Gaza Strip
Two Palestinians executed as informers
Hamas authorities in Gaza executed two Palestinians convicted of providing information to Israel, raising to 16 the number of Gazans executed by the Islamic militant group for spying or other crimes since it took control of the Palestinian territory in 2007. The Hamas-run Interior Ministry said the two men had been sentenced to death on charges of "spying for a hostile foreign party and attempted murder."
Hong Kong
Silent so far on Snowden extradition
Hong Kong isn't saying whether former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden should be extradited to the United States now that he has been charged with espionage. Snowden has admitted providing information to the news media about two highly classified NSA surveillance programs.
Iraq
Suicide bombers, gunmen kill 23
A suicide bombing inside a Shiite mosque during evening prayers and other attacks north of Baghdad killed 23 people in Iraq, as officials announced preliminary results for local elections in two provinces that showed the bloc of the country's speaker of parliament in the lead. The attacks are the latest in a wave of killing that has claimed more than 2,000 lives since the start of April.
nationwide
Glitch grounds Southwest planes
Southwest Airlines canceled 57 flights because of a computer glitch that grounded planes for more than two hours. A spokeswoman said 43 of the cancellations were late Friday flights in the western half of the country. The other 14 were Saturday flights scattered across the U.S. The computer system was back to "full capacity" early Saturday.
New Jersey
Flags to be flown at half staff for 'Tony'
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff Monday in memory of "Sopranos" star and New Jersey native James Gandolfini. Gandolfini died Wednesday in Rome at age 51. A family spokesman says he suffered a heart attack. The governor's order says Gandolfini was an iconic actor who "left a timeless impact upon TV and film in the state of New Jersey and across our nation." Gandolfini was born in Westwood, N.J., grew up in Park Ridge and attended Rutgers. The governor says the actor acclaimed for his role as mobster Tony Soprano was also an advocate, in two documentaries, for U.S. servicemen and women and veterans. Gandolfini's body has been released to a funeral director and the family is working with the Italian government to speed up the bureaucratic red tape to get the body back to the United States for a funeral.
NEWS SERVICES
