IN BRIEF (Page 12)

GERMANY

SPD gives go-ahead for coalition talks

Delegates from Social Democratic Party on Sunday voted in favor of formal coalition talks with Chancellor Angela Merkelled Conservatives Union. Merkel responded shortly after the result, saying she "welcomed" that the SPD cleared the way for formal coalition negotiations. If things go well, it is expected that a new government will be formed around the Easter, which falls on April 1, and Germany's longest ever period without a new government will finally conclude.

THE PHILIPPINES

Volcano explodes; alert raised again

The country's most active volcano exploded thunderously on Monday, sending a huge gray column of lava fragments, ash and steam into the sky and prompting authorities to warn that a violent eruption may be imminent. Authorities raised the alert level to four on a scale of five, which means an explosive eruption is possible within hours or days. More than 27,000 villagers have fled since Mayon started acting up more than a week ago.

ECUADOR

WikiLeaks founder is a 'problem'

President Lenin Moreno on Sunday described WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange as an "inherited problem" that has created "more than a nuisance" for his government. "We hope to have a positive result in the short term," Moreno said. The country granted citizenship to Assange earlier this month in an attempt to provide him with diplomatic immunity and usher him out of its London embassy without the threat of arrest by Britain.

IRAN

Annual navy drill near Hormuz

State TV said the country's Navy has kicked off its two-day annual drill near the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Officials said the drill shows off Iran's capabilities in securing its territorial waters and oil transit routes. The strait is a key waterway through which a third of all oil traded by sea passes and it has been the scene of previous confrontations between the United States and Iran.

INDIA

Minister stirs row over Darwin's theory

Junior Human Resource Development Minister Satyapal Singh has stirred a major row by dismissing Charles Darwin's theory of evolution of humans, saying it was "scientifically wrong" as no one "ever saw an ape turning into a human being". But a group of 2,000 scientists from three top Science Academies of India has condemned the remarks, saying "there is no scientific basis for the minister's statements".

(China Daily 01/23/2018 page12)