40 Indian prisoners released from Karachi jail

The release of the prisoners from Karachi's district jail Malir comes a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif warmly shook hands and exchanged pleasantries at the 18th SAARC Summit in Nepal.

The released Indian prisoners included 36 fishermen and four others, Anwar Kazmi, told a spokesman of Edhi Foundation charity,

"Our organization is providing transport to take them to Wagah border with a packet containing clothes for their families and Rs 10,000 in cash to each of the released prisoners," Kazmi said.
  
They will be taken to Lahore and handed over to Indian authorities at the Wagah border.
  
It was not officially known when the fishermen were arrested but a local channel reported that they were held about a year ago.

The government so far has not commented on the release but an official said on anonymity that it was a goodwill gesture and the arrested Indians were set free on humanitarian grounds.

"When Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif visited India in May, we released 151 prisoners," the official said.
  
He said India should also release Pakistani prisoners and fishermen. India and Pakistan regularly arrest fishermen who venture into unmarked territorial waters of the two countries.

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'India well-positioned to attract international investments'

"The development priorities and economic agenda of the new Indian Government (also) present interesting possibilities for partnership with Singapore," said S Iswaran, the Second  Minister for Trade and Industry at a symposium on business prospects in India.

While it is still early days, the new government has announced several key initiatives, such as 'Make in India', Swachh Bharat and smart cities, he said.

He highlighted growing confidence in India underlining Prime Minister Narendra Modi's strong leadership ushering in "an era of political stability, certainty and growth in India". Iswaran pointed out the five decades of good diplomatic relations between Singapore and India.
  
"We look forward to elevating the Singapore-India relationship to greater heights and through different modalities of collaboration at the Centre and also in the states."
  
Singapore and India will celebrate five decades of bilateral diplomatic relations next year, which also marks the country's 50 years of independence. Addressing around 300 delegates at the Singapore-India Business Symposium, Iswaran re-emphasized Singapore's interest in contributing to India's mission to develop smart and sustainable cities.
  
"We have been requested by the Indian Government to share our experience in urbanization and city development," he said, adding, Singapore's public and private sectors could make a meaningful contribution from the experience gained over the five decades in developing the city state.
  
"We are, therefore, actively considering how best to work with the central government on its 'Smart Cities' initiative, and also with states like the new Andhra Pradesh on its Capital City project.

"This engagement will also enable Singapore businesses to participate in downstream needs and opportunities in areas such as township development, industrial and IT parks, as well  as utilities such as water and power," he said.

Singapore to join combat coalition against IS militants

The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has previously participated in multinational coalition efforts against religious extremists who pose a terrorist threat to the country and its citizens, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said .

"Singapore has fought against Al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan and it will continue to participate in such efforts," Ng said in Parliament.

Responding to a question from a Member of Parliament on how SAF would contribute to the coalition, Ng said it's contribution would be "within its means" and "sustainable and useful".

"This includes sending liaison and planning officers to the United States Central Command and the Combined Joint Task Force HQ, a KC-135R tanker aircraft for air-to-air refuelling, and an Imagery Analysis Team, assets that were previously deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan," he said.

These contributions have proved effective and were appreciated by international partners, he added.

There would be no SAF troops on the ground in Iraq and Syria; they would instead operate out of neighbouring countries, Ng said.

"There will be risks to our SAF servicemen as they carry out their missions. To mitigate these risks, we will ensure that our servicemen are well equipped, and receive additional training in weapon handling, dealing with Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), as well as reacting to hostile elements," Ng was quoted as saying by the Channel News Asia.

The IS militants have captured swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria. It is a splinter group of the al-Qaeda which has distanced itself from the outfit, chiding it for its aggressive and brutal expansion.

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