IN BRIEF (Page 12)

India

Stampede at temple kills 10

A stampede at a Hindu temple in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh killed at least 10 people on Monday, police said. Several thousand pilgrims had gathered at the Kamtanath temple for prayers ahead of a new moon night when an electrical spark on temple premises triggered a rush for the doors. Some of the devotees were lying on the temple floor, participating in a ritual, when the accident happened, police said.

Court: Govt coal blocks illegal

India's top court on Monday held as illegal all coal blocks allocated by the government to various firms between 1993 and 2009. About 200 coal blocks were awarded over the period to private steel, cement and power companies for their own consumption. The court's decision pushed down sharply shares of Jindal Steel and Power and Hindalco Industries - two of the firms that won blocks during the time.

Russia

Second convoy of aid announced

Russia wants to send a second humanitarian aid convoy to eastern Ukraine, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday, introducing a likely new topic of discord on the eve of crucial talks between the two countries' leaders. Ukraine and its Western allies denounced the arrival of a first huge convoy that crossed the border last week without Kiev's permission. But Lavrov said more aid was needed to ease the plight of civilians caught up in four months of fighting between pro-Russian separatists and the Ukrainian military.

Reuters-AP

(China Daily 08/26/2014 page12)