Students fled their campus after the explosion at the nearby hotel and office complex.//AFP PHOTO

The explosion at the DusitD2 compound, which includes a 101-room hotel, restaurant and several office buildings housing local and international companies, was heard from AFP’s bureau some five kilometres (three miles) away.

The Shabaab, which carried out a notorious assault on a Nairobi shopping mall in 2013, claimed responsibility, according to the SITE Intelligence Group which monitors jihadist activities.

AFP reporters at the scene saw wounded people being evacuated but said the full casualty toll was unknown. Occasional shots were being heard nearly four hours after the blast.

Simon Crump, who works in the complex, said terrified workers barricaded themselves inside their offices after “several” explosions.

“We have no idea what is happening. Gunshots are coming from multiple directions,” he told AFP.

He later said that police had begun evacuating people from the office buildings.

A reporter at the scene said gunmen and security forces exchanged heavy gunfire.

“We are aware that there are armed criminals still holed up and our officers are trying to flush them out,” said Inspector General of police Joseph Boinnet.

– ‘A flash and a bang’ –

John Maingi said there had been “a flash of lights and a loud bang” at the Secret Garden restaurant where he works.

“When I peeped outside I saw a human leg which has been cut off. We hid in the room and then some police officers rescued us,” he said.

Police sirens echoed through the city and a helicopter buzzed overhead.

A private security guard at the scene told AFP he had seen four “gangsters” entering the compound.

“There was a bomb, there is a lot of gunfire,” whispered another man working at the compound, asking not to be named.

“All police teams have been dispatched to the scene where the incident is. As at now we are treating it as anything, including the highest attack,” police spokesman Charles Owino said by phone.

“All police teams including anti-terror officers are at the scene,” he said.

An AFP reporter saw a bomb disposal squad blow up a car which they said had been used by the attackers to arrive at the complex.

Flames and plumes of black smoke billowed into the sky from the parking lot where several cars where ablaze. Scores of people fled the scene, some of them injured.

Meanwhile, the vast upscale Village Market shopping centre in northern Nairobi said on Twitter that it had closed temporarily as a “security precaution.”

– Shabaab –

The scenes at DusitD2 were reminiscent of an attack in 2013 when gunmen stormed the city’s Westgate shopping mall, killing at least 67 people.

Journalists carry a victim at the scene of the attack.// AFP PHOTO

That assault was also claimed by Somalia’s Shabaab, which have been fighting to overthrow the internationally-backed government in Mogadishu since 2007.

Kenya suffered a spate of attacks after it sent its army into Somalia in October 2011 to fight the jihadist group.

On April 2, 2015, another Shabaab attack killed 148 people at the university in Garissa, eastern Kenya.

Clutching her growing baby bump on a visit in northwestern England, the glamorous former US television actress also said she does not know if she is expecting a boy or a girl.

“She said she is six months pregnant and due at the end of April, beginning of May,” Kim Thompson, who was among the people the royal couple met with, told British media.

Harry and Meghan also spoke to a group of children from St Anne’s Catholic Primary School in Birkenhead and were asked about the sex of their unborn child.

Kitty Dudley, 9, said: “I asked her if she was having a girl or a boy and she said she didn’t know”.

Harry and Meghan married in a fairytale wedding that broke with royal traditions at Windsor Castle in May last year and announced in October that they were expecting a baby.

Kensington Palace, their official residence in London, said at the time that the duchess was due in spring 2019.

Royal officials never reveal the precise due date.

Meghan last week was seen as becoming a fully-fledged member of the royal family by taking up her first patronages.

The charities she will lend her name to are involved in education, theatre, women’s empowerment and animal welfare.

South Korean attitudes on canines are divided – about one million dogs are eaten every year in the country, often as a summertime delicacy.

But the tradition is declining as the nation increasingly embraces the idea of dogs as pets, with eating them now something of a taboo among young South Koreans.

For years, Coexistence of Animal Rights on Earth (Care) has spearheaded campaigns to rescue canines from dogmeat farms across the country, accumulating some 23,000 members and around two billion won (RM7.3mil) in annual donations.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in – who is a known animal lover with several dogs – adopted a small black and white mongrel from Care when he came to office in 2017.

Staff members at Care told the Hankyoreh newspaper that the organisation’s head, Park So-yeon, had more than 230 rescued dogs destroyed because of a shortage of space at the shelter.

The number was equivalent to around a quarter of the animals the group rescued in the period, according to the newspaper.

