SRI LANKA CABINET APPROVES BILL FOR COMPENSATION OF CIVIL WAR VICTIMS

COLOMBO: The Sri Lanka cabinet has given the nod to a bill to set up an office of reparations to compensate victims of the three-decade civil war that plagued the island nation, cabinet spokesman Rajitha Senaratne said on Wednesday. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which fought for a separate Tamil homeland, was defeated by the Sri Lankan military in 2009 with the death of its supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran. “As part of implementing the resolutions by the United Nations Human Rights Council, the Cabinet endorsed a Bill to be enacted by Parliament for the payment of reparations in respect of war-affected and missing persons,” Senaratne, who also serves as the health minister, said. AGENCIES

Maldives exprez Gayoom sentenced to 19 months jail

MALE : A Maldives court on Wednesday sentenced a former strongman accused of plotting to overthrow the government to 19 months in prison for failing to cooperate with the police investigation. Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who ruled the state from 1978 to 2008, is the second former president to be jailed under President Abdulla Yameen’s rule. He was arrested in February on charges of attempting to overthrow the government of Yameen, his half-brother. AGENCIES

Ireland to vote on removing blasphemy as an offence

DUBLIN: Ireland will hold a referendum in October to remove the offence of blasphemy from its constitution, minister for justice and equality Charlie Flanagan said on Tuesday. The Irish government has approved preparing a bill to remove blasphemy as part of a commitment to constitutional reforms. REUTERS

Iraq’s alsadr joins forces with Iranbacked coalition

BAGHDAD: Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-sadr, whose coalition won the largest number of seats in last month’s parliamentary elections, has announced an alliance with an Iran-backed coalition ahead of marathon negotiations to form a new government.

AP

Afghans have bright future once US leaves: Taliban

KABUL: The Taliban told “American invaders” to leave Afghanistan in an announcement marking the end of Ramzan, assured the people of a bright future under Islamic rule and said it had already liberated “vast areas” of the country. The Taliban, who announced a surprise three-day ceasefire over Eid, except against foreign forces, also denounced the US relocation of its Israeli embassy to Jerusalem, which “further exposes the absolute hatred of American officials towards Islam”. REUTERS