[naviga:h3]Stops in U.S. likely to irk China[/naviga:h3]

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan’s president will transit through Houston and San Francisco next month while traveling to Central America, stops that will likely irritate Beijing, which has urged Washington to prevent the self-ruled island’s leader from landing in the United States.

President Tsai Ing-wen and her delegation will stop in Houston on Jan. 7 on their way to visit diplomatic allies Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador, Taiwan’s official Central News Agency said. The delegation will transit through San Francisco on Jan. 13 on their return trip, the agency said today, citing the presidential office.

China has repeatedly urged the U.S. not to allow Tsai to transit through the U.S. to avoid “sending the wrong signal to Taiwanese independence forces.” Beijing regards the self-governing island as part of China and officials have raised concerns after Trump this month questioned a U.S. policy that since 1979 has recognized Beijing as China’s government and maintains only unofficial relations with Taiwan.

[naviga:h3]Man detained after attack released[/naviga:h3]

BERLIN — A Tunisian man detained on suspicion of involvement in last week’s Berlin truck attack was released Thursday after investigators determined that he wasn’t in contact with the main suspect immediately before the rampage.

The 40-year-old was detained in Berlin on Wednesday. Federal prosecutors said at the time that his telephone number was saved in suspect Anis Amri’s cell phone and that they suspected he may have been involved.

Prosecutors’ spokeswoman Frauke Koehler said Thursday that investigators had suspected Amri might have sent him a message and a picture over a messenger service shortly before the Dec. 19 attack on a Christmas market.

But “further investigations determined that the man who was provisionally detained isn’t this possible contact person of Anis Amri, so he had to be released from custody,” Koehler told reporters.

Amri, a 24-year-old Tunisian, is believed to have driven the truck that plowed into the market, killing 12 people. His fingerprints and wallet were found in the truck.