World Briefs

HONG KONG  The Hong Kong Tourism Board, in conjunction with cycling’s world governing body, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), is launching a major cycling event later this year, according to a report by the Radio Television Hong Kong. The first-ever Hong Kong Cyclothon, set for Oct. 10 and 11, invites professional cyclists from around the world to take part in races covering different parts of Hong Kong, the report said. The highlight of the event is the 35-km Challenge, which will see the Tsing Ma Bridge opened for the first time for competitive road racing.

ISRAEL A Palestinian man was killed yesterday morning during a clash between Palestinians and Israeli troops in the West Bank, a Palestinian hospital official and the Israeli army said. Falah Abu Maria, 53, was killed by three live bullets shot at his chest at close range, said Yousef Takrouri, deputy director of Al-Ahli Hospital in the West Bank city of Hebron. He said Abu Maria’s 22-year-old son was shot in the legs, and another one of his sons was brought to the hospital with light injuries to his face.

BURUNDI  Witnesses say an opposition supporter was shot dead Wednesday night, a victim of electoral violence as Burundi awaits results of the country’s presidential election amid unrest due to President Pierre Nkurunziza’s bid for a third term in office. Nkurunziza is expected to win the vote because some opposition groups boycotted. Critics charge that Nkurunziza’s effort to extend his time in power is unconstitutional.

NIGERIA  Bomb blasts at two bustling bus stations killed 29 people and wounded 105, officials said Thursday after Nigeria’s new president warned that the U.S. refusal to sell his country strategic weapons is “aiding and abetting” Boko Haram.

IRAQ-USA U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter arrived unannounced in Baghdad on Thursday to assess the government’s progress in healing the country’s sectarian divisions and hear the latest on support for the Iraqi army’s coming attempt to recapture the key city of Ramadi from the Islamic State. It is Carter’s first visit to Iraq since he took office in February.

USA A woman whose death in a Texas jail has raised suspicions about the official conclusion that she hanged herself told a guard during the booking process that she had tried to kill herself in the past, according to the county sheriff. Waller County Sheriff Glenn Smith said Wednesday that two jailers interviewed Sandra Bland after her arrest. He said the 28-year-old black woman from Illinois told the second interviewer that she was not depressed but was upset about her arrest, which occurred following a confrontation with a white officer who stopped her for a minor traffic violation.

UK Pearson PLC, the owner of the Financial Times, says it has agreed to sell FT Group to Nikkei Inc. for 844 million pounds (USD1.3 billion). It says the amount is payable in cash. Nikkei Inc. is the largest independent business media group in Asia, with flagship newspaper Nikkei as its core.