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News in Brief -(13-02-2018)

Tuesday, 13 February 2018


Rouhani to visit India this week
TEHRAN, Feb 12: Iran's President Hassan Rouhani will visit India this week for three days, local media reported on Monday. Rouhani is due to leave for India on Thursday to discuss "the latest regional and global developments", the semi-official ISNA news agency said. He was invited by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year, ISNA said. India and Iran have collaborated on key projects, most notably the Chabahar port in southeastern Iran that was inaugurated in December. — AFP

Cholera outbreak kills six in Malawi
LILONGWE, Feb 12: The cholera outbreak in Malawi starting last November has killed six people, with recorded cases reaching 434 in the southern African country, authorities said Sunday. The outbreak was first reported in the border district of Karonga, which witnessed four of the cholera-related deaths. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) expressed concern over rising cholera infections in the country, urging authorities to immediately enhance hygiene and sanitary measures. — Xinhua

Oxfam Int'l boss says Haiti scandal 'breaks my heart'
NEW YORK, Feb 12: The executive director of Oxfam International said on Sunday she was heartbroken by a sexual misconduct scandal in Haiti involving aid workers that prompted Britain's government to threaten to cut off aid funding to charities. Oxfam, one of Britain's biggest charities, has condemned the behavior of some former staff in Haiti after a newspaper report said aid workers paid for sex while on a mission to help those affected by the 2010 earthquake. Britain's aid minister said the government would cut aid funding from any charity that did not comply with a new review into their work overseas, calling reports of sexual exploitation in the sector "utterly despicable." Winnie Byanyima, who became executive director of Oxfam International in 2013, said she was saddened by what took place in 2010 and that it could not happen under systems and rules put in place since. — Reuters

Horse and carriage for Prince Harry and Meghan wedding
LONDON, Feb 12: Britain's Prince Harry and his US bride Meghan Markle will have a public horse-drawn carriage ride after marrying in Windsor Castle on May 19, Kensington Palace said Sunday. Following a midday (1100 GMT) ceremony in St George's Chapel, the newlyweds will make a "short journey" by carriage through the town of Windsor, leaving the castle at 1:00 pm (1200 GMT), it said. "Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are hugely grateful for the many good wishes they have received since announcing their engagement," the palace said in a statement. — AFP