Boat mishap: 12 dead

HYDERABAD: Twelve people drowned and 20 others were missing on Saturday after a crowded boat carrying Hindu pilgrims capsized in a river in southern India, police said. The pilgrims were crossing the Godavari River to reach a village temple on the other side when the boat overturned in mid-river, said V Balakrishna, a local police superintendent in Andhra Pradesh. Villagers and police helped pull many pilgrims from the river, while some passengers swam to safety, he said.

16 protesters on trial

TEHRAN: Iran’s state media reports that a group of opposition activists are standing trial in Tehran on charges of rioting in connection with protests in late December. The official IRNA news agency and state Press TV say there were 16 defendents in court for the trial’s opening on Saturday. At least eight people were killed and hundreds more were arrested during the December clashes between opposition activists and security forces. Since August, Iran’s hardline government has tried more than 100 political activists.