News in Brief -2024-07-16

Brunei holds grand parade to mark
78th royal birthday
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, July 15: Brunei held the traditional Grand Parade on Monday, which will set off a series of events to celebrate the 78th birthday of Brunei's Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah. The event took place at Taman Haji Sir Muda Omar 'Ali Saifuddien, a renowned park in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital city of Brunei, where state dignitaries, grassroots leaders, and other distinguished guests were all dressed in traditional costumes for the event on Monday. Personnel from the Royal Brunei Land Force, Royal Brunei Navy, Royal Brunei Air Force, Royal Brunei Police Force, and members of uniformed government departments and associations were inspected by the monarch, according to a report by the local daily Borneo Bulletin. — Xinhua
Somalia cafe attack kills
nine during Euro final
MOGADISHU, July 15: The death toll from a car bombing at a cafe in Somalia's capital Mogadishu that was packed with football fans watching the the Euro 2024 final has risen to nine, security sources said Monday. Witnesses described scenes of panic and chaos after the powerful blast late Sunday, with people scrambling for safety and the main entrance to the cafe destroyed by the blaze. Mohamed Yusuf, an official from the national security agency, said nine civilians were killed and 20 others wounded in the explosion, raising the official toll of five given by police late Sunday. The popular Top Coffee restaurant, which is located near the presidential palace in the centre of the city, was thronged with young men watching the final that Spain won 2-1 against England. — AFP
Estonian PM steps down
to take EU job
TALLINN, July 15: Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas stepped down on Monday in order to become the European Union's next foreign policy chief, after she was tapped for the job by the bloc's leaders. Kallas-who has led the Baltic state since 2021 -- handed her resignation letter to the president, but will remain in office until a new government is formed and sworn in. "This was a very hard time," Kallas, who was the first woman prime minister of Estonia, told Estonian public radio in a Monday interview describing her tenure. "I started when the Covid crisis was at its peak and I was probably the only prime minister who immediately after being sworn in went to a government meeting and started making decisions," she added. The outgoing premier is also expected to resign as leader of her Reform party later this summer. — AFP