Briefly

UNITED STATES

Sanders backs Biden to challenge Trump

Senator Bernie Sanders on Monday endorsed his longtime rival Joe Biden, former US vice-president, a move aimed at unifying a Democratic Party long fractured along moderate and liberal lines ahead of the election match-up against US President Donald Trump. Sanders cited the novel coronavirus outbreak as a reason for the party to come together behind Biden. Sanders' endorsement came as Biden's team had already begun reaching out to advocacy groups on the left to enlist their support for the Nov 3 general election battle against the Republican Trump.

Tornadoes bring death, destruction to the south

Tornadoes ripped through the Deep South, killing at least 32 people and leaving behind splintered buildings and downed power lines, officials and US media have said. Twisters caused catastrophic damage on Easter Sunday and early on Monday morning as storms moved through a region stretching from Texas to Georgia, prompting the National Weather Service to issue its highest level of tornado alert. Images showed lines of smashed roofless houses where tornadoes had blasted through. Aircraft parked at a regional airport in Monroe, Louisiana, were piled on top of each other.

KOREAN PENINSULA

DPRK fires multiple projectiles into East Sea

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea fired multiple unidentified projectiles into the East Sea, the Republic of Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, or JCS, said on Tuesday. The JCS said in a statement that the projectiles, believed to be short-range cruise missiles, were launched near the DPRK's east coast city of Munchon toward the eastern waters. The ROK military was closely monitoring additional military moves by the DPRK, while maintaining a firm defense preparedness, the JCS added. It came the day before Pyongyang marks the 108th anniversary of the birth of founder Kim Il-sung, grandfather of Kim Jong-un, the current top leader.

IRAQ

Government forces kill 23 IS fighters in clashes

Iraqi security forces on Monday killed up to 23 Islamic State extremists in clashes in a rural area in the northern province of Kirkuk, the Iraqi military said. During the operation, the troops found a cave in the rugged area used as a hideout for IS militants, sparking fierce clashes between the two sides, the media office affiliated with the Iraqi Joint Operations Command said in a statement.

Agencies - Xinhua