The World in Brief

Police officers arrange their riot gear a day after the clash with supporters of Indonesian presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta, on Thursday.
Police officers arrange their riot gear a day after the clash with supporters of Indonesian presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta, on Thursday.

2 U.S. warships traverse Taiwan Strait

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Two U.S. warships have sailed through the Taiwan Strait in an apparent show of support for the government of the self-ruled island, which China claims as its own.

Taiwan's Defense Ministry said in a statement that the ships passed through from south to north on Wednesday without incident, adding they were free to sail in the Taiwan Strait.

China, which last month complained about a French ship's passage through the strait, said it had expressed concerns to the U.S. side.

"According to information learned from the relevant department, China followed closely the passage of the U.S. warships through the Taiwan Strait, and we are fully aware of the whole process," ministry spokesman Lu Kang said at a news conference.

"We urge the U.S. to ... properly deal with Taiwan-related issues with caution so as to avoid further negative impacts to China-U.S. relations and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait," Lu said.

China maintains a more ambiguous sea boundary than defined by international treaty and has asserted a claim to virtually the entire South China Sea, which is contiguous with the Taiwan Strait and where several governments have competing claims.

In a statement, spokesman for the U.S. 7th Fleet Joseph Keiley said the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Preble and the oiler USNS Walter S. Diehl conducted "a routine Taiwan Strait transit on Tuesday-Wednesday in accordance with international law."

"The ships' transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the U.S. commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. The U.S. Navy will continue to fly, sail and operate anywhere international law allows," Keiley said.

Missile test a success, Pakistan brags

ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan's military said it successfully test-fired a long-range ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.

A statement from the military said the surface-to-surface Shaheen-II missile, which has a range of 932 miles, was launched Thursday and ended in the Arabian Sea.

The announcement comes after a six-week general election in neighboring India, Pakistan's chief regional rival.

Both nations have nuclear arms and have fought three wars since gaining independence from Britain in 1947. They regularly test-fire missiles.

Vote counting in India shows Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party have a commanding lead, making another five-year term for the Hindu nationalist leader very likely.

Health agency sets snakebite strategy

LONDON -- The World Health Organization is publishing its first-ever global strategy to tackle the problem of snakebites, aiming to halve the number of people killed or disabled by snakes by 2030.

Nearly 3 million people are bitten by potentially poisonous snakes every year, resulting in as many as 138,000 deaths. Last week, Britain's Wellcome Trust announced a $100 million program to address the problem, saying there were new potential drugs that could be tested.

In a statement, Doctors Without Borders said it was "cautiously optimistic" WHO's snakebite strategy could be a "turning point" in addressing snakebites.

The agency called the problem of snakebites "a hidden epidemic" and said most bites are treatable.

Canada ending Philippines trash clash

MANILA, Philippines -- The Canadian government said Wednesday that it would take back tons of garbage sent to the Philippines several years ago, after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered that it be returned immediately.

In a statement, Catherine McKenna, the Canadian minister of environment and climate change, said a Canadian company had been awarded a contract to repatriate the trash.

"Canada values its deep and longstanding relationship with the Philippines and has been working closely with Filipino authorities to find a solution that is mutually acceptable," she said.

The company, Bollore Logistics Canada, is to begin preparations for shipping, with the removal expected to be completed by the end of June, the Canadian government said. Canada is paying all the costs.

In 2013 and 2014, more than 100 shipping containers were delivered to the Philippines from Canada by a private Canadian company. Though they were marked as recyclable materials, they contained about 2,500 tons of household waste, including plastic bottles and used adult diapers. Some of the containers have been sitting in the town of Capas, north of Manila.

Last week, Duterte recalled his country's ambassador to Canada and other diplomats after Canada missed a May 15 deadline to remove the containers. The Philippine government also said that officials from the Canadian Embassy had failed to attend a planned meeting.

-- Compiled by Democrat-Gazette staff from wire reports

photo

AP/DANIEL BOCKWOLDT

A firefighter works in a destroyed house in Wohltorf, Germany, on Thursday. A fire followed by an explosion destroyed the residential house, where one person is still missing.

A Section on 05/24/2019

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