AP, Srinagar
Authorities tightened security dramatically in parts of Indian-administered Kashmir on Friday to prevent protests ahead of a visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Indian forces erected steel barricades and laid razor wire on roads and ordered residents to stay indoors in old parts of Srinagar, the largest city in the region. The city’s main mosque was cordoned off and Friday prayers were barred.
Separatist leaders had called for a protest Friday at the mosque to honor tens of thousands of Muslims they say were killed in riots with Hindus in 1947. As of late afternoon there were no reports of clashes or protests.
Myanmar enters final day of poll campaigning
BBC Online
Candidates in Myanmar have entered their final day of campaigning ahead of Sunday’s general election.
The elections will be Myanmar’s first openly contested polls in 25 years, following decades of military rule.
The ruling Union Solidarity Development Party, which has been in power since 2011, is holding a rally in Yangon.
Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) is expected to make major gains on Sunday, though she is barred from the presidency.
Obama, Netanyahu eye arms deal to mend ties
AFP, Washington
Barack Obama and Benjamin Netanyahu will hold a post-row summit Monday, hoping a massive 10 year defense deal will help them move beyond a bitter public fight that shook a decades-old alliance.
After acerbic clashes over the US-backed nuclear deal with Iran, the two leaders will discuss a deal expected to be worth more than $30 billion which will include a string of advanced weaponry systems, officials said.
The deal will not be finalized during the summit and would only come into effect after a current accord expires in 2017.
58 Iraqis died of electrocution
AFP, Baghdad
Fifty-eight Iraqis died of electrocution during heavy rains and flooding last week, the health ministry said on Thursday, illustrating the dangers posed by the country’s dilapidated infrastructure.
The 58 “died of electric shocks,” spokesman Ahmed al-Ridaini told AFP.
The sewer system was overwhelmed by several days of downpour, leading to widespread flooding in Baghdad and other parts of the country, and with some areas still flooded days after the rain stopped.
Russia sends aid to Yemen
AFP, Moscow
Russia on Thursday sent a plane to rebel-controlled Yemen carrying what Moscow said was more than 20 tonnes of humanitarian aid for the conflict-torn country.
Russia’s emergencies ministry said the Il-76 transported “23 tonnes of humanitarian aid” including food and tents to Yemen’s capital Sanaa.
