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Xinhua Asia-Pacific news summary at 1000 GMT, Jan. 30

Xinhua, January 30, 2015 Adjust font size:

India's former Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan quit the country's main opposition Congress party on Friday, with a scathing attack on the party's vice-president and Nehru-Gandhi scion Rahul Gandhi.

"I announce my resignation from the primary membership of the Congress party. It's an extremely painful moment for me. Whatever I did during my tenure as the Environment Minister was following the party's line. I did nothing wrong," she told the media in the southern city of Chennai. (India-Minister-Quit)

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MANILA -- Following the brutal killing of more than 40 police commandos, Philippine President Benigno Aquino III vowed on Friday to capture a Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) bomb expert who managed to escape the authorities' hunt during the clash in the southern province of Maguindanao.

Aquino assured that a more well-planned operation was underway to arrest and capture terrorist member Abdul Basit Usman during the commemoration for the slain members of the Special Action Force (SAF) of the Philippine National Police (PNP) at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City. (Philippines-Bomb Expert)

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DHAKA -- Eight bodies were recovered on Friday after a fishing trawler carrying over 100 illegal job seeks sank in the Bay of Bengal, official sources said.

Mohammad Tarek Mostafa, contingent commander of the Coast Guard, told Xinhua that so far eight bodies were found floating in the bay. The Malaysia-bound trawler carrying the illegal job seekers capsized on Thursday because of overloading.

He said the Coast Guard, navy and police had rescued over 43 people. Two ships of the Bangladeshi Navy and one of the Coast Guard were taking part in the rescue operation as dozens still remained unaccounted for. (Bangladesh-Ship Sinking-Bodies)

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ISLAMABAD -- At least 20 people were killed and over 40 others injured as a blast hit a Shiite Mosque in Pakistan's southern district of Shikarpur on Friday afternoon, officials said.

Medical Superintendent of the Shikarpur Hospital said that at least 20 bodies and over 40 others injured were brought to the hospital.

The official said death toll may further rise as a number of injured were in critical condition.

Local Urdu TV channel ARY quoted unidentified police sources as saying that the blast was of suicide nature and it happened at about 1:50 p.m. local time during Friday prayers. (Pakistan-Mosque- Blast) Endi