Oil spill will 'not reach Japan'; Germany workers; Orangutan dead; Volcano calamity; Czech PM defeat; False alarm; Assad pressure; Philippine charter;

Oil spill will 'not reach Japan'

• TOKYO: Japan sees little chance of the oil spill from a stricken Iranian tanker that sank on Sunday in the East China Sea reaching its shores, an official at the nation's environment ministry said on Tuesday. The large tanker Sanchi sank in the worst oil ship disaster in decades and produced a large oil slick, Chinese media and Japanese authorities said on Monday, as worries grew over damage to the marine ecosystem. The vessel's crew of 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis are all believed to have perished in the incident. "Oil spills in general can have a big environmental impact if they reach the coast, but we think that there is little chance of that happening on Japanese seashores for now," the official who helps oversee the marine environment for the ministry told Reuters by telephone. He declined to be named as he was not authorised to speak to media. The tanker had been adrift and ablaze after crashing into the freighter CF Crystal on January 6. Reuters

Germany workers

• BERLIN: Tens of thousands of German industrial workers downed tools on Tuesday in support of trade union IG Metall's demands for a 6 per cent pay rise and a right to the first new cut in weekly working hours since the 1980s. Reuters

Orangutan dead

• JAKARTA: A Bornean orangutan, a critically endangered species, has been found stabbed to death in Indonesia's central Kalimantan province, a conservation official said on Tuesday. Reuters

Volcano calamity

• MANILA: A central Philippine province declared a state of calamity on Tuesday as a volcano spewed lava that reached the limits of a six-km radius no-go zone. Reuters

Czech PM defeat

• PRAGUE: Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis faces a double defeat on Tuesday or later this week: he is almost certain to lose a vote of confidence on his minority cabinet. Reuters

False alarm

• TOKYO: Japanese public broadcaster NHK issued a false alarm about a North Korean missile launch on Tuesday, but it managed to correct the error within minutes. Reuters

Assad pressure

• LONDON: Syria's chief Opposition negotiator called on President Trump and EU leaders to increase pressure on President Assad, Russia and Iran to return to talks aimed at ending the six-year civil war. Reuters

Philippine charter

• MANILA: Philippine lower house lawmakers voted on Tuesday to convene the chamber as a constitutional Assembly, looking to amend the charter and shift to a system of federal government, allowing the President up to two terms in office. Reuters

Kosovo Serb leader shot dead

• BELGRADE: Kosovo Serb leader Oliver Ivanovic, who was standing trial over the killings of ethnic Albanians during the 1998-99 war, was shot dead on Tuesday in what Serbia called an act of terrorism. Ivanovic, 64, was gunned down in front of his party office in Mitrovica, a town bitterly divided between ethnic Serbs and Albanians, shortly after 0700 GMT. He was taken to a hospital but doctors failed to revive him. There were no witnesses to the attack and no shots were heard, suggesting the weapon used had been fitted with a silencer, Serbian media reported. Tanjug news agency quoted his lawyer as saying Ivanovic was shot at least five times. Police said they found a burnt-out Opel car in the town after the shooting and suspected it was linked to the attack. Reuters

UAE complaint

• DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates will lodge a complaint against Qatar at the UN aviation agency on Tuesday after Qatari war planes allegedly intercepted UAE civilian aircraft, an official said. Reuters

Chinese lawyer

• BEIJING: A prominent Chinese rights lawyer who wrote an open letter criticising President Xi Jinping said on Monday that authorities had revoked his licence to practice law. Reuters

HK murder

• HONG KONG: A South Korean man was formally charged on Tuesday with murdering his wife and six-year-old son at the five-star Ritz-Carlton hotel in Hong Kong. Reuters

Malaysia project

• SINGAPORE: Singapore and Malaysia vowed on Tuesday to push ahead with two ambitious rail projects linking the two countries. Reuters

Antwerp explosion

• BRUSSELS: Two persons were killed and 14 injured when an explosion in the Belgian city of Antwerp destroyed three buildings. Reuters

Jakarta fire

• JAKARTA: A huge fire destroyed most of a Dutch colonial heritage site dating back to the 17th century, including a maritime museum, in the north of the capital Jakarta on Tuesday. Reuters

Yemen cranes

• GENEVA: The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen has authorised four US-funded cranes to operate at Hodeidah port until Friday, UN aid agencies said on Tuesday. Reuters

Panama graft

• PANAMA CITY: Prosecutors are investigating a network of over 30 people suspected of taking bribes worth $40 million between 2011 and 2012. Reuters

Oil spill will 'not reach Japan'; Germany workers; Orangutan dead; Volcano calamity; Czech PM defeat; False alarm; Assad pressure; Philippine charter;