said.
European stocks mostly drop before Fed decision
LONDON: Europe’s main stock markets mainly fell on Wednesday, with traders on tenterhooks before the outcome of the US Federal Reserve’s latest monetary policy gathering, analysts said. In midday deals, London’s benchmark FTSE 100 index dipped 0.27 per cent to stand at 6,356.72 points.
Faster than speeding bullet, ‘Man of Steel’ sets June record
“Man of Steel,” the big-budget reboot of the Superman franchise, leaped over the apocalyptic buddy comedy “This is the End,” collecting a muscular $113.1 million to lead the domestic box office with the year’s second-largest debut weekend and the biggest June opening ever.
Turkey warns it may use army to end protest unrest
ISTANBUL: Turkey warned on Monday it may bring in the army to help quell nearly three weeks of nationwide anti-government protests as two major union federations went on strike over police violence against demonstrators. The government raised the threat of putting soldiers on the streets after a weekend of violent clashes sparked by the eviction of campers occupying Istanbul’s Gezi Park, the epicentre of the protest movement.
September 11 plotters back in court
FORT MEADE, Maryland: The men accused of plotting the September 11, 2001 attacks returned Friday to a military court in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, although their trial may still be more than a year away. The preliminary hearing, focused on rules over monitoring interactions between attorneys and their clients, marked the first time the five had been in court since February.
Obama defends Internet snooping program
WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama sought Monday to allay fears about secret US intelligence programs, rejecting comparisons with the policies of his predecessors George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. The Obama administration has been on the defensive since last week’s dramatic leak of details of two huge operations by the National Security Agency to track US citizens’ phone calls and intercept global Internet traffic.
Blast in Kabul amid security transition
KABUL: A large bomb exploded in the Afghan capital on Tuesday as the international military coalition hands over responsibility for fighting the Taliban insurgency to the nascent national army and police they have been training.
Key transfers in CAA; Afsar Malik appointed Karachi airport manager
ISLAMABAD: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on Tuesday ordered a number of key transfers on Tuesday, with Afsar Malik being appointed manager of the Jinnah International Airport and his predecessor Nasir Sheikh ordered to report at the authority’s head office, DawnNews quoted sources as saying.
Dollar edges up ahead of Fed policy meeting
TOKYO: The dollar edged up in Asian trade Monday as dealers await the outcome of a crucial US Federal Reserve policy meeting, looking for clues to the future of its monetary easing programme. The greenback bought 94.74 yen in Tokyo afternoon trade, up from 94.22 yen late Friday in New York, where it lost ground on mostly disappointing US economic data.
India’s central bank keeps interest rates unchanged
MUMBAI: India’s central bank kept its benchmark interest rates unchanged on Monday after three successive cuts this year, due to inflationary concerns, weak global factors and a falling rupee. After meeting in the financial capital Mumbai, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said the benchmark repo rate, at which it lends to commercial banks, would be on hold at 7.25 per cent, as expected by most economists.
