World Briefs

AUSTRALIA The first Chinese-born lawmaker to be elected to Australia’s Parliament has come under attack over her links to a Chinese foreign influence network. Gladys Liu, born in Hong Kong in 1964, come under media scrutiny recently over her membership in organizations overseen by the United Front
Work Department.

CHINA is launching a nationwide initiative to boost pork production following a price spike blamed on a devastating outbreak of African swine fever. The government will take steps to accelerate the revival of hog production, prevent and control African swine fever and upgrade farms to further ensure pork supply and stable prices.

JAPAN Prime Minister Shinzo Abe shuffled his Cabinet yesterday, adding two women and the son of a former leader to freshen his image but maintaining continuity on U.S.-oriented trade and security policies.

INDONESIA Authorities shut most schools in parts of Sumatra island to protect children from a thick, noxious haze as deliberately set fires burned through peatland forests. The Disaster Mitigation Agency said more than 3,600 fires have been detected on Sumatra and Borneo islands.

THE BAHAMAS government says there are 2,500 people on its list of those missing after Hurricane Dorian. But the names have yet to be cross-checked against the lists of people evacuated from the devastated islands or staying in shelters.

TURKEY’s highest court began considering an appeal by Wikipedia aiming to reverse the government’s more than two-year ban on the online encyclopedia. Ankara blocked Wikipedia in April 2011 after the website refused to remove content that allegedly portrayed the country as supportive of the Islamic State group and terrorist organizations.

9/11 For students from elementary to high school, the Sept. 11 terrorist attack isn’t a memory. It’s history. A new HBO documentary that debuted on the event’s 18th anniversary treats it that way. The need for “What Happened on September 11,” struck filmmaker Amy Schatz when a third grade girl told her about a playdate where she and a friend Googled “Sept. 11 attacks.”

USA A suspect stabbed at least five people at a building supply company in Florida before being taken into custody by police officers. The Tallahassee Police Department said that they were called to an industrial area in the city for a stabbing yesterday morning. When they arrived, they found multiple people with stab wounds.

BRITAIN A Scottish court dealt another blow to Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Brexit plans, ruling that his decision to suspend Parliament less than two months before the U.K. is due to leave the European Union was an unlawful attempt to avoid democratic scrutiny. The government immediately said it would appeal.