Tunisia investigates synagogue attack
TUNIS, Tunisia -- Tunisian authorities opened an investigation Wednesday into a shooting attack at a synagogue that killed two Jewish pilgrims and three members of the country's security forces. The motive of the gunman, whom guards killed before he could enter the building on the island of Djerba, remained unclear.
The island's historic Ghriba synagogue, thought to be one of the world's oldest Jewish temples, is a popular pilgrimage destination, but it was unknown if the assailant, a member of the Tunisian National Guard, specifically targeted Jews in Tuesday's attack.
The death toll from the attack rose to five Wednesday when a police guard who was hospitalized in the immediate aftermath died of his wounds, according to a medical official cited by Tunisia's TAP news agency. Four other members of Tunisia's security forces remain hospitalized in Djerba, including one in critical condition.
Israeli and Tunisian authorities and family members identified the civilian victims as cousins: Aviel Haddad, 30, who held dual Tunisian and Israeli citizenship, and Benjamin Haddad, 42, who was French. Four civilians were also wounded, the Tunisian Interior Ministry said.
Syria and Turkey agree to improve ties
MOSCOW -- Syria and Turkey agreed Wednesday to set up a "roadmap" to improve strained ties, after talks alongside Russia and Iran in Moscow.
The agreement comes a week after Syria and Arab governments meeting in Jordan agreed to establish a roadmap of their own to resolve Syria's lengthy civil war and bolster ties. Syria has been returning to the Arab fold and slowly restoring ties with its neighbors.
The Arab League also readmitted Syria's membership after a 12-year suspension in the onset of the conflict on Sunday, before Saudi Arabia delivered a formal invitation earlier Wednesday to President Bashar Assad to attend the upcoming summit in Jeddah.
Throughout the 12-year conflict, Turkey has backed armed opposition groups in the country's northwest seeking to remove Assad from power. The Syrian government has frequently denounced Ankara's hold over parts of a northwest enclave previously seized by Assad's opponents. Turkey captured the territory through several military incursions since 2016 against U.S.-backed Kurdish forces.
Russia on the other hand intervened militarily in Syria starting in September 2015, and alongside Iran played a pivotal role in keeping Assad in power and to reclaim much of the country back.
Burma offers cash for resistance arms
BANGKOK --Burma's military government is urging people fighting against its rule to surrender their weapons, offering a cash reward if they do so along with the possibility of reduced sentences if they broke the law.
The official announcement in Wednesday's edition of the Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper said people involved in major resistance organizations, including the People's Defense Forces, are "invited to return to the legal fold." The PDF are the armed wing of the pro-democracy movement that was organized after the army's 2021 takeover.
The announcement accused anti-military organizations, which the army calls terrorist groups, of using fear and indoctrination to persuade "innocent people" to join them.
It said people who surrender will have to face trial if they committed crimes including murder, rape and injury to others, but that the government would reduce the penalties depending on the offenses.
The announcement said people would receive up to $3,500 if they hand over arms and ammunition, with homemade guns fetching $240 and items such as mortars and rocket launchers receiving the largest amount. It offered $2,400 for drones capable of carrying out bombings, a favored tactic of the resistance forces.
Burma is often called Myanmar, a name that ruling military authorities adopted in 1989. Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other regime opponents have refused to adopt the name change, as have the U.S. and Britain.
India vote hints at shift from Modi party
NEW DELHI -- People in the southern Indian state of Karnataka were voting Wednesday in an election where pre-poll surveys showed the opposition Congress party favored over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's governing Hindu nationalist party.
The votes for 224 state legislature seats will be counted May 13 and the outcome is likely to be an indicator of voter sentiment ahead of national elections expected by May next year.
Bengaluru, the state capital, is India's information technology hub and the area is a sought-after workplace for young professionals.
Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party is battling to retain the only southern state where it has ever won power. BJP strongholds are in northern, central and western India, while opposition parties rule the other southern states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
The BJP is battling to limit its losses due to anti-incumbency, inflation, allegations of corruption and poor infrastructure development in the state.
A police van is parked near Ghriba synagogue in Djerba, Tunisia, Wednesday May 10, 2023. Tunisia's TAP news agency says the death toll from a gun attack near a Synagogue on the Mediterranean island of Djerba has risen to five. The victims were two people attending an annual Jewish pilgrimage and three Tunisian police guards. (AP Photo/Moncef Abidi)
Soldiers patrol near Ghriba synagogue in Djerba, Tunisia, Wednesday May 10, 2023. Tunisia's TAP news agency says the death toll from a gun attack near a Synagogue on the Mediterranean island of Djerba has risen to five. The victims were two people attending an annual Jewish pilgrimage and three Tunisian police guards. (AP Photo/Moncef Abidi)
A police car is parked near Ghriba synagogue in Djerba, Tunisia, Wednesday May 10, 2023. Tunisia's TAP news agency says the death toll from a gun attack near a Synagogue on the Mediterranean island of Djerba has risen to five. The victims were two people attending an annual Jewish pilgrimage and three Tunisian police guards. (AP Photo/Moncef Abidi)
A police officer stands guard near Ghriba synagogue in Djerba, Tunisia, Wednesday May 10, 2023. Tunisia's TAP news agency says the death toll from a gun attack near a Synagogue on the Mediterranean island of Djerba has risen to five. The victims were two people attending an annual Jewish pilgrimage and three Tunisian police guards. (AP Photo/Moncef Abidi)
FILE - Ghriba synagogue is seen in Djerba, Tunisia, April 12, 2002. The Tunisian Interior Ministry says a naval guard shot and killed a colleague and two civilians Tuesday, May 9, 2023, near the synagogue during an annual Jewish pilgrimage. (AP Photo/Hassene Dridi, File)
A police officer checks a car near Ghriba synagogue in Djerba, Tunisia, Wednesday May 10, 2023. Tunisia's TAP news agency says the death toll from a gun attack near a Synagogue on the Mediterranean island of Djerba has risen to five. The victims were two people attending an annual Jewish pilgrimage and three Tunisian police guards. (AP Photo/Moncef Abidi)
FILE - A tourist visits La Ghriba, the oldest synagogue in Africa, on the Island of Djerba, southern Tunisia, Oct. 28, 2015. The Tunisian Interior Ministry says a naval guard shot and killed a colleague and two civilians Tuesday, May 9, 2023, near the synagogue during an annual Jewish pilgrimage. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy, File)
Women line up to cast their votes at a polling station Wednesday set up at government run school in Bengaluru, India. (AP/Aijaz Rahi)