IN BRIEF (Page 11)

The Philippines

Duterte receives Russian rifles

Russia handed over army trucks and thousands of assault rifles to President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday as the two nations celebrated their growing military ties. Duterte accepted the weaponry during a visit to the Russian anti-submarine warship Admiral Panteleyev docked in Manila. He personally handled some of the 5,000 donated Kalashnikov rifles along with ammunition and 20 trucks to the Philippine military.

India

Tillerson highlights new US strategy

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is visiting India to highlight Washington's new strategy for South Asia. In Wednesday meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other officials, Tillerson was underscoring the US government's belief that India is a critical anchor in a regional strategy for the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Tillerson arrived in India from Pakistan, after having visiting Iraq, Afghanistan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

South Korea

Childbirth rates suffer sharp fall

The country's childbirth posted a double-digit fall for nine months to August, boosting worry about low growth potential amid a falling workforce, statistical agency data showed on Wednesday. The number of newborn babies was 30,200 in August, down 10.9 percent from a year earlier, according to Statistics Korea. It was the lowest for any August figure since the agency began compiling the data in 2000, keeping a double-digit decline for the ninth consecutive month.

United Kingdom

Queen's horses win $8.8 million

Race horses owned by Queen Elizabeth have won $8.8 million in prize money, a report said on Tuesday. In last year, the Queen's horses won prize money of $735,000, the Daily telegraph reported. The report said the Queen has recorded 451 race wins with a win percentage of 15.9 percent, over 30 years.

Japan

74-year-old 'ninja' burglar unmasked

Police in Osaka have finally nabbed a nimble "ninja" thief who dressed in black and scrambled over walls to commit scores of break-ins over an eight-year career - and were astonished to find he was 74. They had been stumped by a string of burglaries, their only lead being security camera footage showing an agile thief with a black neck-warmer pulled up to the nose and a parker hood down to the eyebrows. "He was dressed all in black just like a ninja," a senior official said.

United States

City bans phones on crosswalks

A new law that bans pedestrians from looking at their cellphones was scheduled to take effect on Wednesday in Honolulu, Hawaii. Aiming to enhance responsibility of pedestrians while on the road, Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell signed a bill into law in July, which makes it illegal for pedestrians to look at electronic devices while crossing the street. The law allows police officers to fine pedestrians for viewing their electronic devices while crossing the street.

(China Daily 10/26/2017 page11)