NEWS OF THE DAY
1Earthquake: _ A 6.3-magnitude earthquake rocked the northern Indonesian island of Sulawesi on Saturday. There were reports of at least two injuries, but no tsunami warning was issued. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck 35 miles southeast of Palu city.
2Iraq _ violence: Gunmen killed six people in Iraq on Saturday in raids on two homes in the northern city of Mosul. Provincial police officials described the slayings as terrorist attacks. Such attacks have picked up in recent weeks, with nearly 200 people killed since the start of August. Mosul was once an al Qaeda stronghold.
3Drone _ strike: A missile launched from a U.S. drone struck a suspected militant hideout in a tribal region in northern Pakistan where allies of a powerful warlord were gathered Saturday, killing five of his supporters, Pakistani officials said. The strike in northern Waziristan targeted allies of Hafiz Gul Bahadur, a militant commander whose forces frequently target U.S. and other NATO troops in neighboring Afghanistan. Meanwhile, five Pakistani troops died Saturday in a suicide bombing on a checkpoint in a suburb of Quetta.
4Subway _ stabbing: Eight people were stabbed by a man wielding a box cutter Saturday at a subway station just outside of South Korea’s capital of Seoul. No one died in the rampage, according to police. A man was arrested running away from the station in Uijeongbu. The Yonhap news agency reported the suspect began stabbing people after a man and woman confronted him for spitting in a train.
5Storm: _ Former Tropical Storm Helene weakened after heading inland on Mexico’s Gulf Coast early Saturday. The storm threatened to inundate areas where thousands of people are still recovering from recent flooding caused by Hurricane Ernesto. But the Veracruz state civil defense office said none of the region’s numerous rivers had reached flood stage.
_ 6Fuel subsidy: Ecuador’s president, Rafael Correa, offered an inducement Saturday for airlines that schedule routes to his country: cheap fuel. Ecuador will offer a 40 percent reduction in fuel prices for direct routes to and from cities such as Los Angeles, Vancouver and Frankfurt. The benefit would last for five years, and the airline would have to fly at least three times a week. The aim is to boost the economy and tourism.
7Contaminated _ pickles: Six people have died and at least 100 others have been sickened by pickled Chinese cabbage contaminated with E. coli bacteria in Hokkaido in northern Japan, health officials said Saturday. Officials suspect insufficient sterilization may have been the cause.
8Missing _ minister: A small plane carrying Philippine Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo crashed into the sea Saturday. One person was rescued but Robredo and two others were missing, officials said. The aircraft was heading to Robredo’s hometown of Naga city when the pilot informed the Masbate airport that he needed to make an emergency landing. The plane was unable to reach the airport.