■ISRAEL
Prisoner swap talks not over
Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers both said on Sunday that talks aimed at freeing an Israeli soldier held nearly three years by Palestinian militants are not over, despite last week’s public breakdown of talks mediated by Egypt. Sergeant Gilad Schalit has been held by Hamas-linked militants since June 2006. Olmert spokesman Mark Regev said on Sunday the government was trying to reach a deal with Hamas. “The work is ongoing,” he said. He provided no further details. The head of Hamas’ government in the Gaza Strip, Ismail Haniyeh, also indicated a deal was still possible in an article in the Hamas newspaper al-Ray. “Our people are still trying to renew the Egyptian-sponsored negotiations in order to reach a respectable prisoner exchange,” he said.
■YEMEN
Spy sentenced to death
The state security court has issued a death sentence in the case of a Yemeni man found guilty of spying for Israel. Two other men received jail sentences of three and five years in the same case. Presiding judge Mouhssien Alwan said the court convicted the trio after it checked the evidence and found out that it was “clear enough to let the court have the degree of certainty to convict them.” The prosecution has charged the three young men with establishing contact with former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert, offering to work as agents for the Mossad intelligence agency. The group’s leader, Bassam Abdullah al-Haidari, 26, received the death sentence.
■SOUTH AFRICA
Shark kills teenage surfer
A 16-year-old surfer died after being attacked by a shark, media reported yesterday. The youth was part of a group surfing in Port St Johns when the shark bit him in the leg and buttocks, the region’s newspaper, the Herald, reported. He managed to paddle to shore, where his instructor and a lifeguard pulled him to safety. He died later in the hospital from his injuries. The incident is the second of its kind along the Wild Coast in two months.
■ISRAEL
Second coalition deal struck
Prime minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu has reached a second coalition deal with the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, officials said yesterday. As part of the deal, the religious party will receive four portfolios in the new Cabinet, including interior, housing and religious affairs. The fourth minister from the party will be a minister without portfolio. The move brings Netanyahu, the leader of the Likud party, one step closer to forming a government following last week’s signing of a deal with the ultra-nationalist Yisrael Beitenu party.
RSS