IN BRIEF (Page 12)

The Netherlands

Police hunt suspect after shooting kills one

Police were hunting down a suspect after a shooting on Monday on a tram in the central city of Utrecht left one person dead and multiple people injured. Authorities immediately raised the terror alert for the area to the maximum level and said they are considering the possibility of a "terrorist motive" in the attack. Dutch military police went on extra alert at Dutch airports and at key buildings in the country as the Utrecht manhunt took place. Prime Minister Mark Rutte called the situation "very worrying". Police spokesman Bernhard Jens said no one had been detained yet in the shooting, and one possible "explanation is that the person fled by car". He did not rule out the possibility that more than one shooter was involved in the attack. "We want to try to catch the person responsible as soon as possible," Jens said.

Zimbabwe

At least 157 dead in Cyclone Idai

Cyclone Idai killed at least 157 people in Zimbabwe and Mozambique as it tore across Southern Africa, officials and state media said on Monday, and vast areas of land have been flooded, roads destroyed and communications disrupted. The Mozambican port city of Beira has suffered massive damage, the Red Cross said. The storm has also pounded Malawi. But death toll in Malawi is still unknown. Officials said the body count of the devastating cyclone is expected to rise. Rescuers were struggling to reach people in Chimanimani, many of whom have been sleeping in the mountains since Friday, after their homes were flattened by rockfalls and mudslides or washed away by torrential rains. The country of 15 million people is already suffering a severe drought that has wilted crops.

Ap - Reuters

(China Daily 03/19/2019 page12)