Palestinian dies as Israel nabs suspect
DEIR AL-HATAB, West Bank -- Israeli troops exchanged fire with Palestinians during an arrest raid in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, killing one Palestinian and forcing the surrender of a wanted man.
The raid unfolded in the village of Deir al-Hatab, near the West Bank city of Nablus, a recent flashpoint of violence.
The Israeli military identified the wanted man as an activist in the Islamic militant group Hamas, and said he was suspected in a shooting attack on an Israeli bus and a taxi near Nablus earlier this week.
Troops surrounded the three-story building where the suspect, Salman Omran, was staying, the army said. It said Omran opened fire, setting off a gun battle. Troops also used grenades and a bulldozer in attacking the hideout, the army said. It said Omran eventually surrendered, handing over his M-16 assault rifle.
Troops also exchanged fire with several gunmen in the area. Palestinian health officials said a 21-year-old man was killed by a shot to the head. He was buried later Wednesday in a nearby village.
Tigray, Ethiopia leaders invited to talks
NAIROBI, Kenya -- The leader of Ethiopia's embattled Tigray region and the federal government have been invited to peace talks in South Africa this weekend as part of a pan-African effort to end one of the world's most overlooked wars, according to a letter seen Wednesday by The Associated Press.
If Tigray leader Debretsion Gebremichael attends the proposed talks, it will be the highest-level effort yet to end the two-year war that has killed thousands of people from conflict and starvation. In a statement, he said he is ready to send a negotiating team but has questions about who else might take part, "considering that we were not consulted prior to the issuance of this invitation."
Ethiopia's government has accepted the invitation, national security adviser Redwan Hussein said. In a separate statement, the government called it "consistent with the Ethiopian government's prior positions" that talks be mediated by the AU and be held without preconditions. The statement does not say who might attend.
The letter from the chair of the AU Commission says the AU-convened talks would be "aimed at laying the foundation for a structured and sustained mediation" between the two sides toward a "durable resolution of the conflict."
The AU letter says the talks would be facilitated by AU special envoy and former Nigerian President Olesegun Obasanjo with the support of former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and former South African Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.
U.S. envoy blames Houthis for truce's end
CAIRO -- The U.S. envoy to Yemen on Wednesday blamed rebel Houthi leaders for the recent failure to extend the country's cease-fire agreement, accusing them of making last-minute "maximalist demands" that derailed constructive negotiations.
Yemen's warring sides failed to reach an agreement to extend the nationwide truce Sunday, threatening to reignite the country's bloody civil war after a six-month cessation in front-line fighting.
During a news conference, U.S. Special Envoy to Yemen Tim Lenderking said the Houthis "hijacked" the negotiations by suddenly demanding the salaries of their military and security personnel be paid before that of Yemeni civil servants. Lenderking did not provide any other reason for the failure of the negotiations.
The U.N.-backed truce took effect in April, as the war entered its eighth year.
Following the passing of the cease-fire deadline, small exchanges of fire were reported in the western governorate of Al Dhalea, while military reinforcements were deployed by both sides in the front-line cities of Marib and Taiz. The reports post-cease-fire could not be immediately confirmed by The Associated Press.
Motorcycle gunmen kill Duterte critic
MANILA, Philippines -- Motorcycle-riding gunmen killed a longtime radio commentator in metropolitan Manila in the latest attack on a member of the media in the Philippines, considered one of the world's most dangerous countries for journalists.
Police said Percival Mabasa, 63, was driving his vehicle Monday night when two men on a motorcycle approached and shot him twice in the head in suburban Las Pinas City.
The attackers escaped and an investigation is underway to identify and locate them, police officials said. They said investigators are trying to determine the motive for the attack.
Mabasa, who used the broadcast name Percy Lapid, was critical of former President Rodrigo Duterte, who oversaw a deadly crackdown on illegal drugs, and his successor, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the son of a dictator who was ousted in a 1986 pro-democracy uprising.
Media watchdogs condemned Mabasa's killing, saying the attack underscores how deadly the Philippines remains for journalists.
"That the incident took place in Metro Manila indicates how brazen the perpetrators were and how authorities have failed to protect journalists as well as ordinary citizens from harm," the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines said in a statement.
This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies claims to show unidentified military forces mobilized in the town of Sheraro, in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia Monday, Sept. 26, 2022. New satellite imagery shows military mobilization in Sheraro, which a humanitarian worker this month described to the AP as being targeted by deadly shelling that caused tens of thousands of people to flee. (Maxar Technologies via AP)
FILE - In this image from video, Tigray's regional president Debretsion Gebremichael speaks during an interview in Mekele, in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia on July 7, 2021. The leader of Ethiopia's embattled Tigray region and the federal government have been invited to peace talks in South Africa in early October 2022 as part of a pan-African effort, according to a letter seen Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022 by The Associated Press. (AP Photo)