IN BRIEF (Page 8)

South Korea

US Defense Secretary Esper visits Seoul

US Defense Secretary Mark Esper met with senior South Korean leaders on Friday amid a series of regional challenges ranging from a bitter trade row between Seoul and Tokyo to the cost of US troops stationed in South Korea. Esper, on his first international trip since being confirmed as defense secretary, arrived in South Korea on Thursday evening amid an escalating trade feud between two of Washington's main Asian allies. While the trade issue, which threatens regional intelligence sharing, came up in his meetings in Seoul, Esper reiterated the importance of the South Korean-US alliance. He also asked South Korea to send troops to join a US-led maritime force in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Iran.

Nepal

At least 5 killed, 16 injured in bus plunge

A bus carrying three dozen people heading for the Nepali capital of Kathmandu skidded off the Prithvi Highway and plunged into the Trishuli River on Friday morning, killing at least five people and injuring 16, local authorities said. The accident took place at around 50 kilometers west of the city along the Prithvi Highway that connects Kathmandu with the southern plains. Three dead bodies were recovered on the spot while two other bodies were found two km far from the crash site, official said, adding that more than a dozen people are feared missing in the incident.

Austria

2 tiger cubs found in bathtub at apartment

Two tiger cubs have been found in a bathtub at a Slovak woman's apartment in eastern Austria, police said on Friday. The little big cats were discovered after an animal protection group received tips, police said. They were found on Thursday in a bathtub under a heat lamp in the apartment in Hainburg, near the border with Slovakia. The 34-year-old woman worked at an animal protection center in Slovakia and the cubs apparently had been brought there. It appeared that she had brought the cubs home with her to continue providing the "very intensive care" they needed and she acted in good faith, police said.

Xinhua - Agencies

(China Daily 08/10/2019 page8)