IN BRIEF (Page 12)

India

Dam rush kills at least 4

Rescuers in rafts and boats were searching a Himalayan river on Monday for dozens of Indian students swept away when a dam released a rush of water without warning, and police said four bodies had been found. The 25 students from the southern city of Hyderabad had been taking photographs on Sunday evening on the banks of the Beas River when they were hit by the rush of water from the Larji hydropower station near the mountain resort town of Manali in Himachal Pradesh.

Egypt

Sisi asks PM to form new govt

Egypt's new President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi kept Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb in his post on Monday and asked him to form a new government, state TV said, signaling his desire for continuity as he sets out to fix the economy and heal political divisions. The new administration is expected to retain ministers in key posts like finance, officials and the media said. It is not clear when a new government will be named.

United Kingdom

Cybercrime costs $445b

Cybercrime costs the global economy about $445 billion every year, with the damage to business from the theft of intellectual property exceeding the $160 billion loss to individuals from hacking, according to research published on Monday. The report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies said cybercrime was a growth industry that damaged trade, competitiveness and innovation.

Turkey

Rouhani begins landmark trip

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani began a landmark trip to Turkey on Monday stressing the need to improve ties that have been undermined by competition for regional influence and deep differences over Syria's civil war. Rouhani was scheduled to meet his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, where the powerful neighbors are expected to discuss security concerns as well as trade opportunities.

Syria

Assad declares amnesty

Syrian media reported that President Bashar al-Assad has declared a general amnesty for prisoners in the country. The decree comes just five days after Assad won a third, seven-year term in office amid the three-year-old civil war in his country. It was not clear how many prisoners will be freed. The report did not say if the amnesty would apply to the tens of thousands of opposition supporters and their relatives who activists say are held in the country.

(China Daily 06/10/2014 page12)