JAKARTA -- Indonesia's biggest airliner, PT Garuda Indonesia, has canceled orders of 49 Boeing 737 Max 8 jet planes in the wake of two crashes involving similar types of planes in Indonesia and Ethiopia in less than six months, the firm said here on Friday.

Chief Executive Officer of PT Garuda Indonesia I Gusti Ngurah Askhara Danadiputra said that the trust of passengers on Boeing 737 Max 8 planes has been undermined following the crash of the similar plane type from the Ethiopian Airlines earlier this month that killed all the 157 people on board and another crash of the similar plane type from Indonesia's Lion Air in October 2018 that also killed all the 189 people on board. (Indonesia-Boeing-Cancellation)

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TOKYO -- Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono is suffering from ill health and has been unable to carry out his official duties while he recuperates, public broadcaster NHK said Friday.

According to the Foreign Ministry, Kono was diagnosed on Thursday with a condition known as pyelonephritis, which is inflammation of the kidneys often due to a bacterial infection. (Japan-FM-Cancels)

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SEOUL -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) withdrew from the joint liaison office with South Korea in the DPRK's border town of Kaesong, Seoul's unification ministry said Friday.

The ministry said in a statement that the DPRK side notified South Korea on Friday morning of its decision to pull out of the Kaesong liaison office according to instructions from the superior authorities. (S.Korea-DPRK-Liaison Office)

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SRINAGAR, India-controlled Kashmir -- Four militants were killed and three troopers were wounded in two separate fierce gunfights in restive India-controlled Kashmir, army officials said Friday.

The gunfight broke out Thursday at villages of Kalantara Kandi and Hajin of of Baramulla and Bandipora districts respectively. (India-Kashmir-Gunfights)

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NEW DELHI -- The death toll in Tuesday's under-construction building collapse in India's southern state of Karnataka rose to 14 on Friday, and at least 10 people are still feared trapped under the debris, a senior government official told Xinhua.

It has been four days since the under-construction building collapsed in the Kumareshwar Nagar of the state's Dharwad district.(India-Collapse-Rescue)

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YAOUNDE -- Twenty students from the University of Buea's football team in western Cameroon who were kidnapped Wednesday were released Thursday night after "severe beatings", according to university authorities.

"There are 20 of them. They were set free just after 8:00 p.m. this Thursday evening, but they are in an unstable health situation. Some of the students have sustained injuries, some are psychologically unstable and need support," Nicolas Asongu, coach of the team told reporters, adding that some have been hospitalized. (Cameroon-Kidnap-Students)

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KABUL -- Two personnel of the U.S. army lost their lives in combat operations in Afghanistan on Friday, said a statement of the NATO-led Resolute Support mission released here.

"Two U.S. service members were killed while conducting an operation March 22," the statement said without providing more details. (Afghanistan-U.S. Soldiers-Killed) Enditem

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