IN BRIEF (Page 11)

Canada

PM left sweating on poll outcome

Canadians elected a new Parliament on Monday after a tight election campaign that has raised the prospect of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau being knocked from power after one term. The 47-year-old leader channeled the star power of his father, the liberal icon and late prime minister Pierre Trudeau, when he won in 2015. But a combination of scandals and high expectations have damaged his standing. Polls had indicated that Trudeau's Liberal Party could lose to the rival Conservatives, or perhaps win but fail to get a majority of seats in Parliament and have to rely on an opposition party to remain in power. Not in 84 years has a first-term Canadian prime minister with a parliamentary majority lost a bid for reelection.

Afghanistan

US House speaker, defense chief visit

Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani separately met with visiting US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and US Defense Secretary Mark Esper in Kabul on Sunday, the presidential palace said on Monday. "We (Afghanistan) want US support for Afghanistan and for expanding relations between the two countries in various areas, especially in the security sector," it quoted Ghani as saying in a statement. The two sides also discussed the peace process with the Taliban. Ghani, in his talks with Esper, discussed topics including security in Afghanistan and the region, the fight against corruption, the war on terrorism, and peace with the Taliban, according to the statement.

South Asia

10 killed in Kashmir border firing

At least 10 people were killed by artillery fire on Sunday along the Line of Control in Kashmir, or LoC, the de facto India-Pakistan border in the region, officials said, as both countries traded accusations. Tensions escalated between the nuclear-armed neighbors after New Delhi revoked India-controlled Kashmir's autonomy on Aug 5 and imposed movement and communications restrictions to quell unrest. Officials from the two countries accused each other's militaries of firing across the LoC. Kashmir has been split between India and Pakistan since 1947 and was the spark of two wars and numerous skirmishes. An armed rebellion against Indian rule has raged in the valley since 1989, claiming tens of thousands of lives, mostly civilians.

Bolivia

Morales wins first round in election

Evo Morales, seeking a fourth term, led Bolivia's presidential election race on Sunday but faces a historic second round runoff against opposition rival Carlos Mesa, partial results showed. Morales had 45 percent of the vote to Mesa's 38 percent, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal announced, with most of the votes counted. Elected Bolivia's first indigenous president in 2005, Morales has won his previous elections in the first round, never having to contest a runoff. Mesa celebrated "an unquestionable triumph" in getting to the second round, AFP reported.

Saudi Arabia

New 100 percent shisha tax sparks fury

A decision to impose a 100 percent tax on bills at restaurants that serve shisha has ignited criticism on social media in Saudi Arabia, where the water pipes are a popular pastime. The furor has also been fueled by confusion over how the tax is applied. In the meantime, some restaurants have stopped offering shisha, while others have lowered their prices to appease customers. The government's official gazette said earlier this month that the tax will apply to all tobacco products.

Agencies - Xinhua

(China Daily 10/22/2019 page11)