Briefly

BANGLADESH

Hasina meets India's Modi to boost ties

Bangladesh's prime minister was welcomed to India with a ceremony in the capital New Delhi on Tuesday during a four-day visit aimed at boosting bilateral ties. Sheikh Hasina met her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at the Rashtrapati Bhavan presidential palace. The two leaders were expected to discuss deals on connectivity, energy, food security and trade. Hasina said the two countries enjoy a friendly relationship focused on alleviating poverty and economic advancement.

BURKINA FASO

35 civilians killed, 37 injured in convoy blast

At least 35 civilians were killed and 37 wounded on Monday when an IED blast struck a convoy carrying supplies in Burkina Faso's jihadist-hit north, the governor of the Sahel region said. The landlocked African state is in the grip of a 7-year-old insurgency that has claimed more than 2,000 lives and forced some 1.9 million people to leave their homes. Monday's incident took place as the military-led convoy was supplying towns in the restive north on a road between Bourzanga to Djibo, according to a statement by Sahel Governor Rodolphe Sorgo.

JAPAN

Abe's state funeral to cost over $12m

Japan expects to spend around 1.7 billion yen ($12 million) on a state funeral for assassinated former premier Shinzo Abe, the government said on Tuesday, despite controversy over the plan. Abe was shot dead on the campaign trail in July, and the government expects dozens of current and former heads of state to pay condolences at the Sept 27 service in Tokyo. But recent polls showed that about half of Japanese voters oppose the publicly funded event.

Agencies Via Xinhua