IN BRIEF (Page 9)

Malaysia

Plane search to end in June

A Malaysian official said on Saturday that the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 by a US company will likely end in June. Malaysia inked a "no cure, no fee" deal with Houston, Texas-based Ocean Infinity in January to resume the hunt for the plane, a year after the official search in the southern Indian Ocean by Malaysia, Australia and China was called off. Flight 370 vanished on March 8, 2014, while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board.

Afghanistan

302 militants killed in a week

More than 300 armed insurgents have been killed in Afghanistan over the past week as government forces have increased pressure against militants, the Interior Ministry said on Saturday. According to a statement, government forces have conducted 111 joint operations involving police, army and other security operatives and killed 302 militants.

Australia

3 dead in melon bacteria outbreak

Three people have died and 12 others have fallen ill in a national listeria outbreak linked to contaminated rockmelons, and more cases are expected, Australian health authorities said. The outbreak is linked to a grower in the eastern state of New South Wales. NSW Health said that all 15 victims are elderly and are spread nationally from Victoria to Tasmania.

Xinhua - AP - Reuters

(China Daily 03/04/2018 page9)