News Headlines - 17 March 2018

▽Syrian civilians flee embattled Eastern Ghouta and Afrin | Al Jazeera

Civilians continue to flee Syria's Eastern Ghouta and Afrin in record numbers as Syrian and Turkish military operations continue against their respective foes.
Roughly 50,000 people have fled the two areas - 20,000 from Eastern Ghouta, a Damascus suburb, and 30,000 from Afrin, in Syria's Kurdish-dominated northeast - according to some counts.

▽Former South African president Zuma facing 16 charges of corruption - Independent.ie

Former president Jacob Zuma will be prosecuted on 16 charges of corruption, the director of South Africa's National Prosecuting Authority said.
Shaun Abrahams announced that Zuma will face charges including fraud, corruption, racketeering and money laundering.

▽Philippines tells UN it will quit International Criminal Court | South China Morning Post

The Philippines said on Friday it had given official notice to exit the treaty that created the International Criminal Court, which is examining President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs.
The move comes days after Duterte announced his nation would quit the court over its preliminary inquiry launched last month into allegations his crackdown on narcotics amounts to crimes against humanity.

▽Xi Jinping gets second term, with ally Wang Qishan as vice-president | South China Morning Post

The political comeback of Wang – who stepped down from the ruling Communist Party’s top echelon and his position as head of its graft watchdog in October – confirmed a South China Morning Post report in December.
A total of 2,969 people voted to elect him vice-president, with only one voting against.
The National People’s Congress also unanimously confirmed Xi’s second term, with 2,970 votes in favour.

▽Hello Kitty to make bullet train debut in Japan, East Asia News & Top Stories - The Straits Times

Hello Kitty has already found its way onto bus and aircraft services - and is now set to make its debut on Japan's iconic bullet train.
West Japan Railway will launch "Hello Kitty Shinkansen" services on its bullet train line connecting Osaka and Fukuoka later this year, the company said this week.