J&K ultras killed

SRINAGAR: Indian troops have dealt a fresh blow to Kashmir’s main militant group by killing two of its top commanders during a gun battle that also left a soldier and a civilian dead. The fighting erupted late Tuesday when Indian troops, backed by counter-insurgency police, raided a hide-out near the summer capital Srinagar. “We have killed two top Hizbul Mujahedin commanders,” said Nitish Kumar, the police chief for Anantnag district, where the clash took place. Kumar identified the two commanders as “divisional commander” Aslam Khan, alias Zia-ur-Rehman, and “district commander” Javaid Ahmad Lone, alias Nazar. — AFP

Pilots found guilty

BEIJING: China’s aviation watchdog has vowed to punish pilots engaged in rare industrial action that allegedly included refusing to land planes. In a meeting on Tuesday, the Civil Aviation Administration of China vowed to strip pilots of their licences for refusing to land their planes on schedule, the Beijing News reported. According to the paper, pilots flying 18 China Eastern Airlines routes refused to land due to bad weather and returned to their point of departure during regional flights in southwestern China’s Yunnan province on Monday. — AFP

14 dead in Lanka

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan soldiers launched a pre-dawn attack on Wednesday on Tamil separatists in the embattled north, triggering a battle that killed 13 rebels and one soldier. Scattered fighting across the north on Tuesday killed 51 rebels and two soldiers, the military said. — AP

Pak gas explosion

LAHORE: Officials say a gas explosion in the Pakistani city of Faisalabad has caused several buildings to collapse and killed a dozen people. City official Tariq Sardar said another 28 people were wounded when gas cylinders stored in a two-storey building exploded on Wednesday. The building collapsed along with several adjoining shops. Rescue workers are searching for other victims feared buried under the rubble. — AP