IN BRIEF (Page 12)

United States

Soldiers ordered out

The streets of Ferguson, Missouri, were peaceful for another night, as protests and tensions subsided in the St. Louis suburb where unrest erupted after a white police officer fatally shot an unarmed black 18-year-old. Governor Jay Nixon ordered the Missouri National Guard, which arrived on Monday, to begin withdrawing as flare-ups have been easing. Police made only a handful of arrests on the past two nights.

Iraq

Militia attack kills at least 30

At least 30 people were killed when a Shiite Muslim militia opened fire inside an Iraqi Sunni mosque in the country's eastern Diyala province on Friday, an Iraqi security source said. The source said at least 30 bodies had arrived at the hospital in the city of Baquba. Witnesses said the death toll from the attack was higher.

United Nations

WHO draws up anti-Ebola plan

The World Health Organization said on Friday that it had drawn up a draft strategy to combat Ebola in West Africa over the next six to nine months, implying that it does not expect to stop the epidemic this year. "WHO is working on an Ebola road map document; it's really an operational document how to fight Ebola," WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib said. "It details the strategy for WHO and health partners for six to nine months to come."

United Nations

Syria death toll hits 191,000

The death toll in three years of Syria's civil war has risen to more than 191,000 people, the United Nations reported on Friday. The figure, covering the period from March 2011 to April 2014, is the first issued by the UN's human rights office since July 2013, when it documented more than 100,000 killed. The high death toll is a reflection of the brutality of Syria's conflict, which has morphed into a complex, multilayered war in which various factions fight against each other.

Australia

Lucky koala gets kiss of life

A lucky koala was recovering on Friday after being saved by firefighters with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Emergency crews had been called to the Melbourne suburb of Langwarrin on Thursday night after reports that an animal had been hit by a car. Arriving firefighters found the injured koala had climbed a tree and appeared unwell. It fell, apparently dead, and was caught in a blanket by rescuers. A wildlife officer on the scene breathed into its mouth, while another rescuer pumped its chest to revive its heart. The koala was taken to the Animalia Wildlife Shelter, where it was said to be "well and eating".

AP - Reuters - AFP

(China Daily 08/23/2014 page12)