IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Vietnam

Flood death toll rises to 15

The death toll from floods and landslides in Vietnam rose to 15 on Tuesday with authorities warning the toll could go higher with more torrential rains forecast for the worst hit province in the mountainous north. Lai Chau province, 470 kilometers northwest of Hanoi, has been the worst hit with at least 12 people, including two children, killed. Vietnam is prone to natural disasters, with floods and typhoons killing hundreds of people each year. Natural calamities killed 389 people and injured 668 others in the country last year, according to the government.

Spain

First Franco-era 'stolen babies' trial

The first trial in Spain over thousands of suspected cases of babies stolen from their mothers during the Franco era opened in Madrid on Tuesday as an 85-year-old doctor appeared in the dock. In a dark and often overlooked chapter of General Francisco Franco's 1939-75 rule, the newborns of some opponents of the government, or unmarried or poor couples, were removed from their mothers and adopted. New mothers were frequently told their babies had died suddenly within hours of birth and the hospital had taken care of their burials when in fact they were given or sold to another family.

United States

New technique can deliver insulin in pill

Scientists have developed an oral delivery method that may allow diabetics to keep their blood sugar levels in check by swallowing a pill rather than injecting themselves with a needle once or twice daily. The new method, described in a study published on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, promised to improve the quality of life for up to 40 million people with type 1 diabetes worldwide. Insulin therapy, by injection just under the skin or delivered by an insulin pump, generally keeps the glucose levels of most diabetics in check.

Reuters - Afp - Xinhua

(China Daily 06/27/2018 page12)