IN BRIEF (Page 12)

United States

California may face worst fire season

The largest wildfire recorded in California needed just 11 days to blacken an area nearly the size of Los Angeles and it's only one of many enormous blazes that could make this the worst fire season in state history. Nearly 14,000 firefighters from as far away as Florida and even New Zealand are struggling to curb 18 fires in the midst of a sweltering summer.

Germany

Couple guilty of selling son online

A German mother and her partner were convicted and jailed on Tuesday for repeatedly raping the woman's young son and selling him to pedophiles on the internet, abusing him for more than two years in a case that has horrified the country. The mother will spend 12-and-a-half years in prison while the man received a 12-year-sentence.

Italy

War declared on mafia networks

Italy's Interior Minister Matteo Salvini on Tuesday declared war on mafia networks exploiting foreign agricultural workers after 16 died in two crashes in the country's south. The two crashes, which came within 48 hours of each other outside the city of Foggia, have put a spotlight on the plight of foreign seasonal tomato-pickers during harvest season.

Laos

Govt to inspect all hydropower dams

The government has said that it will examine the safety standards applied to the construction of hydropower dams across the country following the deadly disaster caused by the collapse of a dam in Attapeu province in the south, local media reported on Wednesday.

Ap - Afp - Xinhua

(China Daily 08/09/2018 page12)