Cairo: At least 32 people died and 37 were injured after a fire in a theatre was started by lighted candles on stage. The blaze provoked a stampede as burning spectators tried to flee, trampling others underfoot.

Actors, a playwright and critics were among the dead in the Nile town of Beni Suef, 150kms (100 miles) south of Cairo. Much of the theatre was reduced to ashes. (AFP)

21 die in typhoon

Kagoshima: At least 21 people died and 53 were injured when a typhoon hit southern Japan. More than 100,000 people were told to take shelter to avoid floods and landslides. Junichiro Koizumi, the Prime Minister, cancelled campaign appearances ahead of Sunday’s election. (AFP)

Train driver’s fault

Tokyo: A speeding train driver who was running late caused Japan’s worst rail crash in 41 years, an inquiry reported. Ryujiro Takami, 23, died when he crashed his commuter train into an apartment block in Amagasaki, near Osaka, in April. The passenger death toll was 106, with 555 injured.

Gilligan actor dies

Los Angeles: Bob Denver, whose portrayal of the goofy castaway Gilligan on the 1960s television show Gilligan’s Island made him an iconic figure to generations of viewers, has died aged 70. He was being treated for cancer and also underwent heart surgery this year. (AP)

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