7 dead in landslides

SEVEN people have died and three were still missing after multiple landslides hit the city of Yulin, South China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, local authorities in Yulin said Monday.

The landslides were triggered by severe rainstorms Sunday and Monday. The search operation for the missing is under way.

Visa-free regime

GEORGIA’S Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili on Monday announced that the country has decided to introduce a visa-free regime for Chinese citizens, and more details will be declared later.

“China is the second-largest economy in the world. One of our main interests is to strengthen trade and economic relations with China, to attract more investments from China, as well as to attract more tourists,” Gharibashvili said at a governmental session in Tbilisi.

Chinese tourists are considered one of the most desirable tourists in the world, said the prime minister.

Telecom fraud

AS of Monday, 179 telecom fraud suspects, captured in the latest joint raid operations in Laos, had been escorted back to China, the Ministry of Public Security said.

The suspects were detained in a joint operation between Chinese and Laotian police over the past few months, the ministry said in a press release.

The ministry sent an expert team to Laos in July to work with their Laotian peers in a law enforcement cooperation program. The team has assisted the Laotian police in 10 raids, the closure of 10 criminal sites and apprehending the suspects, including nine criminal gang leaders or major members.