Briefly

JAPAN

Kishida extends poll slide on church links

Disapproval of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's cabinet edged above 40 percent for the first time, propelled by doubts over whether his ruling party would ever be free of ties to the Unification Church, according to a public opinion poll. Revelations of long-running links to the church founded in South Korea in the 1950s and famous for its mass weddings have become a problem for Kishida since July 8, when former prime minister Shinzo Abe was shot and his suspected killer said his mother was bankrupted by the church and blamed Abe for promoting it. Kishida's support has tumbled and ties to the church have also fanned opposition to a state funeral for Abe to be held on Sept 27. According to the survey by the Yomiuri Shimbun daily, disapproval of Kishida's cabinet rose to 41 percent from 34 percent roughly a month ago, climbing over 40 percent for the first time since he took office last year.

PHILIPPINES

Marcos kicks off 1st presidential trip

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr met with his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo on Monday for a state visit focused on bolstering defense, trade and other ties between the two neighbors. It is his first official venture overseas since his landslide election victory in May. Widodo said the leaders had signed a defense and security cooperation agreement, a five-year diplomatic action plan, and agreed to speed up and review maritime border arrangements. Trade between the countries had increased by nearly 50 percent compared to last year, Widodo said, calling for border trade to be developed further and transport routes revitalized. Speaking alongside Widodo at the state palace in Bogor, Marcos said both nations are committed to maintaining regional stability through the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

ARGENTINA

Deaths caused by Legionnaires' disease

Legionnaires' disease has claimed a fifth life among patients and staff at a clinic in northern Argentina, the health ministry in Tucuman Province announced on Sunday. The ministry had said four earlier deaths on Saturday, all in the clinic in San Miguel de Tucuman, and said a total of 11 people had been infected by the rare, but severe, lung disease. The cases are linked to a single private clinic in the city of San Miguel de Tucuman, according to the Pan American Health Organization. Symptoms include fever, muscle and abdominal pain and shortness of breath. Several patients had pneumonia in both lungs. The Legionella bacteria can be transmitted when people inhale contaminated aerosols produced in conjunction with water sprays, jets or mists.

AFGHANISTAN

Attack at embassy kills 2 diplomats

A suicide bombing outside the Russian Embassy in the Afghan capital Kabul on Monday killed two members of the embassy staff and at least one Afghan civilian in a rare attack on a foreign diplomatic mission in Afghanistan. The blast went off at the entrance to the embassy's consular section, where Afghans were waiting for news about their visas, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry and the state news agency RIA Novosti. A Russian diplomat had emerged from the building to call out the names of candidates for visas when the explosion occurred, the agency said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, the latest in a series of bombings and other attacks since the Taliban seized power a year ago. It was not immediately clear why militants targeted the Russian Embassy in particular.

Agencies - Xinhua