28 killed in Andhra

HYDERABAD: At least 28 people have been killed and scores injured in torrential rains in the past four days in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, a government official said on Wednesday. The region has suffered severe storms since Saturday, bringing hail, rain and high winds that damaged homes and crops, the official said. — AFP

20 ultras killed

KABUL: About 20 suspected insurgents and one Afghan policeman were killed in a bloody battle in the mountains of southeastern Afghanistan, the US military said on Wednesday. Six American soldiers were wounded. Tuesday’s clash, one of the deadliest in recent months, occurred in Dehchopan district of Zabul province, about 330 km southwest of the capital, Kabul, the US military said in a statement. — AP

Plane crashes in Pak

KARACHI: An unmanned Pakistan Army aircraft crashed early on Wednesday in southern Sindh province after developing a technical fault, army officials said. The drone, which was on a routine flight near Nawabshah, 265 km north of Pakistan’s biggest city Karachi, fell on to a farm causing no casualties or damage. — AFP

Lawyer gunned down

KARACHI: Gunmen riding on a motorcycle opened fire on a car in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi on Wednesday, killing a lawyer and wounding his son, police said. The shooting of Imanullah Khan, 45, appeared to be a targeted killing, but the motive was unclear, said Ishfaq Hussain, an area police official. — AP

Quakes in Andaman

NEW DELHI: Three moderate earthquakes shook India’s remote Andaman and Nicobar islands early on Wednesday, but no damage or injuries were reported, a meteorologist said. The strongest quake had a magnitude of 5.5. It came a few minutes after two other quakes hit with magnitudes of 5.1 and 5.3, said an official of the Indian Meteorology Department said. — AP

SC fiat to Indian govt

NEW DELHI: India’s highest court has asked the government to order all male government employees to declare the amount of dowry they received at the time of their marriage, The Asian Age newspaper reported on Wednesday. Laws passed more than four decades ago to prevent the practice of families demanding dowries have had little effect. — AP