News in Brief (5-12-2018)

Palestinian loses life during

West Bank clash with troops

JERUSALEM, Dec 04: A Palestinian was killed during a clash with Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank early on Tuesday, Palestinian official media and a medical source said. Mohammad Habali, 22, was shot after Israeli forces carried out an overnight raid in the city of Tulkarm in the northern West Bank, official Palestinian news agency Wafa said. — AFP

Moon still hopes to host Kim this year

AUCKLAND, Dec 04: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un could still visit Seoul for the first time in the next few weeks, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Tuesday, describing the possible trip as a major boost in efforts to make the peninsula nuclear-free. Moon and Kim have met three times in 2018. — AFP

Russia ‘partially’ unblocks Azov ports: Kiev

KIEV, Dec 04: Russia has begun allowing some ships to enter Ukrainian ports on the Sea of Azov, Kiev said on Tuesday, in what could signal an easing of tensions in the flashpoint area. Ukraine has accused Moscow of blocking merchant vessels from entering and leaving the ports. — AFP

CIA chief to brief lawmakers on Khashoggi

WASHINGTON, Dec 04: The head of the CIA will now brief Congress on Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder, US media say. They say Gina Haspel is to talk to Senate leaders on Tuesday. She was absent from last week's briefing by the secretaries of state and defence, angering some in Congress. Khashoggi was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October. — BBC

Three perish in Malaysia mall blast

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 04: Three people were killed and 24 injured on Tuesday when a powerful explosion rocked a shopping mall in the Malaysian state of Sarawak, but a fire official said it was not caused by a bomb. The official Bernama news agency said the blast could have been caused by a leaking gas tank. Wan Abdul Mubin, head of the fire rescue department in the state capital Kuching, told AFP his office received an emergency call at around 0737 GMT. — AFP