Briefs

Brazil’s president reeling after hush money claim

BRASÍLIA: Brazil’s President Michel Temer reeled on Thursday from a report that he authorised payment of hush money to a jailed politician in a scandal threatening to plunge Latin America’s biggest country into political meltdown.

Russia launches ferry connection with North Korea

MOSCOW: The first ever ferry service linking Russia and North Korea was launched on Thursday, the company operating it said, hoping to serve tourists and North Korean workers.  The ferry will travel weekly between Russia’s far eastern city of Vladivostok and the North Korean port of Rajin, also called Rason, said Vladimir Baranov, director of InvestStroiTrest, the company that operates the Man Gyong Bong boat that will service the route.  Potential passengers include "North Koreans coming to work in Russia and tourists from northern China who miss the sea because they don’t have their own," Baranov told AFP.  "Also it will service cargo because currently the logistics are horrible, it takes 22 days for cargo to get from Vladivostok to Rajin," he said.