Briefly

JAPAN

Masked man with rifle and knife kills three

Three people including two police officers were killed in Nagano Prefecture in central Japan on Thursday, and a suspect with a rifle and knife was holed up inside a building, according to police and media reports. A witness told NHK public television that a woman fell while being chased by the suspect, who then stabbed her with a knife and shot at two police officers as they arrived at the scene in Nakano city. Police described the suspect as a man wearing a camouflage outfit, a hat, a mask and sunglasses, Kyodo News said. City officials urged those in the area to stay home.

AUSTRALIA

Firefighters contain massive Sydney blaze

A massive blaze gutted an abandoned hat factory in central Sydney and forced emergency services to evacuate people from nearby apartment buildings before firefighters brought the inferno under control, without any casualties reported. Over 30 firetrucks and 130 firefighters fought the fire in the seven-story building close to Sydney's central railway station on Thursday afternoon, officials said. Shortly after the blaze erupted, flames almost as high as the building itself could be seen shooting into the sky. Burning embers were also swept onto a balcony in a nearby building, television footage showed.

CANADA

Ottawa and Riyadh restore full relations

Canada and Saudi Arabia have decided to restore diplomatic relations and appoint new ambassadors, Global Affairs Canada, which manages the country's diplomatic and consular relations, said in a statement on Wednesday. "Canada has appointed a new ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Jean-Philippe Linteau," said the statement, saying the move was based on mutual respect and common interests. Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry made a similar announcement on Wednesday. In 2018, Saudi Arabia expelled the Canadian ambassador after a diplomatic dispute.

Agencies - Xinhua