World Briefs

CHINA Lion dancers and flower-bearing children welcomed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to central China where President Xi Jinping hosted him with a touch of personal diplomacy that is rare for a Chinese leader. Clad in traditional Indian dress, Modi earlier visited the museum dedicated to China’s famed Terra Cotta Warriors and a Buddhist temple housing works translated from Sanskrit.

AUSTRALIAN quarantine authorities have ordered Johnny Depp to fly his dogs Pistol and Boo out of the country by Saturday or they will be put down. Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce yesterday accused Depp of smuggling the Yorkshire terriers aboard his private jet when he returned to Australia on April 21 to resume filming of the 5th installment in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie series at Gold Coast studios.

JAPAN’s Cabinet is set to endorse a set of defense bills allowing the country’s military to go beyond its self-defense stance and play a greater role internationally, a plan that has split public opinion.
JAPAN research Honda Motor Co. is recalling an additional 4.89 million vehicles around the world for a new type of problem in Takata air bag inflators, for which Japanese rivals Toyota and Nissan have already carried out recalls.

HUNGARY  The Hungarian government has reiterated its “firm opposition” to a plan by the European Union to require countries to share the burden of immigrants who are arriving in Europe by crossing the Mediterranean Sea. Janos Lazar, who leads Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s office, said yesterday it was “out of the question” for Hungary to take in such refugees and the country would try to block any EU quota system.

USA President Barack Obama and leaders from six Gulf nations were heading to Camp David yesterday to work through tensions sparked by the U.S. bid for a nuclear deal with Iran.

USA In the past three days, Christie’s in New York City has sold over USD1 billion worth of art, a frenzied spectacle that showcases the world’s rising class of uber-wealthy and its appetite for trophy art. Wednesday’s evening sale featured Freud’s “Benefits Supervisor Resting,” which is considered one of the British artist’s most celebrated works. It sold for $56.2 million, including buyer’s premium.