Following are the top foreign stories at 2000 hours

FGN59 US-INDIAN-ASTRONAUT **** NASA astronaut Anil Menon set to travel to International Space Station on Tuesday Washington: Anil Menon, a NASA astronaut of Indian descent, is set to embark on an eight-month mission to the International Space Station on Tuesday from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan along with two Russian cosmonauts. **** FGN57 UK-IRAN-3RDLD IRGC **** UK proscribes Iran's IRGC, linked group as national security threats London: The UK on Monday announced plans to proscribe Iran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and a second group linked with Tehran over alleged antisemitic attacks and threats to life on British soil. **** FGN60 LANKA-INDIA-AGREEMENT **** Sri Lanka inks agreement to secure USD 1.8 million Indian grant to equip hospital Colombo: India and Sri Lanka on Monday signed an agreement which will help Colombo secure a 600 million Sri Lankan rupee (USD 1.8 million) grant from New Delhi for supplying advanced medical equipment to the Base Hospital in the south of the island nation, a top Indian diplomat said. **** FGN52 VIETNAM-INDIANS-LD BOAT **** Bodies of 15 Indian tourists killed in Vietnam boat accident flown home Hanoi: The bodies of the 15 Indian tourists who were killed in a speedboat accident off Vietnam's Phu Quoc Island were flown to India on Monday, the Indian Embassy in Hanoi said. **** FGN54 UK-MURDER-TERRORISM **** UK ex-minister murder probe taken over by counter-terrorism police London: Britain's counter-terrorism police on Monday took charge of an ongoing investigation into the murder of a former Tory minister and outspoken far-right politician who was found dead in her home in south-west England. **** NEPAL-SUSPICIOUS-VEHICLES **** Suspicious cars outside Nepal’s media houses, politician's residence trigger panic; probe initiated Kathmandu: Nepal Police on Monday launched an investigation after suspicious cars were found parked outside three media houses, a senior opposition leader's residence and a supermarket in Kathmandu. **** FGN38 PAK-AFGHAN-DEPORTATIONS **** Pakistan deports over 2.6 million Afghan nationals in three years amid crackdown Lahore: Pakistan has deported more than 2.6 million Afghan nationals, including women and children, in the last three years, an official said on Monday. **** FGN33 PAK-PM-QATAR **** Pak PM Sharif leaves for Qatar to offer condolences on former emir’s death Islamabad: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday left for Qatar on a one-day visit to offer condolences at the death of former emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. **** FGN58 US-8THLD IRAN **** US and Iran each assert they control the Strait of Hormuz after another heavy exchange of fire Dubai: The United States and Iran each asserted Monday they controlled the Strait of Hormuz after a weekend of attacks across the Middle East, further threatening any diplomacy to end the war. (AP) **** PTI SKS SKS