IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Thailand

Last body retrieved after boat disaster

A body that had been trapped under a sunken tourist boat in Phuket was recovered on Sunday, according to the Thai government and the Chinese embassy. The body retrieved after the boat accident killed 47 people was brought to the surface after a nine-day joint operation between Chinese and Thai rescue forces with the help of five volunteer divers. From the body's clothes and appearance, it is believed to be one of the 47 Chinese tourists that died after their boat capsized in Phuket waters on July 5, Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong said.

Pakistan

Ex-PM challenges 10-year jail term

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who was given 10-year jail term this month in a corruption case, challenged his conviction and sought suspension of the guilty verdict, local reports said on Monday. Sharif and his daughter returned to Pakistan from London on Friday. Both are currently in Adiyala prison in Rawalpindi city near the capital Islamabad, where they will face trial in two corruption cases. Sharif was accused of having wealth beyond his income. However, the charges were dismissed by the three-time prime minister as politically motivated.

United Kingdom

43,000 planes needed in 20 years

The world needs to produce 43,000 new aircraft over the next two decades to meet booming demand, Boeing's CEO forecast in London on Sunday. Dennis Muilenberg, chief executive of the US aerospace giant, revealed the outlook upgrade to reporters in London before the Farnborough Air Show, starting on Monday."We see a $8.1 trillion marketplace in the next 10 years" for commercial, defense and services, he said.

Mexico

President-elect slashes own salary

President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Sunday he plans to earn less than half of what his predecessor makes when he takes office in December as part of an austerity push in government. Glancing at a piece of paper with numbers on it, Lopez Obrador said he will take home 108,000 pesos a month, which is $5,707 at current exchange rates, and that no public official will be able to earn more than the president during his six-year term. The transition team calculated that current President Enrique Pena Nieto makes 270,000 pesos a month.

Pakistan

15 wedding guests killed in crash

Police said on Monday at least 15 people were killed when a trailer truck hit a parked passenger bus carrying wedding guests on a busy highway near the southern city of Hyderabad. The accident took place before dawn in the town of Matiarai in Sindh province. Local police official Mohammad Tahir said 17 people were injured in the crash and some were in critical condition.

Xinhua - Afp - Ap

(China Daily 07/17/2018 page12)