IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Albania

$6.83m missing from central bank

The Albanian government announced on Wednesday that the theft of at least 713 million leks ($6.83 million) from the Bank of Albania, the nation's central bank, was a serious crime and appealed for an exemplary punishment for those responsible, according to the Albanian Telegraphic Agency. The Albanian government announced that it had launched a probe into Bank of Albania Governor Ardian Fullani and other bank officials over the suspected theft. The central bank discovered the money was missing during a recent inventory check of the bank's monetary assets.

United Kingdom

Celebrities make plea to Scots

Mick Jagger, Dame Judi Dench and Stephen Hawking are among dozens of celebrities and public figures who have signed a petition appealing to Scottish voters to vote to stay in the United Kingdom in a referendum on Sept 18. The public is now being invited to sign the open letter, whose other signatories include Helena Bonham Carter, David Attenborough and Simon Cowell. The letter tells Scottish voters taking part in the referendum that the undersigned "want to let you know how very much we value our bonds of citizenship with you, and to express our hope that you will vote to renew them".

Richard III to be buried in Leicester

England's King Richard III, whose body was discovered under a municipal parking lot two years ago, will be reburied next year near where he was slain in battle 500 years ago, Leicester cathedral authorities said on Thursday. The king's reinterment in the cathedral on March 26 will defy the objections of some of Richard's distant descendants, who wanted him buried in York, his northern power base during his 26-month reign. Richard, notoriously cast as a Machiavellian hunchback in his namesake Shakespearean play, was the last English monarch to die in battle.

United States

Hawaii braces for hurricane

Hawaii prepared for what could be the first hurricane to hit the state in more than 20 years as weather officials said an approaching storm wasn't weakening as previously predicted. Hurricane Iselle had been expected to weaken into a tropical storm before reaching Hawaii's Big Island on Thursday, but officials now say it has intensified and is forecast to maintain hurricane strength or become a strong tropical storm as it approaches. Iselle loomed about 560 kilometers east of Hilo early Thursday, with sustained winds of 135 kph and traveling at about 30 km an hour.

Xinhua - AP - Reuters

(China Daily 08/08/2014 page12)