Gunmen armed with hand grenades have attacked an office of the security force’s intelligence wing in northwest Pakistan. The attackers killed at least one officer and took several hostages, AP reports. Police official Zeenatullah Khan said the gunmen stormed into the office in Bannu city on Monday morning. Police have cordoned off the building and exchanged fire with the attackers. It was not immediately clear if the gunmen are Islamist militants.
Seven alleged drug smugglers killed by Thai forces
Thai security forces have killed seven alleged drug smugglers from Myanmar in a gun battle near the border. Investigators had been following a drug gang for several days, AP reports, citing police. Members of the group were caught crossing the border on foot on Monday morning in Mae Sai district, Chiang Rai province. The suspects refused to stop and a shootout ensued in which seven were killed. Police reportedly seized 520,000 methamphetamine pills and 70 kilograms of crystal meth and are hunting for other suspects who escaped the scene. It is one of the deadliest drug-related incidents reported in Thailand this year.
Australia up in arms to kill endangered great white sharks
Following an unprecedented number of deaths from shark attacks, Western Australia has called on the federal government to lift a ban on the fishing of great white sharks. The move was triggered by this year’s fifth fatality, when Ben Linden, a 24-year-old surfer, was killed some 160 kilometers north of the city of Perth. An average of one person a year is killed by sharks in Australian waters. But the recent dramatic increase in these numbers has puzzled officials. Scientists believe that the spike in attacks is probably the result of human population growth and the increasing popularity of water sports in isolated locations, rather than a rise in shark numbers. The Australian government's response to the latest attack has been condemned by many environmentalists.
North Korea army chief removed from all posts
North Korea's army chief Ri Yong-ho has been removed from all posts due to illness, according to AFP, citing a Monday report by the country’s state media. Yong-ho is regarded as a figure close to the new leader Kim Jong-un and is believed to have been helping the young leader in the transition following the death of his father, Kim Jong-il. The general was one of seven top party and military officials who accompanied Jong-un as he walked alongside Kim Jong-il’s funeral procession.
Mali rebels drop separatist ideas
Mali rebels, dominated by Tuaregs, declared on Sunday they no longer claim full independence for the north of the West African country. They have been in control of this part of Mali since April, but the rebellion was later hijacked by Al-Qaeda-linked Islamists. A senior member of the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), Ibrahim Ag Assaleh, told Reuters by telephone that the Tuaregs are seeking cultural, political and economic independence from Bamako, but not secession. “Independence has been our line since the start of the conflict, but we are taking on board the view of the international community to resolve this crisis,” added another senior official, Hama Ag Mahmoud.
Madonna faces lawsuit from French political party
The National Front, France's far-right party known for its anti-immigrant and anti-EU policy, said Sunday it would sue Madonna over a video at a concert in France that shows their leader Marine Le Pen with a swastika on her forehead. Le Pen had already warned the US pop star she was considering legal action after the video was shown in Tel Aviv in May, when Madonna kicked off her world tour. The National Front has returned to the French parliament for the first time since 1998, but the party leader herself lost her bid to win a seat in last month’s election.
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