World Briefs

CHINA has no plans to allow couples to have as many kids as they want after changing the one-child policy rule, a health official said yesterday. China’s population reached 1.375 billion last year and it had to bear in mind its large population and stress on resources when making decisions, said Li Bin, director of the National Health and Family Planning Commission.

KOREAS South Korea said yesterday it is imposing unilateral sanctions on the North over its recent nuclear test and rocket launch, including a ban on financial dealings with 40 individuals and 30 entities. The announcement came after North Korea warned of pre-emptive nuclear strikes in response to the start of U.S.-South Korean military drills it views as an invasion rehearsal.

INDIA A 15-year-old girl was fighting for her life in a New Delhi hospital after being raped and set on fire on the rooftop terrace of her family’s home in a village outside the city, police said. The attack is just one of several recently reported cases of rapes of women or children in India – underlining the persistence of such violence despite stronger laws against sexual assault that were implemented.

THAILAND The gov’t has dropped a case against Hong Kong photojournalist Hok Chun Anthony Kwan who was arrested last year for possessing a bulletproof vest and a helmet, which are considered weapons in Thailand, two court officials said yesterday. The Foreign Correspondent of Thailand welcomed the decision, stating “[those]who need to work in dangerous areas, [must] be able to use appropriate protective equipment legally in Thailand.”

AFGHANISTAN Six months after fleeing a Taliban assault on her city, Zarghona Hassan, the owner of an Afghan radio station devoted to women’s rights is back home and returning to the airwaves.

AUSTRALIA’s prime minister leaves open the possibility of a national election as early July as a new opinion poll suggested his leadership honeymoon with voters has ended. Malcolm Turnbull has until May 11 to announce a rare early election on July 2, July 9 or July 16.

UK Bank of England Governor Mark Carney says the bank won’t make a recommendation on whether Britain should remain in the European Union. In testy exchanges before a House of Commons committee, Carney stressed that the bank would remain focused on safeguarding financial and monetary stability and that it wouldn’t be drawn into taking a stand on EU membership.