World news in brief
Biden and Xi set for their first face-to-face meeting
President Joe Biden will conduct his first face-to-face meeting with his Chinese counterpart since taking office ahead of the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, the White House has said. In a statement, the White House said the 14 November bilateral meeting would consist of discussions regarding “efforts to maintain and deepen lines of communication between the United States and the PRC, responsibly manage competition, and work together where our interests align, especially on
transnational challenges that affect the international community”.
Mr Biden on Wednesday told reporters that he intended to discuss with Mr Xi growing tensions between Washington and Beijing over the self-ruled island of Taiwan, trade policies, Beijing’s relationship with Russia and more. “What I want to do with him when we talk is lay out what each of our red lines are and understand what he believes to be in the critical national interests of China, what I know to be the critical interests of the United States,” Mr Biden said. “And determine whether or not they conflict with one another.”
Journalist jailed for waving British-Hong Kong flag
A Hong Kong journalist has been sent to three months in prison for waving the British-Hong Kong flag last year during the streaming of the Olympic award ceremony. Paula Leung Yanling, 42, waved the flag on 26 July 2021 when the Chinese national anthem was playing on a big screen during the award ceremony.
The journalist was arrested and charged with insulting the national anthem for waving the colonial-era flag, which has not been used since the city’s handover in 1997. The Kwun Tong magistrates’ court on made the first conviction under the National Anthem Ordinance after Ms Leung pleaded guilty to the charges.
Hunt for mob after woman accused of witchcraft burnt alive
A search is under way to identify attackers that burnt a woman alive on suspicion of witchcraft in India’s eastern state of Bihar. Rita Devi, 45, was attacked by a mob of more than 200 people who broke into her house and beat her up before pouring petrol on her to set her ablaze on Saturday night.
At least 14 people, including nine women, have been arrested and 65 others have so far been named in the complaint for
allegedly setting the woman on fire after she was branded a witch, Superintendent Ashok Prasad told The Independent.
Police launch probe into murder of six-year-old
Police are starting a new investigation into the murder of sixyear-old JonBenet Ramsey in Boulder, Colorado, almost three decades after her death became global news in late 1996. The Colorado Cold Case Review Team is looking into the 26-yearold case with the support of Boulder Police.
“Since JonBenet’s murder, detectives have investigated leads stemming from more than 21,000 tips, letters, and emails. We have travelled to 19 states to interview or speak with more than 1,000 individuals,” the department said in a statement on Wednesday.
More than 160 people came under investigation at the time of JonBenet’s death, and claims were made against the family of the child beauty pageant contestant. Several people confessed to the murder, according to The Daily Beast, but police later confirmed that DNA didn’t match any possible suspects and that the family was also cleared of wrongdoing.
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