In the World

ISRAEL

Kerry: Palestinian Authority collapse would hurt region

Secretary of State John Kerry warned Israel on Saturday about the dangers of the possible collapse of the Palestinian Authority, saying it would lead to situation that would threaten the security of Israel and the Palestinian people.

Kerry told a conference at the Brookings Institution that the Palestinian leadership must do more to prevent and combat anti-Israel violence. But he also said Israeli leaders should not advocate or allow the Palestinian Authority to disintegrate. If that were to happen, Kerry said, Israel would be forced to assume all governance in the West Bank and potentially accept a one-state solution that would compromise Israel's future as a democratic, Jewish state.

While condemning anti-Israel violence by Palestinians, Kerry said calls from some Israeli politicians to let Mahmoud Abbas' Palestinian administration wither are self-defeating for Israel.

He urged both Israeli and Palestinian leaders to recommit to the concept of a negotiated two-state solution. - Washington Post

CHAD

At least 28 die in attacks

Four suicide bombers targeted a market on an island in Lake Chad on Saturday, killing at least 28 people and wounded 80, a senior military official said. The afternoon attacks were carried out by four girls near the locality of Koulkoua, said Col. Joseph Nouma of Cameroon's special forces, which operates in the region. The attacks are believed to be the work of the Islamist insurgent group Boko Haram, said a Chadian military official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
AZERBAIJAN

30 missing in offshore fire

An oil worker died and 30 were missing after an offshore platform caught fire, the State Oil Co. of Azerbaijan said in a statement. The fire in the western Caspian Sea started Friday and was caused by a gas leak after a storm, the Baku-based company said Saturday. Thirty-two people were rescued, it said. The 30 missing are presumed dead, said a company official who asked not to be identified because of policy. Firefighters battled Saturday to control the fire, the deadliest incident in company history, he said. - Bloomberg