Only 10% of the dogs were suffering from incurable illnesses and most were killed because of their large size, a Care employee was quoted as saying.

The animals were then listed as having been adopted.

Care has often appealed for donations to carry out more rescues, and needs to continue operations to justify the funding requests.

The group has long asserted in those appeals that it does not kill dogs even if they are not adopted.

But Park said in statement that a “small number” of exterminations had been “inevitable” since 2015 due to a “surge in requests for rescue missions”.

She added that only severely aggressive dogs or those with incurable illnesses were destroyed, and only after extensive efforts to treat them first.

Care staff members mounted a protest in the organisation’s offices at the weekend to demand Park’s resignation.

According to a 2017 survey, 70% of South Koreans do not eat dogs, but far fewer – about 40% – believe the practice should be banned.

It also found 65% support raising and slaughtering dogs in more humane conditions.

The ultra-fine dust level of the Seodaemun district in western Seoul stood at 153 migrograms per cubic meter (㎍/㎥) as of 8 a.m., far eclipsing 76 ㎍/㎥, a level considered “very bad,” according to Yonhap.

(Yonhap)

Most of the other areas in central regions recorded high levels of the dust particles, known as a class-one carcinogen, including Wonju, a city in the northwestern Gangwon Province with 171 ㎍/㎥ of ultra-fine dust and Cheongju in the central North Chungcheong Province with 162 ㎍/㎥, according to the weather agency.

Seoul logged a record high level of ultrafine dust Monday, with the daily average level surging to 118 ㎍/㎥, the highest figure since the government began tracking related data in 2015.

Local governments in 10 major metropolitan cities and provinces Tuesday maintained emergency measures to bring the dust levels down, limiting the vehicles on the road and output at key public emissions facilities.

Citizens remain stifled by the bad air, wearing masks and walking briskly on streets during rush hour.

“The air is so murky and my throat hurts that I even feel depressed,” a citizen said. “It’s as if there is a really thick fog.”

“We only had about half the number of customers (yesterday). People don’t want to go far for lunch, and everyone’s going home right after work,” a restaurant owner complained.

The weather authorities predicted the dust levels to stay high across the nation for most of the day.

On Monday, Seoul’s daily average level of fine dust, or PM2.5, stood at 155 micrograms per cubic meter as of 5 p.m. on Monday, according to Air Korea. The average ultrafine dust level reached 120 micrograms in the nation’s capital, nearly five times the World Health Organization’s recommended daily average of 25 micrograms.

The ultrafine dust level was measured at 116 micrograms per cubic meter for Gyeonggi Province, followed by 111 for North Chungcheong Province, 102 for South Chungcheong Province and 100 for Incheon on Monday afternoon.

The emergency measures will remain in place on Tuesday as well in Seoul and nearby areas, according to Seoul Metropolitan Government.

Emergency measures aimed at tackling the toxic particles went into effect on Monday in 10 cities and provinces, including Seoul, Busan, Daejeon, Sejong, Gwangju and North and South Chungcheong provinces.

When emergency measures go into effect, thermal power plants in the areas must reduce their output to 80 percent of normal operations. Old diesel vehicles 2.5 tons or larger were banned from driving in the city. Some 430 parking lots at state-run organizations were also shut down. Some 100 public emissions facilities were required to keep operational hours shorter. Half of public officials’ vehicles were prohibited from roads.

The Seoul city government also closed its open-air ice skating rink in front of City Hall.

The government on Sunday and Monday sent out emergency alert text messages to warn about the high dust levels and to ask pedestrians to wear masks and refrain from outdoor activities.

It marked the third time, following instances in January and March last year, for the emergency measures to come into force for two consecutive days.

Most parts of South Korea began to experience unhealthy fine dust particles since Friday. Over the weekend, the fine dust level hovered around 89 to 107 micrograms, and the ultrafine dust level remained between 63 and 73 in central Seoul, forcing people indoors.

The particles are hazardous to human health. They are less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter — about 30 times smaller than the width of a human hair. The particles can travel through the respiratory system and into the bloodstream, causing damage to human organs such as the heart and lungs.

Air Korea said that the density of PM2.5 in all areas was forcecast to be high because fine dust particles had accumulated in and out of the country due to a lack of wind, and additional dust particles had come from overseas.

The nationwide levels of fine dust will remain high throughout the country until the cold winds from the north bring down the temperature and clear the fine dust Tuesday, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration.

