SANA’A: Yemeni Shia and Sunni Muslims fighters agreed to a ceasefire yesterday after days of clashes in a northern town killed at least 100 people.
Yemeni state news agency Saba cited UN envoy to Yemen, Jamal Benomar, as saying a ceasefire was agreed upon in the town of Damaj. A Red Cross delegation managed to enter the town to treat and evacuate those wounded in the fighting.
Clashes broke out on Wednesday when Houthi fighters, who control much of Saada province on the border with Saudi Arabia, accused Salafi rivals in Damaj of recruiting thousands of foreign fighters to prepare to attack them. Surour Al Wadi’i, a Salafi spokesman, said the death toll had risen sharply after heavy shelling on Damaj overnight.
Israel issues tenders for 1,859 settler homes
JERUSALEM: Israel issued tenders to build 1,859 settler homes, angering Palestinians ahead of a visit by US Secretary of State John Kerry aimed at pushing the peace process forward.
Documents published on the website of the government-run Israel Land Authority showed that 1,031 plots were offered by Israel’s housing and construction ministry in the occupied West Bank and 828 in annexed east Jerusalem. Settlement watchdog Peace Now said that issuing building tenders was the last stage in the bureaucratic process and that homes could start going up shortly.
13 dead in north Iraq violence
BAGHDAD: A series of attacks north of Baghdad — including multiple bombings targeting police — killed 13 people yesterday, as Iraq grapples with its worst bloodshed since 2008.
Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki has appealed to Washington for greater cooperation in fighting militancy as wide-ranging operations targeting insurgents and tightened security measures have done little to quell a months-long surge in violence.
Agencies
