Briefs, October 4, 2012

Taiwanese fighter jet pilot killed in France

A Taiwanese pilot died in France yesterday when his fighter jet burst into flames after crashing in a forest during a training mission. The Mirage 2000-5 went down in the eastern district of Froideconche, the military press office said, without giving further details. AFP

Eight tourists killed in holiday tragedies

Five Taiwanese tourists, one of them a child, have been killed died in a boating accident in Vietnam's scenic Halong Bay. Meanwhile, Philippine officials say a boat carrying 30 Taiwanese tourists capsized off Boracay island, killing three of them. AP

Astronauts honoured for their endeavours

The three astronauts of the Shenzhou-9 mission who conducted China's first manned space docking in June have been given medals for their service to the country's space endeavours. Jing Haipeng, commander of the Shenzhou-9 flight crew, was honoured with a second-class aerospace achievement medal; Liu Wang and Liu Yang, who was China's first female astronaut, were both conferred third-class medals and the honorary title of "heroic astronaut". Xinhua