IN BRIEF (Page 12)

South Korea

Raid rejected on presidential office

A South Korean court rejected a request by the special prosecutor's office to raid the presidential Blue House, Yonhap News Agency said on Thursday, as part of a widening influence-peddling scandal that could topple President Park Guen-hye. The special prosecution team investigating the corruption scandal, which has also engulfed Samsung Group, South Korea's largest conglomerate, said earlier it had asked the court to search the Blue House after the presidential office blocked a raid earlier this month.

Austria

Airbus to be sued over Eurofighter

Austria said on Thursday that it will sue European aerospace giant Airbus over a $2 billion sale of Eurofighter jets that has long been plagued by allegations of kickbacks. "We will file a lawsuit against Airbus," Defense Ministry spokesman Michael Bauer said. In a statement the ministry accused Airbus and the Eurofigher consortium of "deliberately misleading the Austrian Republic since 2002 on the real price, the capabilities of delivery and its equipment".

Venezuela

Govt pulls plug on CNN Spanish

Venezuela's government pulled CNN Spanish from the nation's airwaves on Wednesday, shutting off the news channel after officials angrily criticized a report alleging the country's diplomats sold passports to members of a Middle East terror group. The move followed Donald Trump administration's decision this week to sanction Vice-President Tareck El Aissami, blacklisting him as a major international drug trafficker.

Belgium

Minister finds own cycle stolen

A Belgian minister arrived by bike to a news conference to promote cycling on Tuesday, only to find it had been stolen when he left half an hour later. Ben Weyts, minister of mobility for the Dutch-speaking region of Flanders, unveiled a plan to invest $320 million in cycle lanes until 2019, as part of a wider program to promote alternative modes of transport. While Belgium is a country obsessed with cycling as a sport, cars are the main method of commuting to work, leading to some of the worst road congestion in Europe.

United States

Flight hits deer on takeoff

Authorities said an American Eagle flight struck a deer while taking off from the Charlotte, North Carolina, international airport, forcing it to turn around and abort a flight to Gulfport, Mississippi. American Airlines spokeswoman Katie Cody said Flight 5320 was leaking fuel as a result of the deer strike. TV stations showed damage to one of the right front wing flaps of the CRJ700 jet, and emergency personnel sprayed foam on the aircraft as a precaution. No injuries were reported.

(China Daily 02/17/2017 page12)