TEN INJURED AFTER MAN FALSELY CLAIMS BOMB ON INDONESIA PLANE
JAKARTA: At least 10 passengers on a flight preparing to take off from Borneo island were injured, most of them with broken bones and head wounds, after panicked ensued when a man claimed there was a bomb on board, Indonesian police said Tuesday. Passengers overheard the 26-yearold man, Frantinus Nirigi, telling a flight attendant there was a bomb on the Lion Air Boeing 737, which was to carry 189 passengers to Jakarta on Monday, said police spokesman Nanang Purnomo. An inspection of the plane found no explosives. After Nirigi made the bomb claim, another passenger broke open the emergency exits, enabling panicked passengers to flee the aircraft, Purnomo said. He and Nirigi were both arrested. REUTERS
Libyan rivals agree to December 10 elections
PARIS: Rival Libyan leaders meeting in Paris on Tuesday tentatively agreed on a political roadmap leading to parliamentary and presidential elections on December 10. French President Emmanuel Macron, who hosted the conference, nevertheless lauded the eight-point declaration as a “crucial step” toward stabilising the country.
Yemeni forces advancing on rebelheld Hodeida
AP RIYADH: Yemeni government forces are only around 20km from Hodeida as they advance on the city, the Saudi-led military coalition has said. The Red Sea port has been a point of contention in Yemen’s war since Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened on behalf of the government in 2015. It is the main conduit for humanitarian aid on which millions depend.
France’s ‘Spiderman’ made fireman, citizenship awaits
PARIS: Mamoudou Gassama, the 22-year-old Malian “Spiderman” feted for saving a child hanging from a balcony, joined the fire brigade as accolades continued to pour in over his rescue. Footage of Gassama scaling a building with his bare hands has catapulted him to global fame, and earned him the promise of citizenship from President Emmanuel Macron.afp
Paraguay to have its first woman president
ASUNCION: Paraguay will have a woman president for the first time in its history, at least temporarily, after outgoing leader Horacio Cartes stepped down Monday ahead of schedule. Vice president Alicia Pucheta, 68, will complete Cartes’s mandate after he resigned. On August 15, Mario Abdo Benitez, elected in April 22 polls, will begin his five-year term as president.