UN Security Council holds 4th straw poll on secretary-general candidates
The UN Security Council on Tuesday held its fourth straw poll on the candidates for the next UN secretary-general.
"The fourth round of straw polls has taken place," said Jerome Bonnafont, the UN ambassador of France, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council for the month of September.
"Each candidate will be informed of the results through the respective permanent representatives of nominating member states. The president of the (UN) General Assembly will also be informed that the straw poll has been conducted," he told reporters after the conclusion of the secret vote.
Morocco's king appoints El Mansouri as 1st female PM
Morocco's King Mohammed VI on Tuesday appointed Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri, national coordinator of the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), as the country's new prime minister, the royal palace said.
El Mansouri becomes Morocco's first female head of government.
The PAM won 97 of 395 seats in the House of Representatives, parliament's lower house, in the parliamentary elections held on Sept. 23, finishing first.
Israel says senior Hamas commander killed in Gaza strike
Israel said on Tuesday it had killed Izz al-Din al-Bik, commander of Hamas's northern Gaza brigade, in an overnight airstrike in the Gaza Strip.
A joint statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said al-Bik had been involved in planning attacks against Israeli forces and recruiting fighters for Hamas.
Israel would continue targeting Hamas commanders and operatives, said the statement.
Houthis say 35 Saudi airstrikes hit Yemen in 24 hours
Yemen's Houthi group said Tuesday that Saudi warplanes carried out 35 airstrikes across five Yemeni provinces over the past 24 hours, as fighting continued between the Houthis and Yemeni government forces on several fronts.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement on social media platform X that the Saudi strikes targeted areas in the Yemeni provinces of Taiz, Al-Jawf, Amran, Saada and Hodeidah.
Sarea said F-15 and Typhoon jets flying from air bases in the Saudi cities of Khamis Mushait and Taif carried out the strikes, which he said hit civilian infrastructure, including telecommunication facilities and schools.
Flooding affects 18,712 people in Myanmar's Tanintharyi region
A total of 18,712 people have been affected by flooding in southern Myanmar's Tanintharyi region, the state-owned daily Myanma Alinn reported on Tuesday.
Flooding and landslides hit three townships, Launglon, Dawei and Thayetchaung, in Tanintharyi region, Aung Myo, patron of the Dawei Zabuthiri Emergency Medical Service Team, told Xinhua on Tuesday.
Heavy rains started on Sept. 25, followed by a landslide the next day, making it difficult for rescue teams to reach some areas, he said.■
