ISRAEL
Palestinian shot dead
Security forces shot dead a suspected Palestinian assailant who tried to stab a man at a busy intersection near a West Bank settlement yesterday, police said, a location that has seen several incidents during two months of violence. A police spokeswoman said the assailant was shot dead as he wielded a knife in the attempted stabbing at Gush Etzion junction and a bystander was lightly hurt from a stray bullet fired by an officer securing the location.
SAUDI ARABIA
Execution plan draws threat
Al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Yemen threatened the Saudi government over its plan to carry out a mass execution of prisoners, including al-Qaeda members, the militant group announced in a statement posted on social media. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, one of the deadliest branches of the global militant network, said it was aware of Saudi intentions to execute its members in Saudi prisons and pledged to carry out attacks in response. “We swear to God, our blood will be shed before the blood of our captives, and their pure blood will not dry before we shed the blood of the soldiers of Al Saud,” the group said in a statement which was posted on Twitter and dated yesterday.
TURKEY
Newspaper taxes probed
Newspaper Cumhuriyet, whose top two journalists were arrested last week on charges of espionage and terrorist propaganda, is facing an investigation into its tax accounts, its chief executive said. A court on Thursday last week ordered the arrest of Can Dundar, the paper’s editor-in-chief, and senior editor Erdem Gul over the publication of footage purporting to show the state intelligence agency helping send weapons to Syria. The video footage at the heart of the court case, released in May, purported to show Turkish police opening crates of weapons and ammunition bound for Syria on the back of trucks said to belong to the MIT National Intelligence Organisation. Publication of the story at the time prompted President Tayyip Erdogan to vow revenge, saying those behind it endangered security and would “pay a heavy price.”
UNITED STATES
Coke obesity group disbands
A nonprofit funded by Coca-Cola Co to combat obesity is disbanding following revelations about the beverage maker’s involvement with the group. The Global Energy Balance Network on Monday said on its Web site that it is “discontinuing operations due to resource limitations.” The decision was effective immediately. The group had previously said that it received an “unrestricted gift” from Coke and that the Atlanta-based soft drink giant had “no input” into its activities.
UNITED KINGDOM
‘You’re fat’ card probed
Police stepped in on Monday after a woman on London’s metro system was handed a card calling her a “fat, ugly human.” Health worker Kara Florish said in a tweet the card she was given on the Underground was “hateful” and “cowardly” and “could potentially upset people struggling with confidence.” She tweeted a picture of the card, which on one side said “fat” and on the other read: “Our organisation hates and resents fat people. We object to the enormous amount of food resources you consume while half the world starves. And we do not understand why you fail to grasp that by eating less you will be better off, slimmer, happy and find a partner who is not a perverted chubby-lover, or even find a partner at all,” the message continued.
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
A Croatian town has come up with a novel solution to solve the issue of working parents when there are no public childcare spaces available: pay grandparents to do it. Samobor, near the capital, Zagreb, has become the first in the country to run a “Grandmother-Grandfather Service,” which pays 360 euros (US$400) a month per child. The scheme allows grandparents to top up their pension, but the authorities also hope it will boost family ties and tackle social isolation as the population ages. “The benefits are multiple,” Samobor Mayor Petra Skrobot told reporters. “Pensions are rather low and for parents it is sometimes
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
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