IN BRIEF (Page 11)

United States

Trump hails end of IS 'caliphate' in Syria, Iraq

US President Donald Trump on Saturday claimed the "liberation" of all territory controlled by the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq, while vowing to remain vigilant until "it is finally defeated". Trump said in a statement that the United States, together with its partners in the Global Coalition to Defeat IS, have liberated"100 percent of the caliphate". Acting US Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan on Saturday called the liberation of the territory once held by IS in Iraq and Syria "a critical milestone", adding that the work "is far from complete."

Mozambique

Africa cyclone death toll surges past 700

Mozambique reported scores more deaths on Saturday in the aftermath of a cyclone, as floods around southern Africa that have killed at least 732 people. Thousands remain in desperate need of help, as many still cling to rooftops and trees. Cyclone Idai lashed the Mozambican port city of Beira with winds of up to 170 km/h last week, then moved inland to Zimbabwe and Malawi, swamping populations and devastating homes. Mozambique's death toll rose to 417 from 242, officials said. The storm has also killed 259 in Zimbabwe, while in Malawi 56 people died in heavy rains ahead of the cyclone.

Norway

Passengers airlifted off cruise ship in storm

Rescuers were working on Sunday to airlift more than 1,300 passengers and crew off a cruise ship after it got into difficulty in rough seas off the Norwegian coast. The Viking Sky lost power and started drifting mid-afternoon on Saturday in perilous waters two kilometers off Romsdal, prompting the captain to send out a distress call. At that stage, the authorities decided to launch a helicopter airlift in very rough conditions rather than run the risk of leaving people on board. By early Sunday, the crew had managed to restart three of its four engines. The vessel was making slow headway at two to three knots off the dangerous, rocky coast and a tugboat would help pull it toward the port of Molde.

Middle East

Palestine slams Golan sovereign claim

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry on Saturday rejected US President Donald Trump's tweeted recognition of Israel's sovereignty over the occupied Syrian Golan Heights as "a boost to colonialism and the acquisition of territory by force". The US move reflects "attempts by the Trump administration to topple the foundations of international order while hijacking and controlling it," the ministry said in a statement. Israel occupied the Golan Heights from Syria during the 1967 Middle East war and then annexed it in 1981, in a move that has never been recognized by the international community.

Mali

More than 130 killed in massacre as UN visits

More than 130 people were killed in an attack on a Fulani village in central Mali on Saturday, the United Nations said, as a delegation visited the country. Survivors accused traditional Dogon hunters of carrying out the deadly raid in Ogossagou, according to Boubacar Kane, the governor of Bankass district, which includes the village. A security source said the victims were shot or hacked to death with machetes.

Xinhua - Ap - Afp

(China Daily 03/25/2019 page11)