IN BRIEF (Page 11)

The Philippines

US returns church bells stolen in war

Church bells seized by US troops as war trophies over a century ago were returned on Tuesday, in a bid to turn the page on a difficult chapter between the historical allies. Giving back the three so-called Balangiga bells meets a decades-old demand from the former US colony. "Returning these bells is the right thing to do," US Ambassador Sung Kim said at a sober handover ceremony on a Manila airfield, where a cheer went up when the bells were pulled from wooden crates. The bells will be sent back this week to the church in the central town of Balangiga where they were looted by US soldiers avenging a surprise attack that killed 48 of their comrades on Sept 28, 1901.

India

Court bans identifying sexual assault victims

The top court on Tuesday barred media organizations and law enforcement agencies from disclosing the identity of sexual assault victims, officials said. The court laid down guidelines, saying the names of victims cannot be used at public rallies or on social media platforms. Earlier this year, massive protests were launched across the country after an 8-year-old girl was gang-raped and murdered. Several social organizations expressed dismay over the manner in which the girl's identity and photograph was freely disclosed after the gruesome incident.

Japan

5 missing Marines declared dead

The US military said on Tuesday that five missing crew members have been declared dead after their refueling plane collided with a fighter jet last week off Japan's southern coast, and that search and recovery operations have been halted. The five were on a KC-130 Hercules refueling aircraft that collided last Thursday with an F/A-18 Hornet during regular training. The warplanes crashed into the sea south of Japan's Shikoku island. Two crew members in the F/A-18 were recovered after the accident, but one died.

Afghanistan

5 killed in attack on security forces

At least four national intelligence agency officers and an assailant were killed and another six injured after a suicide bomber targeted a convoy of security forces in Kabul on Tuesday, officials said. The blast took place in western Kabul as the convoy was returning from an overnight operation. Another security official requesting anonymity said the assailant had used a car bomb to target the convoy. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

United Kingdom

Fewer gifts for grandpas than pets

British grandfathers will receive 4 percent fewer presents than family pets do this year, according to new research by Britain's Barclays Bank. The research, after surveying 2,000 British adults who celebrate Christmas, suggested that while the number of presents for family pets will reach 1.91, the number for grandfathers will only reach an expected 1.84. The eldest child will be the most spoiled in the family, as they will receive an average of 5.45 presents, the research said.

Afp - Xinhua - Ap

(China Daily 12/12/2018 page11)