Quake jolts Indian isles

NEW DELHI: An earthquake measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale shook the Andaman and Nicobar group of islands on Friday, the Indian meteorological department said. The epicentre was off Great Nicobar island’s southern coast, the Press Trust of India quoted the department as saying. — AFP

Indian FM in Myanmar

YANGON: Indian foreign minister Natwar Singh held talks here on Friday with Myanmar ministers during a visit aimed at strengthening ties between the two neighbours, officials said. Singh met Myanmar’s foreign minister Nyan Win ahead of talks with prime minister lieutenant general Soe Win. — AFP

Rebels welcome tourists

SRINAGAR: A hardline rebel group — in a rare gesture on Friday — welcomed Indian and foreign tourists to revolt-hit Indian Kashmir but said they should “respect Islamic principles.”

“We welcome all Indian and foreigners to the valley, but they should respect Islamic principles

and Kashmiri culture,” the Greater Kashmir newspaper reported, quoting a statement by the hardline al Badr rebel group. — AFP

UK royal’s Thailand trip

BANGKOK: Prince Andrew, the son of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, will make a private visit to Thailand’s tsunami-hit areas in late April, the Thai foreign ministry said on Friday. Andrew will arrive in the kingdom on April 23 for a three-day trip. — AFP

Aftershocks shake Aceh

BANDA ACEH: The latest in a series of strong earthquakes shook the tsunami-hit Indonesian region of Aceh on Friday, but officials said there were no casualites or damage. Syahmam of the government Meteorology and Geophysics office in the main city of Banda Aceh said the quake, which struck at 0104 GMT and measured 5.9 on the Richter scale, was an aftershock from last year’s seismic disaster. — AFP

Murder suspect held

GILGIT: Pakistani authorities have detained 17 people following the murder of a former police chief in the northern Himalayan city of Gilgit, officials said. The men were picked up in raids near where gunmen ambushed senior officer Sakhiullah Tareen on Wednesday, killing him and four guards and wounding his son and daughter-in-law. — AP

Indonesia, P’pines on alert

JAKARTA: Indonesia and the Philippines were on alert on Friday for Islamic militant attacks aimed to disrupt celebrations of Easter while foreigners were warned over their safety. Police in both countries said they were hunting for radicals connected to Jemaah Islamiyah and the Abu Sayyaf. — AFP