IN BRIEF (Page 8)

United Kingdom

Johnson's party suffers defeat

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's governing Conservative Party lost a special election for a seat in the national legislature early on Friday, leaving it with a one-vote working majority in Parliament as Brexit looms. In the Conservatives' first electoral test since Johnson became prime minister nine days ago, the party was defeated for the seat of Brecon and Radnorshire in Wales by Jane Dodds of the opposition Liberal Democrats. The result makes it harder for Johnson's government to pass laws and win votes in Parliament, with Brexit scheduled to happen in less than three months. Johnson says Britain will leave the European Union on Oct 31, with or without a divorce deal. But Parliament voted in the past against the country leaving the EU without an agreement on the terms, and is likely to try again in the fall to thwart Johnson's plans.

Indonesia

Tsunami warning after strong quake

Indonesian authorities on Friday urged people living near the coast to move to higher ground, after issuing a tsunami warning in the wake of a magnitude 7 earthquake off the islands of Sumatra and Java. The Indonesian geophysics agency issued a tsunami warning after the quake, which the US Geological Survey said had a magnitude of 7 and hit at a depth of 59 kilometers, about 227 km from the city of Teluk Betung in Banten Province on the island of Java. Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency said on social media that residents on the Banten coast should "immediately evacuate to higher ground". There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties, but strong tremors were felt in Jakarta.

Yemen

Al-Qaida attack kills at least 20 soldiers

Al-Qaida gunmen killed at least 20 soldiers in an attack on an army base in southern Yemen on Friday, security officials said, a day after deadly assaults by rebels and a jihadist bomber. The gunmen stormed Al-Mahfad base in Abyan Province and remained inside for several hours before military reinforcements arrived, three security officials said, adding that the soldiers were killed in clashes with the extremists. On Thursday, separate attacks by Houthi rebels and extremists hit security forces in Yemen's second city of Aden, killing at least 49 people, many of them newly trained police cadets, officials said.

Saudi Arabia

Women can travel without male consent

Saudi Arabia on Friday published new laws that loosen restrictions on women by allowing all citizens - women and men alike - to apply for a passport and travel freely, ending a long-standing guardianship policy that had controlled women's freedom of movement. The development is a potential game-changer for Saudi women's rights. The kingdom's legal system used to treat adult women as minors, requiring they have a man's consent to obtain a passport or travel abroad. Often a woman's male guardian is her father or husband, and in some cases a woman's son. The changes were widely celebrated by Saudis on social media.

Agencies

(China Daily 08/03/2019 page8)