GLOBAL SNAPSHOT

End gay killings

MOSCOW: International organisations are urging the Russian government to investigate the reported abuse and killings of gay men in Chechnya. The respected Russian newspaper Novaya

Gazeta reported earlier this month police in the predominantly Muslim republic of Chechnya had rounded up more than 100 men suspected of homosexuality with at least three killed. A spokesman for leader Ramzan Kadyrov insisted there were no gay people in Chechnya.

Toddlers lose sleep

LONDON: Toddlers are losing sleep at night because of the amount of time they spend playing on smartphones and tablets, a major study has found. Young children lose almost 16 minutes of sleep for every hour in front of a touchscreen, scientists said. Tablets and smartphones are believed to overexcite children before bedtime, while the blue light they emit disrupts their body clocks The study, by Birkbeck, University of London found that every hour of touchscreen use cuts night-time sleep by 26.4 minutes.

Shots fired on train

ATLANTA: A shooting on a suburban Atlanta train has left one person dead and three wounded, with one witness saying the attacker appeared to fire at people randomly. Atlanta television station WGCL quoted witnesses as saying that the shooter was a man in his 30s. The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority said a suspect had been detained and an investigation was ongoing, adding that emergency responders were at the station on Atlanta’s west side.

Kiwis find sailor

WELLINGTON: New Zealand authorities have launched an operation to rescue a stranded Polish sailor on a round-theworld voyage after he activated his emergency beacon on Thursday afternoon. The 64year-old, who left Auckland nearly four weeks ago headed for Cape Horn in his 10.6 metre yacht Reginar, was located by a New Zealand Air Force Orion plane. A cargo ship is expected to reach the stricken yacht this morning.

Roller coaster stalls

BALTIMORE: An amusement park roller coaster featuring a “cobra roll”, “sidewinder loop,” and “countless swift reversals” stalled about 5.30pm Thursday outside of Washington D.C. leaving 24 riders stuck 30 metres up in the air. Prince George’s County Fire/EMS spokesman Mark Brady said all of the riders were safely brought to the ground by 9.20pm.