IN BRIEF (Page 11)

China

Nations endorse trade project

Experts and ambassadors from China and Central Asian countries expressed their wishes for substantive regional economic cooperation along the Silk Road on Tuesday. Former Chinese ambassadors and the diplomatic envoys of Central Asian nations shared their views on the construction of the Silk Road economic belt at a forum held by the International Department of the Central Committee of the CPC and the Outreach Cultural Association.

China, US discuss DPRK

The Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed on Tuesday that a high-ranking official recently discussed the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue with US officials in the United States. After an invitation from the US, a delegation headed by Wu Dawei, China's special representative for Korean Peninsula affairs, began a visit to the US on Sunday, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said. Wu held working consultations with Daniel Russel, US Department of State assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, and Glyn Davies, US special representative for policy on the DPRK.

Syria

Envoy warns of 'Somalization'

UN-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, in Syria on Tuesday on the most sensitive leg of a regional push for peace talks, has warned of the "Somalization" of the war-ravaged country. His grim warning came as fighting prevented chemical weapons inspectors from visiting two sites, although UN chief Ban Ki-moon said the mission to destroy Syria's arsenal by mid-2014 was still on track. Brahimi has been seeking to build on the momentum of last month's US-Russian deal to eradicate Syria's chemical weapons.

Saudi Arabia

Video under investigation

A Saudi rights group said on Monday it is investigating a video appearing to show a local man brutally beating an Asian worker in the kingdom, which hosts millions of foreign laborers. The video posted online shows a man in the traditional white dress of Saudi Arabia, slapping, lashing and kicking an Asian man. The National Society for Human Rights is "investigating the issue," its head, Mefleh al-Qahtani, told AFP.

Egypt

Judges resign from trial

The judges presiding over the trial of leaders of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood stepped down from the proceedings on Tuesday, citing "uneasiness" over the trial, as the defense lawyers said the panel had come under pressure to hold the trial inside a prison. The move forces the trial of 35 Brotherhood figures, including the group's top leader, Mohammed Badie, to be restarted from scratch, though Tuesday's was only its second session.

China Daily-Xinhua-AFP-AP

(China Daily 10/30/2013 page11)