Briefly

KOREAN PENINSULA

Nuclear envoys discuss aid for DPRK

Nuclear envoys of the Republic of Korea and the United States met in Seoul on Monday to discuss humanitarian aid for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and urged Pyongyang to return to the dialogue table. Sung Kim, the US special representative for the DPRK, who arrived in Seoul on Saturday for a four-day trip, held a meeting with Noh Kyu-duk, Seoul's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs. "We discussed possible humanitarian assistance to the DPRK," Kim was quoted by Yonhap news agency as saying in a news conference after the meeting. During his visit to Seoul in June, Kim said the US can meet with the DPRK "anywhere, anytime without preconditions".

MIDDLE EAST

Israeli strikes on Gaza 'apparently broke law'

Israeli airstrikes that demolished four high-rise buildings in the Gaza Strip during the war in May apparently violated international laws of war, a human rights group said on Monday, calling on the Israeli military to produce evidence justifying the attacks. Human Rights Watch noted that although no one was harmed in the airstrikes, the attacks damaged neighboring buildings, left dozens of people homeless and destroyed scores of businesses. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warned on Sunday that Israel will retaliate against attacks on its soldiers, a day after an Israeli soldier was injured during clashes with Palestinians near the Gaza border. Meanwhile, Egypt has told Gazan authorities it will close the Rafah border crossing from Monday, a spokesman for the Palestinian enclave's Hamas government said.

UNITED STATES

Influential rock star Don Everly dies at 84

US country rock pioneer Don Everly, who was the surviving half of the Everly Brothers, has died aged 84 after a career delighting fans with a string of hits such as Bye Bye Love and Wake Up Little Susie. His death on Saturday in the music hub of Nashville, Tennessee, was announced by the Country Music Hall of Fame, which called him "one of the most talented and impactful artists in popular music history". No cause of death was provided.

Xinhua - Agencies