Deadly bullying
MOSCOW: Two people were killed and one injured in a stabbing in the US city of Portland after trying to prevent a man from bullying two Muslim women in a train.
Portland police spokesman Pete Simpson said the incident took place at the Hollywood Transit Center on Friday. One person died at the scene, while another man died later in hospital. The third victim suffered no life-threatening injuries. – Reuters
Pirate attack
TOKYO: A fishing vessel belonging to South Korea might have been hijacked near the Somalian coast by pirates yesterday.
According to the Yonhap news agency, South Korea’s naval unit Cheonghae was deployed to the site after the ship went out of contact.
The ship had South Korean and foreign crew members on board. – Sputnik
Last enclave to fall
BAGHDAD: Iraqi armed forces launched an operation yesterday to capture the last Islamic State-held enclave in Mosul, according to a military statement.
The Iraqi air force dropped leaflets on Friday urging residents in the enclave to flee, raising fears among humanitarian groups for the safety of desperate civilians there. – Reuters
Church killings
CAIRO: Thousands of Christians, weeping and praying, gathered at a church in a small southern Egyptian village to mourn seven of their community who were among the more than two dozen Christians shot dead by gunmen on Friday.
The attack followed a series of church bombings claimed by Islamic State against Copts. – The Independent
91 die in floods
COLOMBO: Ninety-one people have been killed and 110 are missing amid flooding and torrents of mud unleashed by heavy rains in Sri Lanka.
The Disaster Management Centre said tens of thousands of people have been displaced by the rain which started on Friday. The foreign ministry has appealed to the UN and other countries for help. – Reuters
Split after 18 years
LOS ANGELES: Zoolander actor Ben Stiller and his wife Christine Taylor said on Friday they had decided to separate after 18 years together.
“Our priority will continue to be raising our children as devoted parents and the closest of friends,” the couple said in a joint statement.
They have two children. – Reuters
Aboriginal treaties
SYDNEY: Australian Aboriginal leaders agreed to seek treaties with national and state governments as preferable to symbolic acknowledgement of the indigenous minority in Australia’s constitution.
Some 250 Aboriginal leaders met at the sacred monolith landmark of Uluru to decide how they should be recognised. – The Independent
‘Mega-droughts’
MADRID: Spain and Portugal could be hit by “megadroughts” by the end of the century.
According to climate models, the area could see a 15-year period of rainfall at less than half its average.
Portugal has been hit by eight major droughts since the 1940s, while Spain has seen three – the latest from 1990 to 1995. – The Independent
Longest bridge
NEW DELHI: The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday inaugurated the country’s longest bridge that spans the Brahmaputra.
The 9.15km Dhola-sadiya bridge will reduce travel times from Assam to the state of Arunachal Pradesh. Modi’s office quoted him as saying the bridge “opens the door for economic development.” – The Independent