NEWS OF THE DAY

From Around the World

1 Mideast conflict: Thousands of Palestinians attended burials Saturday of four people killed by Israeli fire during protests along the GazaIsrael frontier. Funerals were held across the Gaza Strip a day after the four were shot, including 16year-old Mohammed Jahjouh. Friday’s protests were the deadliest in a month and a half of relatively restrained protests. Since the protest campaign started in March, 180 Palestinians and an Israeli soldier have been killed, according to health officials and a local rights group. Hamas has staged the rallies to pressure Israel and Egypt into easing the blockade they imposed when the Islamic militant group seized Gaza in 2007. 2 Kashmir violence: A gunbattle between Indian troops and Kashmiri rebels Saturday killed six militants and spurred a new round of protests against India in the disputed Himalayan region. The fighting began after government forces came under fire during a raid on a militant hideout in the southern Tral area, according to police. Troops retaliated, and six militants were killed in the exchange of fire, police said. As the news of the killings spread, hundreds of civilians took to the streets, clashing with government forces in several locations. Rebels have been fighting Indian control since 1989.

3 Russia mine fire: Emergency teams struggled Saturday to reach nine construction workers trapped inside a burning potash mine in the Perm region near the Ural Mountains. The fire erupted when 17 workers were inside the mine in Solikamsk, about 740 miles east of Moscow. Eight workers were quickly evacuated but the blaze cut access to another nine workers in a different section of the mine. The local branch of the Investigative Committee, Russia’s top investigative agency, has launched a criminal probe into a possible violation of safety rules during construction at the mine. 4 Colombia rebel killed: A former leftist rebel who terrorized residents of southern Colombia after abandoning the country’s peace process to plunge into drug trafficking has been killed, Colombian President Ivan Duque announced. The president said Walter Arizala was killed during a “heroic operation” Friday after a months-long, U.S.-backed manhunt that followed the kidnapping and murder of three Ecuadorian press workers in the turbulent border area. Arizala, better known by his alias Guacho, led a small holdout faction of a few dozen guerrillas from the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia that was behind a rising wave of drug-related violence.

5 Nicaragua crackdown: The director of a TV station critical of President Daniel Ortega was accused Saturday of inciting terrorism after authorities raided and shut down the station’s offices in their latest salvo against independent media. Miguel Mora’s wife, Veronica Chavez, accused police at a news conference of carrying out a “kidnapping” of her husband. Court documents alleged Mora, through the 100% Noticias channel, incited hate that purportedly provoked people to violent acts in protests this year. 6 Britain strike: London’s famed Beefeaters and other workers at several Royal Palaces have gone on a rare strike in a dispute over pension payments. There were picket lines Friday at the Tower of London, a UNESCO World Heritage site popular with tourists, and more work actions are planned for January. Strikers also appeared outside Hampton Court Palace and Kensington Palace in London, which both remained open.