IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Somalia

Car bomb kills at least 8

A car bomb hit a convoy of cars carrying Qatari officials through the center of Somalia's capital Mogadishu on Sunday, killing at least eight Somalis, officials said. The visiting delegation of Qataris, who were traveling in the Somali interior minister's bullet-proof vehicle, were "safe", a security officer told Reuters, without going into further detail. The minister was not in the car at the time.

United Kingdom

Politician denies rape allegations

A senior British Conservative Party politician arrested on suspicion of rape and sexual assault said on Sunday the allegations against him are "completely false". Deputy House of Commons Speaker Nigel Evans, 55, was arrested on Saturday. He was questioned about sex offenses that allegedly took place between July 2009 and March 2013 and was later released on bail.

Egypt

Cabinet to be reshuffled

The Egyptian cabinet will be reshuffled by the end of the week, a state-run newspaper reported, pointing to a delay in efforts to revamp a government widely criticized for failing to get the economy moving and to conclude a much-needed IMF loan deal.

President Mohammed Morsi announced on April 20 he would carry out the reshuffle.

United States

Alaska volcano spews ash plume

A remote but long-restless Alaska volcano rumbled to life on Saturday with three explosions and started emitting a continuous plume of ash, steam and gas in an area important to air traffic, scientists said. The low-level explosions at Cleveland Volcano, which lies below a major air traffic route between North America and Asia, were not severe enough to cause a significant threat to planes, said experts.

Pakistan

16 militants die in fighting

Pakistani troops overran two militant hideouts and killed 16 insurgents after heavy fighting at a flashpoint near the Afghan border in which two soldiers died, the military said on Sunday. The fighting took place in the wake of a fresh military push in the Tirah valley in the tribal Khyber district.

Tanzania

30 wounded in blast at church

At least 30 people were injured, including three seriously, in an explosion on Sunday at a church in the northern Tanzanian city of Arusha, police said. "There have been 30 people wounded, three in a serious condition, and one person has been arrested," said regional police chief Liberatus Sabas.

Reuters-AFP-AP

(China Daily 05/06/2013 page12)