Briefly

AFGHANISTAN

19 killed in avalanche near Pakistani border

At least 19 people were killed by an avalanche on Monday while crossing a remote mountain pass from Afghanistan to Pakistan, a Taliban official said. Scores of Afghans cross illegally to Pakistan every day through the porous mountain border in search of jobs or to buy essential goods for trade. Najibullah Hassan Abdal, head of information for eastern Kunar province, said rescue workers were still searching at the scene of the avalanche. "Nineteen bodies have been recovered already," he said. Deadly avalanches are common in the area. In 2015, more than 250 people were killed across the country in a series of devastating avalanches.

INDIA

49 convicted over deadly bomb attacks

India convicted 49 people on Tuesday over a 2008 attack in the western city of Ahmedabad that left dozens dead, in what perpetrators said was retaliation for earlier deadly communal violence. The string of bombings killed 56 people and wounded more than 200 others as shrapnel ripped through markets, buses and other public places in Gujarat state's commercial hub. A group calling itself the Indian Mujahideen claimed responsibility, and said the act was revenge for 2002 religious riots in the area that left thousands dead. Nearly 80 people were charged but 28 were acquitted, prosecutor Amit Patel told reporters outside an Ahmedabad court.

JAPAN

Shipment of black rockfish suspended

Japan's Health Ministry said on Tuesday that it had ordered the suspension of shipments of black rockfish caught off Fukushima prefecture after radiation exceeding an upper limit was detected in a catch late last month. The development came on the heels of an announcement by Taiwan authorities that they would relax a ban on food imports from Japan put in place after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. The suspension means the targeted fish would not be shipped, regardless of the destination, a ministry official said.

Agencies via Xinhua