Wednesday, June 16

*) Israel launches air strikes on besieged Gaza Israel has launched air strikes on besieged Gaza, the first such strike in the Palestinian enclave since a May ceasefire ended 11 days of war. The strikes were the first under the new coalition government headed by Naftali Bennett, who took over after ousting former PM Benjamin Netanyahu. Earlier, more than a thousand ultranationalist Israelis marched in Jerusalem's flashpoint Old City, triggering counterprotests and incendiary balloons launched from Gaza. *) Fresh farmer-herder clashes in CAR claim more than a dozen lives At least 14 people have been killed in a revenge attack by Chadian herders after a farmer killed a herder in the far north of the Central African Republic. A Central African Republic prefect said Chadian herders went on a rampage, killing women and children and torching 66 homes as well as granaries. The two groups have a long and troubled history in the northern region, where weapons abound and violence often flares after cattle destroy crops. *) Dozens wounded in car bomb explosion in Colombia A car bomb has exploded inside a military base used by the 30th Army Brigade in Colombia's border town of Cucuta, leaving 36 people wounded. Colombia's defence minister said the country's last recognised guerrilla group, the National Liberation Army, is suspected to be behind the attack. Cucuta is the capital of North Santander state, where criminal groups fight over drug trafficking routes and use the loosely patrolled border with Venezuela to smuggle fuel and weapons. *) Oldest party wins most seats in Algeria voting Algeria’s oldest party has won the most seats in weekend legislative elections, with a dismal turnout of 23 percent. The National Liberation Front, or FLN, secured 105 of 407 parliamentary seats, according to the provisional results. Independent candidates, including young people new to politics and many others who broke away from the FLN, placed second, winning a total of 78 seats. And finally ... *) France 1-0 win over