Trump chooses army general to lead Joint Chiefs of Staff
AFP, Washington
US President Donald Trump on Saturday announced he was nominating Army chief of staff General Mark Milley as his next top military advisor – a new slap in the face for Pentagon chief Jim Mattis.
Milley, a four-star general who has served in Iraq and Afghanistan, would replace General Joseph Dunford as the military’s next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Teen dies in suspected drug overdose at Australia dance festival
Reuters, Melbourne
A teenager died early on Sunday after a suspected drug overdose at a Sydney dance festival where more than a dozen people were taken to hospital and another 130 sought medical assistance, the police said.
The 19-year-old man died after being taken to a hospital from the Knockout Games of Destiny dance party at Sydney Olympic Park on Saturday, the police said in a statement. Three of those hospitalised remain in a critical but stable condition.
Indian troops kill 3 rebels in Kashmir fighting
AP, Srinagar
Indian troops killed three suspected rebels in the outskirts of disputed Kashmir’s main city ending nearly 18-hour-long gunbattle, officials said Sunday.
Indian paramilitary spokesman Sanjay Sharma said the three militants were killed Sunday in the outskirts of Srinagar. Two counterinsurgency police officials and a soldier were wounded, he said.
15 civilians killed in ethnic attack on Mali village
Reuters, Bamako
Fifteen civilians from the Fulani community were killed last week when armed men from a rival ethnic group attacked their village in central Mali, a regional governor said on Saturday. Communal violence in the West African country has killed hundreds of civilians and displaced thousands this year, compounding a dire security situation in the north, where attacks by jihadist groups are common.
Iran arrests 10 suspects in suicide bombing that killed two
Reuters, Dubai
Iranian security forces have detained 10 people suspected of links to a suicide car bomb attack this week that killed at least two policemen, police chief Hossein Ashtari said on Sunday.
“Good clues have been obtained and hopefully with the public’s cooperation … we will get to the main leads,” Ashtari was quoted by the state news agency IRNA as saying.
Armenia votes in snap polls to cement reform drive
AFP, Yerevan
Armenia votes in parliamentary elections on Sunday triggered years ahead of schedule by reformist leader Nikol Pashinyan, who is aiming to cement his political authority in the post-Soviet country.
The 43-year-old former journalist became prime minister in May after spearheading weeks of peaceful anti-government rallies that ousted veteran leader Serzh Sarkisian.
