Left-wing Israeli parties unite to counter Netanyahu
AFP, Jerusalem
Left-wing Meretz and the new party of former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak said Thursday they had formed an alliance to boost the bloc ahead of September’s general election. While such a union did not constitute a real threat to incumbent premier Benjamin Netanyahu’s rule, it could be the catalyst for further mergers among the smaller parties fractioning both the left-wing and right-wing vote.
Six dead in Mogadishu mayor office blast
AFP, Mogadishu
Six people were killed and the mayor of Mogadishu was wounded in a bombing at the mayoral offices in the Somali capital on Wednesday, in an attack claimed by Al-Shabaab jihadists to have been targeting a UN envoy.
United Nations special envoy James Swan had met the mayor, Abdirahman Omar Osman, and left just before the blast at the headquarters of the Banadir district, which encompasses Mogadishu, according to the mission’s Twitter account.
Riyadh, allies thwart new Yemen rebel drone attack
AFP, Riyadh
Saudi air defences intercepted a Yemeni rebel drone targeting a southwestern city on Thursday, a Riyadh-led military coalition said, as cross-border attacks by the rebels showed no let-up. The rebels’ top political leader, Mahdi al-Mashat, had said on Tuesday that they were ready to stop attacks on Saudi Arabia and engage in dialogue provided it reciprocated and facilitated the flow of aid.
N Korea’s Air Koryo to begin direct flights to Macau
AFP, Hong Kong
North Korea’s national airline Air Koryo will resume direct flights from Pyongyang to the gambling enclave of Macau next week after a 15-year hiatus, the Chinese territory’s civil aviation authority said.
With the relaunch of the route, Macau will become the fourth city with a regular scheduled flight to the North Korean capital after Beijing and Shenyang in China and Vladivostok in Russia.
Puerto Rico governor resigns after protests
AFP, San Juan
Puerto Rico’s embattled governor Ricardo Rossello announced his resignation late Wednesday following two weeks of massive protests triggered by the release of a chat exchange in which he and others mocked gays, women and hurricane victims.
“I announce that I will be resigning from the governor’s post effective Friday, August 2 at 5 pm,” Rico said, in a video broadcast by the government.
Belarusian diplomat wounded in gun attacked
AP, Ankara
Turkish officials say a diplomat from Belarus was shot by a neighbor who later committed suicide. The incident did not appear to be politically motivated.
Ankara Gov. Vasip Sahin says diplomat Alexander Poganshev was taken to a hospital to undergo surgery after being attacked by a retired military officer in the Turkish capital Wednesday.
