Landslides kill 12

GUWAHATI:

Twelve people were killed and 20 injured in landslides triggered by monsoon rains in Assam as the main Brahmaputra River swelled to danger levels, officials said on Thursday. Landslides occurred from Wednesday to Thursday as heavy monsoon rains caused flooding along the banks of the Brahmaputra near the state capital. — AFP

53 prisoners freed

YANGON:

More than 50 Thais serving sentences of up to 10 years were released from Yangon’s notorious Insein prison and flown back to their homeland on Thursday, diplomatic source said. The 53 prisoners, including two women, were charged with violating the immigration law and were serving sentences ranging from five to 10 years, the diplomat said on condition of anonymity.— AP

Measles kills five kids

JAKARTA:

A measles outbreak on Indonesia’s Sumba island has killed five children and sickened 711 others, UNICEF said on Thursday. The UN children’s agency along with the World Health Organisation and the government had launched a vaccination campaign to contain the deadly virus. It also is planning to vaccinate as many as 200,000 children on the island, said John Budd, a spokesman for UNICEF. — AP

68 prostitutes arrested

JAKARTA:

Police arrested 68 prostitutes from China, Russia and Uzbekistan in a series of raids on nightspots in the Indonesian capital, media reports said on Thursday. The women, most of whose visas had expired, will be deported, police Col Ciptono told The Jakarta Post. — AP

Chinese official jailed

BEIJING:

A Communist Party propaganda head in south China’s Guangdong province has been sentenced to 18 years in prison after being convicted of having three wives, state press said on Thursday. Huang Dong, 54, was sentenced by the Zhaoqing city court after the former head of the Huaiji party propaganda bureau was found to have sired five children in his three marriages. — AFP