IN BRIEF (Page 9)

ROK

June rain eased DPRK drought

June rainfall has helped alleviate what the Democratic People's Republic of Korea has described as its worst drought for a century, although key rice-producing areas remain badly affected, the government of the Republic of Korea said on Friday. According to the UN World Food Program, early-harvest crops, mainly wheat and barley, have already been affected.

New Zealand

Squad to battle Canadian blaze

A team of 16 New Zealand firefighters will leave for Canada next week to help battle forest fires in the province of Alberta, New Zealand fire service officials said on Friday. About 800,000 hectares of forest are burning across the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia, as well as in the nearby US state of Alaska.

France

First electric plane flies over Channel

A French pilot has flown across the English Channel in an electric-powered plane, a journey considered an important symbolic step toward making electric flight viable in the long term. Hugues Duval flew from the French port of Calais to the English shoreline and back on Thursday night in a two-engine, one-seat Cricri plane.

Japan

Free Wi-Fi offered on Mount Fuji

Climbers who reach the summit of Mount Fuji will now be able to share their achievements via free Wi-Fi. A Japanese mobile phone network said it would begin offering the service on Friday at eight hot spots on the mountain, including the 3,776-meter summit. The initiative is aimed at attracting more overseas visitors to Mount Fuji. From airports to buses to subways, Japan has been expanding free Wi-Fi service ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

AFP - Reuters - AP

(China Daily 07/11/2015 page9)