IN BRIEF (Page 12)

India

New warship to join navy

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will commission a naval warship this week, local media reported on Monday. The INS Kolkata, a homemade stealth destroyer, will join the Indian navy on Saturday. It will be commissioned into the naval fleet by Modi, the reports said. The warship, with an operating range of 15,000 km, will be the first Indian ship to be armed with anti-ship Brahmos missiles, apart from an integral hanger and a landing deck for a helicopter.

Bangladesh

Search ends for sunken ferry

Bangladeshi authorities called off a search operation on Monday for a crowded ferry that capsized with about 250 passengers on board seven days ago, leaving 46 people dead and 61 others missing. "We've decided to call off the search operation while considering all situations, including inclement weather," said Saiful Hasan Badal, chief administrator of the district.

Thailand

Former leader returns home

Former Thai prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra has returned home from a trip overseas, putting an end to speculation she would stay away from Thailand as prosecutors decide whether to indict her for mismanaging a state rice-buying plan. Yingluck arrived at Bangkok's Don Muang airport close to midnight on Sunday, her aide, Wim Roongwattanajinda, told Reuters, adding that her lawyers were ready to fight the case. She faces jail and a political ban if the rice case goes to court and she is convicted of dereliction of duty.

Germany

Freeway shooter goes on trial

A truck driver accused of a five-year indiscriminate shooting spree on German motorways to teach other road users a "lesson" went on trial on Monday. Prosecutors said the man, identified as Michael Harry K, was a "frustrated loner" and claimed he fired more than 700 times at trucks and cars, leaving several people injured, until his arrest in June 2013. The 58-year-old faces five counts of attempted murder, as well as grievous bodily harm and other charges.

France

Last cargo ship to dock with ISS

Europe's final robot cargo ship to the International Space Station was scheduled to dock on Tuesday, with its maneuvers webcast live from several angles, France's CNES space agency said on Monday. The automated transfer vehicle, the fifth and last that Europe had pledged for lifeline deliveries to the orbiting outpost, was blasted into space on July 30 from Kourou, French Guiana.

Xinhua-Reuters-AFP

(China Daily 08/12/2014 page12)