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Xinhua Asia Pacific news summary at 1000GMT, April 19

Xinhua, April 19, 2017 Adjust font size:

At least 44 people were killed and 12 others injured, some of them critically, after a passenger bus carrying them fell into river in northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, officials said Wednesday.

The accident took place near Guma in the remote area of Shimla, the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. (India-Bus Accident)

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NEW DELHI -- India's Supreme Court on Wednesday restored criminal conspiracy charge against 13 top leaders of ruling Hindu nationalist Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) in demolition of the 16th century mosque -- Babri Masjid, officials said.

The court allowed restoration of the charge against 13 people including L K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharti (currently a federal minister for water resources), Vinay Katiyar, Sadhvi Ritambara, Satish Pradhan, Champat Rai Bansal and Late Giriraj Kishore and other unknown party supporters on the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) appeal in the case. (India-Charge-BJP Leaders)

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MANILA -- Philippine navy boats and airforce helicopters deployed in Sulu sea off a southern province had foiled a seajacking attempt on a cargo vessel on Tuesday, the military said Wednesday.

The cargo vessel with 21 crew members, which was plying the sea waters off Siocon from Liloy, Zamboanga del Norte en route to Zamboanga City, gave a distress call at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday and reported that three motorized boats with undetermined number of armed men onboard were seemingly attacking them and attempting to board their vessel.(Philippines-Seajacking-Foiling)

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PUL-E-KHUMRI -- At least 22 militants, including a Taliban shadow governor, were killed when Afghan security forces carried out an operation in the northern province of Baghlan overnight, the country's Defense Ministry said Wednesday.

"On specific intelligence inputs, army's commandos supported by air force launched a night raid operation in Dand-e-Ghuri District, Baghlan province, Tuesday night. As a result, 22 Taliban (militants) were killed and three others detained," it said in a statement. (Afghanistan-Security Forces-Operation)

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PREY VENG, Cambodia -- A China-funded power transmission system was inaugurated here on Wednesday after three years' construction, officials said.

Cambodian Minister of Mines and Energy Suy Sem and Chinese Ambassador Xiong Bo jointly launched the 160-km project.

According to a report by Keo Rattanak, director-general of Cambodia's state-owned Electricite du Cambodge, the project included two substations and a 115-kilovolt line stretching from southern Kandal province to southeastern Prey Veng and Svay Rieng provinces. (China-Cambodia-Project) Endit