IN BRIEF (Page 11)

Yemen

At least 149 killed in Hodeidah conflict

At least 149 people including civilians have been killed in 24 hours of clashes between government loyalists and rebels in Yemen's flashpoint city of Hodeidah, medics and military sources said on Monday. A source in Yemen's pro-government military coalition, which is backed by Saudi Arabia and its regional allies, said the Houthi rebels had pushed back a large-scale offensive aimed at moving up the Red Sea coastline toward Hodeidah port, a lifeline to 14 million Yemenis who face mass starvation.

Japan

SoftBank mobile unit to go for IPO

SoftBank Group Corp will carry out an initial public offering of its Japanese mobile subsidiary, set for Dec 19. The Tokyo Stock Exchange approved the listing of 1.6 billion shares of SoftBank Corp on Monday, at 1,500 yen ($13) a share, raising potentially more than $20 billion. The IPO could the biggest in Japan's history. Founded in 1986 and initially running software, broadband and fixed-line telecommunications businesses, the company has expanded to become one of Japan's top mobile service providers.

Australia

Woman charged over strawberry sabotage

Police investigating a major strawberry needle contamination scare that sparked nationwide panic on Monday identified a former farm supervisor as their main suspect. My Ut Trinh, 50, who worked at one of the strawberry farms where the tampered produce was grown, was arrested and charged with seven counts of contaminating goods by Queensland state police on Sunday. She faced court on Monday and bail was denied after prosecutors said she could suffer retribution for her alleged actions, The Australian reported. Pins and needles were found stuck into the fruit in September, leading supermarkets to pull boxes from shelves across Australia and New Zealand and forcing farmers to dump crops.

United States

Second crash from carrier in month

A warplane from the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan crashed into the sea northeast of the Philippines on Monday, but its two aviators were rescued safely. The US Navy's 7th Fleet said the F/A-18 Hornet had a mechanical problem during Monday's routine operations in the Philippine Sea. They are both in good condition and the aircraft carrier has since returned to normal operations, the Navy said. The crash, which is under investigation, was the second involving aircraft belonging to the Ronald Reagan in less than a month.

India

Air continues to worsen in New Delhi

The air pollution level in New Delhi on Monday continued to be in the very poor category, officials said. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, the overall air quality index remained in very poor category at 381. "The air quality is severe and prominent pollutants are PM 2.5 and PM 10," the CPCB said in a statement. Health officials said very poor air quality would causes respiratory illness on prolonged exposure. On Sunday, the air quality remained in the severe category at 405.

AFP - AP - Reuters - Xinhua

(China Daily 11/13/2018 page11)