IN BRIEF (Page 11)

United States

IS underestimated, Obama admits

President Barack Obama admitted on Sunday that the United States underestimated the threat posed by Islamic State fighters in Syria, as US-led coalition warplanes pounded the oil sites that fund the jihadist group. He noted that Director of National Intelligence James Clapper has acknowledged that the US "underestimated what had been taking place in Syria".

Afghanistan

Ghani sworn in as new president

Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai on Monday was sworn in as new president of Afghanistan, replacing Hamid Karzai and marking the first peaceful power transition in the history of the conflict-ridden country. After assuming office in a ceremony attended by some 1,400 national and international dignitaries amid tight security, Ghani vowed to fight corruption, bring reforms, ensures good governance, alleviate poverty and spare no efforts in improving the living conditions of his countrymen.

Japan

36 feared dead aftervolcano eruption

At least 36 people are feared to have died after a Japanese volcano erupted without warning at the weekend, raining ash and stones on hikers, but the search for victims was abandoned on Monday because of fears of rising levels of toxic gases. Rescuers at the peak of Mount Ontake, now an eerie moonscape under a thick layer of gray ash, on Monday, found what may be five new victims of Saturday's eruption at Japan's second-highest active volcano.

The Philippines

Court orders seizure of paintings

The Philippine anti-corruption court on Monday ordered the family of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos to surrender eight paintings by famous European artists, declaring they had been illegally acquired with public funds. The Philippines has estimated that Marcos, his family and cronies amassed more than $10 billion in cash, jewelry, assets, stocks and works of art during a 20-year rule.

Bangladesh

Briton arrested for jihadist ties

A 24-year-old British citizen has been arrested in Bangladesh on suspicion of recruiting people to fight alongside Islamic State militants in Syria, police said on Monday. Samiun Rahman, a resident of London, arrived in Bangladesh in February to recruit for both IS and the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, Monirul Islam, joint commissioner of the Detective and Criminal Intelligence Division said.

Russia

Moscow warns on Ukraine-EU pact

Russia issued a new warning on Monday that it would retaliate if the European Union or Ukraine push ahead with moves to implement a free-trade agreement. Kiev and Brussels agreed this month to delay implementation of the agreement until Dec 31, 2015 after Russia threatened to impose import tariffs on Ukrainian goods if it went ahead. Russia says its economy would be hurt by the free trade deal because it would allow Ukraine to export cheaper European goods to Russia, undercutting local products.

Germany

New strike called for at Lufthansa

A union representing pilots at Germany's Lufthansa airliner said it is calling for another targeted strike after contract talks broke down last week. The Vereinigung Cockpit union said on Monday that pilots would fly no long-haul flights from Frankfurt airport on Tuesday to push their demands over early retirement benefits. The two sides are at odds over the pilots' demand that Lufthansa keep a transition payment for those wanting early retirement.

The Netherlands

Third death from 'monster truck'

A third person has died after a souped-up "monster truck" plowed into a crowd during a show in the Netherlands, the mayor of Haaksbergen said on Monday, with five people critically injured. The truck, sporting outsized tires and a powerful engine, surged off the track after driving over a line of prop cars, crashing through a barricade and into the audience in the eastern town.

Yemen

Car bomb targets hospital, 15 dead

A suicide bomber linked to al-Qaida drove a car laden with explosives into a hospital used as a base by Yemen's Shiite Muslim Houthi movement on Sunday, killing at least 15 people, various sources said. They attack took place in the town of Majzar in Maarib province, east of the capital Sanaa, militant, tribal and local sources said.

Reuters - Xinhua - AFP - AP

(China Daily 09/30/2014 page11)