Indian Sub-continent

Jammu, Nov 17 (PTI) The Jammu and Kashmir administration headed by Lt Governor G C Murmu has issued a notification ending the tenure of legislative assembly Speaker and senior BJP leader Nirmal Singh who was appointed to the post under provisions of the now-revoked J&K Constitution.

DHAKA (Reuters) - At least seven people were killed and eight injured on Sunday after a gas pipeline exploded in the Bangladeshi port city of Chittagong, a police official said.

The pipeline exploded in front of a five-story building, blowing some of the building’s walls off, Mohammad Mohsin said, citing witnesses.

The injured were taken to hospital, he said, adding the death toll could rise as some were in critical condition.

Among the injured, one suffered burns while others were wounded by the wall collapse, Mohsin said.

MUMBAI (Reuters) - An Indian Muslim group said on Sunday it would file a petition in the Supreme Court asking for a review of a ruling that awarded a disputed site in Uttar Pradesh to Hindus, allowing them to build a temple there.

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board, an umbrella body of intellectuals and organizations, said it would seek a review of the judgment, which rejected Muslim claims over the land.

New Delhi, Nov 17 (PTI) Justice Ranjan Gogoi, the first person from northeast to reach the top of judiciary and credited for bringing the curtains down on the decades old politically and religiously sensitive Ayodhya land dispute, retired as the chief justice of India on Sunday.

Justice Gogoi's tenure as judge and as CJI was marked by some controversies and personal allegations but that never came in his way of his judicial work that was reflected in the last few days when benches headed by him delivered some path-breaking judgements.

COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lanka’s former wartime defense chief Gotabaya Rajapaksa was set to become president after his main rival conceded defeat on Sunday in an election that came months after bombings by Islamist militants threw the country into turmoil.

Rajapaksa oversaw the military defeat of Tamil separatists under his brother and then president Mahinda Rajapaksa 10 years ago. He has promised strong leadership to secure the island of 22 million people, the majority of whom are Sinhalese Buddhists.

New Delhi, Nov 17 (PTI) The situation in Jammu and Kashmir, economic slowdown, unemployment and the government's plan to bring the Citizenship bill are some of the issues which are likely to emerge as flashpoints between the opposition and treasury benches in the Winter session of Parliament beginning Monday.

Besides the passage of the Citizenship (amendment) bill, the government also plans to convert two crucial ordinances into law during the session.

COLOMBO, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya said on Saturday that the country's presidential polls had concluded peacefully without any major injuries or violence reported and with a voter turnout of over 80 percent.

Deshapriya told journalists in the capital after the voting that in total seven violent incidents had been reported from across the country which included shooting and stabbing while 248 minor violations such as threats and intimidation had been reported.

NEW DELHI, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- India successfully conducted first night trial of its versatile surface-to-surface medium-range nuclear-capable missile Agni-II from a test range in its eastern state of Odisha, state-run broadcaster All India Radio (AIR) said Sunday.

The trial was carried out Saturday night by the strategic forces command of Indian army with logistic support from the country's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

16 Nov 2019; MEMO: Iran is not calling for the elimination of the Jewish people, but believes people of all religions should decide Israel’s future, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Friday, reported Reuters.

Since its Islamic Revolution in 1979, Iran has refused to recognise Israel and has backed militant Palestinian groups. Israel has long accused Iran of seeking its destruction and regards Tehran as its main enemy in the Middle East.

November 16, 2019, PTI/GANASHAKTI: Gunmen opened fire on a convoy of buses carrying minority Muslim voters in northwest Sri Lanka on Saturday, hours before polling in presidential elections got under way, police said.

There were no immediate reports of casualties, but a police official said the attackers had burnt tyres on the road and set up makeshift road blocks to ambush the convoy of more than 100 vehicles.