International news for the week July 23- 29

Saturday:

Beijing: At least 32 people are killed and over 100 others injured when two coaches of a bullet train fell off a bridge after derailing in China's eastern Zhejiang province.

Oslo: The Norwegian suspect in the double attacks that left at least 92 dead described himself as a fundamentalist Christian, said police, as evidence emerged that he had flirted with the political far-right.

Sunday:

Beijing: The death toll in China's first bullet train crash stood at 35 as the shocked government sacks three top rail officials holding them responsible for the accident that also left 192 passengers injured.

Dhaka: Congress party president Sonia Gandhi arrives here to receive Bangladesh's highest state honour awarded posthumously to her mother-in-law, Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, for her outstanding contribution to the country's 1971 'Liberation War'.

London: The phone-hacking scandal appears to be spreading to British newspapers beyond those owned by embattled media baron Rupert Murdoch, with fresh claims dragging the Mirror group into the mire of allegations of eavesdropping on celebrities.

Oslo: The suspect in Norway's twin attacks that kills at least 93 people and wounded nearly 100 more claims he acted alone, police said today as a raid on an Oslo flat failed to find any link to the attacks.

Colombo: War-battered people in Sri Lanka's Tamil-dominated north voted overwhelmingly for pro-LTTE TNA, handing it 18 seats in local council polls there, while the ruling UPFA of President Mahinda Rajapaksa swept the elections in other parts of the country bagging a total of 45 seats.

Monday:

Seoul: India signs a "historic" civil nuclear cooperation agreement with South Korea, paving the way for the possibility of Seoul exporting its atomic power plants.

Dhaka: Bangladesh confers its highest state award posthumously on former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi for her outstanding contribution to the country's 1971 'Liberation War'.

Tuesday:

Chicago: Tahawwur Rana, who was found guilty of providing support to Pakistan-based terror group LeT, had cited omission of crucial exculpatory evidence in his case to seek a fresh hearing, recently unsealed court documents have revealed.

London: After initial denial, the far-right English Defence League (EDL) has admitted that Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik had links to the group.

Wednesday:

Washington: Kashmiri separatist Ghulam Nabi Fai has admitted to receiving funds from Pakistan's ISI to influence law makers on Kashmir in a Virginia court which released him on a bond but put him under house arrest with a radio tag around his ankle for electronic surveillance.

Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia): President Pratibha Patil arrives here on a three-day visit aimed at enhancing bilateral ties and seeking cooperation in new fields like science and technology, defence, mining and human resource development among others.

Thursday:

Male: Seeking to further enhance bilateral ties, India and Maldives hold wide ranging talks on the entire gamut of their relationship including co-operation in trade, piracy, defence and intensification of people-to-people contact.

Islamabad: Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar says an uninterrupted, constructive and positive dialogue process was crucial to resolving all outstanding issues and normalising ties with India.

Friday:

Washington: Authorities in US raid offices of another university on the charges of fraud, this time in the suburb of Washington, where 90 per cent of the students are from India.

Washington: Ratcheting pressure on Iran, the US accused Tehran of striking a "secret deal" with al-Qaeda, saying it was a "critical" transit point for funding of terrorist activities in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Benghazi: The commander of the Libyan rebels' military was killed by fellow rebels while in custody after he was arrested by the opposition's leadership on suspicion of treason, say witnesses, indicating a potentially major split in the ranks of the movement battling Muammar Gaddafi.