Briefly

JAPAN

China envoy calls for peace and stability

China's Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Korean Peninsula Affairs Liu Xiaoming addressed the 32nd Northeast Asia Cooperation Dialogue in Tokyo, Japan, saying China stands ready to work with other parties to uphold peace, development and stability of Northeast Asia. On the sidelines of the two-day dialogue starting from Wednesday, Liu had separate meetings with representatives of countries including the United States, the Republic of Korea and Japan, exchanging views with them on the situation in Northeast Asia and the Korean Peninsula, as well as issues of shared interest.

BRAZIL

Death toll from floods continues to climb

The death toll from heavy rains in Brazil's Rio Grande do Sul state had risen to 136, the local civil defense government body said on Saturday, up from 126 in the previous day, while another 125 people remained unaccounted for. Storms and floods battering the South American country's southernmost state had also left about 537,000 displaced, according to the local civil defense body, a significant increase over the 340,000 reported a day earlier. About 446 urban centers have been impacted, affecting the lives of more than 2.1 million people.

NIGERIA

Over 100 kidnapped in raids on villages

More than 100 people were kidnapped by gunmen during Friday night raids on three villages in northwest Nigeria, a district head and residents said on Saturday, the latest abduction of villagers in a region blighted by widespread insecurity. Kidnapping has become endemic in Nigeria's northwest as roving gangs of armed men abduct people from villages, highways and schools, and demand ransom money from their relatives. Alhaji Bala, head of a district in the Birnin Magaji local government area of Zamfara, said gunmen attacked the villages of Gora, Madomawa and Jambuzu and that 38 men and 67 women and children were missing.

Agencies - China Daily