SIX MALAYSIAN FIREFIGHTERS DROWN WHILE SEARCHING FOR BOY IN POND

HONG KONG : The firefighters rushed to the disused mine outside Malaysia’s capital in a steady rain Wednesday evening, searching for a teenager who had slipped into a pond. The rescue effort quickly turned into one of the worst disasters the country’s emergency services have ever experienced, with six firefighters drowning in the dark, rushing waters, officials said on Thursday. The deaths come three months after rescuers in neighboring Thailand safely evacuated 12 boys and the coach of their soccer team from a cave, where they had been trapped for days. One diver died in that effort, which attracted global attention. But in Malaysia, what began as a routine rescue went horribly awry with a shocking swiftness.

Einstein’s ‘God letter’ to go on sale, valued at $1 million

NEW YORK: A handwritten letter from Albert Einstein about his thoughts on God, religion and his search for meaning is to go on sale in New York, valued at up to $1.5 million, Christie’s said. “The word God is for me nothing but the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of venerable but still rather primitive legends,” writes the physicist, best known for his theory of relativity.

Saudi, Turkey in talks after disappearance of journalist

DUBAI: Turkey summoned Saudi Arabia’s envoy to explain what happened to journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi government critic who disappeared after entering the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul this week, state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Thursday. In a statement on Twitter, the Saudi consulate said it was “following news stories” about Khashoggi and is in coordination with Turkish authorities to “uncover the facts behind his going missing after exiting” the consulate. BLOOMGERG

Flight’s low fuel mayday triggers emergency landing

SYDNEY: A shortage of fuel triggered a mayday call on a United Airlines flight crossing the Pacific from Los Angeles to Sydney on Thursday, spurring Australian authorities into high alert.

US: Seven cops shot, 1 fatally, in South Carolina

FLORENCE : A man shot seven police officers in South Carolina, killing one, in a standoff so dangerous that police had to use a bullet-proof vehicle to rescue the wounded, authorities said. The man also held children hostage for two hours in his Florence home Wednesday afternoon, but they were released safely as the suspect was taken into custody, Florence County Sheriff’s Maj Mike Nunn said.

AP

Pakistan tells 18 int’l NGOS to leave, says Actionaid

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has ordered 18 international aid agencies to shut down operations and leave the country, the Actionaid charity said on Thursday. Most of the groups do work on human rights issues, and a previous shutdown order accused one aid agency of pursuing “an anti-state agenda”. Actionaid said it had received an expulsion notice from Pakistan’s interior ministry. REUTERS

Saudi Arabia to invest in oil refinery in Gwadar port

ISLAMABAD : Saudi Arabia will invest in a new oil refinery in Pakistan’s growing deep sea port of Gwadar, Islamabad announced on Thursday. The agreement follows a visit last month by Pakistan’s new Prime Minister Imran Khan to the Gulf kingdom as he seeks to attract foreign investment.