US, Israel close many gaps in defense aid talks
The United States and Israel have closed many of the remaining gaps in negotiations over a new multibillion-dollar military aid package for Washington’s top Middle East ally, and the two sides hope to reach a deal soon, a senior U.S. official said on Wednesday.
Jacob Nagel, acting head of Israel’s national security council, wrapped up three days of closed-door discussions in Washington over a new 10-year defense pact, including a meeting with U.S. national security adviser Susan Rice.
Uber faces ban in Taiwan
BBC Online
Car-booking app Uber could be banned in Taiwan, after state officials claimed the company did not operate lawfully within the country.
On Wednesday, treasury authorities said Uber’s licence could be revoked because it was registered as a software company, not as a taxi service.
Sudan floods kill 76, destroy thousands of houses
Reuters, Cairo
Floods and heavy rain in Sudan have killed 76 people and destroyed thousands of homes in recent days, the interior minister said on Thursday.
Ismat Abdelrahman said 13 of Sudan’s 18 provinces had been affected by flooding.
Mexican couple among 4 dead in California bus crash
AP, Atwater
Fernando Ramirez and Petra Carillo Ruiz were headed from Mexico to Washington to visit a daughter they hadn’t seen in many years – but the married couple were among the four people killed when a bus slammed into a highway sign in California’s Central Valley, authorities said. Twenty-three people were injured.
Ramirez, 57, and Carillo Ruiz, 64, were known to nearly everyone in their hometown of Villa Juarez, Nayarit because they lived across from the small town’s central plaza, said one of their neighbors, Natalia Torrayo Garcia.
20 Sunni prisoners executed in Iran
AFP, Tehran
Iran has executed a group of 20 “terrorist” Sunni prisoners for committing several murders and undermining national security, state media reported on Thursday.
“These people had committed murder… killed women and children, caused destructions and acted against the security and killed Sunni religious leaders in some Kurdish regions,” IRIB television quoted Prosecutor General Mohammad Javad Montazeri as saying.
30 children die of unknown disease in Myanmar
AP, Yangon
At least 30 children have died in northwestern Myanmar since mid-June from an unknown disease that causes breathing difficulty, officials said Thursday.
“We have this problem since two months ago and we haven’t received any help from the government yet,” said Kay Sai, a local administrator.
