IN BRIEF (Page 11)

Afghanistan

25 killed in Kabul gym bomb blasts

The death toll has risen to 25 while 95 others were wounded in twin bomb blasts which struck a sports gym in Kabul on Wednesday evening, a police spokesman said on Thursday. A journalist and a cameraman working for local TV channel Tolo News TV also lost their lives and four reporters were wounded in the car bomb explosion. Many of the injured, including several policemen, remained in critical condition. The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Iraq

One dead, 25 injured in Basra protests

The country's main seaport closed down on Thursday following violent clashes between protesters and security forces in the southern city of Basra in which one demonstrator died and 25 more were injured the previous night. Port employees said that all operations had ceased on Thursday morning at Umm Qasr port as the entrance was still blocked off and trucks and staff were unable to get in or out of the complex. Overnight, protesters blocked the entrance to the nearby Umm Qasr port, the main lifeline for grain and other commodity imports that feed the country.

Cambodia

PM confirmed for another 5 years

Cambodia's National Assembly on Thursday confirmed Samdech Techo Hun Sen as prime minister for another five years after his Cambodian People's Party won all parliamentary seats in a July general election. All 125 CPP lawmakers unanimously voted for him as PM, the position that he has held since 1985. The 67-year-old and his cabinet members will be sworn in on Thursday afternoon at the Royal Palace.

Xinhua - Reuters

(China Daily 09/07/2018 page11)