IN BRIEF (Page 12)

United States

Suspect to make court appearance

A 28-year-old will make his initial court appearance on a federal charge of kidnapping a visiting University of Illinois scholar from China who authorities believe to be dead. Brendt Allen Christensen is to appear on Monday in a district court in Urbana, not far from the Urbana-Champaign campus in central Illinois. The Champaign man is accused of abducting 26-year-old Zhang Yingying on June 9 as she headed to sign a lease for an apartment. Her body hasn't been found.

Iraq

Female bombers target soldiers

The Islamic State group is striking back as Iraqi forces are on the cusp of full victory in Mosul, sending women suicide bombers to target soldiers as the battle nears its end. At least 15 people were killed in the latest assaults across Iraq, officials said on Monday. The attacks underscore the intense violence still plaguing the nation.

Indonesia

Rescue chopper crash kills 8

A rescue helicopter crashed while heading to help evacuate residents near an active volcano on Indonesia's main island, killing all eight people on board, officials said on Monday. It crashed three minutes before arriving at Dieng Plateau, the popular tourist area where the volcanic eruption on Sunday injured at least 10 people.

France

8 wounded in mosque shooting

Eight people including a girl were lightly wounded on Sunday in a shooting in front of a mosque in the southeast city of Avignon, the prosecutor's office said, ruling out terrorism. According to initial accounts taken on the spot, at least two men got out of a car around 10:30 pm near the mosque and opened fire, including with a shotgun, the prosecutor's office said. None of the wounded had life-threatening injuries, it said.

United Kingdom

Women top men in generosity

British women give more to office charity appeals than men, according to a new poll released on Monday. About 66 percent of women gave money to a charity collection in the workplace compared to 49 percent of men, according to the survey which polled 1,079 people across the country. The poll said nearly 60 percent of workers in the UK spent about $60 a year on charity appeals in their workplace, either at a cake stall, direct donations or by sponsoring a colleague.

Vietnam

Buffalo fight halted after killing

A traditional water buffalo fight in northern region was suspended after an animal attacked and killed its owner, in the first human fatality since the sport resumed after the Vietnam War. The buffalo was killed and samples were taken to determine whether the animal had been given a stimulant to make it more aggressive.

(China Daily 07/04/2017 page12)