News in Brief

Train hits car outside NYC; 7 killed
Afp, New York

A packed commuter train crashed into a car on the rails outside New York City during Tuesday evening rush hour, killing seven people, officials said. The driver of the car and six people in the first carriage of the train were killed when the train slammed into an SUV vehicle around 6:30pm, triggering an explosion and fire, Governor Andrew Cuomo told a late night news conference.

N Korea strikes down US talks on nukes
Afp, Seoul

North Korea on Wednesday ruled out resuming dialogue with the "gangster-like" United States, and vowed to respond to any US aggression with nuclear strikes and cyber warfare. The bellicose statement from the country's top military body, the National Defence Commission, came after reported moves by Washington and Pyongyang to revive long-stalled six-nation talks on denuclearisation.

US to purge intel on foreigners after 5 yrs
Afp, Washington

US spy agencies will expunge intelligence on foreigners gleaned from phone or email intercepts after five years, unless it has security value, according to a policy review released Tuesday. Two years after whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed a vast overseas digital dragnet that snared, among others, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the US government said it is changing how it handles the trove of intel.

17 killed in new DR Congo attack
Afp, Goma

At least 17 people have been hacked to death in the  Democratic Republic of Congo, which has been plagued by a spate of massacres blamed on Ugandan rebels, police said yesterday. The attack took place overnight in the city of Beni.