Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday saluted the courage of those killed in the 2001 Parliament attack, saying their valour encourages people.

On the 17th anniversary of the attack, Mr. Modi took to Twitter to recall the courage of the security personnel.

“We salute the valour of those who were martyred during the dastardly attack on our Parliament on this day in 2001. Their courage and heroism inspires every Indian,” he said.

On December 13, 2001, five gunmen stormed the Parliament complex and opened indiscriminate fire.

Five Delhi Police personnel, a woman Central Reserve Police official, two Parliament watch and ward staff, a gardener and a camera person were among those who killed in the attack.

Asian shares advance

A visitor sits in front of stock trading boards at a private stock market gallery in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on December 13, 2018. Shares rose in Asia after a strong overnight finish on Wall Street.   | Photo Credit: AP

Shares rose in Asia on Thursday after a strong overnight finish on Wall Street. Traders were encouraged by a Wall Street Journal report saying the Chinese government might make changes to its “Made in China 2025” economic development plan. 

Japan’s Nikkei 225 index gained 1.0 per cent to 21,823.03 and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng report jumped 1.1 percent to 26,465.48. The Shanghai Composite index surged 1.5 per cent to 2,641.86 while the Kospi in South Korea added 0.6 per cent to 2,095.51. India’s Sensex advanced 0.6 per cent to 35,992.21 while the S&P ASX 200 in Australia edged 0.2 per cent higher to 5,665.10. Shares also rose in Taiwan and Southeast Asia. 

U.S. stocks failed to hang onto big gains still finished broadly higher as technology and health care companies rose. Stocks initially rallied after the Wall Street Journal reported that China’s government could make changes to its “Made in China 2025” economic development plan a step that might ease friction between the world’s two largest economies.

The S&P 500 index rose 0.5 percent to 2,651.07. The Dow gained 0.6 per cent to 24,527.27. The Nasdaq composite jumped 0.9 per cent to 7,098.31. The Russell 2000 index of smaller-company stocks added 1.1 per cent to 1,455.32.

Theresa May survives no-confidence vote

British Prime Minister Theresa May arrives at 10 Downing Street, in London.   | Photo Credit: AP

British Prime Minister Theresa May won a temporary reprieve on Wednesday as Conservative MPs backed her by a majority of 83 in a secret ballot, after “hard” Brexiteers triggered a no-confidence vote in her leadership. The MPs voted 200 to 117 in favour of the Prime Minister, which will mean she cannot be challenged in another party no-confidence vote for the next year.

Ms. May welcomed the result and urged MPs to come together to deliver on Brexit. She is set to attend an EU Council meeting on Thursday, at which she promised to garner legal and political assurances to “assuage concerns” of her parliamentary colleagues.

Mexico to end illegal crossing over Suchiate River

In this Nov. 2, 2018 file photo, Salvadoran migrants cross the Suchiate River near Tecun Uman, Guatemala, the border with Mexico, as the caravan of Central American migrants make its way north with the stated purpose of entering the United States.   | Photo Credit: AP

Mexico will end the practice of undocumented or illegal crossings over the Suchiate River, which marks much of the border between the two countries, Mexico's Interior Secretary Olga Sanchez Cordero said on Wednesday, December 12, 2018.

Hungarian Parliament changes labour laws

Supporters of the opposition parties protest against changes to the labor code at the parliament in Budapest, Hungary.   | Photo Credit: AP

The Hungarian Parliament earlier in the day voted to extend the period employers may account overtime for the purpose of calculating wages and rest days from twelve months to three years, and to raise the upper threshold for annual overtime from 250 to 400 hours.

North and South Korean soldiers inspect DMZ

In this photo provided by South Korea Defense Ministry, South Korean army Col. Yun Myung-shick, right, shakes hands with North Korean army Lt. Col. Ri Jong Su before crossing the Military Demarcation Line inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).   | Photo Credit: AP

Dozens of North and South Korean soldiers crossed over the world’s most heavily armed border on Wednesday as they inspected the sites of their rival’s front-line guard posts to verify they’d been removed, part of inter-Korean engagement efforts that come amid stalled U.S.-North Korea nuclear disarmament talks.