ASIA
Malaysia- Siti Aisyah and Doan Thi Huong have been charged with the murder of North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un’s estranged half brother on Wednesday.
Kim Jong Nam, who suddenly died on February 13, was visiting Malaysia and his death has been a bone of contention between Malaysia and North Korea. Police now say that the women killed him by smearing VX, a deadly nerve agent, on his face while he was waiting for his flight at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
According to the charge sheets read on Wednesday, if they are found guilty, the offense is punishable by death. Aisyah is an Indonesian citizen and Huong is a Vietnamese citizen and both maintain that they are being wrongfully accused of the crime. According to their country authorities, both women say that they were participating in a TV prank show.
South Korea- Lee Jae-yong, heir to Samsung, has been indicted on multiple charges including bribery and embezzlement. The case has links to the scandal that led to the impeachment of the country’s president, Park Geun-hye. He was arrested on March 1, 2017, as the prosecutors prepared the indictment. Three other company executives faced the same charges and they resigned on Tuesday following the announcement.
Samsung is being accused of giving donations to a non-profit foundation operated by a friend of Ms Park- Choi Soon-sil, in exchange for government favours.
EUROPE
Turkey- A German newspaper reporter, Deniz Yucel, was arrested in Turkey on Monday on the charges of terror propaganda and inciting hatred and enmity. According to a private Turkish news agency, the prosecutor questioned him for four hours before making the formal arrest.
The German newspaper, Die Walt, announced that Yucel was detained for four hours on 14th February after presenting himself to the Istanbul police for questioning. His detention has sparked protests in parts of Germany, while a number of other European newspapers are condemning the way Yucel was treated.