IN BRIEF (Page 11)

Thailand

Pregnant woman shot dead

Two unidentified armed men killed a Thai pregnant woman and wounded another person in a drive-by shooting in the southern Pattani province, the Bangkok Post reported on Sunday. The attack happened near a petrol station on Saturday night, when the gunmen on a motorcycle attacked the two victims on another motorcycle, who were returning home after buying food. Rattakikal Jawang, an 8-month pregnant, died and her baby was found not breathing at a local hospital. Another woman, 30-year-old Saijai Thongdee, was admitted to a local hospital.

Syria

Largest rebel area in Aleppo retaken

Syrian media said government forces on Saturday captured the largest rebel-held district of Aleppo, in what would be a major breakthrough in its offensive to retake the entire city. Masaken Hanano was the first district the rebels took in 2012 in a move that divided Aleppo into an area held by the insurgents and a district controlled by government forces.

Iran

Helicopter crash kills 5 people

Iran's official IRNA news agency is reporting that a helicopter carrying five people has crashed in the Caspian Sea, killing everyone aboard. The report quoted an official in the northern Iranian province of Mazandaran, as saying that the helicopter belonging to the National Iranian Oil Co was on a mission to carry an injured person from an oil platform.

India

Japanese tourist raped in Kerala

A 35-year-old Japanese woman has been allegedly raped by a man in the southern Indian state of Kerala's coastal town of Kovalam, a police official said on Sunday. Police said they arrested a 25-year-old man on Saturday on charges of raping the woman.

France

Conservatives choosing candidate

French conservatives on Sunday were choosing their nominee for next year's vital presidential election from among two former prime ministers with deep experience in government and differing views on how to prevent more terror attacks on French soil. The contenders in the primary runoff Francois Fillon, 62, and Alain Juppe, 71, are both high-profile leaders of the center-right Republicans party. Fillon, who wants to focus on fighting Islamic extremism, is judged by many to be the front-runner.

(China Daily 11/28/2016 page11)