HONG KONG -- A senior official of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government said Saturday that stopping violence and restoring order are crucial to the recovery of Hong Kong economy.

Stopping violence is the first priority, Chief Secretary for Administration Matthew Cheung said at a forum. "If the society calms down as soon as possible, Hong Kong will be able to boost consumption, attract tourists, and rebuild its image to start again." (Hong Kong-Violence-Order Restoration)

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JAKARTA -- The death toll from floods and landslides in Indonesian capital Jakarta and its surrounding areas rose to 53 on Saturday.

Torrential rains hitting Jakarta on the eve of the New Year and rising rivers submerged parts of Jakarta and its surrounding areas, triggering landslides.

Spokesman for the National Disaster Management Agency Agus Wibowo said the death toll included those drowned or electrocuted, and there is one person still missing in Lebak, a district in Banten province. (Indonesia-Floods-Toll)

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KABUL -- Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani said the country's territory would not be used against any other nations, according to the country's Presidential Palace on Saturday.

"Under the provisions of the Bilateral Security Agreement with the U.S., the government reassures the dignified Afghan nation and the neighboring countries that Afghanistan's soil will not be used against any foreign country," the palace said in a statement.

The statement came in the wake of a U.S. drone attack near Baghdad International Airport in Iraq on Friday, which killed Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who was the deputy chief of the pro-Iran Hashd Shaabi forces. (Afghanistan-Territory)

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CANBERRA -- Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on Saturday that up to 3,000 army reservists will be called out to assist in the bushfire crisis.

Following Saturday's meeting of the National Security Committee, Morrison said in a joint media release that "the task in front of our country today and in the weeks ahead requires us to do whatever it takes".

"The compulsory Call-Out of Australian Defence Force (ADF) Reserve Brigades for the first time in the country's history, together with specialist personnel," according to the media release. (Australia-Recall-Reservists) Enditem

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