IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Cuba

Plane crash death toll rises to 111

The death toll in one of Cuba's worst air disasters rose to 111 on Monday while Mexico suspended the operations of the company that had leased the 39-year old Boeing 737 to Cuba's flagship airline. Grettel Landrove, a 23-year old Cuban student who loved to dance flamenco, died in a Havana hospital from "severe traumatic lesions", Cuban state-run media reported. Two Cuban women remained in critical condition due to burns and other trauma, with a high risk of complications, media reports said.

France

Public sector, rail workers on strike

French public sector staff were scheduled to join rail workers in striking on Tuesday to protest reforms proposed by President Emmanuel Macron, with the country braced for possible major disruption. The stoppages are part of a series of demonstrations by public sector employees against Macron, who has pledged to reduce public spending, trim jobs and overhaul large parts of the vast French state. All unions representing civil servants have backed Tuesday's strike, a rare show of unity which was last seen around 10 years ago.

Syria

Drone shot down near Russian base

Russia's military said on Monday it had shot down an unidentified drone that came close to its Syrian air base at Hmeimim, RIA news agency said, citing the Russian Defence Ministry. "There are neither casualties nor physical damage. Russia's Hmeimim air base is operating as normal," it said. In another attack on Hemeimeem in January, the Russian military said it shot down seven of 13 drones involved and forced the others to land.

India

Five dead as virus fears spread

A deadly virus carried by fruit bats has killed at least five people in southern India and more than 90 people are in quarantine, a top official said on Tuesday. The deaths are suspected to have been caused by Nipah virus and authorities have ordered emergency measures to control the outbreak. The WHO has named Nipah as one of the eight priority diseases that could cause an epidemic, alongside Ebola and Zika.

United States

Oldest object in the solar system

An "alien asteroid" that circles the sun in the giant gas planet Jupiter's orbital path, but hurtling in the opposite direction, is the first-known permanent resident of our solar system that astronomers have concluded originated in another star system. Researchers said on Monday a close examination of the asteroid's orbit indicated it formed elsewhere and was captured by gravitational forces when our solar system - the sun, planets and various other objects - formed from a swirling cloud of gas and dust about 4.5 billion years ago.

Reuters - Afp - Xinhua - Ap

(China Daily 05/23/2018 page12)