IN BRIEF (Page 12)

China

China-ASEAN talks to open

The 19th China-ASEAN Senior Officials' Consultation will be held in Beijing on Tuesday. Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui and Sihasak Phuangketkeow, Thailand's permanent secretary for foreign affairs, will co-chair the meeting, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said at a news conference on Monday.

South Africa

Mandela's health improves

The condition of South Africa's former president Nelson Mandela has improved further, the government said on Sunday, as the 94-year-old anti-apartheid hero spent a fourth day in hospital receiving treatment for pneumonia. "Former president Nelson Mandela had a restful day," South Africa's presidency said.

Iraq

Suicide bomber claims at least 9

A suicide bomber drove an oil tanker packed with explosives into an Iraqi government compound in the northern city of Tikrit on Monday, killing at least nine people, mostly policemen. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

United States

Helicopter crash kills 3 on board

An Alaska State Troopers helicopter crashed during a rescue mission, killing all three people on board, officials said on Sunday. Emergency workers reached the wreckage early on Sunday and found the bodies of the pilot, a state trooper and a snowmobiler who had been rescued after becoming stranded near the small town of Talkeetna.

Russia

Berezovsky's suicide doubted

The 23-year-old girlfriend of the late Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky said on Monday she did not believe he had killed himself and that they had been planning to go to Israel on holiday together days after he was found dead. Katerina Sabirova said that in their last conversation a day before Berezovsky's death, his voice "had sounded better than usual".

Mauritius

Flash floods leave 10 dead

At least 10 people have been killed in flash floods in Mauritius, and more downpours could be on the way, officials and the Indian Ocean island's meteorological service said on Sunday. The deaths occurred on Saturday, and most of the victims had been trapped in an underpass leading to the Caudan Waterfront, a commercial area in Port Louis.

Reuters-AFP-AP-Xinhua

(China Daily 04/02/2013 page12)