World briefs

TRUMP-KIM North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump have signaled their affection for each other so regularly it might be easy to miss rising fears that the head-spinning diplomatic engagement of the past two years is falling apart, with N.Korea’s firing new missiles. More on p14

CHINA-SERBIA Serbian and Chinese security forces are holding joint anti-terror drills in the Balkan country in a sign of Beijing’s growing influence in the volatile region. The drill including special police troops from both countries is part of a security agreement signed earlier this year.

TAIWAN Japanese electronics manufacturer Panasonic Corp. is abandoning the semiconductor business with the sale of its last business in that sector to a Taiwanese company. Panasonic said it was transferring the semiconductor business operated by Panasonic Semiconductor Solutions Co. to Nuvoton Technology Corp.

VIETNAM The village of Dien Thinh is bidding farewell to two of its sons, victims of the human trafficking tragedy unveiled last month when the bodies of 39 Vietnamese were discovered in a truck in England. This village’s church did double duty yesterday as coffins with the bodies of cousins Nguyen Van Hung and Hoang Van Tiep were carried in for a funeral attended by about 300 people.

CAMBODIA Prime Minister Hun Sen responded positively to a letter from President Donald Trump that assured him the U.S. does not seek regime change and encouraged him to promote democracy and improve strained relations between the countries.

SRI LANKA’s new government has announced sweeping tax cuts and reforms in a bid to provide relief to the masses ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for early next year. The Cabinet decided to cut the value added tax to 8% from 15%, effective Dec. 1, and to abolish seven other taxes, including a 2% nation building tax paid by businesses.

ALBANIA Hopes were fading of finding anyone else alive beneath the rubble of collapsed buildings in Albania, two days after a deadly quake struck the country’s Adriatic coast. The death toll stands at 40 after more bodies were pulled from the ruins.bAuthorities said search and rescue operations were continuing in three collapsed buildings in the port city of Durres.

GERMANY Berlin’s main zoo has released new photos of twin panda cubs born this summer. The zoo said yesterday that the two cubs each now weigh about 5 kilograms — quite an increase from their 186 gram and 136 gram weights when they were born August 31. Zookeepers initially hand fed the cubs with bottles of milk pumped from mother Meng Meng but they now feed on their own. She and father Jiao Qing came to Germany from China two years ago.