Cambodian, Thai
leaders mark
reopening of rail link
AP, Phnom Penh
The leaders of Cambodia and Thailand met Monday at the Thai border town of Aranyaprathet to mark the ceremonial reopening of a rail link that will restore train service between the two countries after more than four decades.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and his Thai counterpart, Prayuth Chan-ocha, took a brief train ride across the border from Aranyaprathet to Cambodia’s Poipet to celebrate the occasion. Each also shoveled some cement to mark the completion of a nearby cross-border bridge for automotive traffic.
Malawi to pilot groundbreaking malaria vaccine
AFP, Lilongwe
Malawi will on Tuesday spearhead large scale pilot tests for the world’s most advanced experimental malaria vaccine in a bid to prevent the disease that kills hundreds of thousands across Africa each year.
After more than three decades in development and almost $1 billion in investment, the cutting-edge trial will be rolled out in Malawi’s capital Lilongwe this week and then in Kenya and Ghana next week.
China criticizes US effort to reduce Iran oil sales
AP, Beijing
China has criticized Washington’s decision to tell Beijing and other governments to stop buying Iranian oil or face sanctions.
A foreign ministry spokesman, Geng Shuang, said Monday that Chinese dealings with Iran are “reasonable and legitimate, which thus deserves respect.”
Explosion in Afghan coal mine kills 7 miners
AP, Kabul
An Afghan official says an explosion at a coal mine in the northern province of Samangan has killed at least seven miners.
Hashim Bayan, a spokesman for the provincial police chief, says two other miners were injured in the blast on Monday morning in the remote Dar-i-Suf district. There has been an increase recently in such incidents in the district as miners work without proper equipment or knowledge of safety measures.
