IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Republic Of Korea

Ex-official jailed over Samsung scandal

A Seoul court on Thursday sentenced a former health minister to two and a half years in jail for his role in a corruption scandal that led to the impeachment and arrest of former president Park Geun-hye. The ruling is one of the first from several ongoing trials that emerged from the scandal, including that of Park herself and Samsung chief Lee Jae-yong.

Ukraine

Blast hits US embassy in Kiev

An overnight blast hit the premises of the US embassy in Kiev but there were no casualties, the Ukrainian police said on Thursday. The blast hit the mission located in central Kiev shortly after midnight, a statement said. "Investigators found that an unknown person threw an explosive device on the territory of the diplomatic mission," it said.

Australia

Police to be allowed to use lethal force

Riot police in the state of New South Wales are to be armed with high-powered, military - grade machine guns and given shoot-to-kill powers in order to deal with the threat of terrorism, Premier Gladys Berejiklian said on Thursday. NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said because of the criminal environment, the government needs to adapt quickly in response.

Morocco

Oldest human fossils discovered

A team of scientists has found the oldest known fossils of the human species near the city of Youssoufia, the Moroccan National Institute of Sciences of Archaeology and Heritage announced on Wednesday. It said the remains, found in a remote village called Jbel Irhoud, date back more than 300,000 years.

(China Daily 06/09/2017 page12)