Australia

US jets drop bombs on reef

US fighter jets dropped four unarmed bombs on Australia's Great Barrier Reef in an "emergency jettison during a training exercise", officials said on Sunday, ruling out any risk to the public or environment. The US 7th Fleet said two Harrier aircraft dropped the ordnance on the iconic reef's marine park off the Queensland coast on Tuesday.

New Zealand

Minor damage from quake

A magnitude-6.9 quake struck New Zealand on Sunday, the US Geological Survey's monitoring service reported, but there were no immediate reports of major damage or injuries. The quake knocked items off shelves, shattered some windows and brought trains in the capital, Wellington, to a halt.

Greece

Escaped convict killed in shootout

An Albanian who was allegedly among a group of convicts who in March escaped from a prison in central Greece was killed on early Sunday in a shootout with police, a police source said. One policeman was wounded as a result of the dawn clash in the mountainous northern region of Epire which borders Albania, the source said, requesting anonymity.

Egypt

Road accident claims 15 lives

A road accident killed 15 soldiers and injured another 40 early on Sunday in Egypt's Nile Delta province of Beheira, a security source told AFP. Their bus collided with a lorry on a highway in the province, the source said.

AFP-AP-Reuters

(China Daily 07/22/2013 page11)