News In Brief

Egypt army storms Islamist-held town
Ap, Cairo

Security forces backed by armored vehicles and helicopters yesterday stormed a town south of Cairo that had been held for over two months by militants loyal to the ousted Islamist president, swiftly taking control despite some resistance from gunmen.
Local activists Adel Shafiq and Ezzat Ibrahim said a joint force of army and police rolled into the town of Dalga, about 300 kilometers south of the Egyptian capital, before dawn on Monday. They said there were about 10 minutes of intense gunfire, followed by sporadic shots as government forces began house-to-house searches to arrest militants.

6 killed in Colombia bar stampede
BBC Online

Six people were killed and five injured in a stampede triggered when police raided a crowded bar in the Colombian capital Bogota, officials say.
Officers were called to the venue after reports of a brawl.

Typhoon hits Japan
Ap, Tokyo

A powerful typhoon lashed Japan with torrential rain yesterday, leaving two dead as it damaged homes and flooded parts of the country's popular tourist destination of Kyoto, where 260,000 people were ordered to evacuate to shelters.
Typhoon Man-yi, packing wind speeds of 162 kilometers per hour Monday night, was centered off the northern coast and heading to the northern main island of Hokkaido, dumping more heavy rain.

3 women shot dead in Pak 'honour' crime
Afp, Peshawar

Relatives have shot dead three women in a lawless tribal area of northwest Pakistan after one of them left her husband, officials said yesterday.
The "honour" killings happened in Jawaki village in the Darra Adam Khel district, between the cities of Peshawar and Kohat.
Relatives shot the three dead at their house late Sunday and buried them on Monday morning.

Indonesia volcano erupts; flee 6,000
Ap, Medan

Nearly 6,000 people were evacuated from their villages following the eruption of Mount Sinabung in western Indonesia, an official said yesterday.
The 2,600 m volcano in North Sumatra province erupted early on Sunday after being dormant for three years, sending thick ash into the sky with small rocks pelting neighbouring villages, said National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.
Most of the displaced were from six villages within 3 km of the mountain in Karo district, Nugroho said.

Iran to send cat astronaut into space
Ap, Tehran

Iran's hunt for its next animal astronaut may turn to the distinctive and locally named Persian cat, an official said yesterday, in another possible step by the country's ambitious aerospace program that has also raised Western concerns about spillover military applications.
The report by the official IRNA news agency comes seven months after Iran claimed it launched a monkey out of earth's atmosphere and successfully returned it home. The account, however, faced international questions after photos appeared to show different monkeys in pre- and post-launch images.

Gun attack kills top Afghan policewoman
Afp, Kabul

 
The top policewoman in Afghanistan's restive south died yesterday after being shot by assassins, just months after her predecessor was gunned down, in the latest attack to highlight the threat to women in public life.