IN BRIEF (Page 11)

South Africa

Shooting eruptsin street protest

An unknown number of people were injured when shooting broke out during a protest near Cullinan, a town known for diamond mining, police said. The South African Press Association reported that occupants of a vehicle trying to leave the area shot at protesters on Wednesday. It quoted a police source as saying she did not know how many people were struck. One man with a firearm was arrested.

South Sudan

Attacks resumein Malakal

Fighting resumed in South Sudan when rebel forces attacked the capital of the oil-producing state of Upper Nile. South Sudanese military spokesman Philip Aguer said the fighting broke out early on Tuesday in Malakal, which was once in rebel hands but is now controlled by government troops.

United Kingdom

Snowden votedUK school leader

Former US National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden was elected on Tuesday as the official representative of the student body at the University of Glasgow. Students at the institution say they nominated Snowden to make a statement about democratic rights. "We showed Edward Snowden and other brave whistleblowers that we stand in solidarity with them, regardless of where they are," they said in a statement.

Syria

Gunshots endHoms rescue

Nearly a dozen civilians were evacuated from besieged parts of the Syrian city of Homs on Wednesday before the operation was halted because of shots fired by armed men, the governor said. "The operation allowed the evacuation of 11 civilians from Bustan al-Diwan and Al-Hameidiya," Governor Talal Barazi said, but it was halted because of "obstruction by armed men who opened fire".

Laos

Unfinished woodexports banned

Laos will go to greater lengths to control the timber trade and prevent revenue losses through the illegal export of timber, according to the website of the Chinese embassy in Laos' Economic and Commercial Counselor's Office on Wednesday. The Lao government has warned that companies are forbidden from buying rare timber from Lao citizens. Unfinished products including logs, timber, sawn timber, tree roots, semi-finished wood products and ornamental plants are not permitted to be exported.

Egypt

Mubarak trial adjourned

An Egyptian court adjourned the trial on Wednesday of the ousted president Hosni Mubarak and his two sons Alaa and Gamal over charges of looting funds allocated for maintaining the presidential palaces until March 19, the official news agency MENA reported.

AP - AFP - Xinhua

(China Daily 02/20/2014 page11)