News in brief (2022-11-26)

Saudi to host China-Arab summit in early December

DUBAI, Nov 25: Saudi Arabia will host the first-ever Chinese-Arab summit in early December, Beijing's consul in Dubai has said, as the oil-rich kingdom shores up ties with Asia. Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to visit Saudi Arabia that same month, according to Riyadh's foreign minister, but the consul statement did not specify whether the trip will coincide with the summit. "The first China-Arab Summit will be held in Saudi Arabia in early December," Li Xuhang, China's consul-general in Dubai was quoted as saying in a statement posted on the consulate's website Tuesday. — AFP

China sentences Canadian pop star Kris Wu to 13 years for rape

BEIJING, Nov 25: A Beijing court sentenced Canadian singer Kris Wu on Friday to 13 years in jail after finding him guilty of crimes including rape, just over a year after his arrest in China, where he was born and built a lucrative career. The court in the district of Chaoyang said investigation showed that from November to December 2020, the 32-year-old, who is also known as Wu Yifan, had raped three women. "Wu Yifan took advantage of three drunken women ... at his home," the court said on its official WeChat account. — Reuters

Algeria sentences 49 to death for mob killing amid wildfires

ALGIERS, Nov 25: An Algerian court sentenced 49 people to death Thursday for the brutal mob killing of a painter who had been suspected of starting devastating wildfires-but had actually come to help fight them, according to defense lawyers and the state news agency. — AP