IN BRIEF (Page 11)

Brazil

3 killed in gunbattle near tourist zone

Three people were killed and five wounded during pitched gunbattles on Monday between Brazilian police and drug traffickers in two Rio de Janeiro slums, triggering panic in the nearby Copacabana and Ipanema tourist areas. Two "criminals" were wounded in a morning clash and died at the hospital. A third "fell off a cliff and died," military police said in a statement about the shootouts in the Cantagalo and Pavao-Pavaozinho favelas.

Colombia

Stalled peace talks with rebels revived

Colombia's government and rebels from the National Liberation Army have agreed to revive a stalled peace effort, providing a boost to President Juan Manuel Santos as he tries to recover from voters' shocking rejection of a deal with the much-larger FARC guerrilla group. The rebels and government officials said on Monday that formal peace talks would begin Oct 27 in Ecuador. The guerilla group is known by its Spanish acronym ELN.

Indonesia

Nation to increase peacekeeping force

Indonesia plans to expand the number of its troops serving in United Nations peacekeeping missions from 2,867 set in 2014 to 4,000 by 2019, an Indonesian minister said. Expansion of the peacekeeping troops is aimed at upgrading Indonesia's rank into top 10 nations to send the largest peacekeeping troops. "Indonesia is now ranked 11th among 123 countries sending peacekeeping troops. We aim to ascend into rank of 10th," Indonesia's Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi said during her visit to Indonesia's peacekeeping forces training center in Sentul, West Java on Monday.

Australia

Opposition sinks gay marriage vote

The Australian opposition on Tuesday decided to block government plans for a public but nonbinding vote on recognizing gay marriage, arguing it would better if the issue was decided in Parliament. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's conservative coalition government needs center-left Labor Party's support to get enabling legislation through the Senate to hold a national vote on gay marriage on Feb 11. But a meeting of Labor lawmakers on Tuesday unanimously decided against supporting the plebiscite, opposition leader Bill Shorten said.

Japan

Belgian king and queen on state visit

Belgium's King Philippe and Queen Mathilde are in Japan on an official visit to mark 150 years of ties between the countries. They were welcomed on Tuesday by Japan's Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko at an outdoor ceremony at the Imperial Palace on an overcast fall day. Philippe and Mathilde also greeted Japan's Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako. The Belgian royal couple arrived on Monday and will stay until Saturday. Philippe also met with Japanese business leaders on Tuesday and is expected to meet Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during his stay.

South Africa

Finance minister to be prosecuted

South African Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan will be prosecuted for fraud, officials said on Tuesday, in a move that sent the rand tumbling over concerns about political rivalry and the country's fragile economy. Gordhan, an internationally-respected technocrat, was appointed only last year to calm panicked investors after President Jacob Zuma sacked two finance ministers within four days. Gordhan has regularly clashed with Zuma loyalists.

Ap - Afp - Xinhua

(China Daily 10/12/2016 page11)