Briefly

SAUDI ARABIA

Neighbors welcome Syria's return to league

Arab foreign ministers welcomed Syria back to the Arab League on Wednesday and called for a ceasefire in conflict-hit Sudan ahead of the organization's annual summit in Saudi Arabia. This year's summit, starting on Friday in the city of Jeddah, will mark the readmittance of war-torn Syria into the 22-member league after a 12-year suspension. Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said on Wednesday that the region is at a crossroads, facing a host of challenges. He called for cooperation among Arab countries to achieve security, stability and economic prosperity.

UNITED KINGDOM

Harry, Meghan car chase 'dangerous'

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan were pursued in their car by photographers after a charity event in New York, an incident that the mayor and the couple's office described on Wednesday as potentially dangerous and stirred memories of the 1997 car crash that killed Harry's mother, Princess Diana. With the help of police, they were eventually able to switch to a taxi cab and be whisked away, according to a law enforcement official who was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter and did so on condition of anonymity. Harry and Meghan's office said in a statement that the chase "resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers". It called the incident "near catastrophic".

JAPAN

Military hospital to treat Ukrainian soldiers

Japan is set to receive injured Ukrainian soldiers at a Tokyo hospital run by its military, a senior member of Japan's ruling coalition said on Thursday. It would be the first time the Self-Defense Forces Central Hospital will treat foreign soldiers, the lawmaker told Reuters, requesting anonymity because the deal is not yet public. Details were expected to be decided at a meeting between Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada and Ukrainian Ambassador to Japan Sergiy Korsunsky later on Thursday, but costs will likely be shouldered mostly by the Japanese side, the lawmaker added.

Agencies via Xinhua