Briefly

RUSSIA

Gunmen kill 20 in Dagestan region

Attacks on churches and synagogues in Russia's southern Dagestan region killed 20 people, including police officers and civilians, officials said on Monday. Gunmen with automatic weapons burst into an Orthodox church and a synagogue in Derbent city on Sunday evening, setting fire to an icon at the church and killing a 66-year-old Orthodox priest, Nikolai Kotelnikov. In the Caspian city of Makhachkala, about 125 kilometers north, attackers shot at a traffic police post and attacked a church. Russia's Investigative Committee said all five attackers were killed. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said President Vladimir Putin has received reports on Sunday's attacks and efforts are being made to help the victims. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were declared days of mourning in the region. The attacks came three months after 145 people were killed in an attack claimed by the Islamic State on a concert hall near Moscow, Russia's worst terrorist attack in years.

MIDDLE EAST

Israel winding down Gaza operations: PM

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that "intense" fighting against Hamas militants in Rafah is nearly over, more than eight months into the devastating conflict. "The intense phase of the fighting against Hamas is about to end," Netanyahu told Israel's Channel 14 network. "It doesn't mean that the war is about to end, but the war in its intense phase is about to end in Rafah." Last month, the Israeli military seized the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing, a key conduit for desperately needed aid into Gaza that has remained shut since then. On Sunday, eight Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a training college near Gaza City being used to distribute aid, Palestinian witnesses said.

Iran, Bahrain to start talks on resuming ties

Iran and Bahrain have agreed to talk about how they might resume bilateral relations after nearly eight years, Iran's Foreign Ministry said on Monday. Iran's acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri met on Sunday with his Bahraini counterpart Abdullatif bin Rashid al-Zayani on the sidelines of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue summit in Teheran, the ministry said. "In this meeting, the two sides agreed to create the necessary mechanisms to start the talks between the two countries to examine how to resume political relations," it said. Bahrain cut ties with Iran in 2016, following Saudi Arabia's decision to sever diplomatic relations with Iran. Iran and Saudi Arabia resumed diplomatic ties last year following a Chinese-brokered deal.

KENYA

President Ruto ready to speak with protesters

Kenya's President William Ruto said on Sunday he was ready for "a conversation" with thousands of anti-tax protesters, prompting new calls from the movement's organizers to accept their demand to cancel the levies. Led largely by Generation-Z Kenyans who have livestreamed the demonstrations, the protests by thousands of people have caught Ruto's government off guard, as discontent mounts over his economic policies. "I am very proud of our young people... they have stepped forward peaceful and I want to tell them we are going to engage them," Ruto said. "We are going to have a conversation so that together we can build a greater nation." The remarks came after rights campaigners reported two deaths following Thursday's demonstrations in the capital Nairobi.

Agencies - Xinhua