WHITE HOUSE, US CONGRESS AGREE ON $2 TRILLION RESCUE BILL

The White House and Senate leaders of both major political parties announced

agreement early Wednesday on unprecedented emergency legislation to rush

sweeping aid to businesses, workers and a health care system slammed by the

coronavirus pandemic.

The urgently needed $2 trillion pandemic response measure is the largest

economic rescue measure in history and is intended as a weekslong or

monthslong patch for an economy spiraling into recession and a nation facing

a potentially ghastly toll.

Top White House aide Eric Ueland announced the agreement in a Capitol

hallway shortly after midnight, capping days of often intense haggling and

mounting pressure. The deal still needs to be finalized in detailed

legislative language. "Ladies and gentlemen, we are done," Ueland said. "We

have a deal."

The economic rescue package would give direct payments to most Americans,

expand unemployment benefits and provide a $367 billion program for small

businesses to keep making payroll while workers are forced to stay home.

KABUL ATTACK: GUNMEN, SUICIDE BOMBERS STORM SIKH GURDWARA IN AFGHANISTAN,

KILLING 25 PEOPLE

“At least 25 people were killed and 8 others were wounded in the attack at

Dharamshala, a Sikh worship place in Kabul,” TOLOnews quoted the Ministry of

Interior as saying.

“All four suicide bombers who attacked Dharamshala, a Sikh worship area in

PD1 of Kabul, were killed after nearly six hours of fighting. Afghan special

forces confirmed,” it said in a tweet.

The ministry said in a statement that 80 people, including women and

children, were rescued from the gurdwara.

Former president of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai strongly condemned the attack

on Sikh worship place and expressed his condolences to the victimsÂ’

families, the report said.

The ISIS terrorist group, which has targeted Sikhs before in Afghanistan,

claimed responsibility for the latest attack.

The group issued a statement confirming that its members carried out the

attack on Sikhs in Kabul city, Khaama Press News Agency reported.

CHRISTCHURCH SHOOTINGS: NEW ZEALAND MOSQUE SHOOTER CHANGES PLEA TO GUILTY

In an unexpected reversal, the Australian accused of murdering 51 Muslim

worshippers in last year's mass shooting at two New Zealand mosques pleaded

guilty to all charges on Thursday.

Brenton Tarrant, 29, had previously denied 51 charges of murder, 40 of

attempted murder and one of engaging in a terrorist act but changed his plea

after a hurriedly arranged court hearing.

“Yes, guilty,” Tarrant told Christchurch High Court via videolink from

Auckland Prison as the charges were read out to him.

Tarrant, wearing a grey top, stared intently at the camera while making his

plea.

No reason was given for the change, which means Tarrant will no longer stand

trial, a process authorities had feared he would use as a platform to

promote his racist ideology.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the admission of guilt would provide some

relief to the many people whose lives were shattered in the attack.

“These guilty pleas and conviction bring accountability for what happened

and also save the families who lost loved ones, those who were injured, and

other witnesses, the ordeal of a trial,” she said.

Judge Cameron Mander recorded convictions on all charges and said Tarrant

would be sentenced at a date yet to be determined.

ISTANBUL PROSECUTOR INDICTS SAUDI SUSPECTS FOR JAMAL KHASHOGGI KILLING

Istanbul prosecutors said on Wednesday they had prepared an indictment

against a close aide to Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and

a former deputy head of general intelligence over the killing of journalist

Jamal Khashoggi.

The prosecutor's office accused the two men of instigating Khashoggi's

murder at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and named 18 suspects it said

actually carried out the killing, which caused a global uproar.

Khashoggi was last seen entering the consulate on Oct. 2, 2018, where he had

gone to obtain documents for his impending wedding. Turkish officials said

his body was dismembered and removed from the building, but his remains have

not been found.

Some Western governments, as well as the CIA, said they believed Prince

Mohammed had ordered the killing - an accusation Saudi officials have

denied.

The indictment accuses former deputy head of Saudi Arabia's general

intelligence Ahmed al-Asiri and former royal court adviser Saud al-Qahtani

of having “instigated premeditated murder with monstrous intent”, the

prosecutor's office said.

NETANYAHU ALLY RESIGNS AS SPEAKER

IsraelÂ’s parliamentary Speaker, an ally of Benjamin Netanyahu, resigned on

Wednesday, clearing the way for a vote that could see him replaced by an

opponent of the embattled premier.

Yuli Edelstein, a member of NetanyahuÂ’s right-wing Likud party, had refused

to schedule a Speakership vote until a new government was formed, but stood

down after the Supreme Court set a Wednesday deadline for the vote to take

place.

“The court ruling constitutes crude and arrogant intervention of the

judiciary in the matters of the elected legislature,” Mr. Edelstein said.

“I won’t allow Israel to descend into anarchy. I won’t lend a hand to civil

war,” he said as the court’s deadline approached.

“I hereby resign from my position as Knesset Speaker.”

The announcement could pave the way for the opposition, led by the centrist

Blue and White party, to take control of the legislative agenda.

It also came after a year of political turmoil that has seen three

inconclusive elections.

QUAKE ROCKS RUSSIAÂ’S KURIL ISLANDS, PROMPTS TSUNAMI ALERT

A 7.2-magnitude quake hit off RussiaÂ’s Kuril Islands on Wednesday, prompting

local residents to seek higher ground due to a brief tsunami threat,

authorities said.

The Russian emergencies ministry said the quakeÂ’s epicentre was 210 km

southeast of Severo-Kurilsk, a town of around 2,500 persons on the Kuril

island of Paramushir.

Officials reported no casualties or damage but said 400 residents of

Severo-Kurilsk were taken to higher ground.

The emergencies ministry said a small tsunami wave of about 50 centimetres

(1.6 feet) high had hit the shore.

The US Geological “Survey for its part estimated the strength of the quake

at 7.5 magnitude. The quake hit at a depth of 59 km, around 1,400 km

northeast of the Japanese city of Sapporo, USGS added. The ministry said

area residents would remain in a safe place for now as the threat of a

tsunami remained.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said “only very small tsunami waves were

generated by this earthquake and there is no further threat”.

The four southernmost islands of the Kuril chain have been disputed between

Moscow and Tokyo since the end of World War II.

The Kurils are known as the Northern Territories in Japan.