IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Japan

Just 28 refugees accepted last year

Japan accepted just 28 refugees last year when a record number applied for asylum, a government document dated for release on Friday showed, throwing a spotlight on the nation's reluctance to accept foreigners. In 2016, 10,901 people sought asylum in Japan, up 44 percent from a year earlier, when the country accepted 27. Immigration is a controversial subject in Japan, where many pride themselves on cultural and ethnic homogeneity, even as the population ages and its workforce shrinks.

France

Blast at nuclear plant; no radiation

An explosion at a nuclear power plant in northern France on Thursday caused minor injuries but took place outside the plant's nuclear zone and posed no risk of contamination, the authorities said. "It is a significant technical event but it is not a nuclear accident," senior local official Olivier Marmion said after the blast at the Flamanville plant, 25 kilometers west of Cherbourg. The cause of the explosion at the power station, which has been in operation since the 1980s, was not immediately known.

United States

Company to finish Dakota pipeline

The company building the Dakota Access oil pipeline said it plans to resume work immediately to finish the long-stalled project. The Army on Wednesday granted the developer of the four-state oil pipeline formal permission to lay pipe under a Missouri River reservoir in North Dakota, clearing the way for completion of the $3.8 billion project.

Somalia

Ex-prime minister, a US citizen, wins vote

A former prime minister who holds dual Somali-US citizenship was declared Somalia's new president on Wednesday, immediately taking the oath of office as the long-chaotic country moved toward its first fully functioning central government in a quarter-century. Incumbent President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud conceded defeat after two rounds of voting, and former prime minister Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo was declared the new leader.

Malaysia

Six bodies found after boat capsizes

The bodies of six passengers believed to be from a boat which capsized in rough seas off Malaysia have been found, a coast guard official said on Thursday. The boat was carrying more than a dozen suspected illegal immigrants from Indonesia, said Awil Kamsari, a spokesman for the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency. The coast guard said the boat likely sank shortly after it set sail due to rough seas.

Indonesia

Military accepts Australian apology

The Indonesian military has accepted an apology from Australia's Army chief over a purported insult to Indonesia's state ideology that caused a spat between the two countries. An Indonesian military statement released on Wednesday after Australian Army Chief Lieutenant General Angus Campbell met with Indonesian military head General Gatot Nurmantyo said the Australian Defense Force would sanction personnel involved in the incident.

(China Daily 02/10/2017 page12)