Monday, May 31

*) Israel inches closer to new coalition government Palestine Liberation Organisation say a new extremist right-wing Israeli government will only bring an escalation of violence against Palestinians. It comes in response to far right Israeli nationalist Naftali Bennett helping centrist Yair Lapid form a new coalition which will push Benjamin Netenyahu out. The PLO says crimes against Palestinians will continue with the new coalition and the blood of more innocent civilians will be on the hands of these right-wing extremists. *) ECOWAS suspends Mali's membership after coup The West African regional bloc ECOWAS has suspended Mali's membership in response to last week's coup. West African leaders met for talks to resolve the political impasse in the country that saw President Ibrahim Boubacar ousted by the military. The suspension from ECOWAS means the struggling country will not be able to benefit from trade with its neighbours. *) Kidnappers abduct students from school in Nigeria An armed gang has abducted scores of students from a school in northern Nigeria. The kidnapping comes a day after 14 students from a university in the country’s northwest were freed after 40 days in captivity. Armed groups are blamed for a series of recent raids on schools, and the abduction of more than 700 students since December. *) Canterbury braces for flooding as heavy rain continues New Zealand has declared a state of emergency in Canterbury as heavy rains put thousands of homes at risk of being flooded. Hundreds of residents living along the Ashburton River have been evacuated. Forecasters say the heavy downpour is a once in a 100 year event. And finally ... *) Copa America faces cancellation South America's biggest football tournament, the Copa America, could be cancelled this year after it was left without a host country. The tournament was scheduled to be played in both Colombia and Argentina between June 13 and July 10. Colombia was dropped as co-host because of political unrest and Argentina because of