AFP, Seoul
US President Donald Trump will host his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in next month, Seoul said Friday, after the latest summit between Washington and Pyongyang ended in deadlock.
Moon has long backed a policy of engagement with nuclear-armed, sanctions-hit Pyongyang and was instrumental in brokering talks between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Worsening air pollution reducing lifespans in Indonesia
AP, Jakarta
Indonesia’s air quality has deteriorated from among the cleanest in the world to one of the most polluted over the past two decades, shaving five years from life expectancy in some regions, researchers say.
The study by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago says an increase in coal-fired power stations, burning of land for plantation agriculture and rising car ownership are responsible for the worsening pollution in the world’s fourth-most populous country.
Philippine news site chief freed on bail
Reuters, Manila
The head of a Philippine news website known for critical reports about President Rodrigo Duterte was freed on bail hours after she was re-arrested at a Manila airport on Friday on charges she had violated foreign ownership rules.
“You cannot harass and intimidate journalists to silence. We’ll stand up and fight against it,” Maria Ressa, the award-winning head of news platform Rappler, told reporters after posting bail of 90,000 pesos ($1,707).
Students march in Berlin in
climate protest
AP, Berlin
Thousands of students are gathering in the German capital, skipping school to take part in a rally demanding action against climate change.
Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg, who inspired the protests in Germany and elsewhere by staging weekly “school strikes,” is expected to lead the Friday rally through Berlin’s government district.
The 16-year-old is also meeting with scientists at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, just outside the German capital.
