Briefly

UNITED STATES

Report reveals sexual abuse of female inmates

The US Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations released a report on Tuesday to reveal sexual abuse of female inmates in federal prisons. The report uncovered that the Federal Bureau of Prisons' employees sexually abused female prisoners in at least two-thirds of federal prisons that have held women over the past decade. At the all-women's prison in California's Dublin city, the former warden and chaplain both sexually abused female prisoners, according to the report's findings. Jon Ossoff, a Democrat from Georgia, launched this investigation in April.

FRANCE

Nation to restart more nuclear reactors

France is on track to get 45 nuclear reactors back on line by January, up from 41 at present, which should help the country avoid power cuts this winter, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Wednesday. "We are on the right track regarding avoiding electricity cuts," Le Maire told CNews TV. France's RTE grid operator cut its power exports to Britain by around half for an hour on Monday morning, and imported more from Belgium and Italy as it faced tight power supplies amid a spell of freezing weather.

JAPAN

Confidence falls among major manufacturers

Business confidence fell slightly among Japan's largest manufacturers for the fourth straight quarter, a closely watched Bank of Japan survey showed on Wednesday. Optimism grew among non-manufacturers, however, and both readings beat market expectations. The BoJ's quarterly Tankan survey — considered the broadest indicator of how Japanese businesses are faring — showed that major manufacturers still feel much more upbeat than during the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Xinhua - Agencies