Washington, Sep 10 : The US on Monday announced the closure of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)'s office in Washington, citing its lack of steps to advance direct negotiations with Israel.

"The PLO has not taken steps to advance the start of direct and meaningful negotiations with Israel," said the US State Department in a statement.

The decision to shut down the office was also linked with the US concerns with Palestinian attempts to prompt an investigation of Israel by the International Criminal Court, according to the statement.

Senior Palestinian officials, who have been informed earlier by the Trump administration about the decision, have strongly condemned the US move, calling it "reckless" and "bullying".

 

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Palamaneru (Andhra Pradesh) (PTI): Five members of a family from Bengaluru died on the spot after the car in which they were travelling to Tirupati rammed into a stationary truck in Chittoor district on Wednesday, a police official said.

The deceased included three women, and the accident occurred on the four-lane highway near Palamaneru at around 8.45 am on Wednesday, police said.

"Five members of a family travelling from Bengaluru to Tirupati were killed on the spot when their car rammed into a stationary truck near Palamaneru," the official told PTI.

According to police, the accident is suspected to have occurred due to overspeeding and the driver possibly feeling sleepy.

Meanwhile, relatives of the deceased have been informed and are on their way to the accident site, the official added.