IN BRIEF (Page 11)

United States

Funding for UN body withdrawn

The US State Department said on Monday it was ending funding for the United Nations Population Fund, the international body's agency focused on family planning as well as maternal and child health in more than 150 countries. The cut marks President Donald Trump's first move to curtail funding for the UN and is likely to raise further questions about how deep those cuts will eventually go throughout the organization, where the US is the top donor.

New Zealand

Nation lashed by ex-Cyclone Debbie

The tail-end of powerful Cyclone Debbie, which left a trail of destruction in northeast Australia, lashed New Zealand on Tuesday, closing highways and causing a major landslip. The storm hit parts of New Zealand still recovering from a devastating earthquake in November and weather officials warned of several days of heavy rain, with some regions set to receive three months' worth of rain in the next 48 hours.

Dprk

ROK women come for soccer match

The Republic of Korea's women's soccer team arrived in Pyongyang on Monday for an official game in the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea later this week. The two neighbors will face off against each other on Friday in a qualifying match for the Asian Football Confederation Cup in the 50,000-seat Kim Il-sung Stadium. Pyongyang is hosting the qualifying games for group B, which also includes India, Hong Kong and Uzbekistan, through April 11.

Mexico

Armed men rob 28 German tourists

Authorities on Monday were investigating the weekend robbery of 28 German tourists by armed men at a popular Mayan archaeological site. The attack on Saturday targeted the Germans and their two tour guides in the town of Palenque in the southern state of Chiapas. One guide, Mary Gramilich, said her group, on the latest stop of a tour across Mexico, was accosted at the site by several armed and hooded men carrying knives and guns.

Australia

Yachtswoman abandons solo bid

An Australian attempting to become the first woman to circumnavigate Antarctica solo was forced to abandon the bid on Tuesday after being demasted in ferocious seas and high winds, more than two months after setting sail. Lisa Blair was 72 days into the nonstop and unassisted 26,000 km voyage around the continent on her yacht Climate Action Now. She was aiming to break the record set by Russian adventurer Fedor Konyukhov of 102 days, 35 minutes and 50 seconds.

Cambodia

China-funded stadium starts

Cambodia began to construct a China-funded stadium on Tuesday on the northern outskirts of Phnom Penh in its preparations for hosting the Southeast Asian Games for the first time in 2023. Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen and Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Xiong Bo presided over the groundbreaking ceremony which was attended by 6,000 people. The main stadium will cost $157 million which is aided by the Chinese government.

(China Daily 04/05/2017 page11)