IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Libya

France pushes for no-fly zone

France stepped up efforts on Monday to persuade world powers to impose a no-fly zone over Libya, as government troops battled rebel fighters for control of the strategic oil town of Brega.

France, hosting a Group of Eight foreign ministers' meeting on Monday, said it was consulting other powers to try to set up a no-fly zone to assure the protection of civilians "in the face of the terrible violence suffered by the Libyan population".

The Arab League's weekend call on the UN to impose such a zone appeared to satisfy one of three conditions set by NATO for it to police Libyan air space - regional approval. The others were proof that its help is needed and a UN Security Council resolution.

Bahrain

Request made for martial law

A parliament group asked Bahrain's king on Monday to impose martial law after a month of unrest that has left the tiny Gulf nation sharply divided between minority Sunni Muslims backing the ruling system and Shiites demanding sweeping changes.

There was no immediate response from Bahrain's monarch, but media outlets close to the rulers said plans were under way to bring reinforcements from neighboring Gulf states to bolster Bahraini forces.

The reports - which could not be independently verified - could be the prelude to a more aggressive push against the daily protests that show no signs of easing. Bahrain's leaders also have expressed increasing frustration that opposition groups have not accepted offers to open dialogue aiming at resolving the crisis.

Afghanistan

37 died in attack on army center

A suicide attack on an army recruitment center in Northern Afghanistan's Kunduz province on Monday killed 37 people and wounded nearly 40 others, Deputy Provincial Governor Hamdullah Danishi said.

Reuters reported that a witness heard gunfire in the area after the attack. Violence is spreading fast in the once peaceful North, with Kunduz a particular focus for insurgents.

The Kunduz police chief was killed by a suicide bomber while out on patrol in the city last week, and the previous governor of Kunduz was killed in an attack last October on a mosque where he was worshipping.

India

Navy captures 61 pirates

The Indian navy captured 61 pirates who jumped into the Arabian Sea to flee a gunfight and fire on the hijacked ship from which they had staged several attacks, a navy statement said on Monday.

Two Indian navy ships also rescued 13 crew members from the fishing boat on Sunday night, nearly 1,100 km off Kochi in southern India, the statement said.

The pirates had hijacked the Mozambique-flagged Vega 5 in December and used it as a mother ship.

Iraq

Suicide bomber kills 11 soldiers

A suicide bomber blew up his booby-tapped car early Monday outside an Iraqi army battalion headquarters in the country's east, killing 11 soldiers and wounding 29 people in a bombing that brought down the building.

Diyala Provincial Council spokeswoman Samira al-Shibli said emergency workers were still frantically trying to rescue victims from beneath the rubble several hours later.

Reuters-AP

(China Daily 03/15/2011 page12)