US urges Germany to ‘help secure’ Strait of Hormuz
AFP, Berlin
The United States stepped up diplomatic pressure on Germany Tuesday to join efforts to secure the strategic Strait of Hormuz as tensions mount between Washington and Iran.
The request came after Britain last week ordered its navy to escort UK-flagged ships in the world’s busiest oil shipping lane in response to Iranian soldiers seizing a tanker in the flashpoint entrance to the Gulf.
Turkey sends delegation to China to observe Uighur situation
AP, Istanbul
Turkey’s foreign minister says a delegation will visit China’s northwestern Xinjiang region to observe the situation of minority Uighur Turks.
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Tuesday that Turkey accepted an invitation from China to visit Xinjiang and will send 10 officials.
He told Turkey’s official Anadolu news agency in Bangkok that “our expectation is for our Uighur brethren to live under one Chinese roof in peace.”
Indian coffee magnate’s body found by river
AFP, New Delhi
The body of a billionaire Indian coffee magnate who went missing amid financial troubles was found by a river in southern India, police said Wednesday.
V.G. Siddhartha, founder of the Cafe Coffee Day chain that beat Starbucks at its own game in India, was last seen Monday next to the Nethravathi river near Mangaluru and reported missing soon after by his chauffeur.
Judge orders release for Iraqi man after
2-year detention
AP, Minneapolis
A federal judge in Minnesota ruled Tuesday that an Iraqi man who has been in immigration custody for more than two years must be released while he awaits a final order for removal from the U.S.
Farass Adnan Ali, 35, of Rochester, entered immigration custody in May 2017 and has been in consecutive immigration detention since July 2017. U.S. District Judge David Doty ruled Tuesday that the lengthy detention violates Ali’s constitutional rights, and that Ali must be released within 30 days.
S’pore soldiers charged over actor’s death in training
AFP, Singapore
Two Singapore soldiers were charged in military court Wednesday over the death of a popular actor during reservist training in a case that has sparked calls for changes to the country’s system of conscription.
Aloysius Pang, who starred in Singapore-produced Chinese language TV shows and movies, was completing compulsory reservist training in New Zealand in January when he suffered serious injuries while repairing artillery.
