short takes

S Korea fires  at North soldiers    
AFP, SEOUL: South Korean troops fired warning shots at North Korean soldiers who intruded on the buffer zone marking their heavily armed border, Seoul said Sunday, in the first such skirmish this year.
The incident occurred Saturday morning when 10 North Korean soldiers crossed the border of the demilitarised zone separating the two Koreas, which remain technically at war, the South’s defence ministry said. But the brief intrusion near Cheorwon, northeast of Seoul, triggered no exchange of fire as North Korean soldiers retreated without firing back, it said.
Mexico drug lord flees prison
AFP, MEXICO CITY: Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman has escaped from a maximum-security prison for the second time in 14 years, authorities said yesterday, dealing an embarrassing blow to the government.
The kingpin was last spotted by security cameras in the shower area of the Altiplano prison, 90 kilometers (55 miles) west of Mexico City, on Saturday night before disappearing, the National Security Commission said.
An alarm was issued after “he was not visible” for a while and his cell was empty, the commission said in a statement in the early hours of Sunday.
Spain old home blaze kills 8
AFP, MADRID: A blaze in a retirement home in northern Spain overnight left eight people dead and 11 hurt, the regional government said Sunday.
“There are eight dead and 11 hurt, including two seriously from smoke inhalation,” a spokesman for the Aragon region government told AFP, adding that the cause of the fire was not yet known.
The area has for more than a week suffered from a heat wave. A fire between July 3 and 7 saw nearly 14,000 hectares burned in what was the country’s worst blaze since 2012.
10 die in Afghan roadside bomb
AP/UNB, Kabul: An Afghan security official says that at least 10 civilians have been killed in a roadside bomb explosion in the country’s east.
Gen. Abdul Karim Fayeq, provincial police chief in Kapsia province, said on Sunday that at least seven other civilians were wounded after their van hit by a newly planted roadside bomb.
The attack took place in Tagab district, where insurgents are active and regularly attack Afghan security forces, said Fayeq. No group claimed responsibility for the attack in Kapisa province.  The Taliban frequently uses roadside bombs and suicide attacks to target Afghan army or police forces across the country.

short takes

S Korea fires at North soldiers AFP, SEOUL: South Korean troops fired warning shots at North Korean soldiers who intruded on the buffer zone marking their heavily armed border, Seoul said Sunday, in the first such skirmish this year. The incident occurred Saturday morning when 10 North Korean soldiers crossed the border of the demilitarised zone separating the two Koreas, which remain technically at war, the Souths defence ministry said. But the brief intrusion near Cheorwon, northeast of Seoul, triggered no exchange of fire as North Korean soldiers retreated without firing back, it said. Mexico drug lord flees prison AFP, MEXICO CITY: Mexican drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman has escaped from a maximum-security prison for the second time in 14 years, authorities said yesterday, dealing an embarrassing blow to the government. The kingpin was last spotted by security cameras in the shower area of the Altiplano prison, 90 kilometers (55 miles) west of Mexico City, on Saturday night before disappearing, the National Security Commission said. An alarm was issued after he was not visible for a while and his cell was empty, the commission said in a statement in the early hours of Sunday. Spain old home blaze kills 8 AFP, MADRID: A blaze in a retirement home in northern Spain overnight left eight people dead and 11 hurt, the regional government said Sunday. There are eight dead and 11 hurt, including two seriously from smoke inhalation, a spokesman for the Aragon region government told AFP, adding that the cause of the fire was not yet known. The area has for more than a week suffered from a heat wave. A fire between July 3 and 7 saw nearly 14,000 hectares burned in what was the countrys worst blaze since 2012. 10 die in Afghan roadside bomb AP/UNB, Kabul: An Afghan security official says that at least 10 civilians have been killed in a roadside bomb explosion in the countrys east. Gen. Abdul Karim Fayeq, provincial police chief in Kapsia province, said on Sunday that at least seven other civilians were wounded after their van hit by a newly planted roadside bomb. The attack took place in Tagab district, where insurgents are active and regularly attack Afghan security forces, said Fayeq. No group claimed responsibility for the attack in Kapisa province. The Taliban frequently uses roadside bombs and suicide attacks to target Afghan army or police forces across the country.