CHINA: BEIJING will allow visa-free entry for nationals of five Latin American countries for one year to boost closer connections with the region.

Starting June 1, citizens of Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Uruguay will be allowed to enter China for up to 30 days without a visa, the Foreign Ministry announced today. The trial will be in effect for one year.

“We welcome more foreign friends to visit China, to experience the colourful and vibrant China,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a daily briefing.

CONGO: The government accused Rwanda and the M23 rebel group of murdering dozens, kidnapping thousands and committing rape, torture and looting in the occupied city of Goma.

The alleged crimes were committed between May 10 and 13 against civilians accused of belonging to the Congolese army, the ministry said Wednesday.

“The toll includes 107 murders, more than 4,000 men and boys abducted and forcibly loaded onto trucks to an unknown destination, hundreds of cases of summary executions, rape, torture, looting, restrictions on freedom of movement, as well as incursions into health facilities,” the ministry said.

INDONESIA: Australia’s newly re-elected Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met President Prabowo Subianto today in Jakarta.

Mr Albanese arrived in Jakarta on Wednesday evening, a day after his new government was sworn in for a second three-year term.

“I am here in Indonesia because no relationship is more important to Australia than this one,” he said.

He did not comment on media reports that Russia had told Indonesia that it wants to base its long-range warplanes in Papua, the most eastern Indonesian province.

SOUTH AFRICA: US President Donald Trump’s dismantling of USAid has put more than 8,000 health workers in the country’s national HIV programme out of work, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said today.

The cuts have also closed down 12 specialised HIV clinics that were run by charities in South Africa, Mr Motsoaledi said.

He said health authorities are now registering the more than 60,000 patients who were served by those clinics at state health facilities to continue their life-saving treatment.