IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Italy

No G7 consensus on Syria sanctions

G7 foreign ministers have failed to agree on whether fresh sanctions should be imposed on Syrian government or Russia, Italy's Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano said on Tuesday. "At the moment, there is no consensus on new sanctions as an effective instrument," he said at the close of a two-day meeting in Italy, after his British counterpart Boris Johnson raised the issue with the Group of Seven.

United States

Gorsuch sworn into top court

Justice Neil Gorsuch took his place in history on Monday as the newest addition on the bench of the Supreme Court, restoring a narrow conservative majority and marking a much-needed political victory for President Donald Trump. Gorsuch was sworn in during a sun-soaked ceremony in the Rose Garden, nearly 14 months after the seat was left vacant with the sudden death of Justice Antonin Scalia.

Governor resigns over sex scandal

Alabama Governor Robert Bentley resigned on Monday rather than face impeachment and pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor campaign violations that arose during an investigation of his alleged affair with a top aide. Robert Bentley, 74, pleaded guilty in an agreement with prosecutors on Monday to two misdemeanor campaign violations and is barred from seeking public office again.

Iraq

IS has lost most of land it seized

The Islamic State group has lost more than three-fourths of the territory it seized when it swept across Iraq in the summer of 2014, the Iraqi military said on Tuesday. General Yahya Rasool, a military spokesman, said the extremist group currently controls less than 30,000 square kilometers in Iraq, or 6.8 percent of the country's territory, down from more than 40 percent at its height.

Mexico

Construction site collapse kills 7

At least seven people died and 10 were injured in Mexico City after a collapse at a construction site for a multistory parking garage, officials from the mayor's office said. The accident took place on Monday when many workers were in the area, which forms part of a building site for a shopping center.

Indonesia

House speaker banned from travel

Indonesia's anti-corruption agency has banned the speaker of parliament from overseas travel for six months in connection with a graft case involving new national identity cards, an agency official said on Tuesday. The case is one of the biggest tests facing the agency which says $170 million was believed to have been stolen from the budget for the procurement of electronic identity cards.

(China Daily 04/12/2017 page12)