Questions continue to linger over the effectiveness of the government’s emergency measures that focus on tackling the fine dust particles produced domestically.

South Koreans largely perceive a huge portion of fine dust to originate from industrial areas in China, but there is yet a scientific research that could measure how much China contributes to the air pollution here.

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon recently countered Beijing’s claims that China has nothing to do with the fine dust over the Korean Peninsula, citing research that suggest around 50 to 60 percent of fine dust over South Korea originates from China.

A spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Liu Youbin, said in December that the air quality in China had improved over the years through regulatory measures, while that of Korea has worsened in the same period.

Model rooms for rural boarding school promoted by Alibaba Group Chairman and Founder Jack Ma Yun were unveiled Sunday during Jack Ma Rural Teacher Award ceremony held in Sanya, South China’s Hainan province.

The over 20-square-meter room can accommodate six students, comes with attached bathroom and one designated teacher to supervise the room. The cost of each room is 40,000 yuan ($5,921).

Apart from dormitory, the plan also includes two play-and-fun centers on each floor in the dorm building, encompassing eight areas, such as for family activities, reading, chess, painting and calligraphy, and Lego.

Ma has awarded rural teachers every year in Sanya since 2015.

The national carrier had on Monday advises customers to be cautious of social media posts and phishing websites that appear similar to its official website https://www.malaysiaairlines.com/my/en.html

“The airline would like to advise customers to exercise caution when revealing personal data to unverified sources.

“These websites, emails and calls should be verified on the airline’s official social media sites if in doubt,” it said.

“I provided 200 vests but we needed more because up to 500 [public servants] had to be punished,” Bekasi Mayor Rahmat Effendi said on Monday as quoted by tribunnews.com.

The public servants who wore green vests bearing the words “I lack discipline” on the back were being reprimanded for disciplinary infractions, while those who had committed gross violations wore orange vests with the phrase “Major disciplinary violation”.

Among them were low-level workers as well as agency heads and deputy heads, including Bekasi Health Agency head Tanty Rohilawati, Bekasi Small and Medium Enterprises Agency head Karto, Information and Communications Agency head Encu Hermana, and Financial and Asset Management Body head Sopandi Budiman.

However, some of the agency leaders wearing vests that morning were representing their subordinates who failed to attend the roll call, Rahmat said.

The green vests were given to those who were absent during the subuh keliling(early-morning walk) program, which is mandatory for some employees. Civil servants who missed three morning roll calls in a row were also punished and made to wear orange vests.

“Obey the rules. Good leaders show and guide [their subordinates] to obey the rules because it [obedience] is directly related to the agency’s performance in serving society,” Rahmat said.

He further called on all public servants to remain disciplined and uphold their responsibilities.

Bekasi Deputy Mayor Tri Ardhianto Tjahyono said the punishment would be given every Monday during roll call

The plane was carrying meat from Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan when it crashed near the capital Tehran, an army spokesman told state TV, adding that only the flight engineer survived.

“The plane had 16 passengers, 14 of whom were the army crew and two were civilians; 15 were martyred,” spokesman Amir Taghikhani said. “One, the flight engineer, was injured and is currently in hospital.”

The charred remains of a plane’s fuselage with Iranian Air Force colours, its nose wedged through the wall of what appeared to be a house, were seen in photographs obtained by AFP.

    Wreckage including a landing gear and a mangled jet engine were scattered nearby. “A (Boeing) cargo 707 place carrying meat took off from Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan and had an emergency landing at Fath airport this morning,” the army said earlier in a statement on its website.

“It exited the runway during the landing and caught fire after hitting the wall at the end of the runway.” Fath airport is in Alborz province, just northwest of Tehran.

The Fars news agency, considered close to the military, earlier said there were 16 people onboard and that only the flight engineer had survived.

State broadcaster IRIB showed footage of burning wreckage.

– Still smouldering –

Investigators found a black box from the plane, which will provide more details about the crash, deputy Alborz governor Azizollah Shahbazi told Tasnim news agency.

Pictures published by local media showed the charred carcasses of the animals on board, still smouldering inside one of the buildings the plane smashed into.

Fars carried a video showing emergency teams cutting through the aircraft’s nose, which had penetrated what it said was an empty residential complex.

Iran’s ageing air fleet has had a string of crashes in recent years.

Iran’s Aseman Airlines was ordered to ground its fleet of ATR planes in February last year after one of them crashed in the Zagros mountains, killing all 66 people onboard.

