IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Afghanistan

Taliban kill at least 26 in Kabul suicide blast

A Taliban suicide bomber killed at least 26 people and wounded dozens near a campaign rally for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Tuesday, with the insurgents warning of more violence ahead of elections. About an hour after the attack, another blast also claimed by the Taliban rocked central Kabul near the US embassy. It was not immediately clear if the second blast claimed any lives. The explosions came after US President Donald Trump abruptly ended talks with the Taliban on Sept 10 over a deal that would have allowed the United States to begin withdrawing troops from its longest war.

South Korea

Seoul files WTO export dispute with Tokyo

South Korea has initiated a WTO dispute against Japan's latest export curbs, the World Trade Organization said on Monday, amid increased tensions between the two Asian neighbors. In July, Japan imposed tighter controls on exports of three materials to South Korea used in smartphone chips and displays following a diplomatic row over compensation for forced laborers during Japan's occupation of the Korean Peninsula during World War II. Under WTO rules, South Korea and Japan should meet within 30 days and if these talks fail, South Korea can request adjudication by a dispute settlement panel.

The Philippines

At least 15 dead as truck falls off cliff

At least 15 villagers were killed and several others injured when the truck they were riding in lost control and fell off a cliff on Tuesday, in a remote mountain village in the southern Philippines, police and the Red Cross said. Provincial police chief Joel Limson said the truck was negotiating a downhill road in Tboli town in South Cotabato province when its brakes apparently failed and plummeted down a ravine. Police, Red Cross volunteers and villagers retrieved the 15 bodies from the wreckage. At least five of the injured were hospitalized in critical condition, Limson said.

Agencies

(China Daily 09/18/2019 page12)