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North Korea says it will dismantle nuke test site
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WORLD 17
15 May 2018
PRESS
Israeli forces kill at least 58 Palestinians protesting in Gaza as US moves embassy to Jerusalem
Musk says Tesla to launch in Turkey
n ELECTRIC carmaker Tesla is considering launching in Turkey , CEO Elon Musk says . However , experts say Turkey doesn ’ t yet have the infrastructure to support an electric vehicle market . What impact Musk ’ s comments might have is unclear . Electric carmaker Tesla plans to launch in Turkey , its chief executive said late Thursday . “ Btw , planning to launch Tesla in Turkey later this year ,” Elon Musk said in a post on his Twitter account . “ Love your country & will be there in person for the launch ,” he added . Musk made the comments when responding to a query from a Turkish university student .
At least 58 Palestinians were killed on Monday in Gaza and more than 2,700 others wounded as the Israeli army fired live ammunition , teargas and firebombs at protesters assembled along several points near the fence with Israel . |
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T he demonstrations are part of a weekslong protest calling for the right of return for Palestinian refugees to the areas they were forcibly expelled from in 1948 . Since the protests began on March 30 , Israeli forces have killed at least 90 Palestinians in the coastal enclave and wounded close to 10,500 people . The protest comes ahead of the annual commemorations of the Nakba , or “ catastrophe ”, when the state of Israel was established on May 15 , 1948 , in a violent campaign that led to the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their villages .
About 70 percent of the Gaza Strip ’ s population of two million are descendants of refugees . Demonstrations were also planned to coincide with the moving of the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem , in line with the US ’ recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in December , furthering stoking tensions and angering Palestinians . Since Monday morning , Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip have been attempting to cross the highly fortified fence separating the enclave from Israel , as part of the Great March of Return movement .
Of the 58 killed on Monday , the ministry of health said at least six were below the age of 18 , including one female . And , of the 2,700 wounded , at least 200 were below the age of 18 , 78 were women and 11 were journalists . Some 918 people were wounded by Israeli live ammunition , while 193 were wounded by tear gas attacks , the ministry said . “ The number of people showing up to participate is unprecedented in comparison to the past seven weeks of protest ,” local journalist Maram Humaid told Al Jazeera . Rallies also kicked off in the occupied West Bank cities of Ramallah and Hebron , as a response to the US embassy move . In Ramallah , Palestinians are expected to protest from the city centre to the Qalandia military checkpoint , the main northern crossing separating Ramallah from Jerusalem .
Daesh claims responsibility for attack in Jalalabad
n AFGHAN security forces battled for hours against a group of attackers who stormed a government building in the eastern city of Jalalabad after a coordinated assault that killed at least 15 people and wounded 42 , local officials said . Afghan security forces battled for hours against a group of attackers who stormed a government building in the eastern city of Jalalabad on Sunday after a coordinated assault that killed at least 15 people and wounded 42 , local officials said .
North Korea says it will dismantle nuke test site
North Korea ’ s Foreign Ministry said that all of the tunnels at the site will be destroyed by explosion , and that observation and research facilities and ground-based guard units will also be removed . North Korea said on Saturday that it will dismantle its nuclear test site on May 23-25 , in a dramatic event that would set up leader Kim Jong-un ’ s summit with President Donald Trump next month . Kim had revealed plans to shut down the country ’ s northeastern testing ground by the end of May during his summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in last month . Analysts say the closure of the site is mostly symbolic and doesn ’ t represent a material step toward denuclearisation .
For Kurds in Kirkuk , upcoming Iraq election proves more divisive than ever
While the economy and corruption seem to be the dominating discourse in the run-up to the Iraqi elections , the Kurds in Kirkuk are not only entangled in infighting but also at odds with Baghdad . Political uncertainty looms over the city ’ s prospects .
Jalal Talabani , one of the most prominent Kurdish leaders in Iraq , always wanted to describe Kirkuk , Iraq ’ s oil-rich multilingual and multiethnic city , as the Jerusalem of the Kurds . Talabani was also the founding leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan ( PUK ), a major Kurdish party in Iraq .
Talabani , who was the first Iraqi president of Kurdish origin , passed away several days after the Kurdish independence referendum was held on September 25 , last year . Most Iraqi Kurds supported the referendum , but it collapsed as central government forces took over Kirkuk , a long disputed city between the Kurdistan Regional Government ( KRG ) and the Baghdad government .
KRG forces claimed the city using the Daesh attacks as a pretext in 2014 .
The PUK ’ s Kurdish peshmergas , who just like their leader , revere the city , reportedly broke a deal with the Iraqi military through Iranian political operatorsled by Iran ’ s powerful General Qasem Soleimani . They left the city without any serious resistance against the marching central government forces . Masoud Barzani , the KRG ’ s former president and leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party ( KDP ), another powerful Kurdish party in Iraq , called the PUK withdrawal a betrayal , reflecting some of the tensions between the Kurdish factions .
Blast in Syria ’ s Idlib kills 12 civilians
n A bomb-laden car exploded in front of a hospital in the Idlib city center and another 25 people were injured , said White Helmets Civil Defense agency on Saturday . At least 12 civilians were killed and another 25 injured in Syria ’ s Idlib province from a bomb attack on Saturday , according to the White Helmets Civil Defense . Mustafa Haj Youssef , director of the White Helmets in Idlib , told Anadolu Agencythat a bomb-laden car exploded in front of a hospital in the city centre . The blast also damaged nearby houses and vehicles , and the injured were transferred to hospitals in the region , Youssef added .