IN BRIEF (Page 12)

China Daily | Updated: 2014-02-27 07:20

Egypt

Sisi will remain defense minister

Egyptian army chief Fattah al-Sisi will keep his post as defense minister in a new government, an official source said on Wednesday, quashing speculation he was on the cusp of announcing bid for the presidency in the future. Sisi is widely expected to win the forthcoming presidential election but has yet to formally announce his candidacy. He must vacate the position of defense minister in order to run.

Court sentences 26 to death

An Egyptian court sentenced 26 people to death on Wednesday for plotting attacks on ships passing through the Suez Canal, a judicial source told reporters. The defendants were tried in absentia. The court set March 19 for the final verdict. An Islamist insurgency has gained momentum since the army overthrew president Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood in July.

Italy

Navy rescues 600 migrants

The Italian navy said on Wednesday it had rescued nearly 600 migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea from Africa over the past 24 hours. "The Navy has rescued 596 migrants on six vessels," including three rubber dinghies, the navy said in a statement. The rescue operation was launched after two shipwrecks off Italian shores in October in which more than 400 migrants from Eritrea and Syria perished.

Pakistan

Policy unveiled on terrorism

Pakistan unveiled on Wednesday its first counterterrorism policy in history after battling a homegrown Islamist insurgency for more than a decade, announcing that every act of militant violence would be met with retaliation on their bases. Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan announced that the "national security policy ends years of waiting for a set of unified rules of engagement for terrorism".

Iraq

Govt denies Iran arms deal

Iraq, facing heavy pressure from the United States, has denied signing deals for weapons and ammunition with Iran in apparent violation of international sanctions. The defense ministry said a variety of international firms had sought to supply Iraq with ammunition and night vision equipment, including one company from Iran. But contrary to media reports, "no contract was signed with the Iranian company", the ministry said.

AFP-AP-Reuters

(China Daily 02/27/2014 page12)