Category: Asia

North Korean held over death of Kim Jong Nam as second post-mortem announced

Malaysian police have announced the arrest of a fourth suspect, a North Korean, over the death of the half brother of the North Korean leader. A man believed to be Kim Jong Nam is pictured in February 2007 at Beijing airport, as Malaysia said it will carry out a second post-mortem Malaysian police have announced the arrest of a fourth suspect, a North Korean, over the death of the half brother of the North Korean leader.

Was it brother? Lover? Or crime gang? Rumors abound in North Korea

As Malaysian police continue their inquiry into the death of Kim Jong Nam, the outcast half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, there’s plenty of speculation surrounding what seems as one of the stranger killings the world has recently seen. North Korea killed Kim Jong Nam because he planned to create an exile government around defectors, says one rumor.

McCain says Flynn affair shows Trump administration in ‘disarray’

At the Munich Security Conference, McCain said the departure of National Security Adviser Michael Flynn shows that the Trump’s administration is “in many respects, in disarray”, remarking that “they’ve got a lot of work to do”. But McCain blurred the clear line he drew between his pro-Western orthodoxy and Trump’s new populism when he said that Pence and Trump appointee John Kelly would back him up with similar, pro-NATO, pro-democracy, pro-liberal values, pro-Western messages to the conference.

Was it brother? Lover? Or crime gang? N. Korea rumors abound

In this June 4, 2010, file photo, dressed in jeans and blue suede loafers, Kim Jong Nam, the eldest son of then North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, waves after his first-ever interview with South Korean media in Macau. Kim was assassinated at an airport in Kuala Lumpur, telling medical workers before he died that he had been attacked with a chemical spray a Malaysian official said Tuesday.

Donna Air and Kate’s brother James Middleton lucky in love

EXCLUSIVE: ‘She cares more about destroying me than her own kids.’ Ex of ‘vindictive’ Lisa Marie Presley hits back at claims she found ‘disturbing’ pictures of children on his computer, promising bombshell revelations about her ‘It’s a fake presidency’: Mika Brzezinski fires back at Trump after the President’s marathon press conference criticizing the media and Morning Joe’s feud with advisor Kellyanne Conway Will you be able to use your FACE to unlock the iPhone 8? New handset ‘will have a front-facing 3D laser scanner so it recognizes you’ Democrat from ultra-liberal Portland, Oregon says he’s looking at the 25th amendment because he fears for Trump’s mental health ‘I woke up to see a little boy at the end of my bed’: People reveal the creepiest things that have ever happened to them Batten down the hatches: Most powerful storm to hit southern California in years barrels in bringing up … (more)

Suicide bombing at Pakistan shrine

A brutal attack on a beloved Sufi shrine that killed 88 people raised fears that the Islamic State group has become emboldened in Pakistan, aided by an army of homegrown militants benefiting from hideouts in neighboring Afghanistan, analysts and officials said Friday. Pakistani security forces have carried out sweeping country-wide raids following Thursday’s bombing of the shrine in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province that also wounded 343 people.

North Korea ‘will reject Kim Jong Nam post-mortem results’

North Korea will “categorically reject” the results of a post-mortem on Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half-brother of the country’s ruler, its ambassador in Malaysia said. North Korea will “categorically reject” the results of a post-mortem on Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half-brother of the country’s ruler, its ambassador in Malaysia said.

AM First Warn Local Weather 02/17/17

Most North Koreans have little idea about the outside world beyond what Kim Jong Un’s oppressive regime feeds them. Mike Dubke, founder of conservative firm Crossroads Media, has been selected as head of White House communications, a White House official has confirmed to NBC News.

10 things to know Friday

A day after a suicide bombing by the Islamic State group killed 80 worshippers, the attack raised questions about Islamabad’s ability to rein in militant groups. Yet historians are hard-pressed to find anything that approaches what seems to be the president’s intention to escalate bad relations with the news media.

Hanjin Shipping ends 40 years of sailing

A court in South Korea has declared the bankruptcy of Hanjin Shipping, after two weeks of appeals that ended Friday, bringing to a close 40 years of the company’s history as a leading shipping line and leaving challenges for the industry. The demise of the company — once the largest shipping company here and the world’s seventh biggest — began in 2008 in the midst of the financial crisis.

China closes live poultry markets amid deadly flu outbreak

In this Oct. 9, 2016 photo, a butcher carries slaughtered chickens in a poultry market in Fuyang in central China’s Anhui province. Chinese state media reported Friday, Feb. 17, 2017 that the National Health and Family Planning Commission is ordering the closure of live poultry markets in China’s south-central regions as it grapples with the worst outbreak of bird flu in years.

Wailing, anger at Sufi shrine in Pakistan after bomber kills 77

Men comfort each other as they attend the funeral of a relative who was killed in a suicide blast at the tomb of Sufi saint Syed Usman Marwandi, also known as the Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine, in Sehwan Sharif, Pakistan’s southern Sindh province, February 17, 2017. Policemen gather outside the tomb of Sufi saint Syed Usman Marwandi, also known as the Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine, after Thursday’s suicide blast in Sehwan Sharif, Pakistan’s southern Sindh province, February 17, 2017.

