AP, Tehran
Iran on Saturday displayed a surface-to-surface missile as part of events marking the anniversary of the 1979 U.S. Embassy takeover and hostage crisis amid uncertainty about its nuclear deal with world powers.
Thousands gathered at the former U.S. embassy in downtown Tehran where a missile, believed to be a 2,000-kilometer (1,243-mile)-range solid-fuel Sejjil, was on display. It was the first time Iran displayed a missile during the annual gathering.
China unveils massive island-building vessel
AFP, Beijing
China has unveiled a massive ship described as a “magic island maker” that is Asia’s largest dredging vessel, state media reported Saturday.
The ship, capable of building artificial islands of the sort the country has constructed in the contested South China Sea, was launched Friday at a port in eastern Jiangsu province, according to the state-owned China Daily.
Stampede kills 3 in India
AP, Patna
Police in India say at least three people have been killed and another six injured when a stampede broke out during a Hindu religious ritual on a crowded bank of the Ganges River. Police say the injured have been hospitalized in Begusarai, a town in Bihar state.
Police are investigating what caused the stampede on Saturday during a religious festival that involves Hindus bathing in the river in the belief it will wash away their sins.
Venezuela oppon split ahead of new vote
Reuters, Caracas
One of Venezuela’s major opposition parties has decided to run in local elections next month despite a boycott by others, deepening a split in the Democratic Unity coalition to the glee of President Nicolas Maduro and his ruling Socialist Party.
Three of the four main groupings in the coalition have vowed not to participate in the Dec. 10 balloting for 335 mayors and one governor because they believe the election system is rigged.
US airstrikes against ISIS in Somalia
AP, Mogadishu
The U.S. military for the first time has conducted two airstrikes against Islamic State group fighters in Somalia, where the extremists are a growing presence in a country long threatened by the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab. The U.S. Africa Command said the two drone strikes killed “several terrorists” in northeastern Somalia, the first around midnight local time and the second later Friday morning.
Typhoon kills five in Vietnam
AP, Hanoi
Typhoon Damrey has slammed into Vietnam’s south-central coast, killing five person and leaving four others missing.
Disaster officials say the typhoon also blew the roofs off of thousands of houses, and felled trees and electricity poles.
