Briefly

UNITED NATIONS

Population to hit 8b, but pace slowing

The United Nations estimates that the global human population will reach 8 billion by mid-November and will continue to grow, albeit at a slower pace and with regional disparities, in the decades to come. The UN Population Division estimates that the number of humans on Earth will grow to 8 billion on Nov 15, more than three times higher than the 2.5 billion global headcount in 1950. However, after a peak in the early 1960s, the world's population growth rate has decelerated dramatically, Rachel Snow from the UN Population Fund told Agence France-Presse. Annual growth has fallen from a high of 2.1 percent between 1962 and 1965 to below 1 percent in 2020.

SOUTH KOREA

Yoon apologizes for crush, vows justice

South Korean President Yoon Sukyeol apologized on Monday for the deadly Halloween crush in Seoul, pledging to hold to account any officials found to be responsible for sloppy responses and to reform police and safety management systems. The Oct 29 crush killed 156 people and injured another 197.Yoon offered the apology during a meeting to review safety rules, as the country continues to mourn the victims. An investigation is underway into authorities' responses to the accident. Police have faced stringent public criticism and scrutiny over the responses during the tragedy, having dispatched just 137 officers to the area despite estimating in advance that as many as 100,000 people would gather.

SRI LANKA

$17m of heroin seized from fishing vessel

The Sri Lankan navy and police detected a boat carrying over 300 kilograms of heroin with a street value of over 6 billion rupees ($17 million), the navy announced on Monday. The navy intercepted the fishing trawler about 18.5 kilometers off the Little Basses Reef Lighthouse in Sri Lanka's Southern Province. The navy also arrested six Sri Lankans aboard the trawler. Four others were arrested by police. The Police Narcotics Bureau is conducting further operations in search of more suspects in connection to this case. With the latest seizure, the Sri Lankan navy has detected drugs with a street value of over 22.5 billion rupees so far this year.

Agencies - Xinhua