Briefly

JAPAN

Man sets himself on fire to protest funeral

A man set himself on fire near the Japanese prime minister's office in Tokyo early on Wednesday in an apparent protest against the state funeral planned next week for former leader Shinzo Abe, officials and media reports said. The man, believed to be in his 70s, sustained burns on large parts of his body, but was conscious. He told police that he set himself on fire after pouring oil over himself, Kyodo News agency reported. A note apparently written by the man was found with him that said, "Personally, I am absolutely against" Abe's funeral. A Tokyo Fire Department official confirmed a man set himself afire on the street in Tokyo's Kasumigaseki government district.

MIDDLE EAST

Israeli, Turkish leaders meet in rare talks

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday for the first face-to-face talks between leaders of the US-allied nations since 2008, Lapid's office said. The bilateral relations, long frosty amid feuding over the Palestinian cause, have warmed in recent months, with energy emerging of as a key area of cooperation. They are expected to exchange new ambassadors soon. As well as discussing energy, Lapid thanked Erdogan for intelligence sharing and noted Israel's demand for the return of four of its citizens missing in the Gaza Strip since a 2014 war.

ASIA

Lender cuts forecasts amid bleak outlook

The Asian Development Bank has downgraded its forecasts for growth in the region, citing the conflict in Ukraine, rising interest rates to combat decades-high inflation. The Manila-based lending agency revised its estimate for growth in developing Asian economies to 4.3 percent, down from an earlier forecast of 5.2 percent. Growth in 2023 was cut to 4.9 percent from 5.3 percent in the revised regional outlook released on Wednesday. Surging costs for grain and for oil and gas have been the main factors behind price increases, the report showed.

AUSTRALIA

Mass stranding kills 14 whales at beach

Australian wildlife investigators were trying to piece together on Wednesday why more than a dozen young male sperm whales died in a mass stranding on a remote beach in the state of Tasmania. The 14 whales were discovered beached on King Island earlier this week, off Tasmania's north coast. Biologists and a veterinarian from the state's conservation agency have traveled to the small island to investigate, with an aerial survey finding no other stranded whales. The young whales' deaths may be a case of "misadventure", wildlife biologist Kris Carlyon from the state government conservation agency told the local Mercury newspaper. "The most common reason for stranding events is misadventure.

Agencies - Xinhua