Samsung Chief Jay Y. Lee Arrested Over Alleged Role In Corruption Scandal

Samsung Group chief Jay Y. Lee was arrested early on Friday over his alleged role in a corruption scandal rocking the highest levels of power in South Korea, dealing a fresh blow to the world’s biggest maker of smartphones and memory chips. The 48-year-old Lee, scion of the country’s richest family, was taken into custody at the Seoul Detention Centre after waiting there overnight for the decision.

Pakistani forces kill, arrest dozens after IS shrine bombing

Pakistani forces killed and arrested dozens of suspects in sweeping raids overnight and into Friday, a day after a massive suicide bombing by the Islamic State group killed 75 worshippers at a famed Sufi shrine in the country’s south. The terror attack – Pakistan ‘s deadliest in years – stunned the nation and raised questions about the authorities’ ability to rein in militant groups despite several military offensives targeting militant hideouts.

Islamic State suicide bombing at Pakistan shrine kills 75

An Islamic State suicide bomber struck inside a famed shrine in southern Pakistan on Thursday, killing at least 75 people in the deadliest attack in the country in more than two years. The bomber entered the main hall of the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sehwan and detonated his payload amid dozens of worshippers, according to three security officials, who said at least 20 women and nine children were among the dead.

UN condemns deadly terror attack on Sufi shrine in Pak15 min ago

United Nations, Feb 17 The United Nations today condemned the terrorist attack inside a crowded Sufi shrine in Pakistan’s Sindh province that left over 75 people dead and called for the perpetrators to be brought to justices swiftly. “We extend our condolences to the families of the victims and to the Government and people of Pakistan, and wish a speedy recovery to the injured.

South Korean court approves arrest of Samsung heir

A South Korean court approved on Friday the arrest of a billionaire heir to Samsung accused of bribery and other charges in connection to a massive corruption scandal. The Seoul Central District Court’s decision to issue a warrant to arrest Lee Jae-yong, 48, a vice chairman at Samsung Electronics and the only son of Samsung chair Lee Kun-hee, makes him the first leader in Samsung’s history to be arrested on criminal charges.

Woman arrested in killing of N. Korean leader’s half brother

FILE – In this May 4, 2001, file photo, a man believed to be Kim Jong Nam, the eldest son of then North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, looks at a battery of photographers as he exits a police van to board a plane to Beij… . A police officer controls traffic in front of a hospital’s forensic department in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2017.

More questions than answers in assassination of Jim Jong Un’s half brother

It looks like a perfectly staged assassination, straight out of the pages of a spy novel: Kim Jong Nam, the estranged, exiled half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, falls ill at a Malaysian airport, complains of being sprayed with some sort of chemical, and drops dead. A look at what officials are trying to piece together as they work to reconstruct what appears to be one of the most audacious, mysterious assassinations in recent Asian history: Kim Jong Nam, a jovial, overweight gambler and playboy, had embarrassed Pyongyang before – he tried to sneak into Tokyo Disneyland; he criticized his half brother – but he’s been generally seen more as an annoyance than an existential threat to North Korea’s stability.

The Latest: North Korean’s killing makes few waves in Macau

Kim was assass… KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – The Latest on the apparent assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s half brother, Kim Jong Nam, at a Malaysian airport : The slaying of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s half brother, Kim Jong Nam, appears to be making few ripples so far in Macau, where he lived for years. The Chinese gambling hub is home to a small Korean community estimated at 240 people but staff at the city’s handful of Korean restaurants and shops said Wednesday they had never seen him when shown his picture.

Woman held over Kim Jong-un’s half-brother killing

Kim Jong-Nam fell out of favour with the North Korean hierarchy following a botched attempt in 2001 to enter Japan on a forged passport. Photo: AFP Malaysian police probing the killing of the half-brother of North Korea’s leader arrested a woman Wednesday as they tried to unravel a Cold War-style assassination the South said was carried out by Pyongyang’s agents.

The Latest: Malaysia arrests woman in N. Korean killing

Kim was assass… KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – The Latest on the apparent assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s half brother in Malaysia : Malaysian police say they have arrested a woman in connection with the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s half brother. Kim Jong Un’s half brother died Monday after suddenly falling ill at the airport.

Slain brother was complicated part of North Korean dynasty

FILE – This combination of file photos shows Kim Jong Nam, left, exiled half-brother of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un, in Narita, Japan, on May 4, 2001, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on May 9, … SEOUL, South Korea – A failed attempt to sneak into Japan to visit Disneyland in 2001 may have doomed the leadership dreams of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un’s elder brother, who was assassinated this week in an airport in Malaysia. Banished from his father’s favor, Kim Jong Nam frequented casinos and five-star hotels and traveled around Asia, with little say in North Korean affairs.

Tajikistan: Purge of Ex-Mayor’s Allies Picks Up Steam

In the wake of the mayor of Tajikistan’s capital getting sidelined, his allies are now systematically being cleared out of jobs in and near the government. On February 13, the executive committee of President Emomali Rahmon’s People’s Democratic Party assembled and decided to remove six leading party apparatchiks.