Briefly

NORTH MACEDONIA

Proposal approved for EU accession talks

North Macedonia's parliament on Saturday voted to approve the conclusions of a French proposal presented by the ruling majority on the negotiating framework for opening European Union accession talks. Sixty-eight out of 120 members of parliament voted in favor of the draft conclusions submitted to the parliament by the ruling Social Democratic Union of Macedonia and Democratic Union for Integration parties, while opposition MPs did not take part in the vote. The parliamentary session resumed on Saturday for the third day in a row during which MPs held heated debates on the negotiating framework for North Macedonia proposed by the French EU presidency on June 30 to resolve conflicts with Bulgaria.

SUDAN

33 killed in violent tribal clashes

Dozens of families were fleeing violence in Sudan's Blue Nile State, where clashes between two tribes have killed at least 33 people, authorities said on Saturday. At least 108 others have been wounded, according to the health ministry, and 16 shops torched since the violence broke out last Monday over a land dispute between two tribes. Soldiers were deployed to contain the unrest, and authorities imposed a night curfew starting on Saturday. Blue Nile governor Ahmed al-Omda issued an order on Friday prohibiting any gatherings or marches for one month.

UNITED STATES

6 die in Montana highway pileup

At least six people died after a dust storm caused a 21-car pileup on a highway in the US state of Montana on Friday evening, authorities said. Six people were confirmed dead and eight people were taken to hospitals after the pileup, described as one of the most intense multivehicle accidents in Montana, a local television station reported on Saturday morning. The windstorm appeared to be an isolated, extreme weather event, media reported. Authorities believed there was no further danger to the public.

Agencies - Xinhua