Around the world

Citizens are cautioned not to visit Australia

BEIJING — China is advising its citizens not to visit Australia, citing racial discrimination and violence against Asians, in what appears to be Beijing’s latest attempt to punish the country for advocating an investigation into the coronavirus pandemic.

A notice issued by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism late Friday said there has “been an increase in words and deeds of racial discrimination and acts of violence against Chinese and Asians in Australia, due to the impact of COVID-19 pandemic.”

“The ministry advises Chinese tourists to raise their safety awareness and avoid traveling to Australia,” the notice said.

As part of its perceived retaliation, China has already effectively ended imports of Australian barley by putting tariffs of more than 80% on the crop, accusing Australia of breaching World Trade Organization rules by subsidizing barley production and selling the crop in China at below production costs. That came a week after China banned beef imports from Australia’s four largest abattoirs over labeling issues.

India

Talks with China aim to ease border tensions

SRINAGAR — Indian and Chinese military commanders met Saturday to try to resolve a bitter standoff along their disputed frontier high in the Himalayas where thousands of troops on both sides are facing off.

The meeting at a border post was attended by senior commanders and was the highest-level encounter so far. Local border commanders held a series of meetings in the past month but failed to break the impasse.

On Friday, Indian and Chinese foreign ministry officials discussed the border tensions.

There were no immediate details available on Saturday’s meeting. Both India and China have provided little official information on the standoff, but media in the two countries have closely covered the escalating tensions.

Indonesia

Single-day record in new cases reported

JAKARTA — Nearly 1,000 new cases of the coronavirus were reported on Saturday, a new single-day high for the country that brought its total caseload past 30,000, as the government unveiled an enhanced stimulus package worth $47.6 billion to anchor the virus-battered economy.

The health ministry said there were 993 newly infected people over the past 24 hours. Indonesia has confirmed 30,514 cases, including 1,801 deaths, the most in Southeast Asia.

Afghanistan

14 security forces die in bombing, gunbattle

KABUL — Two militant attacks killed 14 Afghan security personnel Saturday in the northeastern Badakhshan province and the capital of Kabul, officials said.

A roadside bomb killed 11 security force members in Badakhshan when it tore through a security vehicle responding to attacks on checkpoints in Khash district. Sanaullah Rohani, spokesman for Badakhshan’s provincial police chief, said a local commander was among the dead, and that four militants were killed in the fighting.

An hourlong gunbattle also erupted in Kabul’s Gul Dara district when insurgents attacked a police checkpoint, killing three police officers, said Interior Ministry spokesman Tariq Arian.

Britain

Prince William reveals he’s fielding crisis callsLONDON — Prince William has revealed that he has been anonymously helping out on a crisis help line during the coronavirus lockdown.

The Duke of Cambridge’s work with Shout 85258 — an around-the-clock text messaging help line developed by the Royal Foundation — was made public to mark Volunteers Week.

Last month, he told fellow volunteers in a video call that was shared on social media late Friday: “I’m going to share a little secret with you guys, but I’m actually on the platform volunteering.”

He is one of more than 2,000 volunteers who have been formally trained to help those in need.

North Korea

Leaflet drops could bring retaliation

In the latest blow for inter-Korean cooperation, North Korea threatened to permanently shut a liaison office with South Korea as it continued to condemn its rival for failing to prevent activists from sending anti-North Korean leaflets across the border.

The statement by North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party late Friday came a day after the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un said her country would end a military agreement reached with South Korea in 2018 to reduce tensions if Seoul fails to stop the activists.

Kim Yo Jong also said North Korea could permanently shut the liaison office and a joint factory park in the border town of Kaesong, which have been symbols of reconciliation between the two countries.

Desperate to save a faltering diplomacy, South Korea in response said it would push new laws to ban activists from flying leaflets by balloon to the North.