IN BRIEF (Page 11)

Brazil

At least 19 dead after ship sinks

At least 19 people have been confirmed dead and dozens are feared missing in northern Brazil after a boat carrying about 70 people sank overnight in the Amazon basin, local authorities said on Wednesday. Rescuers rushed to the wreck on the Xingu river in northern Para state, which borders a long section of the Amazon river and contains several large tributaries. As of Wednesday evening, only 19 people had been rescued alive, according to the G1 news site.

Syria

Army encircles IS extremists in desert

Syrian troops completely surrounded fighters of the Islamic State group in a vast central desert region on Thursday, a monitoring group said. Advancing overnight, troops north and south of the Badiya desert area met up and seized Jabal Dahek, the group said. By encircling them, the government forces dealt a "strategic" blow to the extremists, it said. They have been battling for months to retake the Badiya, which stretches from the country's center to the Iraqi and Jordanian borders.

Switzerland

Eight missing after landslide in Alps

Eight people, including German, Austrian and Swiss citizens, are missing following a landslide that forced the evacuation of a village in the Swiss Alps, police said on Thursday. The Wednesday morning landslide sent mud, rocks and dirt flooding into the village of Bondo, near the Italian border, and forced the evacuation of around 100 people, some of whom were airlifted with helicopters. Six of the eight were reported missing by their relatives, the police said. Images showed a broad swathe of farmland covered in a gray, moving mass, with mud partially engulfing some buildings.

United States

Largest jackpot won by single ticket

Powerball Product Group Chair Charlie McIntyre said the $758.7 million jackpot claimed by a ticket sold in Massachusetts is the largest grand prize won by a single lottery ticket in US history. In a statement on Thursday, McIntyre also said six other tickets won $2 million apiece, and 34 more are worth $1 million. The lucky numbers for the second largest lottery prize in US history were 6, 7, 16, 23 and 26, and the Powerball number was 4.

Sudan

Moscow envoy dies of heart attack

Russia's ambassador to Sudan, who was found dead in a swimming pool at his residence, died of a heart attack, the Russian foreign ministry said on Thursday. He was 62. Sudanese officials had announced the death of Mirgayas Shirinsky on Wednesday, saying that a preliminary investigation pointed to a natural death. Shirinsky is the fourth Russian ambassador to die on the job over the last year, including the UN envoy Vitaly Churkin and India envoy Alexander Kadakin.

United Kingdom

Firefighters feel the heat over piglet BBQ

British firefighters were feeling the heat on Wednesday after eating "fantastic" sausages made from piglets they themselves had saved from the flames, prompting the ire of animal welfare activists. Firefighters in the village of Pewsey, southwest England, were delighted to "sample the fruits of our labors" when a farmer delivered sausages made from piglets the crew had rescued from a barn fire.

(China Daily 08/25/2017 page11)