IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Korean Peninsula

DPRK cancels joint cultural event

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea has canceled one of the key joint cooperation projects with the Republic of Korea planned for next month's Winter Olympics, officials said. Pyongyang on Monday sent a message saying it won't hold a joint cultural event at the DPRK's Diamond Mountain on Feb 4 to mark the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, ROK, according to Seoul's Unification Ministry. The ministry cited Pyongyang as saying it has no other option because of ROK media reports that it says defamed its "sincere" measures for the Olympics.

United Kingdom

Temperature of oceans on rise

The temperature of the world's oceans rose in 2017 to the highest point ever recorded, surpassing the previous record in 2015, according to research published on Sunday by The Independent newspaper. Researchers recently made measurements of ocean temperatures 2 km from sea level, and found a distinct increase, witnessing a record high in global ocean temperatures in 2017. Such a rise would cause ice melting, increase the sea level, lower ocean oxygen, and bleach coral reefs.

Germany

Heat over tests on monkeys, humans

Public criticism of the auto industry has escalated after a report that an industry-sponsored entity commissioned a study of the effects of diesel exhaust using monkeys, while another study exposed humans to low levels of one type of air pollutant. A report by The New York Times found that a research group financed by top German car manufacturers commissioned experiments in which one group of monkeys was exposed to diesel exhaust from a late-model Volkswagen, while another group was exposed to fumes from an older Ford pickup.

Vietnam

Only 38 days of clean air in 2017

The capital, Hanoi, enjoyed little more than one month of clean air last year as pollution levels rose, preliminary findings of a new report showed. Annual average air pollution in Hanoi last year was also four times higher than those deemed acceptable by the World Health Organization's air quality guidelines, according to a report by the Green Innovation and Development Center, a nonprofit organization.

Japan

Warning issued on another volcano

Japan raised the warning level on another volcano on Tuesday, exactly a week after an dramatic eruption at another peak killed one man, injured nearly a dozen others and stranded scores of skiers - including foreign tourists - for several hours. Japan's Meteorological Agency lifted the warning on Zao, a cluster of volcanoes in northern Japan whose highest point is 1,841 meters, to 2 from 1, meaning that people should avoid going near the crater.

AP - Xinhua - AFP - Reuters

(China Daily 01/31/2018 page12)