IN BRIEF (Page 11)

Syria

Aid workers to return after raid

A Syrian Arab Red Crescent official said aid workers are expected to return to the besieged central city of Homs, a day after trucks carrying food and medical supplies came under fire. Khaled Erksoussi, the head of operations at the SARC, said the agency will try to evacuate more civilians on Sunday from rebel-held areas in Homs in line with a UN-brokered agreement on a three-day truce.

Russia

Two shot dead in church

Two worshippers were killed and six injured on Sunday when a man opened fire during a prayer service in a cathedral on Russia's Far East island of Sakhalin, police said. The man, a security guard at a private firm, was detained after the shooting and his motives were not clear.

Bangladesh

Factory owners jailed over fire

Two fugitive owners of a Bangladesh garment factory turned themselves in on Sunday to face homicide charges for the deaths of 112 workers in the country's worst factory fire, a prosecutor said. The owners of Tazreen Fashions, Delwar Hossain and his wife Mahmuda Akter, and were sent to jail after being refused bail. The fire occurred on Nov 24, 2012, in Dhaka.

China

US should be 'impartial': FM

Beijing has urged Washington to take a rational, impartial and constructive attitude in terms of remarks regarding the South China Sea, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei on Saturday. "China's maritime rights and interests have developed throughout history and are protected by international law," Hong said. "Fabricating topics and playing up tensions do not help maintain peace and stability in the region." On Wednesday, Danny Russel, US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, criticized China for "lacking clarity" with regard to its South China Sea claims.

Pakistan

Gunmen slay nine in attack

An official in an insurgent-hit southern Pakistani province said gunmen have attacked the house of a pro-government tribal elder, killing him and eight members of his family, including three women, three children and two men.

Denmark

Giraffe killed to stop inbreeding

A perfectly healthy young giraffe was shot dead at the Copenhagen zoo on Sunday despite an online petition to save it signed by thousands of animal lovers. Marius, an 18-month-old giraffe, was put down with a bolt gun early on Sunday, zoo spokesman Tobias Stenbaek Bro confirmed. The giraffe was killed in a bid to prevent inbreeding.

AFP - Reuters - AP -China Daily

(China Daily 02/10/2014 page11)