Briefly

BRAZIL

Mudslides claim 42 lives, 36 still missing

Rescue workers found the body of a 37-year-old man under piles of earth and debris on Sunday, taking the death toll from the mudslides in southeast Brazil's Sao Paulo state to 42. Another 36 people remain missing since unusually heavy rains hit coastal towns on March 2, collapsing ramshackle hillside houses in the poorer neighborhoods, according to local firefighters. The latest victim has been identified as Rafael Rodriguez, an instructor of Brazilian martial art capoeira, who died while trying to rescue the victims of a mudslide at a slum in Guaruja, one of Brazil's most populous beachside resort towns. Guaruja has received more than 30 tons of humanitarian aid from the federal government.

MALAYSIA

New leader names Cabinet with no deputy

New Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin unveiled his government on Monday, saying he will have no deputy prime minister and instead appointing four senior ministers to keep factions happy in his Malay-majority government. Muhyiddin also named a banker as finance minister in an unprecedented step, and appeared to deliver on promises of a graft-free Cabinet as he sought to shore up public support for his leadership. Muhyiddin took office a week ago after his party's defection and prime minister Mahathir Mohamad's resignation sparked the collapse of the former ruling alliance.

IRAQ

Two US soldiers killed in clashes with extremists

Two US soldiers fighting the Islamic State group in Iraq were killed during an operation alongside Iraqi forces, the coalition against the extremists said on Monday. "Two US service members were killed by enemy forces... during a mission to eliminate an ISIS terrorist stronghold in a mountainous area of north central Iraq, March 8," the coalition said in a statement, using an alternative acronym for the extremist group. No further details were immediately available. The names of the service members were withheld pending next of kin notification, in accordance with US Department of Defense policy, the statement said. The United States maintains nearly 5,200 troops in Iraq on a mission to assist and provide training to Iraqi security forces in the fight against the IS group.

UNITED KINGDOM

Police shoot dead knifeman in London

British police shot dead a knifeman in central London late on Sunday but the incident is not being treated as terrorism. Police on patrol in Westminster noticed a man acting suspiciously at 23:25 pm on Sunday. When challenged he produced two knives and was shot. "The man was pronounced dead at the scene at Great Scotland Yard a short time later," police said. "The incident is not being not being treated as terrorism."

Xinhua - Agencies