Short takes
Park delays US trip for MERS
AFP, SEOUL: South Korean President Park Geun-Hye has postponed a planned trip to the US, her spokesman said yesterday, amid growing public alarm over the MERS outbreak which has now claimed nine lives.
The decision to delay the June 14-18 visit came after Parks administration came under fire for what critics say has been an insufficient response to the crisis.
US drone kills Al-Qaeda suspects
AFP, ADEN: Three suspected Al-Qaeda members were killed in an apparent US drone strike in Yemens jihadist-held southeastern port city of Mukalla, a local official told AFP yesterday.
The drone fired four missiles on three Al-Qaeda militants sitting near the port of Mukalla, killing them immediately late on Tuesday, said the official.
9 Chinese freed from Philippine jail
AFP, MANILA: The Philippines has freed nine Chinese fishermen convicted of poaching endangered sea turtles after they completed one-year jail terms, officials said yesterday.
The nine, arrested in disputed waters in May last year, were jailed after they failed to pay fines of $100,000 each for poaching and an additional $2,662 each for catching an endangered species.
Burundi confirms election dates
AFP, BUJUMBURA, Burundi: Burundi will go ahead with parliamentary elections on June 29 and a presidential poll on July 15, the presidency announced yesterday, confirming a delay in the votes caused by weeks of civil unrest.
The troubled central African nation has been in crisis over President Pierre Nkurunzizas controversial bid to stand for a third consecutive five-year term.
