War hero cremated

NEW DELHI: India cremated with full military honours on Thursday etired lieutenant general Jagjit Singh Aurora hailed as the architect of the 1971 war with Pakistan that led to the birth of Bangladesh. Ministers attended the funeral.— AFP

India launches PSLV

SRIHARIKOTA: India on Thursday put into space Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle carrying two satellites. This is the first time the Indian Space Research Organisation has launched two satellites with the help of a locally designed space vehicle. — HNS

Wall collapse kills 11

KOLKATA: Eleven people, including three women and seven children, were killed when the wall of an abandoned warehouse collapsed in the West Bengal capital. — HNS

Nine soldiers killed

KABUL: Militants ambushed a group of Afghan soldiers in southern Afghanistan, killing nine and injuring three more, the Defence Ministry said on Thursday. No further details were available.— AP

Falun men win appeal

HONG KONG: Eight followers of the Falun Gong spiritual group on Thursday won an appeal of their convictions on charges of assaulting and obstructing police during a March 2002 protest. A summary of the decision handed down by Hong Kong’s top court said, “The freedom to demonstrate peacefully is a constitutional right.” — AP

8 killed in China blast

BEIJING: A blast at an explosives factory in Shandong province killed eight workers and injured three others, reports said on Thursday. — AFP