IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Qatar

Tillerson: Riyadh not ready for talks

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that Saudi Arabia is not ready to talk to Qatar to end the months-long diplomatic crisis, local media reported on Monday. Tillerson made the remarks during his ongoing visit to Qatar, where held talks with Qatari Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Thani.

France

Corsica wildfires now under control

Authorities said firefighters have mostly contained wildfires that spread across the island of Corsica over the weekend. The wildfire had destroyed 2,000 hectares of forest.

Australia

Hybrid cars are not so 'eco-friendly'

"Eco-friendly" hybrid cars regularly produce four times as much carbon dioxide as manufacturers claim, an Australian report has found on Monday. The report, compiled by the Australian Automobile Association with the backing of industry heavyweights, found that in real-world testing some new vehicles are using 59 percent more fuel than advertised.

United Kingdom

Most-polluting vehicles to be taxed

London introduced a charge on the oldest and most-polluting vehicles on Monday to try to improve air quality in the British capital, Mayor Sadiq Khan said. Called the T-charge, the 10 pound ($13.20) daily tax applies to diesel and petrol vehicles typically registered before 2006 which do not meet the so-called "Euro 4" 2005 European directive to regulate vehicle emissions.

Xinhua - AFP - Reuters - AP

(China Daily 10/24/2017 page12)