News in Brief (11-6-2018)

Priyanka regrets Quantico's plotline

NEW DELHI, June 10: Bollywood superstar Priyanka Chopra has apologised after outrage over a plotline on her US television series Quantico. A recent episode of the spy thriller showed the main character, played by Ms Chopra, thwarting a plot hatched by Hindus ahead of a summit on Kashmir. Many Indian fans were outraged by the show's story and attacked her online. Ms Chopra declared herself a "proud Indian" in a tweet and "extremely saddened" by any hurt caused by the show. The episode, The Blood of Romeo, aired on June 01 and showed the main character, Alex Parrish, stopping an attempted terror attack. — BBC

Iraq names judges to take over election commission

BAGHDAD, June 10: Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council, the highest judicial authority, named judges on Sunday tasked with taking over the country's election commission following allegations of widespread violations in a May parliamentary election. Parliament on Wednesday passed a law that mandated a nationwide manual recount of votes from the election. The law called for the Independent High Elections Commission's leadership to be replaced by nine judges. — Reuters

Knife attack on Japan bullet train leaves one dead

TOKYO, Jun 10: A knife attack on a Japanese bullet express train near Tokyo left one passenger dead and two others injured, police said Sunday. Police said they apprehended Ichiro Kojima (22) after the train made an unscheduled stop late Saturday at Odawara station west of Tokyo following an emergency call that there was a knife-wielding man. — AFP

Vietnam protesters clash with police over new economic zones

HANOI, June 10: Protests have broken out in Vietnam against plans for three new economic zones, amid fears that Chinese investors will dominate the areas. Police reportedly detained more than a dozen people in the capital Hanoi and halted demonstrations in other cities. Some carried anti-China banners, including one reading: "No leasing land to China even for one day." — BBC

India arrests 15 over 'child abduction' lynching

NEW DELHI, June 10: Indian police have arrested 15 men after the latest in a spate of lynching. The rumours were spread on WhatsApp of strangers abducting children, an officer said Sunday. A mob in a mainly tribal area of the northeastern state of Assam pulled two men out of their car on Friday night and beat them to death before police could arrive. A video on YouTube shows the badly bruised and bleeding men pleading for their lives. — AFP

Argentine trawler goes missing with nine crew

BUENOS AIRES, June 10: An Argentine-flagged fishing trawler went missing Saturday with a crew of nine aboard after sending a distress signal, authorities said. Searchers located a body in the area the boat went missing but it was not immediately clear if it was one of the missing crew. — AFP