Trump praises lawmaker who assaulted reporter
AP, Washington
Donald Trump’s war on the media knows no bounds. At a Thursday rally in Missoula, Mont., the president praised Republican Congressman Greg Gianforte and recounted his assault on Guardian (U.S.) reporter Ben Jacobs.
“Greg is smart, and by the way, never wrestle him,” Trump joked after Gianforte made brief remarks at the microphone.
Imran Khan to attend Saudi conference
AFP, Islamabad
Pakistan’s foreign ministry announced Friday that Prime Minister Imran Khan will attend a Saudi Arabian investment conference, despite a string of cancellations from leading policy-makers and corporate chiefs over the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The decision comes a day after US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and senior ministers from Europe announced plans to skip the conference.
Pakistan shuts all brick kilns
Reuters, Islamabad
To combat worsening smog, Pakistan’s government has ordered all traditional brick kilns closed for 70 days starting Saturday, as it promotes new cleaner kilns that could cut pollution up to 70 percent.
But the measure has produced an outcry both from kiln owners, who want incentives to make the switch, and from kiln workers who fear losing income.
3 Cambodian die after drinking tainted wine
Xinhua, Phnom Penh
Three Cambodian villagers had died and 44 others had been hospitalized in Kratie province after drinking locally-made rice wine, which was suspicious of containing “high levels of methanol,” police and health officials said Friday.
“Two men and a woman died on Thursday and 44 others have been subsequently admitted to the Kratie Provincial Referral Hospital after they consumed contaminated rice wine,” Bun Chhoeun, police chief of Sambou district in Kratie province, told Xinhua.
3 terrorists killed in Kashmir
PTI, Srinagar
Three unidentified terrorists were shot dead after they tried to infiltrate the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla district, a defence spokesman said Friday.
The Army Thursday foiled the infiltration bid along the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri sector of Baramulla district, the spokesman said.
Turkey to host Syria summit Oct 27
AFP, Istanbul
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will host a summit on the Syria conflict with the leaders of Russia, Germany and France on October 27 in Istanbul, his spokesman said Friday. The summit will be attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin as well as French and German leaders Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin.