Iran has been subject to tough US sanctions for years, hindering the purchase of new aeroplanes and critical spare parts for the US-made planes in its air force, civilian flag carrier Iran Air and domestic airlines.

Hopes for a change in the situation were dashed last May when Washington pulled out of a landmark 2015 deal over Iran’s nuclear programme, reimposing sanctions that had been lifted as part of the multilateral accord.

    Abdul Salam Maftoon, a wedding singer from a village in the remote and impoverished northeastern province of Badakhshan, had never even heard of his more famous doppelgไnger until a judge on the popular television music contest Afghan Star pointed out the uncanny likeness.

Slightly built with a long face and dark brown hair and eyes, Maftoon, 29, hopes the flattering comparison to the politician widely rated as one of the sexiest leaders in the world will bring him more votes on Afghanistan’s version of American Idol.

“People have forgotten my name and now they just call me ‘Justin Trudeau’,” Maftoon told AFP, his self-conscious smile revealing two gold-plated front teeth.

    “I didn’t know anything about Justin Trudeau until I saw the photos on social media.

“The resemblance has boosted my chances of winning the competition by 50 percent.”

Composite photos of the pair — Maftoon wearing a hat favoured by men in northern Afghanistan and Trudeau in Western-style clothing — have drawn scores of comments on Facebook.

And a video of an Afghan Star panel discussion about their physical similarities has been viewed tens of thousands of times.

“Trudeau’s lost twin,” wrote Neila Abdulzadah on Facebook.

Fowzia Zereh posted: “I think their story is like a Bollywood movie — they were separated at birth and he found his lost twin brother.”

Another said: “This is truly the copy of Trudeau. I’d love to see our Trudeau win this year’s Afghan Star.”

– ‘Next Justin Bieber’ –

Maftoon has a good chance.  The performer is among eight contestants to make it through to the next elimination round on Thursday.

The final will be held on March 21, the Persian new year’s eve.

So far Maftoon’s repertoire of romantic folk songs, which he sings in both of Afghanistan’s official languages Dari and Pashto, and his looks have impressed viewers, whose votes decide which performer is kicked off the show each week.

He has also caught the attention of the official judges.

“He looks like my prime minister,” said Afghan-born Canadian musician Qais Ulfat, one of the four judges who first pointed out Maftoon’s resemblance to Trudeau.

“His voice is very satisfying. He has that god-gifted vocal ability.

“This guy could be the next Justin Bieber.”

Until now Maftoon has relied on singing and playing instruments at wedding and birthday parties to support his wife and four children.

But he is confident that his new-found fame will boost demand for his entertainment services.

“When I go back to my hometown people will definitely call me,” Maftoon said, his trademark hat perched on the back of his head as he practised vocals with Ulfat in a recording studio at local television station Tolo.

While Maftoon has little chance of going to Canada anytime soon, he holds hopes of one day meeting his Canadian double.

“I want to meet him if he wants to because he is a global personality and I am a poor man from a remote part of Afghanistan,” he said.

“We will see what happens.”

Chinese authorities arrested former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor last month, accusing them both of endangering national security.

The move was widely seen as retaliation for Canada’s arrest of a top Chinese executive from telecom giant Huawei.

Trudeau on Friday accused China of “arbitrarily and unfairly” detaining the two men and of ignoring Kovrig’s “diplomatic immunity” — earning a scornful rebuke from Beijing.

    “The accusations that the Chinese side arbitrarily detains Canadian citizens are unfounded,” said foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying at a regular press briefing.

“The relevant people on the Canadian side should seriously learn and study the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations… Don’t make specious statements that make a fool of oneself,” Hua added.

Persons carrying a diplomatic passport are protected by limited immunity when they are abroad under the terms of the Vienna Convention.

Kovrig was arrested on December 10, after taking leave from his diplomatic posting to work for the International Crisis Group think tank.

Trudeau’s statement suggested Kovrig carried a diplomatic passport while on his sabbatical — which is possible if authorised by Canada’s foreign ministry — but Hua said he was in China on an ordinary travel document with a business visa.

“No matter which angle you look at it from, Michael Kovrig does not have diplomatic immunity,” she said. “Kovrig is not currently a diplomat.”

Ottawa has called for the Canadians’ immediate release, with the backing of the US, EU and several western nations.

Trudeau has also called for China to respect the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary.

Canada should “first take real action to prove that its own judicial system is independent,” Hua said.