IN BRIEF (Page 12)

SEYCHELLES

Pirates seize ship, 29 Chinese

Pirates seized a Saint Vincent and the Grenadines- flagged merchant ship off the coast of the Seychelles on Sunday, the EU naval force said. A regional maritime body warned other vessels to avoid the area for the next two days as the weather was suitable for more hijackings.

Andrew Mwangura, head of the East African Seafarers' Assistance Program, said the ship had a crew of 23 Chinese.

KYRGYZSTAN

Ousted leader in political storm

Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, ousted in a violent uprising last week, said on Sunday he would not resign and that any attempt to kill him would "drown Kyrgyzstan in blood". The leader of the new interim government, meanwhile, said Bakiyev could be tried for responsibility for the killings of at least 81 people during the rebellion against him.

The April 7 revolt in the Central Asian nation, where the US operates a key military base, has forced Bakiyev to flee to his southern home region, locking him in a standoff with the self-proclaimed government in Bishkek.

IRAN

Officials slam Obama speech

Iranian lawmakers have called on the government to file a complaint with the UN after US President Barack Obama excepted Iran from a pledge not to use nuclear weapons against countries not possessing them.

The official IRNA news agency said 222 lawmakers signed the petition, saying Obama exclusion of Iran from the pledge was a "threat to world peace and security."

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also said Obama's threatening language is proof that the US cannot be trusted.

Associated Press - Reuters

(China Daily 04/12/2010 page12)