In Brief

Families wait for bodies of loved ones in train fire

NEW DELHI: Indian families faced an agonising wait yesterday for the bodies of their loved ones after a fire raced through a train carriage and claimed 26 lives. The blaze swept through the packed carriage on Saturday while passengers were sleeping as the train was travelling from the southern city of Banga-lore to the city of Nanded. Some 20 charred bodies have so far been identified but only eight of them have been handed over to relatives, an Indian Railways official, N Ramesh, said at the scene at the tragedy.

Mongolia marks 65 years of ties with China

ULAN BATOR: The Mongolian government decided Satur-day to host a series of cultural events in 2014 to celebrate the 65th anniversary of diplomatic ties with China. The celebration will include activities such as Chinese and Mongolian cultural days, youth sports matches and TV programs featuring the memoirs of former ambassadors of the two countries. Investment forums and round table discussions involving scholars of the two countries will also be held.

Giant panda in Thailand pregnant, says zoo

BANGKOK: A zoo in northern Thailand said yesterday that it was preparing for the birth of a second giant panda in the New Year thanks to artificial insemination. Chiang Mai Zoo said 12-year-old Lin Hui, who along with her partner Chuang Chuang is on loan from China, was due to deliver a cub by January. “She is being carefully monitored. We are quite excited,” said an official at the zoo.

Pick-up truck crash kills 18 in Indonesia: police

JAKARTA: Eighteen people on their way to a funeral were killed when their pick-up truck crashed into a trailer in Indonesia, police said yester-day. The pick-up with 31 peo-ple on board had attempted to overtake three vehicles but collided with a cargo trai-ler in Probolinggo district in East Java on Saturday, East Java police spokesman Awi Setyono told AFP. “The pick-up carrying all-female passengers hit the trailer as it was trying to speed past three vehicles in front by going on the wrong lane.''

Sri Lanka arrests 22 Indian fishermen

COLOMBO: The Sri Lankan navy yesterday arrested 22 Indian fishermen for poach-ing in Sri Lankan waters. A navy spokesman said that the Indian fishermen had been arrested in the northern seas and will be handed over to the local police.

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