Climbers rescued

LUCKNOW: More than 100 mountain climbers who were stranded in Himalayas, including several from Russia and Germany, have been rescued by the Indian Air Force, officials said on Tuesday. One climber, an Indian, died and four Russians and four Indians were suffering from hypothermia, altitude sickness and hypothermia, air force official SM Sharma. The rest were all in relatively good condition, he said. The climbers lost contact on September 26 during a heavy snowstorm in the mountains in the northern state of Uttarakhand, and authorities were unable to find them for three days, said Chandola. The trekkers were part of four teams and included four Russian climbers and seven Germans. — AP

Kabul blast kills 13

KABUL: A suicide bomber blew up a police bus in Kabul on Tuesday, killing 13 people including a mother and her two children in a new Taliban attack just days after another claimed 30 lives in the Afghan capital. The rush-hour suicide blast in the west of the city ripped off the sides and roof of the bus, which was smeared in blood and flesh. Parts of seats were flung into the trees. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed said the militia was responsible for the carnage. The attacker, strapped with explosives, had tried to board the bus but a policeman on the vehicle became suspicious and shot him, interior ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashary said. Wounded, the bomber still managed to detonate his explosives, Bashary said. — AFP

Coup leader is Dy PM

Bangkok: Thailand’s coup leader General Sonthi Boonyaratglin was officially named a deputy prime minister on Tuesday, but he denied that his appointment to the cabinet was an attempt to cling to power. King Bhumibol Adulyadej signed off on Sonthi’s new job just two days after the general retired from the army and resigned as head of Thailand’s junta. “As is appropriate and beneficial to the government’s work, General Sonthi Boonyaratglin is appointed as deputy prime minister as of October 1,” the royal command said. Sonthi had announced on Monday that he would become a deputy prime minister. — AP