ISIS claims attack against Afghan prison
KABUL, Afghanistan -- The Islamic State militant group Sunday claimed responsibility for an attack by a suicide car bomber and multiple gunmen against a prison in eastern Afghanistan, which Afghan officials said killed at least three people and injured 24.
The hourslong gunbattle between Afghan security forces and insurgents in Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar province, was still going on Sunday evening and casualties were likely to rise, said Attaullah Khogyani, spokesman for the provincial governor.
Tariq Arian, spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said at least three people were killed. Zahir Adil, spokesman for the provincial Health Ministry, provided the figure of 24 wounded.
The Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan, based in Nangarhar province, claimed responsibility for the attack.
The attack comes a day after the Afghan intelligence agency said a senior Islamic State commander was killed by Afghan special forces near Jalalabad.
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Taliban political spokesman Suhail Shaheen said, "We have a cease-fire and are not involved in any of these attacks anywhere in the country," but he added that he was not aware of the details of the Jalalabad attack.
The Taliban declared a three-day cease-fire starting Friday for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.
U.K. lawmaker arrested, reports say
LONDON -- British media reported Sunday that a Conservative Party lawmaker has been arrested after a former parliamentary aide accused him of rape and sexual assault while they were in a relationship.
The Sunday Times and Mail on Sunday did not name the lawmaker, who they reported was a former government minister. The complainant alleged that the man assaulted her and forced her to have sex, according to the Times.
The Metropolitan Police said it is investigating allegations of sexual offenses and assault relating to four incidents at addresses in London, including in Westminster, between July 2019 and January.
The force said officers arrested a man in his 50s on Saturday on suspicion of rape and took him into custody at a London police station. He has been released on bail. The force did not name the man, in accordance with its usual rule of not naming suspects until they are formally charged.
The governing Conservative Party said it takes "all allegations of this nature extremely seriously" but that it could not comment because the matter was being investigated.
The party said it wasn't suspending the lawmaker but that it may review that decision once the police investigation has concluded.
Jess Phillips of the opposition Labor Party said it was "shocking" that the Tories refused to suspend the lawmaker.
"In any other organization, were this police investigation to be going on, somebody would be suspended while the investigation was taking place," she said.
1 dead, 4 missing after Thai ferry sinks
BANGKOK -- A ferry sank off the Thai island of Koh Samui, leaving at least one person dead and four missing, officials said Sunday.
The ferry was carrying 12 crew members and four passengers when it sank in stormy conditions Saturday night after leaving Koh Samui's port, according to a statement on the Surat Thani Public Affairs Department Facebook page.
Nine people were rescued near the sunken vessel by rescue workers. Two more were found hours later near a deserted island in the area.
One person was found dead, and four were missing, the statement said.
Patchara Thiparat, one of the two found near the island, said that when everyone on the ferry realized what was going to happen, they put on life jackets. But he got separated from the rest of the group because he was on the other side of the boat when it was sinking.
"The water [current] was very strong. It swept me away from the ship very quickly. Later I saw the island and then tried to swim toward it," Patchara said.
The ferry was transporting goods and vehicles from Koh Samui, a popular tourist island in the Gulf of Thailand, to the mainland.
Heavy rain leads to 6 deaths in S. Korea
SEOUL, South Korea -- Torrential rain pounded most of South Korea over the weekend, leaving six people dead and seven missing, officials said Sunday.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety said the heavy rainfall triggered landslides in dozens of places, flooded residential areas and roads, and damaged some riverside structures.
Much of the damage occurred in the Seoul metropolitan area and the central region.
The ministry said the six people were buried either by mud or building debris after landslides or were swept away by swollen waters. Ministry officials said one person died Saturday and the others Sunday, all in the Seoul metropolitan area or the central region.
Six people were injured and 360 were left homeless, the ministry said.
The Seoul area and the central region are expected to continue to receive heavy rain until this morning.
-- Compiled by Democrat-Gazette staff from wire reports
