World Briefs

Make Karachi ‘financial capital’, federal territory: Pak minister

karachi: A Pakistani minister on Thursday urged the government to declare Karachi a federal territory and designate it as the country’s “financial capital”, citing governance failures and recurring tragedies in the metropolis. Addressing a press conference here in the wake of the deadly Gul Plaza shopping centre fire, National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination Minister Mustafa Kamal called on the central government to assume greater administrative control over the city under Articles 148 and 149 of the Constitution. The recent inferno has so far claimed 61 lives, with dozens still feared trapped under the debris.

Cambodia will send 73 online scam suspects to South Korea

seoul: Dozens of South Koreans detained in Cambodia for alleged involvement in online scam compounds will be sent home this week to face investigations, officials said Thursday, in what would be the largest group reparation of Korean criminal suspects from abroad. The 73 South Korean suspects allegedly scammed fellow Koreans out of 48.6 billion won ($33 million), according to the statement. Authorities said at the time he died after being tortured and beaten, and South Korea sent a government delegation to Cambodia for talks on a joint response. South Korea said it will continue its efforts to crack down on scam crimes targeting South Korean nationals.