Comment on Afghans, Taliban Held Talks in China

PARIS — A massive manhunt was underway in France on Wednesday for armed assailants who ambushed a prison convoy, killing two prison officers, seriously injuring three others and springing the inmate they were escorting. The prime minister vowed the gang would be caught, saying, “They will pay.” “We are tracking you, we will find you and we will punish you,” Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said in parliament, to applause from lawmakers.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Singapore’s deputy leader Lawrence Wong was sworn in Wednesday as the nation’s fourth prime minister in a carefully planned political succession designed to ensure continuity and stability in the Asian financial hub. A U. S.-trained economist, Wong, 51, succeeds Lee Hsien Loong, 72, who stepped down after two decades at the helm.

As the summer climbing season approaches, local authorities in Japan have announced a new entry fee and daily visitor cap for their popular trail up Mount Fuji in an attempt to reduce congestion around the iconic mountain and curb the damaging effects of overtourism. The paid reservation system, officially unveiled on Monday, kicks in for those wishing to ascend Mount Fuji between July 1 and September 10, and slots can be booked online starting May 20. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] A Yamanashi prefecture government official told CNN in 2023 that “overtourism—and all the subsequent consequences like rubbish, rising CO2 emissions and reckless hikers—is the biggest problem facing Mount Fuji.” A booking, which costs 2,000 Yen (or about $13), covers entrance to the Yoshida Trail, which is used by about 60% of visitors and is one of four entrances to the mountain.

MANILA, Philippines — A flotilla of about 100 mostly small fishing boats led by Filipino activists sailed Wednesday to a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, where Beijing’s coast guard and suspected militia ships have used powerful water cannons to ward off what they regard as intruders. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The Philippine coast guard and navy deployed one patrol ship each to keep watch from a distance on the activists and fishermen, who set off on wooden boats with bamboo outriggers to assert Manila’s sovereignty over the Scarborough Shoal.

mdash; The Biden administration has told key lawmakers it is sending a new package of more than $1 billion in arms and ammunition to Israel, two congressional aides said Tuesday. It’s the first arms shipment to Israel to be announced by the administration since it put another arms transfer — consisting of 3,500 bombs — on hold earlier in the month.

(WASHINGTON) — Boeing has violated a settlement that allowed the company to avoid criminal prosecution after two deadly crashes involving its 737 Max aircraft, the Justice Department told a federal judge on Tuesday. It is now up to the Justice Department to decide whether to file charges against the aircraft maker amid increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes.