IN BRIEF (Page 11)

United States

Govt votes against Cuba resolution

Washington voted against a UN resolution condemning its trade embargo against Cuba on Wednesday, the latest move underscoring the new Cuba policy launched by the Donald Trump administration to deviate from the Barack Obama legacy. The resolution was overwhelmingly approved in the UN General Assembly by a vote of 191-2, with only the US and Israel voicing opposition. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said the US blockade is "a flagrant, massive and systematic violation of the human rights of all Cubans".

Drugs deemed a serious problem

People who believe drugs pose a serious problem in the United States rose for the first time in a decade to 71 percent, a Gallup study released on Wednesday has found. The study showed 71 percent of those US citizens polled believed that illegal drugs were an "extremely" or "very" serious problem in the country, an increase from the 65 percent last year, which ended a decadelong decline. The study said a steady 32 percent said the drugs problem was "extremely serious".

Turkey

30 dead in clashes with Kurdish rebels

Clashes between Turkish security force members and Kurdish militants in two mainly Kurdish provinces in southeastern Turkey on Thursday killed eight security force members and 22 militants, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. The rebels of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, have waged a three-decadelong insurgency.

Republic Of Korea

Navy launches new landing ship

The Navy on Thursday launched its new 127-meter landing ship capable of conducting a massive landing operation, according to local media reports. The launching ceremony was held at the shipyard of Hyundai Heavy Industries, the country's largest shipbuilder, in Ulsan. The 4,900-ton ship was the fourth of its kind.

Egypt

Chamber found in Great Pyramid

Scientists have found a hidden chamber in the Great Pyramid of Giza, the first such discovery in the structure since the 19th century and one likely to spark a new surge of interest in the pharaohs. In an article published in the journal Nature on Thursday, an international team said the 30-meter void is situated above the structure's Grand Gallery, and has a similar cross-section. The purpose of the chamber is unclear, and it's not yet known whether it was built with a function in mind.

Australia

Local snakes have Asian origins

Most ancestors of Australian lizards and snakes, including some of the world's deadliest species, migrated from Asia to the southern continent as early as 30 million years ago, according to latest research. About 85 percent of the more than 1,000 snake and lizard species in the country descended from creatures that floated across the ocean, most likely on driftwood, said Dr Paul Oliver, lead researcher of the study under the Australian National University.

(China Daily 11/03/2017 page11)