


NEWS BRIEFING
Jordan to revoke sections of 1994 peace treaty with Israel

In Israel, the announcement was received with surprise. Analysts said it was a populist move by the king aimed at opposition groups. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared unruffled. He said relations with Jordan were still strong.
The deal was signed in November 1994 by Abdullah’s father, King Hussein, and then-Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
The parts Jordan wants to revoke relate to two parcels of land Jordan leased to Israel for 25 years. Known as Baqoura and Ghumar in Arabic and Naharayim and Zofar in Hebrew, the lease on the two territories — one to the north and another farther south — ends in one year. Jordan had until Thursday to make clear to Israel it would not renew the arrangement.
“Baqoura and Ghumar are Jordanian lands and will remain Jordanian and we will exercise full sovereignty over our territory,” the king said.
The peace treaty with Israel is deeply unpopular in Jordan, where people claim that successive Israeli governments have failed to live up to water-sharing agreements. Israel’s ongoing occupation of Palestinian territories is also a source of anger among Jordanians.
Netanyahu played down the king’s announcement, saying he would try to negotiate an extension.
1 of 2 teen suspects held in fatal shooting of Ga. police officer
Authorities said they believe 18-year-old Tafahree Maynard fatally shot Officer Antwan Toney on Saturday afternoon, Gwinnett County Police said in a statement. Maynard remained at large early Sunday and should be considered armed and dangerous, police said. He faces charges of aggravated assault and felony murder.
A second suspect, 19-year-old Isaiah Pretlow, was charged with aggravated assault for allegedly pointing a firearm at an officer during the pursuit after Toney’s fatal shooting, police said.
Willa grows to Category 4, threatens western Mexico
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said in an evening bulletin that the storm was “forecast to produce life-threatening storm surge, wind and rainfall over portions of southwestern and west-central Mexico beginning on Tuesday.”
Willa was about 225 miles south-southwest of Cabo Corrientes with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph. It was moving to the north-northwest at 6 mph, but a turn toward the north was likely during the night or Monday.
U.S. general wounded in attack in Afghan official’s compound
A U.S. general was wounded in an attack last week in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province that killed two senior Afghan provincial officials and targeted a group that included the senior U.S. commander in the country, four people with knowledge of the assault said.
Army Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Smiley is recovering after suffering at least one gunshot wound inside the Kandahar governor’s compound, three of the people said.
They spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. U.S. military officials in Afghanistan and at the Pentagon have declined to comment on the attack or identify the wounded.
The Taliban claimed the attack and said Gen. Austin “Scott” Miller was among the main targets.
U.N.-backed fund OKs $1B for climate projects
During a four-day meeting in Bahrain that ended late Saturday, officials overseeing the Green Climate Fund also agreed to start seeking fresh money next year as its initial capital of about $6.6 billion will soon be used up.
The South Korea-based fund was originally meant to receive over $10 billion from rich countries by 2018. But President Donald Trump’s decision to withhold $2 billion of the $3 billion pledged by his predecessor, Barack Obama, has contributed to a shortfall in its projected assets.
Funding approved at the meeting in Manama includes projects linked to geothermal energy in Indonesia, greener cities in Europe and the Middle East.
Violence mars 2nd day of Afghan voting; death toll at 50
Independent Elections Commission Chairman Abdul Badi Sayat congratulated voters for turning out, saying that about 4 million people out of the 8.8 million registered voters cast their ballots over the past two days at 4576 polling centers across the country.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani also thanked citizens for their participating during a speech carried on state TV.
The biggest turnout was in Kabul and the lowest in the southern Uruzgan province, according to IEC officials.