IN BRIEF (Page 11)

China Daily | Updated: 2019-09-05 07:16

United States

Pentagon approves cash for border wall

US Defense Secretary Mark Esper approved the use of $3.6 billion in funding from military construction projects to build 281 kilometers of US President Donald Trump's wall along the Mexican border. Pentagon officials would not say which 127 projects will be affected, but said details would be available on Wednesday after members of Congress are notified. They said half the money will come from military projects in the US, and the rest will come from projects in other countries. The Pentagon reviewed the list of military projects and said none related to housing or critical infrastructure for troops would be affected, in the wake of recent scandals over poor living quarters for service members in several parts of the country.

Italy

5-Star votes in favor of coalition govt

Members of Italy's 5-Star Movement overwhelmingly backed a proposed coalition with the center-left Democratic Party, or PD, on Tuesday, opening the way for a new government to take office in the coming days. In an online ballot, 79.3 percent of 5-Star supporters voted in favor of joining forces with the PD, their longtime political adversaries, while 20.7 percent opposed the alliance, party leader Luigi Di Maio told reporters. The vote means Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte can now complete work on the new administration and provide President Sergio Mattarella with a list of suggested ministers. He is likely to go to the president's palace to update him on progress on Wednesday, a political source said. "I am very proud of today's vote and very proud of the government that is to come," Di Maio told reporters after the roughly 80,000 ballots were counted, easily beating 5-Star's previous record for returned online ballots.

Japan

Threatening letter sent to S. Korean embassy

A letter threatening to hunt Koreans and containing what appeared to be a bullet was received by the South Korean embassy in Japan amid worsening ties between the Asian neighbors, Japanese media said on Tuesday. "I've got a rifle and I'm hunting Koreans," said the letter that was delivered to the South Korean embassy in Tokyo last week, Kyodo News Agency reported. It contained what appeared to be a bullet, the news agency said, adding that police were investigating. Police declined to comment. A member of staff at the embassy confirmed that the letter had been delivered but declined to give any details.

Agencies

(China Daily 09/05/2019 page11)