SEOUL: North Korea has dubbed a break-in at its embassy in Spain last month as a “grave terrorist attack”, reports said.

Releasing its first official comment, Pyongyang has called for an investigation saying it was closely watching rumors that the FBI had played a role.

A group committed to ousting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the Cheollima Civil Defense, on Wednesday said, it carried out the raid.

The group said it took computers and data and gave its evidence to the FBI.

The North Korea, however, stopped short of blaming Washington directly for the raid. It has asked the Spanish authorities to conduct the investigation in a responsible manner. (Agencies)

TUNIS: Arab heads of state are likely to come together at a summit today to reject a U.S. decision to recognize Israel’s annexation of Arab lands captured in 1967, media reports said.

Arab leaders, who have been grappling with unrest in Algeria and Sudan, war in Yemen, regional splits over Iran’s influence, among others face a new challenge after US President Donald Trump signed a proclamation last week recognizing the Golan Heights as Israeli.

The US recognized Golan Heights as Isreal’s land less than four months after recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

According to Arab officials, the summit would be dominated by the Golan Heights and Palestinian demands for an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. (Agencies)

HERAT: Flash floods triggered by heavy rains have killed at least 17 people in western Afghanistan, destroying homes and sweeping through makeshift shelters that housed displaced families, a government official said on Saturday.

CAIRO: As many as 266 Palestinians were killed in a military action carried out by Israeli soldiers in the last one year in Israel-controlled Gaza strip, according to a report.

According to the report unveiled by the Health Ministry based in Gaza, 30, 398 sustained injuries, 536 critically, during the period.

Fifty among those killed in the demonstration are children, six women, one senior citizen, three medical persons and two journalists.

Similarly, two Israeli soldiers died during the period, said the report.

(With inputs from Agencies)

HANOI: Vietnam has recovered more than nine tons of ivory that was shipped from Congo.

The ivory was shipped in a timber shipment from the African country. It is one of the country’s largest wildlife hauls in years, international media reported.

Though it is illegal to buy and sell ivory in communist Vietnam, lax law enforcement has allowed the illicit trade to flourish on the black market.

DHAKA: At least 25 people were killed when a fire broke out in a large office tower in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Several dozen others have been injured, local media said on Friday.

Large flames burning through the 24-story building, F.R. Tower were posted on social media. Witnesses said several people had fallen while trying to descend using cables, according to reports.

A total of 21 firefighting units were dispatched to douse the blaze. At least 70 others were injured, police said (Agencies)

TOKYO: Buddhist nuns pray for Vietnamese people, who died after coming to Japan to work or study.

Rows of wooden mortuary tablets inscribed with names lined up an altar at a Buddhist temple in Tokyo as a silent testimony to Vietnamese.

Thich Tam Tri, a Vietnamese Buddhist nun, said whenever she is contacted about a death, she would only ask: ‘Why?’ and ‘Again?’

She said Vietnamese people want to work hard in Japan, and they had dreams…and they suddenly died.

Vietnamese are lured by higher wages in Japan.

Several of the 140 Vietnamese, whose names are on the tablets, came to Japan on a “technical trainee” program that acts as a back door to blue-collar jobs in a country where immigration is a touchy subject. Some came as students and worked part time. (Agencies)

SEOUL: South Korean President Moon Jae-in is scheduled to meet with President Donald Trump for a summit on North Korean nuclear diplomacy in United States (US).
South Korean President’s office said Friday that Moon will visit the United States on April 10-11 and meet with Trump.
It says the two leaders will discuss how to achieve North Korea’s complete denuclearization and peace on the Korean Peninsula.
U.S.-led diplomacy on ridding North Korea of its nuclear program remain stalled since Trump’s second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Vietnam last month ended without any deal.
North Korea later threatened to quit the nuclear diplomacy, citing a lack of U.S. steps to match disarmament measures it took last year.

BANGKOK: Thailand’s election took another turn when the country’s Election Commission (EC) announced that the pro-army party, Palang Pracharat, had won the popular vote.

The announcement, however, does not make clear the overall winner of the general election held on Sunday, local media said.

The Palang Pracharat and an anti-junta “democratic front” both have claimed a mandate to form the new government. However, it has not been clear if either side will be able to gather enough votes in parliament to form the government.

According to the Election Commission, Palang Pracharat won the popular vote with 8.4 million ballots.

The main opposition Pheu Thai Party got 7.9 million votes. (Agencies)

WASHINGTON: The U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry approved six secret authorizations to sell nuclear power technology and assistance to Saudi Arabia, media reports said.

According to a copy of a document, the Trump administration quietly pursued a deal on sharing U.S. nuclear power technology with Saudi Arabia.

The deal aims to build at least two nuclear power plants. Countries such as the United States, South Korea and Russia are in competition for the deal. The winners are expected to be announced later by Saudi Arabia, according to Reuters.

The US approvals, dubbed as Part 810 authorizations, allow companies to do preliminary work on nuclear power ahead of any deal. (Agencies)