Briefly

ISRAEL

Inflation rate hits 4%, highest in nearly 11 yrs

Israel's inflation reached 4 percent in April from a year earlier, with a monthly increase of 0.8 percent, said the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics on Sunday. April's rise also beat the 3.5 percent in March to hit a new record high since June 2011, mainly due to a 5.5 percent price increase in fresh vegetables, and a 2.8 percent increase in clothing. It is also the third consecutive month for the year-on-year consumer price index floating above the government target range of 1 to 3 percent. Israel's home prices in the February-March period registered a year-on-year increase of 16.3 percent, the highest in Israel's real estate transaction prices in nearly 12 years.

GERMANY

Conservatives seen as winning key state vote

Voters backed the incumbent conservative governor and dealt a blow to Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats on Sunday in Germany's most populous state, projections based on partial counts showed. Figures published by public broadcaster WDR forecast the Christian Democrats making small gains in the North Rhine-Westphalia state election to take 35.7 percent of the vote. The Social Democrats slumped to 26.7 percent, while the environmentalist Greens more than doubled their share with 18.2 percent－a record for the party in the state.

MALI

Country withdraws from G5 Sahel

The Malian government said on Sunday that it is withdrawing from all organs and bodies of the G5 Sahel, including the joint force fighting terrorism. According to a statement signed by Abdoulaye Maiga, spokesman for the Malian government, the organization's leaders had decided to hold the 8th ordinary session in the capital Bamako in February－the session should mark the start of the Malian presidency of the group. However, the session has still not been held, which constitutes "a violation of a decision taken by the institution and the basic texts of the G5 Sahel", said the government.

Xinhua - Agencies