Following are the top foreign stories at 1700 hours

     FGN33 CHINA-INDIA-RIC
     *China backs Russia's initiative to revive Russia-India-China troika
     Beijing: China on Thursday expressed its support for Russia's initiative to revive the dormant Russia-India-China (RIC) troika, saying the trilateral cooperation not only serves the interest of the three countries but also the security and stability of the region and the world.

     FGN13 LANKA-MASS GRAVE
     Remains of girl child among 65 skeletons unearthed at Sri Lanka's Chemmani mass grave
     Colombo: The skeletal remains of a girl aged between four and five years have been identified among 65 sets of human remains exhumed from a mass grave, which first came into focus during the LTTE conflict in the mid-1990s, in Sri Lanka's Jaffna district.

     FGN19 BANGLA-VIOLENCE-ARREST
     14 arrested after deadly clashes in Bangladesh founder's hometown
     Dhaka: At least 14 people have been arrested following clashes in Gopalganj, the hometown of Bangladesh's founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, that left four dead and prompted a curfew, according to a media report on Thursday.

     FGN28 PAK-RAINS
     'Rain emergency' declared in Pakistan's Punjab after 30 dead in 24 hours
     Lahore: Torrential monsoon rains claimed 30 lives in Pakistan's Punjab over the last 24 hours, prompting the provincial government to declare “rain emergency” in different parts, officials said on Thursday.

     FGN31 ISRAEL-GAZA-2NDLD WAR
     Parish priest, several injured as strikes hit Gaza's only Catholic church
     Deir al-Balah: A parish priest and several others were injured after the Holy Family Church in northern Gaza was struck in an attack on Thursday morning, officials with the Catholic Church said. (AP)*

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)