World Briefs

THAILAND A court commuted a Taiwanese man’s sentence for smuggling heroin to life imprisonment after sentencing him to death. The Bangkok Criminal Court official confirmed that 38-year-old Chen Kuan Lin (pictured) had been arrested while trying to smuggle 5.6 kilograms of heroin from Thailand to Taiwan. Authorities found 18 tin boxes labeled as cooling powder in his luggage as he was about to fly from Bangkok’s Don Muang airport.

JAPAN A Tokyo court held a hearing yesterday into the case of a former brokerage manager who says he was forced from his job for taking paternity leave. Canadian Glen Wood (pictured) wants to get back his former position of equity sales manager at brokerage giant Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley. He sued the company last year.

SOUTH KOREA Thousands of protesters rallied yesterday in Seoul for the second consecutive week to call for the ouster of President Moon Jae-in’s hand-picked justice minister, whose family is at the center of an investigation into allegations of financial crimes and academic favors. More on p13

AFGHANISTAN A special U.N. report has criticized American airstrikes earlier this year against alleged drug facilities in Afghanistan, saying the attacks were unlawful and caused significant civilian casualties. The report, released yesterday in both Kabul and Geneva, says the U.N. verified 39 civilian casualties, among them 14 children and a woman.

BANGLADESH Police were investigating the killing of a student at a university dormitory allegedly by student activists loyal to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina after he criticized a recent water-sharing deal with India. Last weekend’s killing has sparked protests at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology in Dhaka. Police have arrested at least 11 students for their alleged involvement.

TRUMP In vowing to halt all cooperation with House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry, the White House labeled the investigation “illegitimate” based on its own reading of the Constitution’s vague language. The fundamental law gives the House “the sole power of impeachment,” but without instructions manual.

UK A Scottish court has decided for now against ordering British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to write a letter asking the European Union to delay Brexit. The Court of Session in Edinburgh says there’s no need to make a ruling yet because the government has promised to comply with a law ordering it to seek a delay if no divorce deal has been agreed by Oct. 19.

GERMANY Two people were killed yesterday in a shooting in the eastern German city of Halle and the suspected assailants fled, police said. Several shots were fired and the suspected assailants then fled in a car, police said in a tweet. They urged residents to stay in their homes or indoors. A short time later, police reported that one person had been arrested.