China police detain man for asking why can’t Taiwan be called a country
Police in China have detained a man who asked on social media what law prevented anyone calling self-ruled Taiwan a country, questioning a fundamental principle of China’s sovereignty.
London mayor Khan consults disaster planners over no-deal Brexit
London’s mayor Sadiq Khan said on Friday he had asked the organization that deals with militant attacks and disasters in the British capital to assess the impact of a “no-deal” Brexit on access to medicines and food and on law and order.
China says U.S. politicizing Confucius Institute shows ‘lack of self-confidence’
China said on Friday the politicizing of a Chinese-run cultural organization by some people in the United States showed “a lack of self-confidence”, after the University of North Florida said it would close a campus branch of the Confucius Institute.
Russian, Turkish defense ministers discuss Syrian refugees: TASS
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu discussed the return of Syrian refugees to Syria with his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar during talks in Moscow on Friday, the TASS news agency cited the Russian ministry as saying.
Engineering study in 2017 warned about Italy bridge stability: reports
An engineering study commissioned by Italian highway operator Autostrade last year warned about the state of the concrete-encased cable stays that held up a bridge that collapsed this week in Genoa, two Italian newspapers reported on Friday.
Yemeni government and Houthi movement invited to Sept 6 peace talks: U.N
The United Nations has invited the Yemeni government and the Houthi movement that controls most of the north to peace talks in Geneva on Sept. 6, a U.N. spokeswoman said on Friday.
Japan ministries may have fiddled numbers of disabled employees: media
Several ministries in Japan may have been inflating for decades the number of disabled people they employ in order to meet quotas, media said on Friday, even as the government imposes levies on private companies that fail to meet theirs.
Rescuers deal with fire in Italian bridge rubble before day of mourning
Rescue workers searched through tons of concrete and steel from the collapsed Genoa highway bridge for a fourth day on Friday as Italians prepared to bury the 38 victims of a disaster that has angered the public and rattled industry.
Rain brings more misery to India’s flooded Kerala as death toll rises to 164
The worst floods in a century in the Indian state of Kerala have killed 164 people and forced more than 200,000 into relief camps, officials said on Friday, with more misery expected as heavy rain pushed water levels higher.
Xiamen Air passenger jet skids off runway in Manila, no casualties
A passenger plane operated by China’s Xiamen Air veered off a rain-soaked runway after landing at Manila’s main airport, disrupting flight schedules on Friday due to a temporary runway closure, officials said.
