News in Brief -(12-02-2018)
Monday, 12 February 2018
Woman dies in Beijing Mall knife attack
BEIJING, Feb 11: A woman was killed and 12 other people injured after a man carried out a knife attack in a mall in a busy shopping district in the Chinese capital, Beijing, police said on Sunday. Beijing police said in a short statement they had detained a man over the early afternoon attack at the Joy City Mall in the Xidan district. Three men and 10 women were sent to hospital after the attack and one woman died of her injuries, police said. The others were all expected to recover. — Reuters
Putin urges Netanyahu to avoid escalation in Syria
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the situation in Syria in a telephone call on Saturday after heavy Israeli air strikes in the country, Interfax news agency cited the Kremlin as saying. "They discussed the situation around the actions of the Israeli air force, which carried our missile strikes on targets in Syria," Interfax quoted the Kremlin as saying. Putin told Netanyahu there was a need to avoid any steps that would lead to a new confrontation in the region, Interfax reported. — Reuters
4.6-magnitude earthquake hits S Korea
SEOUL, Feb 11: An earthquake of 4.6 magnitude struck an area in southeast South Korea, with no serious casualty being reported yet, the weather service said Sunday. The 4.6-magnitude tremor hit an area, 5 km northwest of the northern district in the country's southeastern coastal city of Pohang in North Gyeongsang province at about 5:03 a.m. local time (2003 GMT Saturday), according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. The epicenter, with a depth of 14 km, was at 36.08 degrees north latitude and 129.33 degrees east longitude. — Xinhua
Taiwan tremor claims 17 lives
TAIPEI, Feb 11: Two more mainland tourists were confirmed dead Sunday in the powerful earthquake in Taiwan's Hualien County, bringing the death toll to 17. Braving the danger of aftershocks, rescuers found the bodies in the ruins of a 12-story building after searching for more than 100 hours since the 6.5-magnitude earthquake jolted Hualien late Tuesday night. The last found two persons are from the same family with the three found on Saturday. The family from Beijing was travelling in Taiwan, and stayed in an inn on the second floor of the Yun Men Tusi Ti building on Tuesday. — Xinhua
Philippines to ban workers from working in Kuwait
MANILA, Feb 11: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte wants to completely ban Filipinos from working in Kuwait, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello said on Sunday, adding the Philippine leader wants "to send a strong message" to the Gulf state. "That is the directive of the president, and by tomorrow, I'm going to issue the order," Bello told local radio DZMM in an interview. Bello said the government will take back the distressed Filipino workers in Kuwait. However, those who wish to stay in Kuwait will be allowed to do so. — Xinhua