NEWS OF THE DAY

_1 Syria fighting: The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Council said Saturday it has agreed to work with the Syrian government on ending seven years of violence in the country and setting up a plan for the future. The SDC is the political wing of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces that controls wide swathes of northeast Syria. In May, President Bashar Assad threatened to attack areas held by the SDF. Assad’s comments came as his forces have been scoring major victories over the past two years with the help of Russia and Iran and now control much of Syria. Assad said in late May that he has opened the door to negotiations with the Kurdish-run administration while also preparing to “liberate by force.” _2 Russia protests: Tens of thousands of demonstrators rallied throughout Russia on Saturday to protest plans to raise the age at which Russian people can receive their state retirement pensions. A crowd estimated at more than 10,000 attended a protest in Moscow that was called by the Communist Party. A similarly large crowd gathered in Yekaterinburg, and demonstrations also were reported in Rostov-on-Don and Volgograd. Russia’s lower house of parliament, the Duma, has given its initial approval to a measure that would gradually raise the pension ages from 60 to 65 for men and from 55 to 63 for women. Protesters have called for a national referendum to be held on the issue.

_3 Mideast clashes: Thousands attended funerals Saturday of three Palestinians killed by Israeli army fire in a border protest a day earlier, including an 11-year-old, a 17-year-old and a man on crutches. More than 140 Palestinians have been killed and several thousand wounded by Israeli troops since March in protests led by Gaza’s Islamic militant Hamas rulers. Human rights groups have accused Israel of the unlawful use of lethal force against the protesters. Israel says it is defending its border and accuses Hamas, a group sworn to its destruction, of using the protests as cover for attempts to breach the border fence and attack civilians and soldiers. _4 Pakistan politics: The party of cricket star Imran Khan said Saturday it had acquired the support of the enough lawmakers to form a coalition government after winning this week’s polls. Fawad Chaudhry, the spokesman for Khan’s party, made the claim hours after Pakistan’s elections oversight body released its final results, saying Khan won 115 of 269 contested seats in the National Assembly, while his nearest rival, Shahbaz Sharif ’s Pakistan Muslim League, won 64 seats.

_5 Deadly flooding: At least 58 people have been killed in the past two days as monsoon rains collapsed homes and flooded regions in northern India, officials said Saturday. Weather officials predict more rain for India’s most populous state of Uttar Pradesh. In Agra, the city where the white marble Taj Mahal is located, at least six people died, including four members of a family killed in a house collapse. _6 Indonesia quake: A 6.4magnitude earthquake killed at least 10 people and injured 40 others early Sunday on Lombok Island, a popular tourist destination near Bali, officials said. The quake damaged dozens of homes and was felt in a wider area, including in Bali, where no damage or casualties were reported. East Lombok district was the hardest hit with eight deaths, said a spokesman for Indonesia’s Disaster Mitigation Agency. The number of casualties could increase as data was still being collected from the island.