Briefly

EGYPT

16 rescued after boat sinks off Red Sea coast

Egyptian authorities rescued 16 people after a tourist boat sank off its Red Sea coast, three security sources told Reuters on Monday, as search operations continued for the remaining passengers and crew members. The boat, Sea Story, was carrying 45 people, including 31 tourists of varying nationalities and 14 crew members, on a multiday diving trip when it went down near the coastal town of Marsa Alam, according to a statement by the Red Sea Governorate. Governor Amr Hanafi said some survivors were rescued using a helicopter and have been taken to the hospital. Efforts to locate more survivors were ongoing.

SOUTH KOREA

Seoul court acquits opposition leader

South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung was acquitted on Monday on charges that he persuaded a witness to lie in court to understate Lee's past criminal conviction. The court earlier this month sentenced Lee to a suspended prison term for violating election law by making false public statements while running for president in the 2022 election. If that conviction stands, Lee would be unseated as a lawmaker and barred from running for president in the next election, for which polls now show him to be the favorite.

Agencies via Xinhua