23 nabbed after mob kills 5 men in India

NEW DELHI • Indian police said yesterday they have arrested 23 people after five men were bludgeoned to death by a crazed mob in Dhule district in Maharashtra state on Sunday.

Indian media estimated more than 25 people have been killed in recent months in cases sparked by false rumours spread on smartphones of child kidnapping or allegations of thievery or sexual harassment.

A further 17 suspects were still on the run, they added.

Separately, police rescued four people - including a couple and their two-year-old child - from a 1,000-strong horde in Malegaon, 50km south-west of the first incident.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

China building super-powerful rocket

BEIJING • China is working on a super-powerful rocket that would be capable of delivering heavier payloads into low orbit than Nasa, a leading Chinese space expert was quoted as saying yesterday.

By 2030, the Long March-9 rocket will be able to carry 140 tonnes into low-Earth orbit, where TV and Earth observation satellites currently fly, said Mr Long Lehao, a senior official from the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Japan's Emperor falls ill, cancels duties

TOKYO • Japan's 84-year-old Emperor Akihito cancelled his official duties yesterday after falling ill as a result of insufficient blood flow to his brain, the country's top government spokesman said.

Early in the day, he "had a sudden feeling of sickness and heavy sweating", and Empress Michiko immediately brought in the palace doctor, who diagnosed the Emperor with "symptoms of vertigo and nausea due to cerebral anaemia, which require a complete rest and follow-up checks".

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE