IN BRIEF (Page 11)

Japan

Rotor issue caused helicopter landing

United States military personnel appear to have removed part of the main rotor on a Marine Corps helicopter that made an emergency landing on a beach in Japan's southern Okinawa islands on Saturday. Japanese television showed personnel in dark green uniforms using stepladders on the beach on Sunday to reach the rotor, and then handing down a large part and carting it away. The Marines confirmed in a statement that the UH-1Y helicopter landed on a small island after indications that the main rotor was moving at too high a speed. No one was injured in the incident. The Marines said the cause was under investigation.

United States

Trump seeks $18b to extend wall

The Trump administration has proposed spending $18 billion over 10 years to significantly extend the border wall with Mexico, providing one of its most detailed blueprints of how the president hopes to carry out a signature campaign pledge. The proposal by Customs and Border Protection calls for 505 kilometers of additional barrier by September 2027, bringing total coverage to 1,552 kilometers, or nearly half the border, according to a US official with direct knowledge of the matter.

Italy

8 migrants dead in dinghy sinking

At least 25 people are feared to have drowned off Libya after a dinghy, possibly carrying some 150 migrants, ran into trouble, two rescue organizations said on Saturday. "Rubber dinghy sunk north of Tripoli. At least 25 people died in the incident, exact numbers still unclear. Italian navy on the scene," the German charity Sea Watch said on Twitter. The Italian Coast Guard said 85 people had been rescued from the sinking vessel, and eight bodies recovered so far.

Russia

Court upholds election ban

Russia's Supreme Court said on Saturday that it has decided to reject an appeal by opposition leader Alexei Navalny and uphold a ban on his participation in the 2018 presidential election. In February 2017, a Russian court found Navalny guilty of embezzlement at a timber company and gave him a five-year suspended sentence. Last month, the Russian Central Election Commission denied Navalny the right to run for the presidency, citing his criminal conviction. Under Russian legislation, if someone is found guilty of a crime, he or she will be ineligible to run for the presidency. Navalny had planned to run in the election in March.

Syria

Govt allocates money for Aleppo

The Syrian government has allocated 60 billion Syrian pounds (roughly $140 million) for the reconstruction of public service and the implementation of development projects in the northern city of Aleppo, state news agency SANA reported on Saturday. The projects include rebuilding destroyed schools, clinics, and water and electricity networks as well as implementing agricultural projects, rebuilding soils and other infrastructure rehabilitation work.

Senegal

13 youths killed by armed separatists

Thirteen youths were killed and at least six others were injured on Saturday by a group of armed separatist rebels in the southern region of Casamance in Senegal, security authorities said. The victims were collecting firewood in a forest near the town of Ziguinchor when they were attacked, said Abdou Ndiaye, an Senegalese army spokesperson. The attack was carried out by a group of 15 rebels from the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance in the region bordering Guinea Bissau to the south.

(China Daily 01/08/2018 page11)