NEWS OF THE DAY
Italy flooding: Torrential rain caused flooding that killed at least six people Sunday in the Tuscan port of Livorno, including a family of four who were trapped by rising water. Two persons were reported missing. “The city is literally devastated,” said Livorno Mayor Filippo Nogarin, adding that “a crazy amount of rain” pummeled the area in just a few hours. Strong winds toppled trees and cars were nearly submerged by floodwaters that also left streets clogged with mud. The city has a population of 170,000 and is a popular spot for travelers catching ferries to the islands of Elba and Sardinia.
Egypt raid: Police killed 10 militants Sunday who sneaked into the capital of Cairo from the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula, epicenter of an insurgency led by an affiliate of the Islamic State group. A statement by the Interior Ministry said the militants were hiding in two apartments, where they held organizational meetings and planned a “series of terror attacks.” The ministry’s statement said police simultaneously raided the apartments. Gunfights at both apartments also wounded five police officers. Egypt is fighting an insurgency led by the local Islamic State affiliate as well as Muslim Brotherhood factions.
Glacier breaks: Part of a glacier in the Swiss Alps has broken off and tumbled onto a glacier below after 220 people in a nearby village were evacuated as a precaution. Authorities ordered a partial evacuation of Saas-Grund on Saturday after radar surveillance of the Trift glacier, above the southern town, showed the glacier’s snout moving at a rate of up to 51 inches per day. Its pace accelerated during the night, and Valais state police said a large part of the snout snapped off Sunday. The debris tumbled onto another glacier below and didn’t reach inhabited areas.
North Korea trade: North Korea illegally exported coal, iron and other commodities worth at least $270 million to China and other countries including India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka in the six-month period ending in early August in violation of U.N. sanctions, U.N. experts say. The experts monitoring sanctions said in a report that Kim Jong Un’s government continues to flout sanctions on commodities as well as an arms embargo and restrictions on shipping and financial activities. They said North Korea is also reportedly continuing prohibited nuclear activities. The report was written before North Korea’s sixth and most powerful nuclear test Sept. 3. The United States has called for a vote Monday on a new resolution that would impose the toughest-ever sanctions on North Korea including banning all oil and natural gas exports to the country and freezing all foreign financial assets of the government.
Brexit debate: Former Prime Minister Tony Blair is not giving up his campaign to prevent Britain from leaving the European Union, using a Sunday Times article to propose that Britain instead toughen its rules on EU immigration. The outspoken Brexit opponent says reducing immigration from EU countries into Britain would satisfy many who voted in favor of Brexit in the June 2016 referendum without subjecting the country to the economic havoc it would face if it leaves the 28-nation bloc. Blair, who led the Labor Party to three consecutive electoral victories, admits his government approved the open door policy that brought many eastern Europeans to Britain after their countries joined the EU in 2004. He said times — and economic conditions — have changed, making it mandatory for stiff new controls to be put in place.