IN BRIEF (Page 11)

Nigeria

Car bomb blasts claim 51 lives

Twin car bomb blasts at a bustling marketplace killed at least 51 people in Maiduguri, a city that is the birthplace of the Boko Haram Islamist terrorist group, a Red Cross official said on Sunday. Many more people are believed buried in rubble from the Saturday night explosions that collapsed some buildings and set others aflame, with smoke billowing for hours, the official said.

Raiders shoot 39 villagers dead

Gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram Islamists raided a village in northeastern Nigeria on Saturday, killing 39 people. Dozens of attackers dressed in military uniform stormed Mainok, almost 50 kilometers from the troubled city of Maiduguri, firing rocket propelled grenades and Kalashnikovs. According to local residents, the attack came as villagers were preparing for prayers.

Venezuela

Protests plan new demonstration

Venezuelan protesters were preparing for a fresh round of anti-government demonstrations on Sunday following a rare peaceful evening in Caracas. At least 18 people have been killed and 250 injured since a wave of protests began on Feb 4 against the government of President Nicolas Maduro, many ending in violent street battles.

Egypt

Security is top priority, PM says

Egypt's new prime minister said on Sunday that security was his top priority, citing ongoing attacks on police and soldiers since the July ouster of Islamist president Mohammed Morsi. In his first address to the nation, Ibrahim Mahlab said Egypt faced "challenges that are like mountains", but vowed to confront them with transparency and firmness. Mahlab is a former member of the dissolved National Democratic Party, the party of former president Hosni Mubarak.

Syria

Kidnapped Spanish reporter released

A Spanish journalist kidnapped by al-Qaida militants in Syria crossed the border into Turkey on Sunday, his newspaper reported, as activists said government airstrikes killed at least 13 people in a border town.

Reuters - AP - AFP

(China Daily 03/03/2014 page11)