Thai king’s health ‘unstable’ as crowd holds vigil
AFP, Bangkok
The health of Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej is “still unstable”, the palace said late Wednesday, with the 88-year-old on a ventilator and battling a new infection as crowds gathered to pray outside his Bangkok hospital.
Bhumibol is the world’s longest-reigning monarch and beloved by many in Thailand, where he is seen as a rare unifying figure in a country riven by political rivalries.
But he has not been seen by the public for nearly a year as he battles a series of ailments in a Bangkok hospital, a source of great anxiety for many in the kingdom.
Putin accuses France of playing tricks with Syria resolution
Reuters, Moscow
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday accused France of deliberately luring Moscow into vetoing a United Nations resolution on Syria and suggested Paris was doing the bidding of the United States.
Russia last week imposed its veto on a French-backed resolution condemning the violence in the Syrian city of Aleppo, saying the document failed to take into account Russian proposals.
US urges Pakistan to shut down access to terrorists
Dawn.com, Washington
The United States (US) State Department on Wednesday urged Pakistan to “shut down access to areas inside their borders to terrorists”.
State Department Spokesperson John Kirby in a press briefing, when asked to comment on recent remarks by Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed on Pakistan, responded by saying, “I’m not going to dignify the comments of an avowed terrorist one way or the other.”
Spanish diplomat found dead in Pakistan
AP, Islamabad
A Spanish diplomat was found dead in his home in Pakistan in what appeared to be a suicide, said a police official on Thursday.
According to the police, John Jenner was found dead in his F7-2 residence in Islamabad, locked from inside.
A 38 bore pistol was also found near the dead body, reported The News International.
