IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Egypt

Sisi vows to restore Sinai security

Just days after the worst terrorist attack in Egypt's modern history, President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi on Wednesday gave his security forces a three-month deadline to restore "security and stability" in the troubled northern Sinai, the epicenter of an increasingly brutal Islamic insurgency. Sisi authorized his new chief of staff, Mohammed Farid Hegazy, to use "all brute force" against the militants.

Indonesia

19 killed as cyclone hits East Java

Landslides and floods triggered by a cyclone in waters off Indonesia's East Java province have killed 19 people, an official said on Wednesday. A total of 15 of the fatalities were caused by landslides and four others by floods in Pacitan district of the province and Bantul district of Yogyakarta province, said a spokesman of the national disaster management agency. Waters remain submerging thousands of houses in the territory, he said.

Japan

Sumo champion retires over assault

Sumo grand champion Harumafuji announced he would retire on Wednesday to take responsibility for injuring a junior wrestler in an incident that has threatened to taint the image of Japan's national sport just as it was regaining popularity. The 33-year-old Mongolian-born "yokozuna" (grand champion) had already apologized earlier this month after media reported he had beaten junior wrestler Takanoiwa while drinking at a restaurant-bar with other wrestlers.

Spain

Several injured as train coach derails

A train carriage derailed after part of a track became flooded between the southern Spanish cities of Malaga and Seville on Wednesday, injuring 27 people. Marian Alonso, spokeswoman for Spain's Adif railway infrastructure company, said the last of three coaches came off the track near the town of Arahal after water from a nearby stream rose suddenly and lifted the track's concrete sleepers.

United States

Genus of extinct horses found

New analysis of ancient DNA from fossils reveals a previously unrecognized genus of extinct horses that once roamed North America during the last ice age. According to the new discovery, this extinct species of North American horse, now named Haringtonhippus francisci, appears to have diverged from the main trunk of the family tree leading to Equus about four to six million years ago.

(China Daily 11/30/2017 page12)