IN BRIEF (Page 11)

Mexico

New quake shakes country

A strong new earthquake shook Mexico on Saturday, killing at least two people, toppling already damaged homes and a highway bridge, and causing new alarm in a country reeling from two even more powerful quakes that together have killed more than 400 people. The US Geological Survey said the new, magnitude-6.1 temblor was centered about 18 kilometers south-southeast of Matias Romero in the state of Oaxaca, which was the region most battered by a magnitude 8.1 quake on Sept 7.

Puerto Rico

Dam fears add to hurricane misery

Puerto Rico's governor met mayors from around the ravaged island on Saturday after surveying damage to an earthen dam in the northwestern part of the US territory that was threatening to collapse from flooding in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Some 70,000 people who live downstream from the compromised dam, which has formed a lake on the rain-swollen Guajataca River, were under orders to evacuate.

Japan

Voters oppose snap election

Almost two-thirds of Japanese voters are opposed to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe calling a snap election, a Kyodo news agency survey showed on Sunday, a day before the Japanese leader is expected to announce an October vote. According to the survey, 27 percent of the respondents plan to vote for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in districts in the expected lower house election, versus 8 percent who favor the struggling main opposition Democratic Party.

Afghanistan

Car bomber hits NATO convoy

Five civilians were wounded when a car bomber attacked a Danish convoy belonging to the NATO-led international mission in the Afghan capital, Kabul, on Sunday, security officials said. Captain William Salvin, a spokesman for NATO's Resolute Support mission, confirmed an attack had occurred and said a team was on the scene to recover the vehicle.

Egypt

Life terms over soccer violence

An Egyptian court has sentenced two men to life in prison and a dozen others to 2 to 10 years over deadly soccer violence in 2015 that it blamed on the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group. The North Cairo Criminal Court said the accused were responsible for the deaths of at least 20 fans, who were killed in a stampede, as well as destruction of property and explosives possession. Two men were acquitted.

Australia

Hindus protest meat advert

Hundreds of people attended rallies on Sunday to protest an advertisement the Indian community described as "highly insulting" in its depiction of the Hindu deity Lord Ganesha. The India Forum Australia arranged the protests in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth in response to a Meat and Livestock Australia advertisement, aired earlier this month. The ad featured religious figures including the Hindu god, considered vegetarian by followers, sitting down to a meal of lamb.

AP - Reuters

(China Daily 09/25/2017 page11)