IN BRIEF (Page 11)

Japan

Tokyo may buy 100 F-35 fighters

Japan is considering buying up to 100 F-35 stealth fighters from the United States for more than $8.8 billion, according to the evening edition of the Nikkei daily on Tuesday. The reported purchase came as US President Donald Trump pushes Japan to buy more military equipment and other US products, pointing to Washington's huge trade deficit with Tokyo. Japan has already decided to buy 42 F-35 stealth fighter jets from the US. The cabinet is expected to approve the plan in mid-December, the business daily said.

France

Govt won't close more nuke plants

The government will not close any of its nuclear reactors besides the Fessenheim plant before the end of the current presidential mandate in 2022, President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday. He also said the country would reduce its share of nuclear energy in power production to 50 percent by 2035, from 75 percent today, but he said France would not phase out nuclear entirely, the policy its neighbor and economic partner Germany has adopted.

United States

Manafort violated plea agreement

Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort repeatedly lied to investigators after pleading guilty to federal charges, violating a plea agreement that he signed two months ago, special counsel Robert Mueller's office said in a court filing on Monday. Manafort said in the same filing he disagreed with Mueller's claim that he had lied to the FBI and the special counsel's office and "has provided information to the government in an effort to live up to his cooperation obligations".

88 killed, 203 still missing after fire

A Northern California sheriff said no additional remains were found on Monday, but the wildfire's death toll rose to 88 after investigators determined that three separate sets of human remains contained remains for more than one person. Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said on Monday that 203 names remain on the list of those unaccounted for after the Camp Fire swept through the rural area north of San Francisco.

United Kingdom

Released academic returns from UAE

UK academic Matthew Hedges arrived back in Britain on Tuesday after being pardoned and released by the United Arab Emirates after a spying conviction. The 31-year-old Durham University graduate student was arrested in Dubai in May after a research trip to the UAE and accused of espionage. Last week he was sentenced to life in prison, sparking a diplomatic dispute between the UAE and Britain, an important ally.

New Zealand

6 whales refloated after stranding

Conservation workers and volunteers in New Zealand managed to refloat six surviving stranded whales on Tuesday and were hoping the animals would soon swim away into deeper water. Ten pygmy killer whales were initially found stranded on Sunday at Ninety Mile Beach on the North Island. Two whales later died there.

Reuters - Xinhua - Ap

(China Daily 11/28/2018 page11)