PHNOM PENH: Cambodia has inaugurated a $1.2m monument honouring the country’s late king to mark the first anniversary of his death. The government unveiled a 4.5-metre bronze statue of Norodom Sihanouk inside a 27-metre tall shrine in capital Phnom Penh. The widely beloved former king helped Cambodia secure independence from France in 1953. In the months after his Oct. 15, 2012, death from a heart attack, hundreds of thousands came to pay their respects at the Royal Palace. Prime Minister Hun Sen and the current king, Norodom Sihamoni, attended the monument’s inauguration.
Three die in copter crash
TAIPEI: Two crew members and a weather station employee were killed yesterday when a helicopter crashed into a mountain in central Taiwan, officials said. The Sunrise Airlines helicopter was carrying supplies to a weather station on Yushan, the island’s highest mountain, when it crashed into the mountain’s north peak, the National Fire Agency said. The MBB/Kawasaki BK117 helicopter, which took off from Taipei, lost contact at around 8:20am (0020 GMT) over the north peak, officials said, adding that the cause of the crash was being investigated.
New bird flu case in China
BEIJING: China has confirmed a new case of the H7N9 bird flu, state media said, the country’s first report since August of human infection with a virus that has so far afflicted 135 people. A 35-year-old man in Shaoxing in China’s eastern province of Zhejiang has been hospitalised with the virus and is in critical condition. China’s National Health and Family Planning Commission said 45 people had died from the virus, which was first detected in humans early this year. Zhejiang has recorded the highest number of H7N9 infections anywhere in China.
Bomb triggers travel warning
YANGON: Western governments have warned travellers to exercise extreme caution in Myanmar after a series of minor bomb blasts, including one at an upmarket hotel that injured an American woman. Britain, France, the US and Australia all urged their nationals to be vigilant, although they stopped short of advising against travel to Myanmar. The US embassy in Yangon urged caution, but said there was currently “no indication” that Americans were specifically targeted. Australia warned that “further attacks could occur at any time”, while France also urged “great vigilance” in public places. Police said several other people have been questioned in connection with the series of blasts.
Eight killed as freighter sinks
SEOUL: Eight crew members of a Chinese-owned cargo ship died after it sank off the South Korean harbour of Pohang, coastguard officials said yesterday. The Panamanian-registered 8,461-tonne freighter carrying 19 crew members, sank during a storm as it was waiting to enter Pohang and unload its cargo. China’s state media reported that 18 of the 19 crew members were Chinese, including the captain who was among the dead. “The bodies of eight have been recovered, eight others survived, and three are missing,” an official said. AGENCIES
