Former US President George Bush senior hospitalised for pneumonia
Washington, April 19 (IANS): Former US President George H. W. Bush has been hospitalised since Friday for pneumonia. A spokesman for the former president’s family said on Tuesday that the 92-year-old bush was admitted to the Houston Methodist Hospital on Friday due to a persistent cough that has prevented him from getting proper rest, and it was subsequently diagnosed as a mild pneumonia. The spokesman said that former president bush is already recovering, Xinhua news agency reported. In January, Bush was sent to the Houston Methodist Hospital with an acute respiratory problem. Bush, who was born in 1924, was the 41st President of the United States from 1989 to 1993.
Thai King Bhumibol to be cremated in October
Bangkok, April 19 (IANS): The cremation ceremony of Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died last year at the age of 88 after occupying the throne for 70 years, will take place on October 26, a royal spokesperson said on Wednesday. The date has been proposed by a government committee and approved by King Vajiralongkorn -- Bhumibol’s son and successor, the spokesperson told EFE news. The ceremony will last five days, according to a statement by Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam. After the cremation, Thailand will start preparing for the coronation of Vajiralongkorn, who ascended the throne in December but wasn’t formally crowned. King Bhumibol passed away on October 13 last year after battling a long illness that kept him hospitalised for most of his life’s last 10 years. Bhumibol Adulyadej, revered in the country as a symbol of unity, ruled under the title of Rama IX, and was the only monarch most Thai people have known.
Taliban ‘governor’, 21 other militants killed in Afghan raid
Kabul, April 19 (IANS): At least 22 militants, including Taliban’s “Governor” for Baghlan, were killed when Afghan security forces carried out an operation in this northern province, the Defence Ministry said on Wednesday. “On specific intelligence inputs, the army launched an operation in Dand-e-Ghuri district of Baghlan province on Tuesday night. Three others were held,” Xinhua news agency quoted a Defence Ministry statement as saying. A dozen helicopters and US aircraft participated in the raid, Khaama Press reported. Maulawi Helel alias Lal Mohammad was among the killed, the statement said. The security forces seized one AK-47 and two rounds of pistol during the operation. Baghlan as well as neighbouring Kunduz and Takhar provinces have been the scene of heavy clashes over the past couple of months as Taliban has been trying to challenge the government forces in the once relatively peaceful region. According to sources, the operation was carried out when the Taliban was preparing for a big attack to overrun Baghlan.
China to launch first cargo spacecraft
Beijing, April 19 (IANS): China will on Thursday launch its first cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-1 from the Wenchang Space Launch Centre in Hainan province, it was announced on Wednesday. The Centre on Tuesday conducted the final rehearsal covering all systems involved in the launch such as the rocket, spacecraft, launching site and testing, control and communication systems, Xinhua news agency reported.Before the rehearsal, staff finished testing the rocket’s hermeticity and its power and electric systems. The rehearsal showed that all the systems were working well and the technical conditions were good. It is the first cargo ship independently developed by China and is expected to dock with the orbiting Tiangong-2 space lab and conduct in-orbit refueling. The cargo spacecraft will also carry out space experiments, including one on non-Newtonian gravitation, before falling back to the earth.
Over 450 migrants, 7 corpses reach Sicily
Augusta (Italy), April 19 (IANS/AKI): A ship docked at the Sicilian port of Augusta on Wednesday with 453 boat migrants on board including “many” women and children, as well as seven corpses recovered during a rescue operation, port officials said. Several pregnant women were among the migrants who arrived in Augusta aboard the ‘Phoenix’ operated by the Migrant Offshore Aid Station (Moas) charity, according to officials. A total of 8,360 people were rescued from Friday to Sunday in the Mediterranean in dozens of separate operations, the Italian Coast Guard said. Improved spring weather may have fuelled the surge in crossings. Some 32,800 migrants have been brought to land since the beginning of the year, the International Organisation for Migration said on Tuesday. The total number of arrivals in Italy was predicted to reach about 36,000 by Thursday, IOM said. At least 900 migrants have died or have gone missing while attempting to cross the Mediterranean this year, almost 90 percent on the treacherous route from Libya to Italy, according to IOM.
