IN BRIEF (Page 11)
INDONESIA
Govt picks Borneo site for new capital
Indonesia will move its capital to the eastern edge of jungle-clad Borneo island, Indonesian President Joko Widodo said on Monday, as the country shifts its political heart away from congested and sinking megalopolis Jakarta on the island of Java. The proposed location, near the regional cities of Balikpapan and Samarinda, is an area at "minimal" risk of natural disasters, where the government already owns nearly 180,000 hectares of land. "The location is very strategic: It's in the center of Indonesia and close to urban areas. The burden Jakarta is holding right now is too heavy as the center of governance, business, finance, trade and services," Widodo said in a televised speech.
ITALY
Opposition leader 'optimistic' on coalition
The head of Italy's opposition Democrats expressed optimism on Monday that a deal can be struck with the populist 5-Star Movement to form a new government of rivals that would keep right-wing leader Matteo Salvini out of power. It also might bring back the same premier who quit barely a week ago, reflecting the topsy-turvy state of the country's politics. Late in the evening, Democratic Party chief Nicola Zingaretti headed back to Chigi Palace, the prime minister's office, for talks with 5-Star Leader Luigi Di Maio as well as with caretaker Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, who quit his post last week after Salvini yanked his right-wing League's support for the government. The huddle was reported to be still underway after midnight, several hours after Conte returned from the G7 summit in France to begin discussions in Rome.
UNITED NATIONS
Sudan urges UN peacekeepers to leave
Sudan urged the UN Security Council on Monday to lift its suspension of troop withdrawals and ensure all peacekeepers leave Darfur by June 2020, but the African Union said overall security in the vast western region "remains volatile". Sudan's UN Ambassador Omer Mohamed Siddig told the council that it's time to shift from peacekeeping to peace-building in Darfur, and to end restrictions on the government's movement of arms and troops in and out of the region. But Smail Chergui, the AU commissioner for peace and security, said Darfur still faces "intermittent armed clashes" between government forces and an armed group in Jebel Marra.
QATAR
US, Taliban push for deal at Doha talks
Negotiators for the United States and the Taliban held talks in Doha on Monday as potentially decisive dialogue to enable Washington to drawdown its deployment to Afghanistan stretched into the night. The insurgent group had earlier said that it was finalizing technical points of an agreement with Washington at the talks being held in an upmarket members' club to end 18 years of war. The Taliban's spokesman in Doha Suhail Shaheen said that the foes would reconvene talks at 0700 GMT on Tuesday.
Agencies
(China Daily 08/28/2019 page11)