Belarus declares two foreign ‘spies’ persona non grata
Belarus has declared two foreign citizens accused of being spies as persona non grata, the head of the KGB state security service told reporters on Friday.
Philippines’ Duterte spokesman promises to tell public about leader’s health
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will let the public know if he has a “serious illness”, his spokesman said on Friday, a day after the leader said in a public address that he had gone to a hospital for tests.
Indonesian brother grieves for his sister, niece, a week after quake
A week after a major earthquake brought devastation to Indonesia’s Sulawesi island, Ichsan Hidayat found his sister and her baby daughter, who were killed when their neighborhood became a churning sea of mud and debris.
Italy’s Di Maio says he will back Italian people over markets
Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio said on Friday that he would rather defend Italian people than bow to markets if forced to make a choice.
South Korea jails former president Lee for 15 years on corruption charges
A Seoul court on Friday jailed former South Korean President Lee Myung-bak for 15 years for corruption, making him the latest in a string of high-profile political and business leaders ensnared by graft charges.
Afghan government rejects proposals to privatize war
Afghan officials have reacted angrily to speculation that foreign military contractors could take over training and advising the Afghan armed forces, following a renewed push by the founder of private military contractor Blackwater.
Cambodia jails 70-year-old in first conviction for royal insult
A Cambodian court has jailed a 70-year-old barber for seven months over a violation of the country’s royal insult law, the first such conviction since the law was adopted this year.
South Africa train collision injures 320 people
About 320 people were injured when a packed train traveling from South Africa’s business hub Johannesburg to the capital Pretoria crashed into the back of a stationary train, Metrorail authorities said on Friday.
Vietnam seizes eight tonnes of ivory, pangolin scales
Vietnamese authorities have seized more than eight metric tonnes of pangolin scales and ivory in one of the Southeast Asian country’s largest wildlife trafficking cases for years, the government said on Friday.
North Korea joins South Korean protest over Japan’s ‘Rising Sun’ flag
Japan should refrain from flying the “Rising Sun” flag on a warship in a fleet review planned in South Korea next week, a North Korean propaganda website said on Friday, joining South Koreans in the latest spat over the countries’ colonial history.
