News in Brief

Kim Jong-un 'to visit Russia'
BBC Online

Russia says North Korea's leader has accepted an invitation to Moscow in May, South Korea's Yonhap reports. Kim Jong-un has not made any overseas visits since taking power in North Korea in late 2011 and all analysts had predicted a China visit first for him. If Kim Jong-un did choose to visit Moscow ahead of Beijing, the decision would be seen as a snub to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Militia frees Yemen leader's top aide  
Afp, Sanaa

Shia militiamen yesterday freed a top aide to Yemen's president, whose kidnapping deepened the country's crippling political crisis. President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi's chief of staff Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak was handed over to a committee of mediators, 10 days after he was abducted, Hussam al-Shargabi told AFP.

Thai 'Red Shirt' leader gets 2 yrs in jail
Afp, Bangkok

A Thai court yesterday sentenced the leader of the opposition Red Shirt movement to two years in prison for defaming a former PM Abhisit Vejjajiva, a move analysts said was the latest attack against critics of the military regime. The court convicted Jatuporn Prompan on two counts of defamation against Abhisit during speeches he made in October 2009.

Sri Lanka reinstates impeached chief justice
Afp, Colombo

Sri Lanka's new president yesterday restored the country's former chief justice after she was controversially impeached by the previous administration led by Mahinda Rajapakse. Lawyers welcomed Shirani Bandaranayake at the Supreme Court in Colombo, although the decision to reinstate her will likely be largely ceremonial as she is expected to step down today.

Pak air strikes kill 76 militants
Afp, Islamabad

Pakistan's military said it killed 76 militants in two separate air strikes on Tuesday as part of a major offensive against the Taliban and other insurgents in a tribal region near the Afghan border. The conflict zone is off-limits to journalists, so there is no way to independently verify the number and identity of those killed.

Three killed in anti-UN protest in Mali
Afp, Bamako

Three people were killed in northern Mali on Tuesday after a second day of demonstrations against the United Nations military mission in the restive west African nation, concurring sources said. Witnesses described a huge crowd of angry youths throwing stones and attempting to storm the MINUSMA headquarters in Gao to protest the UN taking control of a troubled area north of the city.

Hopes fade for more AirAsia victims
Afp, Jakarta

Hopes yesterday faded of finding 92 victims still missing from an AirAsia plane crash as Indonesian search and rescue authorities said the remaining bodies could have been swept away or lost on the seabed. Flight QZ8501 went down in the Java Sea on December 28 in stormy weather with 162 people on board, during what was supposed to be a short trip from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore. So far just 70 bodies have been recovered.