Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

In Gaza, denial and doubt over misfiring rocket claims

As the cleanup in Gaza continues from last weekend’s brief conflict with Israel, another battle has continued over which side caused the casualties, after Israel said misfiring rockets from the Palestinian side killed 15 people in the enclave. According to Israeli military authorities, a fifth of the more than 1,000 rockets fired towards Israel failed, many plunging to earth in Gaza where they caused a third of the 44 deaths recorded there during the 56-hour battle, when Israeli jets pounded the narrow coastal strip.

Israeli families of 1972 Munich Olympics victims to boycott ceremony-Bild

The families of Israeli athletes murdered at the 1972 Munich Olympics plan to boycott a ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the attack in a row with German authorities over compensation, Bild newspaper reported on Thursday. Widows of the victims wrote to the premier of the state of Bavaria, saying: “50 years of insults, lies, humiliation and rejection by the German government and especially the Bavarian authorities are more than enough”, Bild said, citing the letter.

UK leadership candidate Sunak says scrapping BoE independence would be a massive mistake

Rishi Sunak, the underdog in the race to become Britain’s next prime minister, said scrapping the Bank of England’s independence would be a mistake that would scare off international investors. Asked about comments from leadership front-runner Liz Truss’s team suggesting that the central bank’s rate-setting independence should be reviewed, Sunak said: “That would be a massive mistake for our country, and international investors would really not look very kindly on it at all.”

Source of Britain’s River Thames driest ever as drought nears

The source of the River Thames has dried up further downstream than ever before, as England looks set to enter a drought that some experts say the country is unprepared for. Britain’s Met Office said this July was the driest for England since 1935 with average rainfall, at 23.1 millimetres (0.9 inches), just 35% of the average for the month. Some parts of the country saw the driest July ever.

A year of struggle as an Afghan family builds a new life in California

Najib Mohammadi had high hopes for his life in the United States when he, his pregnant wife Susan and two small children left Afghanistan in July 2021. But for most of the past year, the family has lived in a cockroach-infested, one-bedroom apartment in Sacramento unable to find affordable housing in California’s capital. He has struggled to find work.

Venezuela president appoints former foreign minister Plasencia as ambassador to Colombia

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said he appointed former foreign minister Felix Plasencia as ambassador to Colombia, during an official act broadcast on the state television channel Thursday. The announcement comes days after the inauguration of Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who has expressed his intention to normalize diplomatic relations with Venezuela, broken since 2019.

Cuban oil fire all but out, blackouts and gas lines lengthen

Cubans have been left to endure six- to 18-hour blackouts, and search for ever-scarcer gasoline in the wake of a spectacular blaze that destroyed 40% of Cuba’s main fuel depot and shuttered its only supertanker port. The fire began on Friday when lighting struck a storage tank, spreading to three others before being brought under control on Tuesday. By Thursday the flames were out, but oil residues remained dangerously hot.

Latvia, Estonia withdraw from China cooperation group

Latvia and Estonia withdrew from a cooperation group between China and over a dozen Central and Eastern European countries on Thursday, following in the footsteps of Baltic neighbour Lithuania which withdrew last year. The move comes amid Western criticism towards China over escalating military pressure on democratically ruled Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, and Beijing’s strengthening of ties with Russia during the invasion of Ukraine.

Strikes at Ukraine nuclear plant prompt UN chief to call for demilitarised zone

Russia and Ukraine accused each other of shelling Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant as the U.N. chief proposed a demilitarised zone at the site amid fears of a catastrophe. Ukraine’s Energoatom agency said the Zaporizhzhia complex was struck five times on Thursday, including near where radioactive materials are stored. Russian-appointed officials said Ukraine shelled the plant twice, disrupting a shift changeover, Russia’s TASS news agency said.

Colombia peace commissioner in Cuba to meet ELN rebels

Colombia’s new high peace commissioner has traveled to Cuba to meet representatives of the National Liberation Army (ELN) rebels and examine a possible restart to peace talks, President Gustavo Petro said on Thursday. Petro, who took office on Sunday and is a former member of the M-19 guerrilla group, has promised to establish “total peace” in Colombia. The commissioner is Danilo Rueda, who was director of a non-governmental organization working to expose human rights violations by Colombian state security forces and paramilitary groups.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)