Philippine govt to get backup operations hub
CAPAS (Tarlac) • The Philippines broke ground yesterday on a 200ha estate that will serve as the nation's second government centre.
Costing 121.8 billion pesos (S$3.14 billion), the National Government Administrative Centre will serve as a backup for government operations.
N. Korean defector says he committed murder
SEOUL • A North Korean soldier who defected to the South under a hail of bullets in November has confessed to committing murder in the North, the conservative Dong-A Ilbo daily said yesterday, citing an unidentified intelligence official.
The soldier has been recovering in hospital from multiple gunshot wounds and doctors will decide this week whether to discharge him, Yonhap news agency reported, in which case he will be transferred to an adaptation centre for defectors.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Bail decision on Feb 1 for Reuters duo in Myanmar
YANGON • A court will decide on Feb 1 whether to bail two Reuters journalists accused of breaching Myanmar's secrecy law, raising fears the pair could face months in detention during convoluted pre-trial hearings.
Wa Lone, 31, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 27, appeared in court yesterday nearly six weeks after their arrest under the Official Secrets Act.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
