World briefs

TIBET The U.S. ambassador to China is making a rare visit to Tibet to meet local officials and raise concerns about restrictions on Buddhist practices and the preservation of the Himalayan region’s unique culture and language.

TAIWAN The U.S. health secretary says the United States has an “excellent relationship with China,” but insists rival Taiwan should be granted observer status at the U.N. health agency’s biggest yearly gathering. Alex Azar spoke to reporters in Geneva on the sidelines of the start of the World Health Organization’s annual assembly, which China’s government has prevented Taiwan from attending.

INDIA A prominent rights group in Indian-controlled Kashmir is advocating for the United Nations to establish a commission of inquiry to investigate what it calls the endemic use of torture by government forces amid a decades-long anti-India uprising in the disputed region. 

AUSTRALIA Prime Minister Scott Morrison (pictured) looked set yesterday to form a majority government as vote counting from Australia’s weekend election allayed fears that his conservative coalition may have to rule in the minority following its shock victory. 

WHO The World Health Organization spent nearly USD192 million on travel expenses last year, with staffers sometimes breaking the agency’s own rules by traveling in business class, booking expensive last-minute tickets and traveling without the required approvals, according to internal documents obtained by The Associated Press.

UKRAINE Emboldened by his stunning victory last month, Ukrainian TV star Volodymyr Zelenskiy (pictured) moved swiftly yesterday to dissolve the country’s parliament, moments after he was sworn in as the country’s new president. Zelenskiy justified his contentious decision on the grounds it has become a hotbed of self-enrichment.

BRAZIL A gang of gunmen reportedly attacked a bar in the capital of Brazil’s northern Pará state yesterday (Macau time), and authorities said 11 people were killed. The state security agency confirmed late Sunday only that six women and five men died in the incident in the Guamá neighborhood of the Pará state capital, Belém.