IN BRIEF (Page 8)

Japan

Ghosn set to appear in court on Tuesday

Ousted Nissan Motor Co Ltd Chairman Carlos Ghosn is set to appear in a Tokyo court on Tuesday after he requested an open hearing to hear the reason for his detention. It would be Ghosn's first public appearance since he was arrested on Nov 19 on allegations of financial misconduct. He has been detained since then and has also been rearrested over further allegations. The hearing will take place at 10:30 local time on Jan 8, the court said on Friday. Earlier this week, the Tokyo District Court approved an extension to Ghosn's detention until Jan 11.

India

7 dead in building collapse in Delhi

At least seven people died and eight injured when a building collapsed following a cylinder blast in a locality in Delhi late on Thursday night, local media reports said. An LPG (liquefied petroleum gas), or cooking gas, cylinder suddenly blasted inside a building in West Delhi's Sudarshan Park area when some people were working on the ceiling fans. It led to the building's collapse trapping those working in it. According to the police, around 15 people were rescued and shifted to a hospital. Seven died and eight others who were critically injured were shifted to hospital.

Thailand

One dead as tropical storm hit the country

The nation's first tropical storm in three decades killed one person on Friday as it arrived on the south coast, knocking down trees and blowing off roofs in its path, but was losing speed, officials said, while warning against the risk of flash floods. Disaster mitigation officials said the person killed was among the crew of a fishing boat that capsized in strong winds near the coast of nearby Pattani province. Another of the crew was missing, but four others were safe. The conditions are expected to persist into Saturday.

Reuters - Xinhua

(China Daily 01/05/2019 page8)