Rome, May 4 - Former Finmeccanica CEO Giuseppe Orsi, who faces an 'instant trial' in June over allegations of corruption in the Rs 3,600 crore VVIP chopper deal with India, was today released from jail. Orsi was released after about 80 days in pre-trial detention, Italian media reports said.

Tehran, May 4 - India and Iran today decided to give a major push to their bilateral ties in all aspects including connectivity for which New Delhi will participate in the upgradation of strategically crucial Chahbahar port. During a meeting between External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and his Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Salehi under the framework of Joint Commission, the two sides agreed to work on a trilateral transit agreement involving India, Iran and Afghanistan.

Islamabad, May 4 - The trial of seven Pakistani suspects charged with involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks was today adjourned till May 18 due to the killing of the main prosecutor. Prosecutors from the Federal Investigation Agency asked Judge Chaudhry Habib-ur-Rehman of the anti-terrorism court to adjourn the case as chief prosecutor Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali was killed in Islamabad yesterday.

Dubai, May 4 - Keralites living in the Gulf region appealed to the Kerala government to use online means to register people from the state living abroad. The Non-Resident Keralite (NRKs) survey which began on May 1 in Kerala along with the sixth economic census of the Central Statistical Organisation, will cover the entire household across the state to enumerate the exact number of people working abroad and also the expatriates.

Dubai, May 4 - Indian workers who have travelled to Saudi Arabia legally will be allowed to regularise their visa status, get new jobs or to return home if they register voluntarily with the Saudi authorities during the three months grace period announced by the Kingdom, according to officials. This was among the issues discussed at the Joint Group meeting held this week at the Saudi Ministry of Labour. The group will continue their discussions next week, said a statement issued from the Indian embassy in Riyadh.

Boston, May 4 - The slain Boston bombings suspect died of bullet wounds and blunt trauma to head and torso after being shot by the police and run over and dragged by a vehicle, according to his death certificate. Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, died in an exchange of fire with the police in a neighbourhood here, three days after he and his younger brother Dzhokhar, 19, allegedly carried out the Boston Marathon bombings, killing three people and injuring more than 250.

Lahore, May 4 - A week after Indian national Sarabjit Singh was fatally attacked within a Pakistani jail, authorities today suspended three senior prison officials over the incident. The Home Secretary of Punjab province suspended the three officials from service for alleged negligence that led to the brutal attack on Sarabjit within Kot Lakhpat Jail.

Kuala Lumpur, May 3 - Ahead of the May 5 polls in Malaysia, the country's leading Hindu group today took a U-turn and decided to back the ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Najib Razak, citing his sincerity towards the community. The Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) Chairman P Wayathamoorthy today said his group will support the ruling coalition of Barisan Nasional (BN) in Sunday's general elections, satisfied with Razak's "sincere intention to help the ethnic Indian community".

Rome, May 3 - The 'instant trial' here against ex-CEO of the Italian state-controlled defence giant Finmeccanica Giuseppe Orsi and the CEO of its helicopter unit Agusta Westland Bruno Spagnoli for alleged kickbacks in the Rs 3,600 crore VVIP chopper deal with India will begin on June 19. A judge in the northern Italian town of Busto Arsizio granted a prosecutor's request for the instant trial, which eliminates preliminary hearings, Italian news agency ANSA reported.

London, May 2 - Mahatma Gandhi's personal effects and documents, including his prayer beads, drinking cup, bed sheet and ivory-carved 'Three Wise Monkeys', will go under the hammer in the UK this month. Articles included in the sale are those which belonged to the Father of the nation when he was recovering from illness at Juhu in 1924.

Beijing, May 2 - China today declined to give any timeline for withdrawal of its troops from Depsang valley in Ladakh but said the issue that has sparked new tensions in bilateral ties "will be properly resolved soon through negotiations". "You raised a very specific question and I want to reiterate that Chinese troops carry out normal patrols on Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between India and China", Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Hua Chunying told a media briefing.

Islamabad, May 2 - A Pakistani anti-terrorism court today allowed police officials to interrogate former President Pervez Musharraf over the killing of Baloch nationalist leader Akbar Bugti in a 2006 military operation. Judge Chaudhry Habib-ur-Rehman of the anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi accepted a request from Balochistan Police to include Musharraf in the probe into Bugtis death.

Lahore/Islamabad, May 2 - Pakistani police today slapped murder charges against two death row prisoners who were booked for the brutal assault on fellow-inmate Sarabjit Singh, causing injuries which led to his death. The Lahore Police added murder charges to the FIR registered against death row prisoners Amer Aftab alias Amer Tambewala and Mudassar who were booked for the attack on 49-year-old Sarabjit on Friday last week.

Boston, May 2 - In a major development in the Boston Marathon bombings probe, three 19-year-old students, including two Kazakhs, were arrested today by the FBI and charged with covering up for the suspected bombers. Dias Kadyrbayev and Azamat Tazhayakov, both of New Bedford in Massachusetts, were charged in a criminal complaint with conspiracy to obstruct justice by conspiring to destroy, conceal and cover-up tangible objects belonging to Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the main accused in the attacks along with his slain brother Tamerlan, 26.