DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Israeli health minister steps down over Sabbath railway work Israelʼs health minister, who is also head of an ultra-orthodox Jewish party, has resigned from his post in protest at rail work carried out on the Sabbath. PM Netanyahuʼs government, however, is not in immediate danger. Yaakov Litzman, a rabbi from the United Torah Judaism party, followed through with a resignation threat he made on Friday and stepped down from his ministerial position Sunday over rail work on the Jewish Sabbath. Litzman said he refused to remain in a government that allowed the "desecration" of the Sabbath with Saturdayʼs maintenance work on a public train line. Work on the Sabbath, which lasts from Friday evening until Saturday evening, is prohibited under Jewish law. Although no bus or train services are permitted in Jewish cities and towns on Saturdays, maintenance work is usually allowed by the government.
Egypt targets militants following Sinai attack The Egyptian military has carried out airstrikes and raids against militants reportedly linked to Fridayʼs Sinai attack that killed at least 305 people. President el-Sissi promised the attack would "not go unpunished." World leaders condemned Fridayʼs deadly assault on a Sinai mosque, as Egypt hit back with airstrikes on suspected Islamist targets. The United Nations also condemned the attack in "the strongest terms" and expressed its condolences for the victimsʼ families and the people of Egypt. Egypt received messages of solidarity and condolence from Israel, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and the Vatican. On Friday,militants set off bombs and opened fire on worshippersat a mosque in Sinai, killing at least 305 people and injuring some 109 others, according to state TV reports, citing prosecutors.
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South Africaʼs Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters takes the crown Miss Universe winner:
Beating out contestants from across the world, Demi-Leigh NelPeters has won the Miss Universe crown in the US city of Las Vegas. It is the first time since 1978 that South Africa has claimed the title.
Brexit divorce bill: Britain prepares to pay more to EU as negotiations falter British Prime Minister Theresa May could bulk up the amount that Britain pays as it leaves the EU, in a bid to move talks on to trade. But senior leave campaigners have attached a condition to the money. Britainʼs Brexit bill offer to the EU is set to swell, national media reports, as senior lawmakers attempt to kick-start stalled negotiations with the European Union. No new figure has been confirmed on the size of the so-called divorce bill, which in recent weeks has become a major source of contention in Brexit talks, but there is a growing acceptance among Conservative Party members to increase it. Online newspa-
pers iNews reported on Tuesday that "May will offer 40 billion pounds to get Brexit moving." The pro-Brexit Daily Telegraph newspaper ran a front-page splash on Tuesday that read "Johnson and Gove back a bigger Brexit divorce bill offer." Cabinet ministers Boris Johnson and Michael Gove are two of the most senior faces of Brexit. They command a large following within their deeply-divided party. Prime Minister Theresa May has repeatedly signaled her willingness to pay more to the EU than initially suggested. But she has avoided publicly discussing figures out of fear that hardline elements within the party will not tolerate a large payout.
Germany must allow third gender in registry of births, court rules An intersex person has won a court case to allow them to enter a third gender into the registry of births. The case was appealed to the Federal Constitutional Court after failing at lower levels. Germanyʼs Federal Constitutional Court on Wednesday called for a third gender option in the registry of births. Intersex people, who are neither male nor female, should be able to register their sexual identity as such, the Karlsruhe court ruled. The court found that the general right to the protection of personality in Germanyʼs Basic Law meant the register had to be altered to al-
low a third gender. The court ruled seven to one that lawmakers must create new legislation by the end of 2018 to allow for a third sex, providing the examples of "intersex," "diverse" or another "positive designation of sex." Another possibility raised was to scrap gender entries altogether. "Assignment to a gender is of paramount importance for individual identity; it typically plays a key role both in the self-image of a person and in the way in which the person concerned is perceived by others. The gender identity of those persons who are neither male nor female is protected,"the court ruled.
Scientists look at Frederic Chopinʼs alcohol-pickled heart to determine death from TB The famous Polish composer has been dead for nearly 170 years. His body is in Paris, but his heart is in a glass jar encased in stone in Warsaw. Now scientists believe they can dispel doubts about the cause of his death. Perhaps Polandʼs most famous classical composer, Frederic Chopin put his heart into his compositions, many of which were based on Polish folk melodiesand helped give voice to the countryʼs blossoming nationalism in the early 19th century. But he also put his heart into what appears to be cognac — and now Polish scientists believe that they have been able to conclude from the pickled organ that Chopin died of tuberculosis (TB), countering a 10-year-old theory that his death at 39 was due to cystic fibrosis.
China: Deadly blast hits Ningbo port city, near Shanghai A major explosion in a Chinese port city south of Shanghai has killed at least two people and injured more than 30 others. Authorities say they are investigating the cause of the incident. The blast ripped through a factory site in the eastern harbor city of Ningbo early Sunday, filling the sky with gray smoke, Chinese state media reported. Local officials said at least two people died and more than 30 others were taken to hospital for treatment.
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