Briefly

SOUTH KOREA

Samsung union to go on indefinite strike

A union representing tens of thousands of workers at Samsung Electronics in South Korea said on Wednesday it would extend a three-day strike indefinitely, stepping up its campaign against the tech giant for better pay and benefits. The union said it has decided to indefinitely extend the strike that started on Monday because management had shown no indication of holding talks. The union officials said 6,500 workers took part in the strike, and they urged more members to join. The move follows a one-day walkout last month, the first such collective action at the company.

SOUTH AFRICA

12 children killed in school minibus crash

Twelve children were killed in South Africa on Wednesday when a minibus taking them to school near Johannesburg overturned and caught fire after being hit by another vehicle, authorities said. The minibus driver was also killed and seven other children were rushed to hospital, according to officials of Gauteng Province. Television images showed the minibus was totally destroyed in the fire. The Gauteng government could not immediately give the ages of the children, but said most of them were from a primary school, where students are normally aged between 6 and 13.

FRENCH GUIANA

Europe 'back in space' after Ariane 6 debut

Space bosses hailed Europe's return to space after the Ariane 6 rocket successfully carried out a series of trials in a debut flight on Tuesday. Europe's newest uncrewed rocket blasted off from French Guiana on the South American coast at 4 pm, restoring the continent's independent access to space after delays, political setbacks and debates over funding. "It's a historic day for Europe," European Space Agency head Josef Aschbacher said. "Europe is back in space," said Philippe Baptiste, head of France's CNES space agency.

Agencies via Xinhua