IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Russia

'No rush' to retaliate on expulsions

A senior Russian diplomat says that Moscow is in "no rush" to retaliate to the wave of expulsions of Russian diplomats over the poisoning of a former Russian spy in Britain. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told the RIA Novosti news agency on Wednesday that Russia is "thoughtfully and thoroughly" considering its response to the expulsion of more than 150 Russian diplomats by more than 20 nations in a show of solidarity with Britain.

India

Millions of students to resit exam

India on Thursday vowed to strengthen its online security after high school exam papers were leaked ahead of crucial tests, forcing 2.8 million students to resit their finals. Education Minister Prakash Javadekar said a probe was underway into how the mathematics and economics papers were accessed and spread via WhatsApp before the exam. Police said 25 people, including students and tutors, had been questioned but no arrests had been made so far.

Ecuador

Communication is cut for Assange

Ecuador on Wednesday said it has stopped Julian Assange's ability to communicate to the outside world from its London embassy, where the WikiLeaks founder has been holed up since 2012. The decision was taken because the Australian had broken a 2017 promise to not interfere in other countries' affairs while in the mission, an Ecuadorean government statement said without elaborating.

France

Driver tries to ram soldiers with car

A man suspected of driving a stolen car with fake license plates tried to ram a group of soldiers out jogging in southeast France on Thursday, sparking fears of a new attempted attack as the country mourns the victims of an extremist shooting spree last week. The man was later arrested and prosecutors said the incident was not being treated as a terrorist attack for the moment and the motive remained unclear.

Indonesia

16-year prison term sought for politician

Prosecutors demanded 16 years in prison for a senior politician accused of playing a key role in the theft by officials of $170 million of public money. At a sentencing demand hearing on Thursday, prosecutors also called for fines and the seizure of Setya Novanto's assets if he fails to return $7.4 million including a $135,000 luxury Richard Mille watch that he allegedly received as part of the conspiracy. Novanto, the former speaker of parliament, denies any wrongdoing.

(China Daily 03/30/2018 page12)