News in Brief-(2023-10-30)

FE Team | Published: October 29, 2023 23:40:24

China's top diplomat says Xi-Biden meeting
in US would not be 'smooth-sailing'
BEIJING, Oct 29: China's foreign minister considers that the road to an expected meeting between President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden would not be "smooth-sailing" and that both sides must work together to achieve results, the foreign ministry said on Sunday. Wang Yi met with Biden, as well as secretary of state Anthony Blinken and national security advisor Jake Sullivan, during a three-day visit to Washington. Both sides agreed to work toward a bilateral meeting at the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit in San Francisco in November. — AP
One killed, 20 hurt in Kerala blast
NEW DELHI, Oct 29: A blast at a convention center in southern India killed at least one person and wounded over 20 others Sunday, authorities said. Hundreds of Jehovah's Witness faithful were gathered for a prayer session at the Samra International Convention Center in the town of Kalamassery in Kerala state when the explosion took place, police said without providing further details. — AP
Pence quits Presidential campaign
NEVADA, Oct 29: Former US Vice President Mike Pence ended his cash-strapped presidential campaign on Saturday, after struggling for months to convince Republican voters he was the best alternative to the man he once served with unswerving loyalty, Donald Trump. Pence's surprise announcement at the Republican Jewish Coalition donor conference in Las Vegas made him the first big-name candidate to drop out. — Reuters
Russia downs 36 Ukrainian drones
MOSCOW, Oct 29: Russian forces shot down 36 Ukrainian drones over the Black Sea and the Crimean peninsula overnight, Moscow's Defence Ministry said Sunday. "On the night of October 29, an attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack using air-type drones against facilities on the territory of the Russian Federation was stopped," the ministry said on Telegram. — AFP