GLOBAL SNAPSHOT

Politician killed

LA PAZ: Striking miners in Bolivia kidnapped and beat to death the country’s deputy interior minister after he travelled to the area to mediate in the bitter conflict over mining laws, officials said. Bolivia’s informal or artisan miners number about 100,000 and work in self-managed cooperatives. They want to be able to associate with private companies, which is prohibited.

Jet goes down

HANOI: Two people were killed after a military training jet crashed minutes after take-off in southern Vietnam yesterday. The Czech-made Aero L-39, which was being flown by a military student pilot, crashed on to a highway before coming to rest in a rice paddy field in Phu Yen province. One crew member and a civilian on the ground were killed.

Marine park grows

HAWAII: President Barack Obama will expand a national monument off the coast of Hawaii, creating the world’s largest marine protected area. The Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument will contain 582,578 square miles, twice the size of Texas.

Bus plunges over

KATHMANDU: Police say at least 20 people were killed and another 17 hurt when a bus drove off a highway in Nepal and plunged into a river. Police officers said the bus rolled about 100m down the slope early yesterday and crashed into the fast-flowing Trishuli River.

Crossbow to blame

TORONTO: Three people have been killed in a gruesome attack involving a crossbow in Toronto’s East End and a man has been taken into custody. The three victims were shot with a crossbow in the garage of a Toronto home and left to bleed on the driveway.

Burkini in court

PARIS: France’s highest administrative court is set to decide whether to overturn the ban on wearing the full-body burkini swimsuit, which has sparked controversy at home and abroad. The ruling is likely to set a precedent for about 30 French towns which have banned the burkini, mostly along the sun-drenched southeast coast.

Hands-free taxi

SINGAPORE: The world’s first self-driving taxis have picked up passengers in Singapore. The cars, modified Renault Zoe and Mitsubishi i-MiEV electrics, currently have a driver in the front prepared to take back the wheel and a researcher in the back. The car is fitted with six sets of Lidar, a detection system that uses lasers to operate like radar. There are also two cameras on the dashboard.