News In Brief
AP, Manila
President Donald Trump on Sunday offered to mediate in the South China Sea disputes, while his Chinese counterpart played down concerns over Beijing’s military buildup and the prospects of war in the contested waters.
Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke separately about the territorial rifts ahead of an annual summit of Southeast Asian nations that also includes the U.S., China and other global players. The disputes are expected to get the spotlight at the summit, along with the North Korean nuclear threat and terrorism.
Chinese President makes state visit to Vietnam
AP, Hanoi
Vietnam has given Chinese President Xi Jinping red carpet treatment at the start of a state visit as the two communist neighbors try to broaden their economic ties and work on resolving territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
Xi and Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of the Vietnamese Communist Party, reviewed an honor guard Sunday and headed for talks behind closed doors. It was Xi’s first overseas trip since consolidating his power at a party congress last month.
Germany charges Palestinian over Hamburg knife attack
AFP, Berlin
German prosecutors said Friday they have charged a 26-year-old Palestinian asylum seeker with murder after his deadly knife rampage at a Hamburg supermarket in July. The accused, named as Ahmad A., killed one and wounded six in the July assault, and was arrested after passers-by overpowered him.
“The results of the investigation show that the accused sought out his victims indiscriminately, retaliating against people, who in his view represent perpetrators of injustice targeting Muslims,” said prosecutors.
Tanzanian cholera outbreak kills 18
AFP, Nairobi
An outbreak of cholera in Tanzania has left 18 dead in two months, the health ministry said Saturday, warning the situation could worsen as the rainy season continues.
The ministry said the outbreak had left “18 dead out of 570 cases recorded” between September 1 and October 30, and urged local authorities to take measures to avoid the disease from spreading. In 2015 Tanzania was struck by a major outbreak of cholera which infected some 10,000 people and left 150 dead.
Iraq helicopter crash kills 7
AFP, Kout
An Iraqi army helicopter crashed Sunday south of Baghdad during a training exercise killing all seven crew members due to a technical problem, military officials said.
“A Mi-17 military helicopter crashed during a training exercise and its crew was killed,” the army said in a statement.
Three air force officers were killed in the crash in the province of Wasit, southeast of Baghdad, an air force official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
