AN Indonesian woman held for two years on suspicion of killing North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s half brother has been freed.
Siti Aisyah was accused of smearing VX nerve agent on the face of Kim Jong Nam at an airport terminal in Kuala Lumpur in February 2017.
Aisyah – accused alongside Vietnamese national Doan Thi Huong – was discharged after prosecutors withdrew charges.
She was quickly ushered out of the courtroom telling reporters: “I am surprised and very happy.”
Prosecutor Iskandar Ahmad said the discharge not amounting to acquittal means Aisyah can be recharged but there are no such plans for now.
The two young women previously said they thought they were taking part in a prank for a TV show.
They were the only suspects in custody after four North Korean suspects fled the country the same morning Kim was killed.
Kim Jong Nam was the eldest son in the current generation of North Korea’s ruling family.
ELSEWHERE, a jaguar attacked a woman who crossed a barrier while trying to take a photo at a US wildlife park.
Authorities at the Wildlife World Zoo in Arizona said emergency responders took the woman to hospital to treat cuts on one of her arms and hand.
Zoo officials said the jaguar did not leave its enclosure and would not be put down because of the incident, which is being fully investigated.
The woman reportedly returned to the zoo to offer her apologies.
MEANWHILE, a tape has surfaced which shows a man who appears to be American R&B singer R Kelly sexually abusing girls.
Attorney Gloria Allred and her client are expected to discuss the tape at a news conference in New York. Kelly is facing 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse in connection with three girls and one woman.
He has denied any wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty after being charged last month.
FINALLY, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani arrived in Baghdad for his first official visit to Iraq.
Tehran once fought a bloody war against its neighbour but has recently backed Iraq in the battle with the Islamic State group.
Since Mr Rouhani’s election in 2013, Iraq has relied on Iranian paramilitary support to fight IS, following the militant group’s capture of the Iraqi city of Mosul and other territory in Iraq and Syria.
Now, with the militants facing a final territorial defeat in the Syrian village of Baghouz, Iran is looking for Iraq’s continued support as it faces a pressure campaign by US President Donald Trump after his decision to withdraw America from Tehran’s nuclear deal.
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