3 CONVICTED FOR MURDER OF INDIANORIGIN JEWELLER IN UK’S LEICESTER CITY
LONDON: Three men have been found guilty of the killing of Ramniklal Jogiya, a prominent jeweller in the east Midlands city of Leicester, who was kidnapped, tortured until he gave codes for his shop and safe, and killed on January 24. The gang spent weeks planning to rob the safe in Jogiya’s shop in the city’s Belgrave Road. The killing worried Indian-origin businessmen in the area that has witnessed attacks on business establishments in recent years. Belgrave Road is the hub of Indian and Asian business, and a key centre for Indian culture in a city that saw a large migration of Indians expelled from Idi Amin’s Uganda in the 1970s. They have since rejuvenated the city and region’s economy. PRASUN SONWALKAR
Syria’s first lady diagnosed with breast cancer
DAMASCUS: The wife of Syrian President Bashar al-assad has begun treatment for early-stage breast cancer, the presidency said on Wednesday. “Asma al-assad is beginning the first stage of treatment for a malignant tumour in the breast that was discovered at an early stage,” the presidency announced.
Puerto Rico: Hurricane Maria deaths crossed 1400
SAN JUAN: Puerto Rico has conceded that Hurricane Maria killed more than 1,400 people on the island last year and not just the 64 in the official death toll. The government acknowledged the higher death toll with no fanfare in a report submitted to the US Congress this week. AP
Argentine Senate rejects legalising elective abortion
BUENOS AIRES: Argentina’s Senate on Thursday rejected a bill to legalise abortion, a defeat for a grassroots movement that came closer than ever to achieving the decriminalisation of the procedure in the homeland of Pope Francis. The measure, which would have allowed abortion in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy, was defeated 38-31 after 15 hours of debate . AGENCIES
Greek fire toll at 93 as two more die in hospital
ATHENS: The death toll from Greece’s deadliest fire disaster rose to 93 on Thursday after two more people died in hospital. Another 34 people are still hospitalised after the July 23 wildfire in the resort of Mati.