1. S. Korea, US, Japan plan joint drills

    South Korea, the United States and Japan will hold their first joint military training next month focused on cooperating to detect signs of missile launches from North Korea and trace missile trajectories*, a Seoul defense official said on Monday.

    The drills set for around June 28 will be held on the sidelines* of biennial* multinational naval exercises scheduled for waters of Hawaii from June to August, which the three countries regularly attend, the official said requesting anonymity* citing department rules.

    The trilateral* drills will involve Aegis-equipped ships from each of the three countries, but that they will not involve missile-interception* training, the official said.

    2. Duterte vows hangings in war on crime

    Philippines’ president-elect Rodrigo Duterte has vowed to introduce executions* by hanging and order military snipers* to kill suspected criminals as part of a ruthless law-and-order crackdown.

    In his first press conference since winning the May 9 elections in a landslide, the tough-talking mayor of southern Davao city said late on Sunday security forces would be given “shoot-to-kill” orders and that citizens would learn to fear the law.

    “I expect you to obey the laws so there will be no chaos. I will hit hard on drugs and I promise them (criminals) hell,” Duterte said.

    3. Sri Lanka floods kill eight

    Floods and landslides in Sri Lanka have killed at least eight people, including a 10-month-old baby, and forced tens of thousands more to flee their homes, officials said on Monday.

    Flash floods caused by heavy rains have displaced* hundreds of families in several parts of Sri Lanka as the Indian Ocean Island is experiencing extreme weather conditions over the last two days.

    The government has deployed troops to evacuate people living on slopes or in flood-hit areas and the navy is helping clear canals in Colombo to stop low-lying* areas.

    4. Russian yacht detained by N. Korea

    A Russian yacht has been detained by North Korean coastguards* in the Sea of Japan and towed* in to land with five crew members on board, Russian officials said on Saturday.

    “The North Korean side has communicated that the yacht has been taken to the port of Kimchaek,” Igor Agafonov, a foreign ministry official in Russia’s far-eastern city of Vladivostok, told RIA Novosti news agency.

    “The crew is alive and well. We are still waiting for an explanation from North Korea as to the reasons for the detention,” Agafonov said, adding that diplomats were seeking permission to visit the crew.

    5. Venezuela in state of emergency

    Venezuelan President

    Nicolas Maduro an-nounced a sweeping crackdown on Saturday under a new emergency decree*, ordering the seizure* of paralyzed factories, the arrest of their owners and military exercises to counter alleged foreign threats.

    The embattled* leftist is struggling to contain a raging economic crisis that has led to food shortages, soaring prices, riots, looting* and vigilante* justice, pushing Venezuela to the brink of collapse.

    He accused the United States on Friday of destabilizing the country at the behest* of the “fascist* Venezuelan right,” prompting him to declare a state of emergency.

    6. Minority ethnic group supporters protest

    Hundreds of minority ethnic group supporters scuffled* with police in Nepal’s capital Kathmandu on Sunday, restarting protests against the government and the Himalayan nation’s new constitution.

    The protesters blocked a main street leading to the prime minister’s office in Kathmandu, creating traffic problems. They chanted slogans against the government and attempted to break through a police cordon*, but were quickly pushed back.(SD-Agencies)