TOKYO: Japan scrambled fighter jets yesterday after an unidentified drone flew near Tokyo-controlled islands at the centre of a bitter dispute with China, a Defence Ministry spokesman said. It was the first reported incident of its kind. Japan’s Air Self-Defence Force sent an unspecified number of jets to the area, the official said, adding the drones did not enter Japanese airspace. He said the nationality of the drone was not clear, but added that it came from the northwest and was last seen flying back in that direction.
Uzbekistan and China sign deal
TASHKENT: Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov and Chinese President Xi Jinping yesterday signed agreements worth $15bn in key sectors, including the exploitation of oil, gas, and uranium fields in the Central Asian state. In the latest stop on Xi’s tour of Central Asia, President Karimov praised his energy-rich country’s growing ties with China which he described as the locomotive of the world economy.
Bribery: Cops plead not guilty
KUALA LUMPUR: Two police officers pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court here yesterday to a charge of agreeing to accept a RM4,000 bribe from a woman seeking the release of her husband from custody. Assistant Superintendent S Ravintharan, 50, and Inspector Suriati Mohd Shafie, 31, are charged with agreeing to accept the bribe from Nurullizean Yahya to release her husband, Tchouanseu Tchounga Armand, a Cameroon national detained for suspected involvement in a robbery case. AGENCIES
