IN BRIEF (Page 11)

Maldives

Solih sworn in as new president

Ibrahim Mohamed Solih was sworn in as the 7th president of the Maldives at a grand ceremony in the capital of Male on Saturday. Addressing the crowds, Solih vowed to strengthen his country's foreign relations with all nations and bring the Maldives back to the path of democracy. "I want to assure the Maldivian people to uphold the oath I have just taken," Solih said.

India

Cyclone Gaja death toll hits 33

The death toll from a cyclone that battered India's eastern coast has reached 33, a disaster official said on Sunday, as authorities assessed the damage caused by the powerful storm. Cyclone Gaja, which packed winds of up to 120 kilometers per hour, had barreled into Tamil Nadu state after hitting the coast on Friday. "So far 20 men, 11 women, and two children have died due to the cyclone," said an official with the state disaster management authority.

Dr Congo

Ebola response effort suspended

Efforts to fight an Ebola outbreak in the country's restive eastern Beni region were suspended Saturday after clashes just a "few meters" from a local emergency center and the hotels of several response teams, the health ministry said. UN peacekeepers from the MONUSCO mission repelled an offensive by the Allied Democratic Forces militia in Beni city's northern Boikene neighborhood late on Friday, a ministry statement said.

Xinhua - AFP

(China Daily 11/19/2018 page11)