Briefly

SYRIA

Truck bomb kills 46 in rebel-held city

A fuel truck bomb in a market in northern Syria killed at least 46 people including Turkish-backed rebel fighters on Tuesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The blast in Afrin, a city controlled by rebels, came as people went shopping in preparation to break the Ramadan fast, according to the US State Department, which condemned the attack as a "cowardly act of evil". Photos released by activists showed firefighters battling to douse flames amid gutted buildings and rescue workers carrying charred bodies away from the scene on makeshift stretchers. It was not immediately clear who was behind the blast, one of the largest to rock Afrin since Turkish troops and allied rebels seized the region from Kurdish forces in March 2018 after a two-month air and ground offensive.

YEMEN

Separatists urged to end emergency rule

Saudi Arabia has urged Yemen's main separatist group, which has declared self-rule in the south, to abide by an agreement to end a previous standoff with the Saudi-backed government. The declaration by the separatist Southern Transitional Council on Sunday, which included emergency rule in southern regions, threatens to renew conflict with the government. They are both part of a military alliance formed by Saudi Arabia to battle Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi movement, which ousted the internationally recognized government from power in the capital, Sanaa, in late 2014.

FRANCE

Suspect behind Paris attack loyal to IS

A man suspected of carrying out an attack on police in a Paris suburb earlier this week had pledged allegiance to Islamic State, the French anti-terror prosecutor's department said on Tuesday. The department said a knife had been found in the suspect's vehicle, as well as a letter pledging loyalty to the IS group. On Monday, the 29-year old Frenchman rammed a car into two police motorcyclists in the suburb of Colombes, near Paris, leaving them in hospital with wounds. The suspect is being held in custody.

BRAZIL

Bolsonaro names justice, police chiefs

The government announced on Tuesday the appointment of Andre Mendonca as the new minister of justice and public security, and Alexandre Ramagem as the new head of the Federal Police. Both men are considered close allies of President Jair Bolsonaro. Mendonca previously served as attorney general, a position he had held since Bolsonaro took office. The previous justice minister, Sergio Moro, left the government on Friday after disagreements with Bolsonaro over a change to the leadership of the Federal Police. He accused Bolsonaro of trying to interfere in confidential probes to protect his allies. Bolsonaro denied Moro's accusations. On Monday evening, the Supreme Court authorized investigations into both Moro's and Bolsonaro's accusations.

AUSTRALIA

250th anniversary of British arrival marked

Australia has marked the 250th anniversary of the arrival of British settlers in the country. Captain James Cook arrived at Botany Bay on Australia's east coast in current-day Sydney on April 29, 1770.While the planned celebrations and festivities have been delayed amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the milestone was an opportunity to celebrate the legacy of Australia's indigenous people, one of the world's oldest continuing living cultures. "The day Cook and the local indigenous community at Kamay first made contact 250 years ago changed the course of our land forever," he said.

Agencies - Xinhua