IN BRIEF (Page 11)

China Daily | Updated: 2019-01-11 07:33

Iraq

Pompeo seeks to reassure Kurds in Syria

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sought on Wednesday to reassure US-backed Kurdish forces in Syria that they will be safe after American troops withdraw from the country. Amid confusion over plans to implement US President Donald Trump's pullout order and threats from Turkey to attack the Kurds, Pompeo made an unannounced stop in Iraq while on a weeklong trip to the Middle East aimed at assuaging the fears of Washington's Arab partners that the United States is abandoning the region or walking away from the fight against the Islamic State group. Earlier in the week, Trump's national security adviser, John Bolton, said protecting the Kurds is a priority for the US even as it moves to withdraw about 2,000 troops from Syria.

Republic Of Korea

Second taxi driver suicide over ride share

A taxi driver burned himself to death in protest against a ride-sharing service being introduced by the country's largest mobile chat app, the second to do so in a month. The 64-year-old, surnamed Im, parked near the US embassy in central Seoul moments before his vehicle was engulfed in flames. The driver remained conscious after he got out of the burning vehicle on Wednesday evening, witnesses said. He was taken to a nearby hospital but died hours later, according to police, who found melted fuel bottles in the car. Im left a suicide note, Yonhap news agency reported, calling for a ban on what he called "illegal carpooling".

Iran

Teheran says it holds US Navy veteran

Iran confirmed it is holding US Navy veteran Michael R. White at a prison in the country, making him the first US citizen known to be detained under President Donald Trump's administration. White's detention adds new pressure to the rising tension between Iran and the United States which, under Trump, has pulled out of its nuclear deal and hit the country hard with new sanctions. The circumstances of White's detention remain unclear. The semiofficial Tasnim news agency confirmed the detention on Wednesday, citing Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi.

Ap - Afp - Reuters

(China Daily 01/11/2019 page11)