Main News of August 18

A roundup of what has happened in the past 24 hours

RUSSIA

* The water level of the Amur River in Russia's Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk has peaked at 642 centimeters, reaching the historic maximum of 1897, a local government official said on Sunday.

* Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said Sunday the country's controversial anti-gay legislation is for the protection of its young generation, "whose psyche has not been formed," and lumped in the promotion of homosexuality with that of alcohol and drug abuse.

 

WORLD

*A group of UN experts arrived in Syria on Sunday to probe the alleged use of chemical weapons in the ongoing civil war there, media reports said.

* The European Union will review relations with Egypt where violence has left hundreds dead, the presidents of the European Commission and the European Council said in a joint statement on Sunday.

 

SPORTS

* The final day of the world athletics championships concluded as the first Sunday did seven days ago – with Usain Bolt swaggering around the track at Luzhniki Stadium adorned with the Jamaican flag.

* With a dash of glitter and some Russian patriotism, the world athletics championships wrapped up in Moscow on Sunday in low-key fashion.