NEWS OF THE DAY
From Around the World
_1 China-North Korea talks: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in a northern Chinese port city and pledged his continuing commitment to denuclearization ahead of his expected summit with President Trump, state media said Tuesday. The meeting Monday and Tuesday in Dalian is the second between Xi and Kim in recent weeks, following Kim’s March visit to Beijing — his first since taking power six years ago. State broadcaster CCTV quoted Xi as saying China “supports North Korea to stick to denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and supports North Korea and the U.S. in solving the peninsula issue through dialogue and consultation.”
_2 Russian premier: Russia’s house of parliament overwhelmingly approved Dmitry Medvedev for a new term as prime minister. Medvedev was nominated a day earlier by President Vladimir Putin, who was inaugurated for a fourth term as Russia’s president. Medvedev has been prime minister since 2012, after four years serving as Russia’s president while Putin switched to the premiership due to term limits. _3 Israeli soldier released: An Israeli soldier convicted of manslaughter for fatally shooting a wounded Palestinian attacker has been released from prison Tuesday after serving two-thirds of his 14-month sentence. Elor Azaria was greeted by supporters and banners welcoming his release. A parole board granted his release earlier this year. Azaria began serving an 18-month sentence in August after he was convicted of manslaughter. Azaria, a combat medic, was caught on video shooting a wounded Palestinian attacker. In a country where military service is mandatory, his case sharply divided the nation. Israel’s military pushed for his prosecution, saying he violated its code of ethics. Many Israelis, particularly on the nationalist right, defended his actions. _4 Germany crime: German security authorities say statistics show a significant drop in crime last year, a finding that runs counter to many people’s perceptions that the country is less safe. Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said Tuesday that overall offenses dropped by nearly 10 percent in 2017 compared with the previous year. Significant drops were seen in break-ins, shoplifting and pickpocketing, while increases were seen in drug offenses, economic crimes and weapons violations.
_5 Ebola cases: Congo’s government on Tuesday declared a new outbreak of Ebola in the country’s rural northwest, after two cases of the deadly virus were confirmed in Bikoro. Congo’s Health Ministry said that of the five samples sent to the National Institute of Biological Research in Kinshasa, two came back positive for the Zaire strain of Ebola in the country’s Equateur Province. This is the ninth Ebola outbreak in Congo since 1976, when the deadly disease was first identified. Congo has a long track record with Ebola, World Health Organization said. _6 Stolen antiquities: A man in northwestern Greece has been arrested after artifacts going back hundreds and even thousands of years were found adorning his restaurant. Police say they confiscated about 90 mostly fragmentary pots and jars that archaeologists identified as ancient Greek and late medieval. The artifacts, which were on display in the restaurant, in the seaside town of Parga, appeared to have been fished out of the sea, probably from old shipwrecks. The 32-year-old owner was arrested Monday under Greece’s cultural heritage laws.