IN BRIEF (Page 11)

Philippines

Hotel blaze leaves at least 3 dead

A fire at a hotel in the capital Manila killed three people on Sunday and injured nearly two dozen, police and rescue officials said, with two people listed as missing. The fire broke out at the Manila Pavilion Hotel, where about 20 people earlier listed as trapped had been evacuated safely, Johnny Yu, chief of the Manila Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, said. The death toll had been reduced from four to three, he said. Two employees of a casino at the hotel were missing and rescue operations were ongoing, Manila Police District spokesman Erwin Margarejo said.

United States

Trump-linked firm tapped profiles

Data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica harvested private information from more than 50 million Facebook users in developing techniques to support President Donald Trump's 2016 election campaign, The New York Times and London's Observer reported on Saturday. Authorities in the United States and United Kingdom said they had started investigations. The newspapers, which cited former Cambridge Analytica employees, associates and documents, said the data breach was one of the largest in the history of Facebook. The Observer said Cambridge Analytica used the data, taken without authorization in early 2014, to build a software program to predict and influence choices at the ballot box.

Teacher apologizes for firing gun

A teacher at a Northern California high school has apologized for accidentally firing a gun inside his classroom, causing minor injuries to three students. Dennis Alexander, who is also an elected member of the Seaside City Council and a reserve officer for a nearby police department, apologized and thanked community members for their support at a council meeting, the Monterey Herald newspaper reported. Students also have organized a petition to keep him on as a teacher. Alexander has been placed on administrative leave from his job at the school and his role at the Sand City Police Department.

United Kingdom

13 injured after car rams nightclub

British police say a man who had been kicked out of a nightclub rammed his car into revelers on a dance floor, injuring at least 13. The Kent Police force said the 21-year-old has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder over Saturday's crash in Gravesend, 48 kilometers southeast of London. Police say they are not treating the incident as terrorism. Footage posted on social media showed a large car on a dance floor inside a marquee tent at Blake's nightclub. Police said on Sunday that at least 13 people suffered injuries including broken bones. Police said none of the injuries is life-threatening.

Australia

Thousands without power after cyclone

About 25,000 homes were without power on Sunday in Australia's northern city of Darwin after a tropical cyclone felled trees, canceled flights, closed schools and delayed shipping. No deaths were reported. Residents of the capital of Australia's Northern Territory have been warned to boil their water as a precaution after Tropical Cyclone Marcus lashed the city with 130 kph (80 mph) winds on Saturday. The Northern Territory Government said that schools would remain closed on Monday and asked nonessential businesses also to stay shut, however, flights have resumed.

(China Daily 03/19/2018 page11)