IN BRIEF (Page 11)

China Daily | Updated: 2019-06-19 07:35

United Kingdom

PM hopefuls begin crucial week of votes

The six Conservatives vying to become the United Kingdom's next prime minister were expected to face off in the second round of voting on Tuesday, with the final pair to be decided by the end of the week. The outcome of the leadership battle could determine under what conditions the country leaves the European Union. It is currently scheduled to leave on Oct 31. All of the party's 313 MPs can take part in the secret ballot in the contest to replace outgoing leader Theresa May. The final two candidates will be chosen by the party's 160,000 grassroots members. Boris Johnson, the former foreign minister and a leading Brexit promoter, topped the first round of voting last week, winning the support of 114 MPs - more than twice the number of votes won by his nearest challengers.

Indonesia

Ferry sinking leaves at least 17 dead

At least 17 people, including four children, died after a motorboat sank in choppy waters off the Indonesian island of Java, a government official said on Tuesday. The 10-meter wooden vessel with 57 people on board was hit by high waves off Sumenep in East Java province on Monday, said Tholib, a spokesman for the search and rescue agency. Rescue teams saved 39 passengers and are searching for one missing person, he added. Indonesia, a vast archipelago, has a patchy transportation safety record, with frequent ferry accidents often caused by overcrowding. Last year, an overcrowded ferry with more than 200 passengers sank in Lake Toba in Sumatra. Eighteen people survived and nearly 200 are thought to have drowned in one of the world's deepest volcanic lakes.

India

Brain disease kills more than 100 kids

More than 100 children in the Indian state of Bihar - home to some of the country's worst health indicators - have now been killed by a brain virus possibly linked to lychee fruit, officials said. The northern state, one of India's poorest and home to almost 100 million people, is also in the throes of a major heat wave that is the country's second-longest on record. It has so far claimed 78 lives. Bihar has been struggling with an outbreak of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome since the start of June. Eighty-five children have now died in the state's biggest government-run hospital, the Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital, in the city of Muzaffarpur. Eighteen others died at a private facility, the Press Trust of India reported.

Afp - Reuters

(China Daily 06/19/2019 page11)