AFP, Helsinki
China’s President Xi Jinping, on the way to his eagerly awaited first encounter with Donald Trump, met his Finnish counterpart in Helsinki Wednesday, saying there was “great potential” for future bilateral trade ties.
The Chinese leader’s first visit to Finland since 1995 marks the Nordic country’s 100th anniversary of independence.
Taliban attack kills 6 in Pakistan
AP, Lahore
A Taliban suicide bomber detonated his explosives near a vehicle carrying census workers in eastern Pakistan on Wednesday, killing six people – two data collectors and four soldiers who were escorting them, a government spokesman and police said.
The attack took place on the outskirts of Lahore, the capital of Punjab province, said Malik Ahmad Khan, the provincial government spokesman. The border with India is several kilometers (miles) away from the site of the explosion.
Duterte’s approval rating drops
AP, Manila
Results of an independent poll released Wednesday showed a drop in the number of Filipinos who trust President Rodrigo Duterte, although he was still considered trustworthy by three-quarters of the respondents despite an impeachment complaint pending against him.
Results released by Pulse Asia Research Inc. showed that 76 percent of the 1,200 respondents expressed trust in Duterte, down 7 percentage points from December. Some 78 percent of respondents approved of his performance, down from 83 percent.
EU envoy denounces Israel’s demolitions policy
Reuters, Jerusalem
The European Union has expressed frustration with Israel over its demolition of Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank, with the EU ambassador taking the unusual step of reading out a joint statement denouncing the practice.
At a meeting last week with the Israeli foreign ministry’s newly appointed director-general, the ambassador delivered a stern diplomatic message, saying Israel was failing in its international legal obligations and needed to change policy.
China denounces India hosting Dalai Lama
Reuters, Beijing
China said on Wednesday that India’s decision to host Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on a contested stretch of land on the India-China border would cause serious damage to relations between the two countries.
The Dalai Lama’s week-long trip to Arunchal Pradesh, an eastern Himalayan region administered by New Delhi, but claimed by China as “southern Tibet”, has raised hackles in Beijing, which labels the monk a dangerous separatist.
Taiwan to build eight submarines
Reuters, Taipei
Taiwan plans to build eight submarines to bolster its current fleet of four aging foreign-built vessels, a senior Taiwanese navy official said on Wednesday.
