Briefly

MAURITIUS

Opposition leader appointed PM

Mauritius opposition leader Navinchandra Ramgoolam was appointed prime minister on Tuesday after his coalition won Sunday's general election. The appointment followed the resignation of Pravind Kumar Jugnauth and his entire Cabinet the same day. Ramgoolam's Alliance of Change won 60 of the 62 national assembly seats, according to final results released on Monday. Ramgoolam, 77, served as prime minister of Mauritius from 1995 to 2000 and 2005 to 2014.

PHILIPPINES

Evacuations ordered as 5th typhoon nears

The Philippines ordered evacuations on Wednesday ahead of Typhoon Usagi's arrival, as recent storms have killed more than 150 people. The national weather service said Usagi — the archipelago's fifth major storm in three weeks — would likely make landfall on Thursday in Cagayan Province on the northeast tip of main island Luzon. Provincial civil defense chief Rueli Rapsing said the mayors had been ordered to evacuate residents in vulnerable areas as Usagi, with a speed of 120 kilometers an hour, bears down on the country.

PAKISTAN

Wedding bus crash kills 14, bride survives

A bus carrying guests home from a wedding fell into a river in northern Pakistan, killing at least 14 people, officials said on Wednesday, with the bride being the only known survivor so far. "There were 25 people on the bus and so far 14 dead bodies have been recovered while 10 are still missing," said Wazir Asad Ali, a rescue official in Gilgit-Baltistan. The accident occurred because of speeding, and the driver losing control of the vehicle, according to authorities.

Agencies - Xinhua