IN BRIEF (Page 11)

Indonesia

Quake death toll rises past 430

The death toll from the earthquake that rocked the Lombok island a week ago has passed 430 and the government is estimating economic losses will exceed several hundred million dollars. The national disaster agency said on Monday the Aug 5 quake killed 436 people, most of whom died in collapsing buildings. It said damage to homes, infrastructure and other property is at least $342 million, calling that a temporary figure that will rise as more assessments are made. The agency said rebuilding will cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

Ecuador

12 soccer fans killed in bus crash

Twelve people were killed and 30 injured when a bus carrying fans of Barcelona S.C., Ecuador's most popular football club, crashed on Sunday, officials said. The bus was heading from the southern city of Cuenca to the coastal city of Guayaquil, where Barcelona is based, after a local tournament game. The vehicle apparently ran off the road and flipped, Ecuador's Transit Commission said in a statement. Officials said the bus had passed its most recent safety inspection.

Syria

Weapons storage explosion kills 39

An explosion in a residential building thought to be storing weapons and ammunition in Syria's rebel-held Idlib killed at least 39 people including 12 children on Sunday, a war monitor said. The explosion happened in the town of Sarmada, which is near the Turkish border and north of the provincial capital Idlib city, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, adding that 12 children were among the 39 dead.

United States

Reversal on Space Force defended

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Sunday he is satisfied that creating a Space Force as a separate military service is the right way to reorganize the Pentagon's approach to space. Mattis, who last year opposed moves in Congress to create a separate space service, said his emphasis then was on establishing a consensus about what the Pentagon's space problem is before recommending a way to fix it.

Tajikistan

Helicopter makes 'hard landing'

A helicopter carrying mountain climbers have made a "hard landing" in the mountains of Tajikistan, the country's emergency service told local media on Monday. All the passengers and crew members, a total of 16 people, were feared to be dead after the landing on Sunday. However, the latest news from Tajikistan's emergency committee said they all survived.

France

Penalties mulled on plastic packaging

France plans to introduce a penalty system next year that would increase the costs of consumer goods with packaging made of non-recycled plastic, part of a pledge to use only recycled plastic nationwide by 2025, an environment ministry official said on Sunday. Brune Poirson, secretary of state for ecological transition, said the move was one of several to be implemented in coming years, including a deposit-refund scheme for plastic bottles.

Ap - Afp - Reuters

(China Daily 08/14/2018 page11)