Briefly

FRANCE

Two soldiers killed, one injured in Mali

Two French soldiers were killed and one was injured when their vehicle hit an improvised explosive device in northeastern Mali on Saturday, the Elysee Palace said. President Emmanuel Macron has "learnt with great sadness" of the deaths in the Menaka region of Sergeant Yvonne Huynh and Brigadier Loic Risser, the presidency said in a statement. The president praised the soldiers for their bravery and reaffirmed France's commitment to fighting terrorism. Three French soldiers were killed in Mali in a similar fashion just several days ago.

UNITED KINGDOM

Tax ended on women's sanitary products

Britain has announced that from Jan 1, value-added tax no longer applies to women's sanitary products. The move "honors a government commitment to scrap the tax and is part of a wider strategy to make sanitary products affordable and available for all women", the British Treasury said in a statement. After the Brexit transition period, Britain is no longer "bound by the EU VAT Directive which mandates a minimum 5 percent tax on all sanitary products", the Treasury said.

Xinhua