IN BRIEF (Page 6)

United States

Trump confirms he will host Erdogan

US President Donald Trump confirmed on Wednesday that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit Washington next week, ending speculation that the Turkish president might call off the trip given the delicate bilateral ties. Trump tweeted that he had "a very good call" with Erdogan, saying he looks forward to meeting his Turkish counterpart on Nov 13 at the White House. "Also talked about their Border with Syria, the eradication of terrorism, the ending of hostilities with the Kurds, and many other topics," Trump added. Erdogan's upcoming visit comes amid tension in the bilateral ties.

Mexico

Murders pinned on La Linea cartel

Mexico alleged on Wednesday that a drug cartel called La Linea massacred nine Mormon women and children in a case of mistaken identity, but devastated relatives insisted their loved ones were deliberately targeted. The three women and six children, who had dual US-Mexican citizenship, were killed in a hail of bullets on Monday as they drove on a rural road between Sonora and Chihuahua states, which border the United States. Eight other children managed to escape, with six of them wounded. The case has caused shock on both sides of the border and prompted US President Donald Trump to call for a "war" on Mexican cartels.

Vietnam

All 39 UK truck victims confirmed as Vietnamese

Vietnamese police said on Thursday all 39 migrants found dead in the back of a truck near London last month were all Vietnamese. The victims came from six Vietnamese provinces: Haiphong, Hai Duong, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh and Hue, the Ministry of Public Security said in a statement. "As of 20:00 pm on November 7, Vietnam's Ministry of Public Security and British authorities had been able to confirm that all of the 39 victims found dead in Essex on October 23 were Vietnamese," the ministry said in a statement.

Agencies

(China Daily Global 11/08/2019 page6)