Briefly

UNITED STATES

Trump rejects Seoul sum for troop costs

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he had rejected a sum offered by South Korea in response to his demand that Seoul pay for a larger share of the cost of US military forces deployed there. "Now they've offered us a certain amount of money and I've rejected it," Trump said at a White House news conference, adding that Seoul was paying about $1 billion a year toward a US troop presence of 28,000-32,000 personnel. When asked about reports that he was negotiating a reduction of US troop numbers with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Trump appeared to reject this, replying: "It's not a question of reduction, it's a question of, will they contribute toward the defense of their own nation? We're defending nations that are very wealthy. South Korea's a very wealthy nation－they make our television sets, they make ships, they make everything."

SYRIA

Russian jet chases away US spy plane

A Russian fighter jet drove a US reconnaissance aircraft away from Russian military facilities in Syria on Sunday, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Monday. Russian radars detected a flying object over the neutral waters of the Mediterranean Sea that was heading toward Russian military facilities, the ministry's Zvezda broadcasting service said. The Russian fighter jet took off from the Hmeimim air base and identified the target as a US spy plane and started to follow it, the ministry said. After the US aircraft changed its course and flew away, the Russian jet returned to the base.

CZECH REPUBLIC

Tom and Jerry director Deitch dies

Gene Deitch, an Oscar-winning illustrator, animator, film director and producer, has died. He was 95. His Czech publisher, Petr Himmel, confirmed that Deitch died unexpectedly last week in his apartment in Prague. No further details were given. Deitch's movie Munro won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 1960. He directed 13 episodes of Tom and Jerry and also some of the Popeye the Sailor series. Born on Aug 8, 1924, in Chicago, Deitch arrived in Prague in 1959 intending to stay for 10 days, but fell in love with his future wife, Zdenka, and stayed in the city.

Agencies - Xinhua