Gas poisonings: Over 300 girls in hospital

KABUL • More than 300 Afghan school girls have been hospitalised this week after inhaling mysterious fumes at their educational institutes and the authorities suspect the incidents were deliberate.

As many as 115 girls from a school in Herat were the latest to be hospitalised yesterday after they were poisoned with some kind of gas, CNN reported. The school girls were of nine to 18 years of age, Herat Regional Hospital spokesman Mohammad Rafiq Sherzai said. He said this was the third such incident to take place this week in the district of Herat.

Thailand may revoke Thaksin's police rank

BANGKOK • Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has signed an order stripping fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra of his police rank.

Mr Thaksin's rank of lieutenant-colonel was stripped on the basis of a proposal put forward by the Royal Thai Police, which made the recommendation after the former prime minister accused privy counsellors of playing behind the scene roles in street rallies that led to last year's coup, reported the Bangkok Post.

The decision will now be put forward to King Bhumibol Adulyadej for endorsement.