IN BRIEF (Page 10)

United States

Cohen slammed over guilty plea

US President Donald Trump has called his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen "a weak person" after he pleaded guilty earlier in the day to lying to Congress about a plan to build a Trump real estate project in Russia. Cohen is "a weak person" who's lying to get a reduced sentence, Trump said on Thursday. During a surprise appearance in a court in New York earlier that day, Cohen pleaded guilty to a single count of making false statements to Congress about a Trump Tower development project in Moscow, according to the US Attorney's Office in Manhattan.

Germany

Chancellor will miss G20 opening

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will miss the opening of the G20 summit in Argentina after what she called a "serious malfunction" which forced her government plane to make an unscheduled but safe landing. Merkel and Finance Minister Olaf Scholz were scheduled to resume their travel to Buenos Aires early on Friday, but the long flight time means they will arrive after world leaders start their discussions. The government's Airbus A340 aircraft turned around after technical problems surfaced an hour into the 15-hour flight, and landed safely at Cologne-Bonn airport.

Japan

Ghosn to be held'as long as needed'

Prosecutors have said that they will detain former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn for as long as is needed to complete their investigation into suspicions of financial irregularities, as the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance reaffirmed its partnership. Shin Kukimoto, deputy chief prosecutor for the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors' Office, defended its handling of Ghosn, who was arrested on Nov 19 along with another Nissan executive, Greg Kelly. "We are not detaining (Ghosn) for an unnecessarily long time," Kukimoto told reporters. "We only take necessary steps as needed."

Indonesia

Jailbreak leaves 90 on the run

A jailbreak in western Indonesia has left 90 inmates on the run after they escaped by breaking down fences when they were supposed to be at a prayer gathering, an official said on Friday. The prisoners fled from the prison in Banda Aceh on Thursday night, although some were quickly recaptured. "There were 726 inmates at the time, 113 of them ran away. We have recaptured 23 of them but are still searching for the other escapees," Justice Ministry spokesman Ade Kusmanto said.

Australia

Students protest climate change

Thousands of schoolchildren across the country have skipped classes to attend rallies demanding the government act on climate change. But Resources Minister Matt Canavan said the students should be in school learning about science and mining, rather than discovering how to get on welfare. The coordinated rallies on Friday were held in close to 30 cities and towns. In Sydney, more than 1,000 children, most in school uniforms, chanted slogans, while similar numbers blocked streets outside the Victoria state parliament in Melbourne.

Xinhua - Reuters - Ap - Afp

(China Daily 12/01/2018 page10)