1. More than 200 dead in Baghdad blast

    At least 213 people were killed in Sunday’s Baghdad suicide bombing claimed by the Islamic State group, officials said on Monday, making it one of the deadliest ever militant attacks in Iraq.

    The suicide car bombing, which ripped* through a crowded shopping area and sparked infernos* in nearby buildings, also wounded more than 200 people, security and medical officials said.

    The area in the capital’s Karrada district was crowded with people shopping ahead of the holiday marking the end of the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

    2. UAE man mistaken for terrorist in US

    The handcuffing* of a traditionally dressed United Arab Emirates (UAE) citizen mistaken for a terrorist in Ohio, the United States, last week spurred the UAE Government to take the unusual steps of summoning* a U.S. diplomat for a meeting and advising its citizens not to wear such clothing while traveling abroad.

    The incident occurred on June 29 when a woman working as a hotel clerk in the Cleveland suburb of Avon, Ohio, called police to report that a man at the hotel in “full head dress” had pledged allegiance* to Islamic State. Police arrived and handcuffed businessman Ahmed al-Menhali, who had been visiting the area for medical treatment.

    3. Wiesel, Auschwitz survivor, dies at 87

    Elie Wiesel, the Auschwitz survivor who became an eloquent witness for the 6 million Jews slaughtered in World War II and who, more than anyone else, seared* the memory of the Holocaust on the world’s conscience*, died on Saturday at his home in Manhattan. He was 87.

    Wiesel was the author of several dozen books and was a charismatic* lecturer and humanities professor. In 1986, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. But he was defined not so much by the work he did as by the gaping* void* he filled. In the aftermath of the Germans’ systematic massacre of Jews, no voice had emerged.

    4. US serviceman arrested in Japan

    Japanese police have arrested an American serviceman* for alleged drunken driving on Okinawa days after the lifting of an off-base* drinking ban imposed* after the arrest of a former Marine in a high-profile murder case.

    Police arrested Tech Sgt. Christopher Platte, 27, stationed at Kadena Air Base on the southern island, on Monday after a police officer spotted him driving erratically*. Police said a breath test showed his blood-alcohol level exceeding the legal limit.

    Japan’s government protested to the U.S. Embassy over the arrest.

    5. Duterte takes helm in Philippines

    Rodrigo Duterte was sworn in on Thursday as president of the Philippines, with some hoping his maverick* style will energize the country but others fearing he will undercut* one of Asia’s liveliest democracies amid threats to kill criminals en masse.

    The 71-year-old former prosecutor and longtime mayor of southern Davao city won a resounding* victory in May’s elections in his first foray* into national politics.

    Duterte, who begins a six-year term as president, captured attention with promises to cleanse the poor Southeast Asian nation of criminals and government crooks* within six months.

    6. Mafia killer arrested after 20 yrs

    A convicted killer who was one of Italy’s most wanted mafia* bosses was arrested on Sunday in an operation hailed by prosecutors as a historic breakthrough in the fight against organized crime.

    Ernesto Fazzalari, 46, a fugitive* for 20 years, was captured in the early hours of the morning in an apartment in a remote part of the southern region of Calabria, home to the notorious ‘Ndrangheta network of criminal clans.

    Fazzalari was a leading figure in ‘Ndrangheta, now considered the most powerful of Italy’s crime syndicates.

    (SD-Agencies)