Briefly

SAUDI ARABIA

Gulf leaders, Kushner meeting to ease crisis

Gulf leaders flew to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for a summit that could yield more breakthroughs in a regional crisis, after Riyadh reopened its borders to Doha. Saudi Arabia led a coalition of countries in the Persian Gulf region and beyond that cut ties and transport links with Qatar in June 2017, charging that it was too close to Iran and backed radical Islamist groups－allegations Doha has always denied. Those countries, along with Oman and Kuwait which have mediated between the two sides, were expected to meet in the Saudi city of Al-Ula, after the overnight concessions raised hopes for a wider deal. Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser who shuttled around the region to seek a deal, would attend the signing on Tuesday of the "breakthrough "agreement, a US official said.

ITALY

Govt totters as Conte, Renzi divide deepens

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is facing a showdown with his coalition partner and former premier Matteo Renzi this week that could bring down his government even as it struggles to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. Long-strained relations between the two men have deteriorated markedly in recent weeks, with Renzi calling for radical changes to plans to reboot the economy while also demanding that Conte cede his control over the secret services. A political source said matters could come to a head at a cabinet meeting expected for Thursday, when Conte was expected to ask ministers to support his economic recovery plan. If the two ministers from Renzi's Italia Viva party refuse, the prime minister would go to parliament and start work on trying to find a new consensus.

RUSSIA

Putin, Merkel discuss joint vaccine plan

Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed the possibility of jointly producing coronavirus vaccines in a phone call, the Kremlin said on Tuesday. "Issues of cooperation in combating the coronavirus pandemic were discussed with an emphasis on the possible prospects for joint production of vaccines," the Kremlin said in a statement.

JAPAN

Virus overshadows annual tuna auction

Tokyo's annual New Year tuna auction ended on Tuesday without the usual jaw-dropping bidding war, with the country's self-proclaimed "Tuna King" Kiyoshi Kimura holding back on gunning for the top fish, citing the pandemic woes affecting the restaurant industry. The most expensive fish of the day－a 208-kilogram bluefin caught off Aomori, known for its quality tuna－was bought by another bidder for 20.84 million yen ($202,000). For this year's auction, fish wholesalers wore masks and sanitized their hands as they examined the texture of tail meat from fresh and frozen tuna by touching, smelling and sometimes tasting pieces of it.

Agencies - Xinhua