IN BRIEF (Page 8)

Republic of Korea

'Spycam porn' sparks protests

Despite a record heat wave, tens of thousands of women were expected to join a mass protest on Saturday against secretly-filmed spycam pornography. Since May, the monthly demonstration in Seoul has shattered records to become the biggest women's protest in the country. The target of their fury is so-called "molka" or spycam videos which largely involve men secretly filming women in schools, offices, trains, toilets and changing rooms, and which are so prevalent they make headlines on a daily basis. The number of spycam crimes reported to police surged from around 1,100 in 2010 to more than 6,500 last year.

Iran

'Drills underway' amid tensions

The United States claims Iran has started carrying out naval exercises in the Gulf, apparently moving up the timing of annual drills amid heightened tensions with Washington, US officials said on Thursday. One US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said possibly more than 100 vessels were involved in the drills, including small boats. A second official expected the drill could be wrapped up this week. Iran has been furious over US President Donald Trump's decision to pull out of an international nuclear deal and reimpose sanctions on Teheran.

Germany

Support for Merkel's bloc hits record low

Support for Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative bloc has slumped to a record low after a bruising internal row over migration policy, with support for the far-right Alternative for Germany hitting a record high, a poll showed on Thursday. The ARD DeutschlandTrend survey put support for Merkel's conservative alliance - her Christian Democratic Union, or CDU, and its Bavarian allies, the Christian Social Union, or CSU - at 29 percent, down one point from the beginning of July. Merkel, who has led Germany since 2005, only narrowly averted the collapse of her coalition government last month after a row between the CDU and the CSU over immigration policy.

Dr Congo

Ebola outbreak poses high risk

An Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is likely spread over tens of kilometers and poses a high regional risk given its proximity to borders, a World Health Organization official said on Thursday. Four people have tested positive for Ebola in and around Mangina, a town of about 60,000 people in North Kivu province, 100 kilometers from the Ugandan border, the Health Ministry said. Another 20 people died from unidentified hemorrhagic fevers in the area, mostly in the second half of July.

France

Eiffel Tower reopens after strike

The Eiffel Tower - closed to visitors since Wednesday - reopened on Friday after workers went on strike over unacceptably long queues at the Paris landmark. Workers walked out in protest at a new access policy that has seen separate lifts allocated to visitors with pre-booked tickets and those who buy them on site. At the same time, the tower now sets aside half of daily tickets for internet customers, up from just 20 percent previously.

AFP - Reuters - Xinhua

(China Daily 08/04/2018 page8)