CHINA: A cargo ship docked for repairs in a Chinese port caught fire, killing at least 20 people and leaving five others missing, Chinese state media reported on Wednesday.

The ship was being repaired in the Beihai Shipbuilding Co at the port of Qingdao, a major shipping hub on the north-eastern Chinese coast. 

A total of 42 people had been on the vessel, Xinhua reported. 

THAILAND: A police officer who allegedly gunned down his wife at the kindergarten where she was a teacher in eastern Thailand surrendered on Wednesday after an overnight standoff with authorities, officials said.

Tatsapong Tongthat, an officer at the Bang Lamung station in Chonburi province, allegedly killed his wife late on Wednesday morning inside a building at the Nongplalai Municipal Kindergarten about 93 miles south-east of the capital Bangkok, according to the provincial government.

ALGERIA: Algeria decided to cut diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates after what it described as the “exhaustion of all means to preserve bilateral ties,” Algerian media reported on Wednesday.

No details were given for the move.

The UAE Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond for comment.

UKRAINE: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was in Canada on Wednesday for talks with Prime Minister Mark Carney, his latest international trip aimed at locking in future support for the fight against Russia’s invasion. 

“The main focus will be on supporting Ukraine in protecting our skies and preparing for the winter,” President Zelensky said, and “how to strengthen our resilience, support our people, and ensure that Ukraine has the capabilities it needs to defend itself.”