IN BRIEF (Page 11)

Pakistan

Head-on smash leaves 10 dead

Police say two speeding buses coming from opposite directions collided and crashed into a van on a highway in central Pakistan, killing 10 people and injuring 17 others. Local police chief Arfan Buhadar said the collision took place early on Sunday near the town of Jam Shoro, about 100 kilometers southeast of the city of Multan. He said the drivers of the two buses fled shortly after the accident. An initial investigation shows careless driving was behind the crash.

Japan

Emperor's big day sees huge crowd

A record crowd paid their respects to Japan's 84-year-old Emperor Akihito at Tokyo's Imperial Palace on Saturday, in his first birthday celebration since the date of his abdication was set. The emperor's birthday is traditionally marked by a national holiday and an address at the Imperial Palace, which opens to the public on the day. The crowd of 52,300 was the largest birthday attendance during Akihito's symbolic 29-year reign.

Mexico

Murders this year hit a record high

Mexico has this year recorded its highest murder total since modern records began, according to official data, dealing a fresh blow to President Enrique Pena Nieto's pledge to get gang violence under control, with presidential elections due in 2018. Some 23,101 murder investigations were opened in the first 11 months of this year, surpassing the 22,409 recorded in the whole of 2011, figures published on Friday night by the Interior Ministry show.

Peru

Former president taken to hospital

Peru's former president, Alberto Fujimori, currently serving a 25-year prison sentence for corruption and human rights abuses, was transferred from his cell to a clinic on Saturday suffering low blood pressure and an irregular heartbeat, his doctor said. The 79-year-old was in power from 1990 to 2000 and was put into prison in 2005.

United Kingdom

Aardvark dies in blaze at the Zoo

An aardvark was killed and four meerkats are missing and believed dead after a blaze tore through part of London Zoo early on Saturday, destroying a cafe and gift shop. The fire broke out shortly after 6 am at the zoo's Animal Adventure section before spreading to the shop and cafe, near to an area where visitors can handle and feed animals, the zoo and London Fire Brigade said.

United States

Tomatoes help heal the lungs

Smokers who quit smoking and live on a diet high in tomatoes and fruits, particularly apples, have a better chance of restoring their lung functions impaired by smoking, a new study has found. According to the study, conducted by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, adults who on average ate more than two tomatoes or more than three portions of fresh fruits and vegetables a day had a slower decline in lung function.

AFP - AP

(China Daily 12/25/2017 page11)