IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Venezuela

Govt, opposition to talk in Norway

The Venezuelan government and opposition have sent envoys to Norway to attend talks on ways of ending the South American country's crisis, though their mutual mistrust and differences on key issues are likely to slow chances of progress. The development was reported by officials on Wednesday. It was a policy reversal for the opposition, which has accused President Nicolas Maduro of using previous negotiations to play for time. Senior members of both sides will be involved in the exploratory discussions in Oslo, said members of Venezuela's opposition-controlled congress who spoke on condition of anonymity.

DPRK

Nation suffers worst drought in decades

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea said on Wednesday it is suffering its worst drought in nearly four decades. The official Korean Central News Agency said an average of 54.4 millimeters of rain fell throughout the country in the first five months of this year. It said that is the lowest level since 1982, when the country received 51.2 millimeters of rain on average during the same period. KCNA said the drought is expected to continue until the end of May.

Japan

US F-35 jet hit by bird during takeoff

A US F-35 stealth bomber suffered millions of dollars in damage after being hit by a bird during takeoff from an air base in Japan, the US Marine Corps said in a statement on Wednesday. The pilot was not hurt in the incident, it said. A damage assessment report has not yet been completed, but the Marine Corps classified the incident as category "A", meaning the damage bill is expected to exceed $2 million. Last month an F-16 fighter jet operating in the United States was hit by a hawk.

AP - AFP - Reuters

(China Daily 05/17/2019 page12)