Briefly

CHINA

Indonesian, French officials to visit

Indonesian President-elect and Great Indonesia Movement Party General Chairman Prabowo Subianto will pay a three-day visit to China starting on Sunday. During the visit, President Xi Jinping will hold talks with him, and Premier Li Qiang will meet with him, according to Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian. In another development, French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Stephane Sejourne will visit China on Monday. Foreign Minister Wang Yi will hold talks with Sejourne. The two foreign ministers will also meet the press together.

MIDDLE EAST

Israel ordered to ensure urgent aid to Gazans

The world's top court has ordered Israel to ensure more food and urgent humanitarian assistance reach Gazans, warning that famine is already setting in after nearly six months of conflict. The International Court of Justice's order on Thursday came after the United Nations has repeatedly said the besieged territory was on the brink of "man-made famine" and blamed Israel's restrictions on aid for causing "horrifying" levels of hunger and deprivation. "Palestinians in Gaza are no longer facing only a risk of famine, but ... famine is setting in," the court said.

UNITED NATIONS

Russia vetoes draft resolution on DPRK

Russia vetoed on Thursday a United Nations Security Council draft resolution extending the mandate of the Panel of Experts assisting the Democratic People's Republic of Korea Sanctions Committee. The US-drafted resolution won the support of 13 of the 15 members of the council. Russia voted against it, while China abstained. Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said before the vote that the Panel of Experts has no added value. "The panel's work has been reduced to playing along with Western approaches, replicating biased information, analyzing newspaper headlines and low-quality photos," he said.

UNITED STATES

Fallen crypto mogul gets 25 years in prison

Crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced on Thursday to 25 years in prison for a massive fraud on hundreds of thousands of customers that unraveled with the collapse of FTX, once one of the world's most popular platforms for exchanging digital currency. Though he described Bankman-Fried as "extremely smart", US District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan delivered a blistering analysis of Bankman-Fried and his crimes before announcing a sentence that was half of what prosecutors sought and less than a quarter of the 105 years recommended by the court's probation officers.

SOUTH AFRICA

45 dead after bus plunges off bridge

A bus carrying worshippers headed to an Easter festival plunged off a bridge on a mountain pass and burst into flames in South Africa on Thursday, killing at least 45 people, authorities said. The only survivor of the crash was an 8-year-old child, who was receiving medical attention, according to authorities in the northern province of Limpopo. They said the child was seriously injured. Authorities said the bus veered off the Mmamatlakala bridge and plunged 50 meters into a ravine before busting into flames.

Ex-president Zuma barred from May poll

The Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa, the country's election management body, said on Thursday that it has upheld an objection against former president Jacob Zuma's candidacy in the upcoming elections. Zuma, who was sentenced to 15 months in prison for contempt of court in 2021, was nominated as a candidate for the elections by the newly-formed MK Party. South Africa will hold the national and local government elections on May 29.

China Daily - Xinhua - Agencies