Accused acquitted
KANNUR (Kerala), June 25 (PTI) — All the 12 accused in the Shajith Lal murder case were acquitted by Thalassery district sessions court today for want of evidence. Shajith Lal, who was the district vice-president of the Kerala Students' Union (KSU), was allegedly murdered in front of the Mahatma College in Payyanoor town on June 27, 1995.

Tourist released
SEOUL, June 25 (AFP) — North Korea today released a South Korean tourist detained for allegedly trying to entice a North Korean guide to defect to the South, government officials said. Min Young-Mi was handed over to officials of the Hyundai group at the eastern port of Changjon near Mt Kumgang. "According to results of an investigation by our competent organ, Min Young-Mi admitted that she preached 'defection' during her Mt Kumgang tour and begged for lenient forgiveness for her criminal act", North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

UN award
VIENNA, June 25 (AFP) — The Navjyoti Delhi Police Foundation, an Indian drug rehabilitation group, has been awarded an international prize for fighting narcotics abuse, UN officials said today. The foundation, a voluntary body which primarily treats and rehabilitates drug addicts, is to receive the 1999 Serge Sotiroff Memorial Award, said a statement.

Hiroshima survivor
TOKYO, June 25 (AP) — Japanese surgeon Tomin Harada, who led a group of disfigured atomic bomb survivors known as the 'Hiroshima Maidens' to the USA for plastic surgery in the 1950s, died today, his family said. He was 87. Harada, who helped pioneer treatment of diseases caused by exposure to radioactivity, died of acute pneumonia in a hospital in his hometown of Hiroshima, his daughter Yukiko Yamazaki said.

Roy donates prize money
NEW DELHI, June 25 (UNI) — Arundhati Roy, the internationally renowned and best-selling author of "The God of Small Things", has donated the entire proceeds of her Booker Prize award to support the tribals, who will be displaced by the Sardar Sarovar Dam in the Narmada valley. The amount is approximately Rs 15 lakh and was donated to the Narmada Bachao Andolan subsequent to her visit to the Narmada valley in April this year, a release of the andolan said today.

Astronomy award
MUMBAI, June 25 (PTI) — Prof Arvind Bhatnagar, former director of the Nehru Planetarium here and the Udaipur solar observatory, will be presented the Manubhai Mehta award for 1998-99 for his contribution to advanced astronomy and popularisation of science in the country.

No happy birthday
THE HAGUE, June 25 (DPA) — It was the teacher's birthday and she baked a cake. She served it to her pupils in a primary school in the Dutch town of Heerlen. The class promptly took ill, with 22 of the 27 pupils missing school the next day with diarrhoea, vomiting and fever. Puzzled health authorities suspect salmonella poisoning.

Gujral’s caution
NEW DELHI: Former Prime Minister I.K.Gujral on Friday said any reversal of India’s long-standing policy of avoiding war had grave implications, especially when the other side was "unbearing its nuclear fangs". Regretting that the country had been caught in this situation at a time when a duly elected government was not in charge, Mr Gujral said the need of the hour was for the government to "collectivise the experiences and knowledge of all those who may not be part of their outfit but whose concern for the nation’s security is no less."

Medha Patkar gets M A Thomas award
BANGALORE, June 25 (UNI) — Noted environmentalist Medha Patkar has been selected for the prestigious M A Thomas National Human Rights Award for the year. Ms Patkar has been chosen in recognition of her campaign for the rights of those displaced due to the construction of the Sardar Sarovar Dam. The award carries a cash prize of Rs one lakh and a citation. The award will be presented to her at a function in the city.