IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Tunisia

48 migrants dead after boat sinks

At least 48 migrants were killed when their boat sank off Tunisia's coast and 67 others were rescued by the Coast Guard, officials said on Sunday, in one of the worst such accidents in recent years. The boat went down near the southern island of Kerkenna, a tourist spot, in the night to Sunday, the Defense Ministry said in a statement. The victims were Tunisians and other nationalities, it said, without giving details.

Australia

Largest bank agrees record fine

The Commonwealth Bank on Monday agreed to the largest civil penalty in the nation's history to settle claims it breached anti-money laundering and counterterrorism financing laws. The $530 million fine came after mediation between the nation's largest bank and the country's financial intelligence agency AUSTRAC. It followed the bank being taken to court in August for "serious and systemic noncompliance" of anti-money laundering laws more than 53,000 times, with AUSTRAC filing 100 further claims in December.

United States

Melania to skip G7, DPRK summits

First lady Melania Trump isn't joining her husband at the G7 summit in Quebec this week or planning to accompany him to the expected meeting with top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in Singapore the week after, spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said on Sunday. Trump's decision not to go to Quebec is a departure from last year, when she made an international summit debut at the G7 meeting in Italy and followed up at the forum of G20 industrialized and developing nations in Germany.

Germany

'Terror' ruled out in knife rampage

Police on Sunday said they had shot and injured a man who had rampaged with a knife through the Berlin Cathedral, and also said there were no signs the incident was politically motivated. Police said officers rushed to the scene after a staff member called the emergency services to report the incident. A policeman shot the attacker in the legs. One officer was also injured, police said.

Reuters - Xinhua - Afp

(China Daily 06/05/2018 page12)