IN BRIEF (Page 11)

China

Leaders vow to boost ties

President Xi Jinping discussed bilateral relations with General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong by phone on Wednesday, vowing to boost cooperation between the two countries. During the conversation, Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said the traditional friendly partnership between China and Vietnam had been strengthened since the establishment of diplomatic relations 64 years ago.

South Africa

Blue diamond found in Pretoria

South African mining company Petra Diamonds says it has found a rare blue diamond in a mine near Pretoria, the South African capital. Petra Diamonds said the 29.6-carat diamond came from the Cullinan mine, the source of some of the world's most famous diamonds. The company said on Tuesday that the diamond is a vivid blue with extraordinary tone and clarity, and could yield a polished stone of great value.

Palestine

Violence builds in Gaza Strip

Increased violence in and around the Gaza Strip, where an overnight airstrike killed a Palestinian militant, has prompted blunt warnings from Israel as fears grow of another major confrontation. The latest Israeli raid - one of nearly a dozen this month - comes after cross-border exchanges killed several Palestinians and one Israeli little more than a year after a November 2012 conflict forced Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas into a fragile cease-fire.

United Kingdom

Snowden named for rector

Edward Snowden is standing as a candidate for rector of Glasgow University in Scotland after students nominated him for exposing US intelligence secrets, the university said on Wednesday. The former contractor for the US National Security Agency is now living in Russia.

United States

Gunman kills 1 at university

One person was killed inside a Purdue University classroom on Tuesday by a gunman who surrendered to a police officer within minutes of the attack in midwestern Indiana, officials said. Purdue Police Chief John Cox said the man appeared to have targeted the victim, also male, around noon in a basement classroom of the Electrical Engineering Building.

Afghanistan

57 de-miners kidnapped

A senior Afghan official says kidnappers have seized 57 civilian de-miners on their way to work in western Afghanistan. The governor of Herat province, Faizullah Wahidi, said the de-miners were abducted in the Pashtun Zargun district as they drove to an area that needed to be cleared of mines.

Xinhua - AP - AFP

(China Daily 01/23/2014 page11)