Briefly

CHINA

Three foreign leaders to visit next week

The Foreign Ministry on Friday announced the visits of a series of foreign leaders for the next week. Nauru President David Adeang will pay a six-day state visit to China starting on Sunday, two months after the two countries resumed diplomatic relations. Dinesh Gunawardena, Sri Lanka's prime minister, will pay an official visit to China, starting from Monday. Narayan Kaji Shrestha, Nepal's deputy prime minister and minister for foreign affairs, will also pay an eight-day official visit to the country.

UNITED STATES

Congress unveils $1.2t plan to avert shutdown

Lawmakers were racing on Friday to pass the final spending package needed for the current budget year, a long overdue action that will set funding for federal agencies and push any threats of a government shutdown to the fall. With spending set to expire for several federal agencies at midnight, the House and Senate were expected to take up a $1.2 trillion measure that combines six annual spending bills into one package. Over 70 percent of the money would go to defense.

AUSTRALIA

Canberra close to having nuclear-powered subs

Australia insisted on Friday that a landmark deal to develop AUKUS nuclear-powered submarines with London and Washington was "going to happen", despite mounting fears about costs and capabilities. Australia hopes to have eight nuclear-powered vessels in the water by the 2050s — a mix of the new AUKUS-class subs built at home and in the United Kingdom, and Virginia-class vessels purchased from the United States. In total, the AUKUS submarine project could cost up to A $368 billion ($240 billion) over the next 30 years.

INDIA

Delhi chief minister arrested in graft case

India's financial crime agency arrested Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi, on Thursday in connection with graft allegations relating to the city's liquor policy, his party said, a setback for the opposition ahead of elections. The arrest means the main leaders of the decade-old Aam Aadmi Party are in jail, following the arrests last year of two of Kejriwal's deputies in the same case — which the party has called "dirty politics".

China Daily - Agencies