Vietnam mulls legal action over South China Sea dispute
Reuters, Hanoi
Vietnam could explore legal action among various options in its territorial dispute with powerful neighbour China in the South China Sea, a senior government official said on Wednesday.
Frictions have grown between the two communist-run nations since Beijing in July sent a ship for a months-long seismic survey to an area internationally designated as Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) but also claimed by China.
Gunmen kill 15 in southern Thailand’s worst attack in years
Reuters, Bangkok
Suspected separatist insurgents stormed a security checkpoint in Thailand’s Muslim-majority south and killed at least 15 people, including a police officer and many village defence volunteers, security officials said on Wednesday.
It was the worst single attack in years in a restive region where a long-running Muslim insurgency has killed thousands of people in a fight against central government rule in overwhelmingly Buddhist Thailand.
Militants attack Tajik border post, 17 killed
Reuters, Dushanbe
Masked Islamic State militants attacked a border post on the Tajik-Uzbek border overnight, triggering a gun battle that killed 15 of the militants, a guard and a policeman, Tajik authorities said on Wednesday.
There was no immediate announcement from the militant group, which has claimed responsibility for a series of assaults in Tajikistan in recent months.
Mississippi rated fattest state in America: Report
AP, Washington
Mississippi has been found to be the most obese state in the US according to new findings that drew on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to personal finance site WalletHub’s “2019’s the Fattest States in America” report, Mississippi was rated the fattest state in America, mainly due to having the highest prevalence of children and adults who are overweight and obese.
Along with West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama they rounded up the five fattest states in the US, reported Market Watch.
