Putin ‘keen’ on talks with Abe over  south Kuril Islands

Russian president Vladimir Putin said he was “very keen” to hold talks with Japanese prime miniter Shinzo Abe, in a bid to resolve the dispute over the Kuril Islands, Kyodo news agency reported. “All problems have a solution,” the Russian leader said during a press briefing at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum. The sparsely-populated Kuril Islands were assigned to the Soviet Union at the conclusion of World War II, but Japan has insisted on the return of the four southernmost islands, which it says are not a part of the Kurils, and should never have been seized by the USSR.
Putin also said that “Japan bears responsibility for the cooling of relations between our countries” and suggested that Tokyo “needs to come up with new ideas for resolving the territorial dispute, which has reached an impass

18 dead, 4 missing in heavy storms across China

Deadly storms have swept through China, killing 18 people and leaving four missing in several provinces, the Ministry of Civil Affairs reported on Friday. More than eight inches of rain have fallen over the period of 48 hours in certain towns, while thousands of homes were ruined, displacing tens of thousands of residents. Houses collapsing, mudslides, lightning and drowning have all contributed to the deaths. Hubei province had it worst, with 664,000 people affected. Neighboring Hunan province was next, with 527,000 people affected.

​Hawaii raises smoking age to 21, bans e-cigs

As of January 1, 2016, people in Hawaii under the age of 21 will not be allowed to smoke tobacco or electronic cigarettes. Most US states currently have a legal smoking age of 18, but some have it higher at 19. Hawaii became the first state to set it at 21, although some cities and counties in the US, including New York City have done so.

Shallow 6.4 quake hits off Chile coast

A strong 6.4 magnitude earthquake hit off the Chilean coast early on Saturday, US Geological Survey reports. The quake’s epicenter was only 10 kilometers deep, striking less than 90 kilometers the city of Concepcion, a regional center. The adjacent metropolitan area of Greater Concepción is home to a total of 950,000 people. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, Chile’s Onemi emergency office was quoted by Reuters as saying. No tsunami warning has been issued.