11 die as monsoon floods northeast India
GAUHATI, India -- Indian authorities rushed food and drinking water Saturday to thousands of people marooned by monsoon rains and mudslides that left at least 11 dead in the remote northeast.
Residents waded through waist- and knee-deep water in several parts of the Assam state capital, Karat, which was hit by nearly 2.3 inches of pounding rain Thursday night.
"Inflatable boats and makeshift banana rafts have become a mode of transport in the heart of Gauhati. This is something I didn't imagine," said Rani Das, a researcher who could not reach her office Saturday.
Loose patches of earth rolled down the hills around Gauhati as light rain continued Saturday. Authorities closed schools for the day in the city.
India's Meteorological Department said the rains were caused by a strong monsoon, while other parts of the country were experiencing 30 percent to 40 percent deficiency in rainfall in June.
All the 11 deaths in the past two days have been reported from Gauhati. Police said they included a family of three who was buried when a portion of a concrete house caved in on its tin-roofed home early Friday. Another person died in a mudslide, and five others were electrocuted.
Won't seek regional rule, China pledges
BEIJING -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said Saturday that his country never will seek hegemony no matter how strong becomes, even as his neighbors worry about Beijing's actions in several territorial disputes.
Xi made the comments as he hosted leaders of India and Burma to commemorate 60 years since their countries agreed to principles of peaceful coexistence.
At the same time, China is quarreling with several neighboring countries, including India, over territory and is challenging U.S. power in the region. In November, China declared an air defense identification zone over much of the East China Sea, where it is disputing several islands with Japan.
Tensions also flared with Vietnam after China deployed oil rigs in waters claimed by both countries.
However, Xi, Myanmar President Thein Sein and Indian Vice President Hamid Ansari pledged to work to preserve regional peace.
Xi also called for "a new architecture of Asia-Pacific security." He has said previously that such a security arrangement would include Russia and Iran and exclude the United States.
Yemen repels hospital attack; 6 dead
SANA, Yemen -- Yemeni troops foiled a militant attack on a military-affiliated hospital Saturday in the country's south, setting off clashes that killed four militants and two soldiers, the Defense Ministry said.
The ministry statement said the attack occurred in the early hours of Saturday on the hospital in Hadramawt province, setting off a battle that lasted for an hour.
The armed forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Saeed Mohammed al-Faqih said the militants were seen transporting away from the scene a number of their wounded. Al-Faqih said a reinforcement military force joined to chase the militants, but he didn't say if anyone was arrested.
There were no reports of damage or injuries among civilians or to the hospital.
Yemen is home to one of the most active branches of al-Qaida.
The government has waged repeated offensives to drive out the militants from the south, most recently this spring. The group retaliated with a series of attacks against troops and security. On Thursday, militants carried out coordinated attacks against an airport, a military barracks and post office in the province, killing 15.
Rebels empty bus, kill 4 Egypt conscripts
CAIRO -- Militants in Egypt's northern Sinai shot and killed four conscripts returning from holidays to their duty station Saturday, hours after two homemade bombs killed a teenager and her mother at a construction site near Cairo, security officials said.
The officials said the militants intercepted a small passenger bus near the northern Sinai town of Rafah, asked its passengers to get out before identifying the four conscripts and shooting them. The conscripts were dressed in civilian clothes, the officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters as the investigation continued. The militants fled the scene.
Egypt has seen a series of attacks mainly targeting security forces since the ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi last July. The Foreign Ministry says nearly 250 police have been killed in attacks since security forces dispersed a mass sit-in by Morsi supporters in August, leaving hundreds dead.
The explosion outside of Cairo tore through a government telecommunications building under construction, a security official said. The 15-year-old girl's mother, who is the wife of the building guard, was wounded in the blast and died later.
-- COMPILED BY DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE STAFF FROM WIRE REPORTS
A Section on 06/29/2014