NEWS OF THE DAY
From Around the World
_1 Deadly landslide:
Authorities in northeastern Congo say a landslide last week in Ituri province probably has killed at least 200 people. Gov. Abdallah Pene Mbaka said Saturday the estimate is based on missing people and homes affected. He said 50 houses were destroyed and 44 bodies have been recovered. Wednesday’s landslide in Tora village followed heavy rains in the fishing community located along Lake Albert.
_2 Severe storm:
Tropical Storm Harvey weakened into a depression as it moved through the Caribbean Sea on Saturday on a course that will have it approaching Central America and the Yucatan Peninsula this week. Heavy rains were expected over Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao and Venezuelan islands. Another named storm, Kenneth, was far out in the Pacific Ocean off Mexico and moving away from land.
_3 Russia attack:
A man went on a stabbing rampage Saturday in the Siberian city of Surgut, wounding seven people before police shot and killed him. The Islamic State’s Aamaq news agency hours later said the attacker was “an Islamic State soldier.” A statement from Russia’s Investigative Committee said the suspect was identified as a resident in his early 20s. It said information was being sought on his psychiatric condition, suggesting authorities did not suspect terrorism as the likely motive. Four of the wounded were in serious condition, the state news agency Tass reported.
_4 Dissident’s widow:
A video has surfaced showing the wife of Liu Xiaobo for the first time since the funeral of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who died in Chinese custody last month. The video shows Liu’s widow, Liu Xia, saying in a hoarse voice that she hopes her friends will give her space to grieve. The clip, which was posted on YouTube late Friday without any indication of where or when the footage was taken, quickly drew criticism from the couple’s supporters Saturday that it looked staged by Liu’s minders. An accomplished poet and artist, Liu Xia has been kept guarded and largely isolated for more than seven years in the apartment she once shared with her husband. Liu Xiaobo died July 13 in Chinese custody after a battle with liver cancer, amid international criticism of Beijing for not letting him travel abroad as he had wished.
_5 Train derailment:
Six coaches of a passenger train derailed Saturday in northern India, killing 23 people and injuring at least 81 others. Neeraj Sharma, a railway spokesman, said the derailment took place near the town of Khatauli in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Police and local volunteers helped pull passengers out of the rail cars of the Kalinga-Utkal Express. The cause of the tragedy was not immediately clear.
_6 Taliban attack:
Taliban insurgents attacked a police checkpoint in southern Helmand province, killing five Afghan police officers, officials said Saturday. Gen. Abdul Ghafar Safi, the provincial police chief, said six other officers were wounded in the attack late Friday in Nawa district, where clashes continued Saturday. Taliban spokesman Qari Yusouf Ahmadi claimed responsibility for the attack. The Taliban have stepped up their attacks since the U.S. and NATO formally concluded their combat mission at the end of 2014. The United States has about 8,400 troops in Afghanistan, who support local forces and carry out counterterrorism operations.