News in Brief (2023-05-06)

India's Modi to join Macron for France's national day

PARIS, May 05: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will join President Emmanuel Macron in Paris for France's Bastille Day military parade on July 14, the two countries said in a joint statement Friday. Following in the footsteps of other world leaders wooed by Macron such as former US president Donald Trump, the gesture towards Modi and India comes as France looks to shore up alliances in the Indo-Pacific region. Modi's presence-and Indian forces' participation in the parade-would mark "a new phase in the strategic partnership between France and India," Macron's Elysee Palace office said. The two nations would "set new objectives for strategic, cultural, scientific, academic and economic cooperation, including in a large number of industrial sectors," it added. — AFP

Killings of 3 Palestinians by Israeli forces termed 'extrajudicial'

RAMALLAH, May 05: The Israeli army killed four Palestinians in Nablus, in the occupied West Bank, on Thursday - three of them in a military operation inside the old city, and the fourth one, a young woman, at the Huwara checkpoint, south of the city. The deaths bring the number of Palestinians killed by Israelis since the beginning of the year to 108, including 20 children and one woman. Three victims were identified as Muath Al-Masri, Ibrahim Jabr and Hassan Qatanani. They were killed during a raid on their house. Two bodies were found badly disfigured because of the intensity of the Israeli fire, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said. — Arab News

Strong earthquake hits Japan, killing one, injuring 13

TOKYO, May 05: A strong, shallow earthquake hit central Japan on Friday afternoon, killing at least one person and injuring 13 others, but no tsunami warning was issued. The magnitude 6.2 quake struck Ishikawa prefecture on the west coast of Japan's main island of Honshu, the US Geological Survey said. The Japan Meteorological Agency measured the quake at 6.5 and said it was centreed at a depth of about 12 kilometers (7.5 miles). One person was reported dead and at least 13 were injured in Suzu city at the northern tip of Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa prefecture, a city official said. He said six homes were damaged and rain could trigger mudslides, causing further damage. — Arab News