AFP, Jerusalem
Israel lifted restrictions on worship at Jerusalem’s flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound Wednesday in an apparent bid, swiftly welcomed by Washington, to ease tensions after three weeks of violence.
The Israeli move came after Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas instructed security forces and political factions to prevent any escalation of the violence which has raised fears of a new intifada or uprising.
India to crack down on illegal beef exports
AFP, New Delhi
India said on Tuesday it plans to set up laboratories at ports to test for illegal cow meat exports, as controversy rages over the murder of a Muslim man accused of eating beef.
Although, most Indian states ban the slaughter of cows, the killing of buffaloes is allowed.
Ex-UNGA chief in bribery probe
AP, New York
A former president of the United Nations General Assembly turned the world body into a “platform for profit” by accepting over $1 million in bribes from a billionaire Chinese real estate mogul and other businesspeople to pave the way for lucrative investments, a prosecutor charged Tuesday.
John Ashe, a former U.N. ambassador from Antigua and Barbuda who served in the largely ceremonial post as head of the 193-nation assembly from September 2013 to September 2014, faces tax fraud charges.
China typhoon death toll rises to 19
Reuters, Shanghai
The death toll from a typhoon that struck China on the weekend has risen to 19, with four people missing, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday.
Seven people were killed in typhoon-triggered tornados in the southern province of Guangdong while seven died in landslides, Xinhua said citing the provincial civil affairs department.
Nepal govt, protesters discuss size of states
AP, Kathmandu
Negotiators from Nepal’s government and the main group protesting the country’s new constitution discussed the main issue of the size of proposed states on Wednesday, but said little progress was made in their second day of talks.
The United Democratic Madhesi Front insisted on immediate changes to the size of the states specified in the constitution, while government negotiators said changes could only be made through an appropriate legal process.
US to release 6,000 federal prisoners
Reuters, Washington
The U.S. Justice Department is set to release about 6,000 prisoners early in the largest one-time release of federal inmates, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday.
The release, scheduled for between Oct. 30 and Nov. 2, is an effort to reduce overcrowding and provide relief to drug offenders who received harsh sentences over the past three decades, the newspaper said.
