Foreign News
Qatar commutes India ex-navy officers’ death penalty
A court in Qatar has commuted the death sentences of eight former Indian naval officers, India’s foreign ministry has said.
A ministry statement said the “sentences have been reduced” but did not specify what new penalty they would face.
Neither Qatar nor India have revealed the specific charges against the men.
FT and Reuters have reported, citing unnamed sources, that the men were charged with spying for Israel. A spokesperson for Israel’s embassy in India refused to comment, saying it was “not an Israeli matter”.
“Due to the confidential and sensitive nature of proceedings of this case, it would not be appropriate to make any further comment at this juncture,” India’s foreign ministry said on Thursday.
In October, India said it was “deeply shocked” after the men were sentenced to death. It later filed an appeal against the court verdict.
The arrest of the men last year made front-page headlines in India, but there has been little confirmed information about the charges against them – the court’s order has not been made public.
The Indian government has said that the eight men were employees of a private company called Al Dahra, but they have been widely reported to be former personnel of the Indian Navy. Last year, in parliament, foreign minister S Jaishankar described them as “ex-servicemen” of the country. The families of some of the men have also confirmed their identities and background in the Navy to local media.
Earlier this month, India’s ambassador to Qatar met the men in prison.
On Thursday, India said its ambassador and other officials were present in the Court of Appeal of Qatar along with the family members of the men during the hearing. “The detailed judgement is awaited. We are in close touch with the legal team as well as the family members to decide on the next steps,” the ministry statement added.
(BBC)
North Korea has cancelled the Pyongyang marathon for unspecified reasons, a tour agency linked to the event has said.
British-owned Koryo Tours, which describes itself as the official partner of the marathon, said on Monday that it had received notice of the cancellation from North Korea’s athletics association.
A message it attributed to the association said the marathon was being cancelled “due to some reasons”.
The annual event was established in 1981 to celebrate the birth of North Korea’s founding leader Kim Il Sung. The 2026 race was set to take place on 5 April.
The message, purportedly from the North Korea athletics association’s general secretary, thanked “all the Elite Marathoners and Amateur Runners of the world who are interested in Pyongyang International Marathon”.
The message gave no further explanation on what the reasons for the cancellation were.
Koryo Tours said it understood the decision was final and had been taken “at a level above the organisers of the event itself”.
It said it would be seeking clarification on the circumstances surrounding the decision.
The tour company added that neither organisers nor event partners were involved in making the decision, and said it recognised “this announcement will be disappointing to many runners who had already registered or were planning to participate”.
Koryo Tours, based in Beijing, China, offers several marathon packages to foreigners, departing from Beijing, Shanghai and Shenyang.
Packages start from €2,190 ($2,529; £1,894) for 2.5 nights in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, including a marathon place and “highlights” of the capital and tickets were sold out this year, according to the agency’s website.
It said all deposits paid will be returned and runners have the option to retain their deposit for a future event or North Korea tour.
A date for the 2027 marathon has not yet been set.
The event had only returned last year after it was suspended for five consecutive years due to the Covid pandemic.
It is open to both amateur and some professional athletes and offers several race distances – 5km (3.1 miles), 10km (6.2 miles), half marathon (21.1km; 13.1 miles) or full marathon (42.2km; 26.2 miles).
[BBC]
Twenty-three people have been rescued by helicopter crews in Ontario, Canada, after the ice shelf they were standing on broke, sending the group floating into Lake Huron.
Ontario Provincial Police said on social media that the rescue began around noon (16:00 GMT) on Sunday after “winds and current moved the ice shelf away from shore” approximately 2km (1.2 miles).
The rescue involved two helicopters making multiple trips to pluck people off the shelf as it continued to fracture into more pieces in the Owen Sound, about 200km north-west of Toronto.
One member of the group said that he only realised the ice he was fishing on had detached from shore when he noticed that his GPS showed him moving.
Members of the rescued group described harrowing moments, with several of them becoming partially submerged in the cold waters as they sought out the thickest ice on the floe, or sheet.
“I looked at my GPS. We were moving,” fisherman Kevin Fox wrote, identifying himself on Facebook as one of those who were caught up in the incident. “I turned around and saw waves forming behind us.”
He said that he and several others started running towards a route that they hoped still connected to shore.
“We decided to run toward one side of the bay, but when we got there the ice had already separated from shore. We turned and ran the other way, but the ice there was breaking apart too,” he wrote.
Some started phoning their families, said Fox, adding: “It’s something I will never forget – seeing grown men crying while saying goodbye to the people they love.”
Fellow fisherman Alfie How told The Owen Sound Sun Times that they eventually “just sat down as a group and said this could be the end”.
Fox told the paper that the rescue occurred during high wind, and the group was concerned that the helicopters would not be able to fly.
“It was being eroded,” Fox said. “It kept getting smaller, and smaller.”
Police say several members of the group suffered hypothermia, but that everyone was expected to make a full recovery.
“Great teamwork and a quick response by all involved,” police added.
Last month in the US state of Vermont, police rescued a group of ice skaters who had also become trapped on floating ice.
Using kayaks and ferry boats, rescuers brought the group back from the icy Lake Champlain.
Officials warn that ice fishing conditions can change rapidly during the relatively warm daylight hours.
[BBC]
At least 23 people have been killed in Nairobi after heavy rain overnight caused severe flooding in Kenya’s capital city.
Police said about 30 people had been rescued but many others drowned after being swept into rivers – some have been electrocuted.
Kenya’s military has been deployed to help people trapped inside their cars as police described widespread damage to properties as well as road closures.
Several flights bound for Nairobi Airport had to be cancelled or diverted to the coastal city of Mombasa.
“The torrential rains have led to significant flooding, unfortunately resulting in 23 fatalities so far, the destruction of property, road closures, and the displacement of residents,” police said in a statement on Saturday afternoon.
[BBC]
Cabinet approves 14 day Visa extension
Sunil Galagama appointed as District Secretary Badulla
Anupama Mangala Wickramaarachchi appointed District Secretary Ampara
Committee on Economic Surveillance to be established
Cabinet nod to include the National Savings Bank for the Interest-Free Loan Scheme for Students
Nepal election 2026: Counting continues with rapper Balendra Shah’s party close to super-majority
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
Sunday Island 27 December – Headlines
#SundayIsland 17th December – Headlines
Sunday Island – 28th March
Sunday Island Headlines – 21 March
Sunday Island – 21st February – Headlines
-
News5 days agoUniversity of Wolverhampton confirms Ranil was officially invited
-
News6 days agoLegal experts decry move to demolish STC dining hall
-
News5 days agoFemale lawyer given 12 years RI for preparing forged deeds for Borella land
-
News4 days agoPeradeniya Uni issues alert over leopards in its premises
-
News2 days agoRepatriation of Iranian naval personnel Sri Lanka’s call: Washington
-
Business6 days agoCabinet nod for the removal of Cess tax imposed on imported good
-
News5 days agoLibrary crisis hits Pera university
-
Business7 days agoDialog partners with Ratmalana Audiology Centre for World Hearing Day 2026