IN BRIEF (Page 12)

India

Five-year plan to reduce air pollution

The Indian government has released a five-year plan to reduce air pollution in the 102 worst-affected cities in the country by 20-30 percent by 2024. The air pollution level in the Indian capital of New Delhi became severe, officials said on Sunday. The overall air quality index remained in the severe category at 414, according to the Indian Central Pollution Control Board. The plan outlines multiple actions and their timelines for central ministries, states and city-level agencies seeking to curb vehicular, industrial and thermal power emissions and reduce the air pollution from the burning of crop residue and firewood, brick production, construction and other activities. Some actions are either ongoing or due for immediate implementation, while others have timelines up to 2024.

Poland

Doctors fight to save stabbed mayor

A convicted criminal with a knife rushed on to the stage during the finale of a charity event on Sunday night and stabbed a Polish mayor in the heart and abdomen before shouting that he did it for political revenge, in an attack that left doctors fighting to save the politician's life. Gdansk Mayor Pawel Adamowicz grabbed his belly and collapsed in front of the audience at the "Lights to Heaven" fundraiser organized by the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity, the country's most important charity. Doctors resuscitated Adamowicz on the spot and then transported him to Medical University of Gdansk, where he underwent five hours of surgery.

Canada

Pizzas bought for US air traffic controllers

Canadian air traffic controllers have bought hundreds of pizzas for their US counterparts over the past few days in what has become an industry-wide show of support during the US government's partial shutdown. Peter Duffey, the head of the Canadian Air Traffic Control Association, said Sunday the initiative began Thursday when employees at Edmonton's control center took up a collection to buy pies for controllers in Anchorage, Alaska. Other facilities across Canada decided to join in, and the idea snowballed. Nearly 10,000 air traffic controllers in the United States have been working without pay since late December due to the ongoing government shutdown.

Japan

Wife: Ghosn suffers harsh treatment

The wife of Nissan's former chairman Carlos Ghosn has written an open letter to criticize her husband's long detention and Japan's criminal justice system as unfair and harsh. "My husband's is a case study in the realities of this draconian system," Carole Ghosn wrote in a nine-page letter on Monday. Carlos Ghosn was arrested Nov 19 and has been charged with falsifying financial reporting in underreporting his income and with breach of trust in having Nissan Motor Co shoulder his personal investment losses and make payments to a Saudi businessman. Ghosn, who led Nissan for two decades and rescued the Japanese automaker from near-bankruptcy, asserted his innocence in a Tokyo court last week. It was his first public appearance since his arrest.

Xinhua - Ap

(China Daily 01/15/2019 page12)