IN BRIEF (Page 12)

China

Beijing opposes US resolution

China "strongly" opposes a US Senate resolution on disputes in the East China Sea and South China Sea, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Thursday. Hua said the resolution places blame on China without regard for history and fact, "sending the wrong message." The US Senate approved the resolution on Monday and put pressure on China in regard to territorial disputes in the East China Sea and South China Sea.

Spain

Opposition calls for PM to resign

Spain's opposition Socialist Party on Thursday renewed its demand for Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy to resign over corruption allegations, accusing him of lying to the country. "You did not tell the truth when you said that it was all false," opposition leader Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba told Rajoy in Parliament. "I ask you to go."

Egypt

Morsi backers plan large march

Supporters of ousted Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi pledged to defy a crackdown ordered by the army-installed interim government, as diplomats scrambled on Thursday to broker an end to the crisis. Morsi's backers said they would hold a "march of the millions" on Friday, and denounced the orders given to police by the interim cabinet to end their Cairo sit-ins.

Nepal

Bird flu leads to chicken sale ban

Nepal banned the sale of chicken on Thursday after health workers found cases of bird flu at several poultry farms on the outskirts of the capital Kathmandu, officials said. Officials at Kathmandu District Animal Health Office said the government had imposed a weeklong ban on the supply and sale of poultry products to prevent the H5N1 virus from spreading to humans.

Australia

22 passengers fall ill on flight

Medical authorities in Australia treated 22 passengers on Thursday for a mystery gastric illness after they became ill on a Qantas Airways flight from Chile, Qantas said. Several ambulances and medical staff met the aircraft after it touched down in Sydney.

Uruguay

Lawmakers back marijuana bill

Uruguay moved closer to becoming the world's first nation to produce and distribute marijuana, after its lower house approved a bill putting control of the drug in government hands. The controversial measure approved on Wednesday was unveiled in June last year as part of a series of efforts to combat rising violence.

Xinhua-AFP-Reuters

(China Daily 08/02/2013 page12)