IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Sri Lanka

Gunmen kill 7 in prison bus shooting

Gunmen opened fire on a prison bus in Colombo on Monday, killing five prisoners and two warders on their way to court in what was believed to be a gangland dispute, officials said. Thushara Upuldeniya, spokesman for the Prison Department, said an armed gang blocked the bus transporting the prisoners, who included an underworld figure. Police spokesman Priyantha Jayakody said investigations had concluded that the attack was a result of a long-standing dispute between two gangs.

India

Top diplomat to visit US after killing

New Delhi's top diplomat will travel to Washington this week for talks with US officials as anger grows over the death of an Indian expatriate in a suspected hate crime. Thousands of Indians visit the United States every year for work or study, and the killing of 32-year-old engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla in a Kansas bar last week has caused shockwaves around the country. An official said Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar would travel to Washington on Tuesday for a "wide-ranging bilateral discussion".

Iraq

Govt pushes into western Mosul

Iraqi forces on Monday continued fierce clashes against Islamic State militants in western Mosul and seized a neighborhood in the southern outskirts of the embattled city, the Iraq military said. The troops are clearing the neighborhood from IS militants, who sustained heavy casualties after days of fierce fighting.

United States

Titanic actor Bill Paxton dies

Bill Paxton, a prolific and charismatic actor who had memorable roles in such blockbusters as Apollo 13 and Titanic while also cherishing his work in One False Move and other low-budget movies and in the HBO series Big Love, has died from complications due to surgery. He was 61. One of the industry's busiest actors, Paxton once said the hardest part of his career wasn't the work itself, but the time in between.

Australia

Taxi drivers bring traffic to standstill

Victorian taxi drivers caused traffic chaos on Monday on Melbourne's roads for the second time in a month in protest against proposed industry reform. Up to 100 taxi drivers blockaded two key Melbourne motorways by crawling into the city at 5 km/h, causing widespread congestion. The convoy started at the Melbourne Airport on its way to Parliament House, blocking lanes of the Tullamarine freeway and Citylink motorways.

(China Daily 02/28/2017 page12)