AFP, Riyadh
Saudi Arabia executed a citizen convicted of murder on Wednesday taking to 90 the number of people the ultra-conservative kingdom has put to death this year.
Mufreh al-Harissi was found guilty of stabbing to death a fellow Saudi during a dispute, the interior ministry said in a statement published by the official SPA news agency.
NATO alliance gets new commander
AP, Casteau
NATO has a new supreme allied commander, the former top American general in Korea who has said the Western alliance must stand up to Russia and give Ukraine weapons to defend itself.
Army Gen. Curtis M. Scaparrotti took over Wednesday as the military leader responsible for the overall direction and conduct of NATO’s global military operations.
Yemen foes to resume peace talks
AFP, Kuwait City
Yemen’s warring parties are to resume face-to-face peace talks on Wednesday after a three-day break triggered by a walkout by the government delegation, the United Nations said.
The negotiations, which began on April 21, broke off on Sunday after the government delegation quit in protest at the apparent surrender of one of the few loyalist bases in the northern mountains to Iran-backed rebels.
Israel to upgrade ties with NATO
AFP, Jerusalem
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Israel would upgrade its ties with the 28-member NATO military alliance by opening a permanent mission to its Brussels headquarters.
“I declare that Israel will accept the invitation and open an office, in the near future,” Netanyahu said at the start of a cabinet meeting.
China’s new drills in South China Sea
Reuters, Beijing
China’s military will carry out more military exercises in the South China Sea this month involving advanced warships and submarines, state news agency Xinhua said on Wednesday, terming the drills routine.
China claims almost all of the energy-rich waters of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion of maritime trade passes each year.
Algerian paper faces closure threat
AP, Algiers
Independent Algerian newspaper El Khabar is facing likely closure after the government cracked down on its ad revenue and challenged its pending sale in court.
The newspaper has been critical of the government, notably its handling of the gas-dependent economy.
EU proposes scheme to share out asylum seekers
Reuters, Brussels
The European Commission proposed a system of distributing asylum seekers across the EU on Wednesday that aims to ease the load on frontline states like Greece and Italy but may face stiff resistance from governments in Eastern Europe.
