IN BRIEF (Page 11)

Indonesia

Millions vote in regional polls

Tens of millions of Indonesians voted on Wednesday in regional elections seen as a gauge of President Joko Widodo's prospects for re-election next year. Some 152 million registered voters - more than half of Indonesia's 260 million-strong population - are eligible to vote for 171 mayors, regional leaders and provincial governors. The Indonesian security authority had tightened security in provinces across the nation, as the country has been on edge since a series of suicide bombings in the second biggest city of Surabaya last month.

United States

$1b missile defense radar in Hawaii

The US military wants to install missile defense radar in Hawaii to identify foreign ballistic missiles, officials said on Tuesday. The $1 billion system would spot warheads on missiles headed for Hawaii and other US states, and provide that information to ground-based interceptors in Alaska designed to shoot them down. It would be able to distinguish warheads from decoys that are designed to trick missile defense systems. The radar would be about 9 to 15 meters wide and 18 to 24 meters high, according to the Missile Defense Agency.

Japan

Probe arrives at asteroid after years

A Japanese space probe named after a falcon arrived at an asteroid 300 million kilometers from Earth on Wednesday after a three-and-a half year journey on a mission to seek the origins of life. The Hayabusa 2 blasted off in December 2014 for the asteroid Ryugu on a pioneering mission to take samples that scientists hope will help reveal how life began. Its round-trip mission is set to take six years.

Syria

Key advance for govt forces in south

The Syrian army made important progress in the battles against rebels in the southern province of Daraa on Tuesday. The army captured the al-Lajat area in the northeastern countryside of Daraa, and the town of Busr al-Harir in the eastern countryside, local media reported. Since starting the military operations in the south last week, the Syrian army has been focusing on recapturing the Busr al-Harir area due to its logistical significance.

Germany

VW to stash cars at problem airport

Car giant Volkswagen will stock cars awaiting strict new emissions tests at Berlin's under-construction airport, combining the German national embarrassments of the carmaker's "dieselgate" scandal and the much-delayed travel hub. "In this case, our normal logistics spaces aren't enough," a Volkswagen spokesman said on Wednesday, saying the firm faces delays to emissions tests on between 200,000 and 250,000 cars. The firm will store vehicles at VW's testing grounds near its Wolfsburg HQ as well as the Berlin airport and "is looking into other spaces", he added.

Brazil

12 animal species found in Amazon

Brazilian researchers have discovered 12 new animal species in the Amazon jungle, after two expeditions collected more than 1,700 specimens of over 200 types of flora and fauna. The 12 new species are frogs and lizards, apart from one owl, the state-owned news agency, Agencia Brasil, revealed on Tuesday. All of them were identified during the two expeditions, one made in late 2017 and one in April and May.

China Daily - ap - Xinhua - reuters

(China Daily 06/28/2018 page11)