A convention center under construction in the northwest of the Saudi capital Riyadh has left more than 50 workers trapped under rubble. The workers were of different nationalities but most were from Pakistan, according to the Saudi television news channel Al-Ekhbariya. Four wounded people have so-far been recovered from the debris.
US-led forces conduct 31 airstrikes in Syria, Iraq
The US and its allies carried out five airstrikes against the Islamic State in Syria and 26 in Iraq between Sunday and Monday morning according to the US military, Reuters reported. The US-led coalition began airstrikes in Syria in Iraq in the late summer of 2014. The coalition includes the US, the UK, France and a number of Arab countries including Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.
Four US citizens confirmed dead in Nepal earthquake
The US State Department said Monday that four American citizens were among the dead in Nepal’s devastating earthquake, which hit the country on Saturday. Jeff Rathke a spokesman for the US State Department, said that the majority had been at the Mount Everest base camp when the Earthquake occurred.Around 4,000 people were killed by the quake which was the worst in Nepal since 1934 when 8,500 died.
ISIS loyalists kill 5 Libyan journalists
Militants loyal to the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) killed five journalists working for a Libyan television station in the east of the country on Monday. Faraj al-Barassi, a district army commander in the region said the bodies were found outside the eastern city of Bayda, according to Reuters. The reporters had been missing since August, after they set off to travel from Tobruk to Benghazi. Their route took the through Derna, an area controlled by the militant Islamist group.
EU to discuss sanctions on Russia in June – Merkel
International sanctions against Russia should depend on whether peacekeeping commitments signed this year in Minsk are upheld, Reuters quoted German Chancellor Angela Merkel as saying on Monday. “We will deal with this issue in June,” she said at a joint news conference with Polish Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz in Warsaw. Kopacz added that Merkel agreed with her that sanctions already imposed on Russia should be maintained.
Indonesia govt warns court decision won’t delay execution of 2 Australians
The Attorney General’s Office of Indonesia said Monday that two Australian drug convicts will be executed, despite a court decision to hear the legal challenge to the president’s denial of clemency. Australian drug traffickers Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran are among a group of nine convicts to be executed by firing squad this week, Reuters quoted Tony Spontana, spokesman for the Attorney General’s Office, as saying. The timing of the execution is expected to be announced Tuesday morning. Indonesia’s Constitutional Court has agreed to consider a last-ditch challenge, a lawyer representing the pair said earlier, raising hopes their execution could be delayed.
Palestinians protest over Israel plans to construct 77 new settler homes
Israel has invited bids to construct 77 new homes in two settlements on occupied land in East Jerusalem, Reuters reported. Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki described the planned projects as a violation of international law. Tenders for 18 of the 77 units were new, and the others were reissued after previous offers had not been taken up, according to Peace Now, an Israeli group that monitors settlement-building on land Palestinians seek for a state. The Israel Lands Authority said on Monday that 41 of the homes are to be built in Pisgat Ze’ev and 36 in Neve Yaakov, where 63,000 Israelis already live.
Sudan’s Bashir gets 94.5% of vote, reelected as president
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir was reelected on Monday with 94.5 percent of the vote, the National Electoral Commission said. “The number of votes obtained by candidate Omar Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir of the National Congress Party was 5,252,478,”AFP quoted NEC chief Mokhtar al-Asam as saying in Khartoum. Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes. The mainstream opposition boycotted the vote, and he had faced just 13 little-known challengers for the presidency. The closest competitor, Fadl el-Sayed Shuiab of the small Federal Truth Party, won 79,665 votes, or 1.43 percent, according to Asam.
S. Korean president accepts PM resignation over bribery scandal
South Korean President Park Geun-hye accepted the resignation of the prime minister over a widening bribery scandal on Monday, AFP said. Lee Wan-koo offered to step down when Park was on a four-nation-tour of South America. The prime minister fills a largely ceremonial role in the country, but Lee’s departure after two months on the job is seen as a fresh blow for the increasingly beleaguered Park. The prime minister’s resignation followed a scandal triggered by the suicide of Sung Wan-jong, the former head of a bankrupt construction company, earlier this month.
Burundi police deploy tear gas as protests continue for 2nd day
Burundi police fired tear gas and water cannon as protesters demonstrated in Burundi for a second day against President Pierre Nkurunziza’s bid for a third five-year term in office, Reuters reported. At least five people were killed in protests on Sunday, according to activists. The president’s supporters say his first term does not count as he was picked by lawmakers and was not elected.
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