IN BRIEF (Page 12)

IRAQ

100 killed in 6 days of anti-govt protests

Iraqi authorities said on Wednesday that the death toll from six days of nationwide anti-government protests has risen to 100, with nearly 5,500 wounded. During the protests, up to 98 public and private buildings were burned or damaged, according to a statement by the independent Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights."The Commission called on demonstrators and security forces to stay away from friction and adhere to peaceful demonstrations to avoid any violent acts," the statement said. On Wednesday, hundreds of Iraqi demonstrators continued their gathering at Tahrir Square in the capital Baghdad for the sixth successive day, demanding comprehensive reform, accountability for corrupt officials, improvement of public services and more job opportunities.

DPRK

DPRK fires projectile toward East Sea

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea fired off an unidentified projectile toward the East Sea, The Republic of Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, or JCS, said on Thursday. The JCS said in a statement that the projectile was launched in the afternoon, without elaborating further. It said the ROK military was closely monitoring the situation and maintaining a defensive posture in preparation for possible additional launches. The last prior projectile launch by the DPRK was conducted on Oct 2, which Seoul believes was a Pukkuksong-type of submarine-launched ballistic missile.

UNITED STATES

Trump to welcome military dog Conan

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the military working dog injured in the raid last weekend that killed the Islamic State leader will leave the Middle East for the White House next week. And the president appears to have declassified the dog's name: Conan. The name had remained a military secret because of the classified nature of the mission in which Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi died. In announcing the impending visit, Trump again posted an altered image of himself presenting a medal to the Belgian malinois. The Daily Wire website had created the image by taking an Associated Press photo of an actual medal presentation by Trump and replacing the human recipient with the canine hero.

JAPAN

Minister quits over election fraud scandal

Japan's justice minister resigned on Thursday over election fraud allegations involving his wife, also a lawmaker, and about his own reported gift-giving allegations. Katsuyuki Kawai became the second Cabinet minister to step down in a week. Kawai's resignation and that of the trade minister last week are an embarrassment to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government, which has been also plagued with a series of gaffes that have incited public anger. Abe told reporters he accepted Kawai's resignation because the justice minister did not want the scandal to damage law enforcement policies.

Xinhua - Agencies

(China Daily 11/01/2019 page12)