Briefly

ISRAEL

Parliament ordered to pick new speaker

The Israeli Supreme Court on Monday ordered Parliament to hold a vote for a new speaker, in a move widely seen as a blow to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's attempt to hold on to power. A three-justice panel criticized Parliament Speaker Yuli Edelstein, a Netanyahu ally, for shutting down the legislature for five days and refusing to hold a vote to elect a new speaker. The panel unanimously ruled that Edelstein must hold the vote no later than Wednesday. The unprecedented ruling came after Edelstein told the court he would not hold the vote, saying he was not accepting "ultimatums" from the court.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Exercise with US held amid Iran tensions

US Marines and Emirati forces held a major military exercise on Monday that saw forces seize a sprawling model Middle East city, a drill conducted amid tensions with Iran. Troops raced over the dunes of the Al-Hamra Military Base to take the model city, complete with multistory buildings, an airport control tower, an oil refinery and a central mosque. Controlled explosions rang out as Emirati troops rappelled from hovering helicopters and Marines searched narrow streets on the Persian Gulf for "enemy" forces. The biennial exercise, called Native Fury, shows the close ties between US forces and the UAE.

UNITED STATES

Allen memoir released despite protests

An independent publisher released Apropos of Nothing, a memoir by movie director Woody Allen, on Monday after it was dropped by another outlet following protests over a decades-old allegation that Allen molested his daughter. The autobiography is described as a "candid and comprehensive personal account" by Allen of his life, career and "his relationships with family and friends". The book was dropped earlier this month by New York-based Hachette Book Group after a walkout by staff and criticism from Allen's children Dylan and Ronan Farrow. The four-time Oscar-winning director of Annie Hall and other comedies has repeatedly denied the accusation that he molested his adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow, in 1992.

Xinhua - Agencies