IN BRIEF (Page 11)

Australia

Soy milk victims win $21m payout

The biggest payout for a food safety case in Australian legal history has been reached with the exporter and distributor of Bonsoy soy milk agreeing to compensate victims with a record $21.7 million. The suit, which began in 2010, alleged that unsafe levels of iodine were added to the ingredients of the soy milk product via a seaweed product called Kombu, with nearly 500 people claiming they suffered health problems as a result.

Austria

Nuclear talks to be extended

The Iranian nuclear talks are likely to be extended to July 1, a source said on Monday, adding that the working deadline for the outline is at the end of March, but all are yet to be confirmed. The source said on condition of anonymity that the ongoing nuclear talks are expected to adjourn and would likely to be extended, while the location for further talks has not been decided yet. Media reports said the nuclear negotiations are expected to adjourn on Monday and reconvene next month.

Thailand

Yingluck plans a comeback

Former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra said she has set her sights on a parliamentary run in 2016 if allowed. In her first public interview since she was ousted, Yingluck said that she knew from the day she became prime minister that her administration would end up being toppled from power in a military coup, just as her brother Thaksin Shinawatra was.

The Philippines

Fishermen fined for poaching

Nine Chinese fishermen were convicted of poaching by a court in the western province of Palawan on Monday. The court fined each of them $102,000, and prosecutor Allen Ross Rodriguez said they will be jailed for six months if they do not pay. The fishermen are being held in jail.

UAE

Heavy fog disrupts flights

Dense fog disrupted flights in and out of Abu Dhabi for several hours on Sunday, with many outgoing flights canceled and incoming ones diverted to other airports such as Dubai. The disruption started shortly after midnight and lasted until around 6 am, said Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the United Arab Emirates.

South Korea

Drill staged at disputed islets

South Korea's military conducted a drill on Monday near islets disputed with Japan, to prevent the possible approach of "external forces" to the pair of rocky outcrops.

Wi Yong-seop, the ROK Defense Ministry's vice-spokesman, said the one-day drill at Dokdo, called Takeshima in Japan, was an exercise designed for the protection of an inherent part of South Korea's territory from external forces.

Reuters - Xinhua - AFP - AP

(China Daily 11/25/2014 page11)