World briefs

CHINA A Chinese official says Beijing wants a prompt settlement of its trade war with Washington. A deputy commerce minister said late yesterday that Beijing wants “satisfactory results as soon as possible.” The official gave no details of talks on a “Phase 1” deal announced by President Donald Trump in October.

NEW ZEALAND A volcanic island erupted yesterday in a tower of ash and steam while dozens of tourists were exploring the moon-like surface, killing at least five people and leaving many more missing. Police said the site was still too dangerous hours later for rescuers to search for the missing.

NEW ZEALAND Nearly 1,000 tourists are stranded in the small New Zealand town of Franz Josef after stormy weekend weather triggered landslides and flooding along the town’s main highway. Authorities said road access to the town likely won’t be restored until Friday.

THAILAND Rescue teams in southern Thailand were searching yesterday for a Polish man and a Thai woman who went missing when the kayak they were paddling carried them away from shore into the open sea. 26-year-old Mateusz Juszkiewicz and 23-year-old Werakan Sirirakon went missing around 6 p.m. Saturday while kayaking to an islet off Yanui beach on the popular resort island of Phuket.

NORTH KOREA insulted U.S. President Donald Trump again yesterday, calling him a “heedless and erratic old man” after he tweeted that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un wouldn’t want to abandon a special relationship between the two leaders and affect the American presidential election by resuming hostile acts.

INDIA Day laborers in New Delhi demonstrated against unsafe working conditions yesterday, a day after at least 43 people were killed in a devastating fire at an illegal factory there. Dozens of workers who were asleep when the fire broke out were trapped Sunday in the burning four-story building.

UK British PM Boris Johnson and opposition leaders were pushing for the finish line in Britain’s election campaign yesterday, dashing through multiple constituencies to drum up support in the final 72 hours before polling day. Johnson was touring Labour-held seats across England that his Conservatives need to secure a majority while Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was in southwest and central England.

FINLAND A 34-year-old transport minister and lawmaker has been tapped to become Finland’s youngest prime minister ever and its third female government leader. Finland’s ruling Social Democratic Party council voted 32-29 yesterday to name Sanna Marin (pictured) over rival Antti Lindtman to take over the government’s top post from incumbent Antti Rinne.