IN BRIEF (Page 11)

Afghanistan

Forces free 149 Taliban hostages

Afghan forces launched a lightning operation in northern Kunduz province on Monday, rescuing 149 people, including women and children, abducted by the Taliban just hours earlier, officials said. By midafternoon, fighting was still under way in the area to free 21 remaining hostages, officials added. The operation was a boost for Afghan forces, which have struggled to contain a resurgent Taliban on battlefields across the country. On Monday morning, the Taliban ambushed a convoy of three buses traveling on a road in the Khan Abad district, and forced everyone to come with them.

Spain

Police shoot dead knife attacker

Police said on Monday they had shot a man armed with a knife as he tried to attack a police station near Barcelona. Police said on Twitter the man had entered the police station in Cornella, near Barcelona, just before 4 am "with the aim of attacking the officers" adding he had then been shot. A Mossos spokeswoman said she could not give any further information. State broadcaster RTVE said the attacker was a 29-year-old Algerian resident in Cornella with Spanish identity documents, and had been killed by the gunshot.

India

Flood-hit Kerala faces huge cleanup

Indian health authorities prepared defenses against the spread of disease in southern India's Kerala state on Monday as water receded and a huge cleanup gathered pace after the worst floods in a century. Nearly 800,000 people have been displaced and more than 350 have died, officials said on Sunday. Light to moderate rain was expected across Kerala on Monday, bringing some respite to rescue workers, who have been battling rising waters and mudslides to reach tens of thousands of stranded villagers. Rainfall in the state during the June-September monsoon season has been more than 40 percent higher than normal.

Turkey

Shots fired at US embassy in Ankara

Unidentified assailants fired gun shots at the US embassy in Ankara early on Monday, hitting a window of a security cabin but causing no casualties, local media reported. Police are searching for the suspects, who reportedly fled in a white car before the car's license plate number could be seen. The embassy is set to close this week for an official public holiday to mark the Eid al-Adha festival. The incident came as Ankara and Washington are locked in a bitter dispute over Turkey's detention of a US pastor on terror-related charges.

United States

Spacey movie flops on debut

Scandal-plagued actor Kevin Spacey's latest film Billionaire Boys Club earned only $126 in Friday's debut, marking a career low for the disgraced Hollywood star. Billionaire Boys Club was filmed in 2015 and released with no publicity following a premium VOD release last month. The film brought an additional $162 on Saturday from 10 screens in selected theaters across the country, US entertainment and media news website, the Wrap, reported.

Ap - Reuters - Afp - Xinhua

(China Daily 08/21/2018 page11)