IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Israel

Govt to join Cairo truce talks

Israel said on Sunday it will send a delegation to indirect Gaza truce talks with Hamas in Cairo next week, although a minister said they would likely achieve nothing. Confirmation that Israel will return to the Egyptian capital on Tuesday to resume negotiations on cementing an Aug 26 cease-fire agreement, which halted 50 days of bloodshed in Gaza, came from a senior Israeli official, who declined to give further details.

Syria

70,000 Kurds flee into Turkey

As many as 70,000 Syrian Kurds have poured into Turkey since Friday, fleeing an offensive by Islamic State jihadists in northeastern Syria, the UN's refugee agency said Sunday. The UNHCR "is stepping up its response to help Turkey come to the aid of an estimated 70,000 Syrians crossing into Turkey", most in the past 24 hours, the agency said in a statement. Blankets, sleeping mats and kitchen sets were being dispatched, with 20 truckloads of aid already supplied, it said.

Sierra Leone

Ebola burial team attacked

A team burying Ebola victims was attacked in Sierra Leone's capital on Saturday, a member of Parliament said, as a small group defied a three-day lockdown aimed at halting the worst outbreak of the disease on record. In one of the most extreme measures since the epidemic began, Sierra Leone has ordered its population of 6 million to stay indoors as volunteers circulate to educate residents about the disease as well as isolate the sick and remove the dead.

Spain

9 charged with cyberfraud

A Spanish judge charged nine people with fraud on Sunday for allegedly participating in the theft of $45 million after a massive hacking of a bank's card-payments system. Judge Eloy Velasco of Spain's National Court said the suspects are seven Romanians and two Spaniards, who allegedly fraudulently extracted money from ATMs in February 2013. The judge said there was evidence the suspects belonged to an international criminal organization that also laundered money and took part in credit card fraud.

Yemen

Rebels seize HQ; leader resigns

Shiite rebels seized the Yemeni government headquarters on Sunday and prime minister Mohammed Basindawa resigned, accusing the president of being "autocratic", senior officials said. The rebels, demanding a wider political partnership and the government's resignation, have been locked in deadly clashes for days with Sunni fighters and troops. The Ansarullah rebels, also known as Huthis, "seized the government headquarters and the radio, as well the Fourth Brigade", an official said.

AP - AFP - Reuters

(China Daily 09/22/2014 page12)