World Briefs … Son of former German president stabbed to death

FRANKFURT — An assailant has stabbed to death the son of former German president Richard von Weizsaecker in an attack at a Berlin hospital that left one other person seriously injured, police said yesterday.

The motive for the attack on Fritz von Weizsaecker (59) on Tuesday evening was unclear. Von Weizsaecker, a doctor, had just delivered a lecture on liver diseases at the Schlosspark hospital in the western Berlin neighbourhood of Charlottenburg when he was stabbed, a police spokesman said. He died at the scene, despite efforts to save him. The suspect was overpowered by other people present, one of whom was severely injured by the attacker. Police opened an investigation, and were expected to release information about the assailant and the possible motive. His father, Richard von Weizsaecker, was considered one of Germany’s great post-war political figures.

BANGKOK — Thailand’s constitutional court yesterday disqualified outspoken opposition party leader Thanathorn Jungroongruangkit as a member of parliament after finding him guilty of violating election law. Thanathorn (40) the leader of the progressive Future Forward Party, has emerged as one of the most prominent opponents of a government headed by former junta ruler Prayuth Chan-ocha after the new opposition party came a surprise third in an election in March. The constitutional court found Thanathorn guilty of holding shares in a media company after registering his candidacy for the election to formally end five years of military rule. In its ruling, the court said the evidence against Thanathorn outweighed that in his favour. Thanathorn had denied the accusation, saying he transferred his shares before beginning the campaign.

TOKYO — Shinzo Abe entered the history books as Japan’s longest-serving premier yesterday, but many of his ambitious goals, including a constitutional revision to strengthen the military, appear far from reached. Yesterday marked Abe’s 2 887th day in office, topping the record previously set by Taro Katsura, a revered politician who served three times between 1901 and 1913. The 65-year-old is also the second-longest-serving leader of the Group of Seven major economies behind only German chancellor Angela Merkel, who has been in office since 2005. Abe’s grip on power remains firm as he passes the landmark, with his tenure likely to last until at least September 2021, and no clear successor yet on the horizon. Abe has plenty of unfinished business, saying earlier this year after a cabinet reshuffle that he hoped to “take on the challenge to create a new country”.

SANTIAGO — Chile’s police chief said on Tuesday he has suspended the use of rubber bullets to quell national unrest after a university study revealed they could be made up of as little as 20% rubber and contain harmful substances such as lead. Director general Mario Rozas said he had sought clarification from the manufacturer, and commissioned independent studies from within and outside of Chile, in a statement tweeted by the police. He said from now on, as a “prudent” measure, the bullets could only be used, along with firearms, “as an extreme measure, and exclusively for self-defence when there is imminent danger of death.” The intervention came after a study by the Universidad de Chile, commissioned by Santiago’s Salvador Eye Hospital, reported that only 20% of the projectiles were made of rubber, while the remainder comprised silica, barium sulfate and lead. – Nampa-AFP-Reuters