World briefs

CHINA Two fire chiefs and two poultry farm bosses have been convicted and sentenced to prison terms of up to nine years in relation to a fire at a plant in northeastern China last year that killed 121 people and injured 76 others, state media reported Saturday.

GREECE A fire erupted on a ferry carrying 478 people from Greece to Italy yesterday, leaving one person dead and trapping hundreds on top decks as gale-force winds and choppy seas hampered evacuation. The Italian Navy said that the victim and an injured person were transported by helicopter to the southern Italian city of Brindisi.

SRI LANKAN officials say 24 people have been killed and eight others are missing due to floods and mudslides caused by incessant rain around the country over the past week. The Disaster management Center also said yesterday that 106,000 people have lost their homes or evacuated to safer locations.

US Thousands of police officers from across the U.S. pack a church and spill onto streets to honor a slain New York officer as a devoted family man, aspiring chaplain and hero, though an air of unrest surrounding his ambush shooting was not completely pushed aside.

US The Obama administration is on the verge of proposing long-awaited rules for commercial drone operations in U.S. skies, but key decisions on how much access to grant drones are likely to come from Congress next year.

EGYPT says it banned Ridley Scott’s biblical epic “Exodus: Gods & Kings” because it gives the wrong idea about Egypt’s history and presents a “racist” image of Jews. The Culture Ministry explained its decision for the first time in a statement yesterday, a few days after the initial ban.

CUBA The gleaming U.S. Interests Section suddenly is poised to become an even more important presence in Cuba as the two countries negotiate the first phase of their historic detente — transforming the complex into a full embassy that would reflect the Obama administration’s hopes of new influence on the communist island. More on FT supplement

LIBYA’s foreign minister said yesterday that extremist groups are escalating their attacks and making a renewed push to seize oil resources, after an assault on eastern terminals set storage tanks ablaze, sending massive clouds of black smoke into the sky.

UK Premier League leader Chelsea was held to a 1-1 draw by Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday after failing to take advantage of a one-man advantage in the closing minutes.