World News Roundup: China's Xi warns against tech 'confrontation' in talks with Dutch PM; Israeli strikes on Rafah raise fear assault could begin and more

New Delhi said earlier this year it would fence the border and end a decades-old visa-free movement policy with coup-hit Myanmar for border citizens for reasons of national security and to maintain the demographic structure of its northeastern region. Several dead in coach crash on eastern German motorway Several people were killed and more injured in a coach crash on a motorway near the eastern German city of Leipzig on Wednesday, police said.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

India to spend $3.7 billion to fence Myanmar border, source says

India plans to spend nearly $3.7 billion to fence its 1,610-km (1,000-mile) porous border with Myanmar within about a decade, said a source with direct knowledge of the matter, to prevent smuggling and other illegal activities. New Delhi said earlier this year it would fence the border and end a decades-old visa-free movement policy with coup-hit Myanmar for border citizens for reasons of national security and to maintain the demographic structure of its northeastern region.

Several dead in coach crash on eastern German motorway

Several people were killed and more injured in a coach crash on a motorway near the eastern German city of Leipzig on Wednesday, police said. "Several people were fatally injured in the serious accident on the A9 motorway. There are numerous casualties," police in the state of Saxony said on social media platform X.

Disgraced ex-justice minister seeks to shake up South Korea election

A minor South Korean opposition party launched by disgraced former justice minister Cho Kuk has emerged as potentially the strongest spoiler to the chances of either of its two major parties securing a majority in next month's parliamentary election. Cho, a liberal and confidante of former President Moon Jae-in, is likely to ally – but not merge - with the democrats who currently have a majority in parliament. He has mainly been courting Democratic Party (DP) members disenfranchised by party leader Lee Jae-myung, once an archrival of Moon.

Foreign correspondents in the Philippines condemn China over claims of video manipulation

Foreign correspondents in Manila rejected on Wednesday a claim made by China that the Philippines had journalists manipulate videos taken during resupply missions in the South China Sea to make it look like a "victim". The Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP) "takes deep offence at the insinuation that the press is a 'troublemaker' and in cahoots with the government to forward a political agenda," it said in a statement.

China's Xi warns against tech 'confrontation' in talks with Dutch PM

Creating technological barriers and severing industrial supply chains would only lead to confrontation, Chinese President Xi Jinping warned on Wednesday, as new Dutch policies on chip exports to China threaten to strain bilateral ties. "Decoupling and breaking links" led to nowhere and cooperation was the only option, Xi told Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte during a meeting in Beijing, according to Chinese state media.

Israeli strikes on Rafah raise fear assault could begin

Israel bombed at least three homes in Rafah overnight, raising new fear among the more than a million people sheltering in the last refuge on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip that a long-threatened ground assault could be coming. One of the airstrikes killed 11 people from a family, health officials said.

Baltimore rescuers lose hope for more survivors from bridge collapse

U.S. federal safety investigators recovered the black box from the freight ship that crashed into a Baltimore bridge, the agency chief said on Wednesday as rescuers looked for the remains of six workers missing in the bridge collapse. A highway team also will be looking at the twisted remains of the Francis Scott Key bridge as they try to determine how and why a container ship smashed into a pillar of the 1.6-mile (2.6 km) span in early morning darkness on Tuesday.

Amid blackouts and scarce food, Cuba protests rattle 'cradle' of the Revolution

A crowd swarms the steps of a small state-run market on the outskirts of Santiago, Cuba's second-largest city, sweating and shouting, jostling for a chance at a once-monthly ration of chicken. A pound bag of thighs is going for a bargain 20 pesos - about a nickel at the black-market exchange rate - but furor devolves to chaos as word spreads there may not be enough for everyone.

Southeast Asia human trafficking now a global crisis, Interpol says

Organized crime rings that fuelled an "explosion" of human trafficking and cyber scam centres during the pandemic have expanded from Southeast Asia into a global network making up to $3 trillion a year, the head of Interpol said on Wednesday. "Driven by online anonymity, inspired by new business models and accelerated by COVID, these organized crime groups are now working at a scale that was unimaginable a decade ago," Interpol secretary-general Jurgen Stock told a briefing at the global police coordination body's Singapore office.

Indonesia's losing candidates urge court to disqualify president-elect

Indonesia's losing presidential candidates laid out their court challenge on Wednesday to last month's election, accusing the state of interference and urging a poll re-run and disqualification of the winner, Prabowo Subianto. Former governors Anies Baswedan and Ganjar Pranowo said the resounding victory of Defence Minister Prabowo was helped by pressure on regional officials from a partisan administration and President Joko Widodo, with social aid used as a tool to ensure just one outcome.