IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Brazil

President strives to calm unrest

President Dilma Rousseff proposed a wide range of actions to reform political system, fight corruption and improve public services - all demands angrily asked for by the millions of protesters who've taken to the streets the past week. In a meeting on Monday with four leaders of a main group behind the protest movement, Rousseff shifted some of the burden for progress onto the back of Brazil's widely loathed congress.

Central African Republic

37 killed in gold mine collapse

At least 37 people were killed when a gold mine collapsed at Ndassima in the middle of the Central African Republic, where President Michel Djotodia has declared three days of mourning, national radio reported on Tuesday. The accident occurred on Sunday after a landslide in very heavy rain, presidential spokesman Prosper Ndouba said.

Turkey

20 detained for anti-govt rallies

Turkish police detained 20 people in raids in the capital Ankara on Tuesday in connection with weeks of anti-government protests across the country, media reports said. The unrest began at the end of May when police used force against campaigners opposed to plans to redevelop a Istanbul park.

South Africa

Mandela still fighting for life

Former South African president Nelson Mandela remained in a critical condition in hospital on Tuesday after being admitted more than two weeks ago with a lung infection, the government said. President Jacob Zuma's office said doctors were doing their best to ensure the "recovery, well-being and comfort" of the 94-year-old anti-apartheid leader.

Poland

Bomb threats clear hospitals

Polish officials evacuated hundreds of people on Tuesday from hospitals and prosecutors' offices in several cities, including Warsaw and Krakow, after receiving e-mailed bomb threats, police spokesmen said. Police said they had not yet found explosives at any location named in the notes and they also mentioned no motive behind the threats.

The Philippines

Pilots suspended for runway skid

Philippine aviation authorities on Tuesday suspended two pilots from budget carrier Cebu Pacific after their plane overshot a runway, saying they should have aborted the landing and failed to evacuate the aircraft which could have exploded. The plane skidded off the runway in bad weather on June 2, coming to a halt on muddy ground beside the tarmac at the airport in the southern city of Davao.

Reuters-AFP-AP

(China Daily 06/26/2013 page12)