IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Madagascar

Tropical storm leaves 17 dead

A powerful tropical storm which swept through the Indian Ocean island has left 17 people dead and affected thousands of others, according to an official toll published on Sunday. Storm Eliakim packed winds of up to 105 km/h after hitting the country on Friday and barreling down the east coast. The death toll was announced by the country's disaster management office, which also said 15,000 people had been affected by the storm.

United States

'Ultimate penalty' for drug dealers

President Donald Trump was scheduled to present on Monday his plan to combat an opioid abuse epidemic which will include seeking the death penalty for drug traffickers. An estimated 2.4 million US citizens are addicted to opiates, the narcotics that include prescription painkillers, as well as heroin. He has previously mooted the "ultimate" punishment for drug dealers.

Zimbabwe

President: Elections to be held in July

The country's first presidential and parliamentary elections since the end of Robert Mugabe's long rule will take place in July, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said on Saturday. The polls will be the first major test of the new leader, who took power in November after the 94-year-old Mugabe resigned. They will also be the first without Mugabe's name on the ballot since independence from Britain in 1980.

Middle East

French employee 'smuggled guns'

Israel's internal security agency said a French employee of France's Consulate in Jerusalem has been arrested on charges of smuggling dozens of guns from the Gaza Strip to the West Bank. A statement on Monday from the Shin Bet identifies the man as Romain Franck. It said Franck smuggled more than 70 guns on five occasions in his consular vehicle, which was subjected to more lenient security checks than other vehicles.

The Philippines

Manila hotel fire death toll rises to 5

Firefighters said on Monday the death toll from a fire in a hotel in the capital Manila had risen to five, after confirming two more fatalities and putting out the blaze a day after it broke out. All the victims were employees at the hotel casino owned and operated by state gaming regulator Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. Firefighters said several floors of the 509-room hotel were "totally damaged" but their investigation was still incomplete.

United Kingdom

Facebook 'misled probe' over breach

The head of the Parliament's media committee says Facebook misled lawmakers by downplaying the risk of users' data being shared without their consent. Conservative legislator Damian Collins said he will ask Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg or another executive to appear before his committee, which is investigating disinformation and "fake news". Reports recently have also surfaced that another company, Cambridge Analytica, improperly harvested information from 50 million Facebook users.

(China Daily 03/20/2018 page12)