IN BRIEF

Briefly

Venezuela

Generals arrested on coup charges

Three Venezuelan air force generals accused of plotting a coup against the government of President Nicolas Maduro were arrested on Tuesday. The unidentified generals were in contact with opposition politicians and "were trying to get the Air Force to rise up against the legitimately elected government", Maduro said at a meeting of South American foreign ministers.

Republic of Korea

Ministry slams missile launch

The Republic of Korea has denounced the launch on Wednesday of two medium-range ballistic missiles by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The ROK Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the missile launch was in violation of UN Security Council resolutions banning all ballistic missile-related activities by the DPRK.

Turkey

Allow Twitter, court says

A court has issued a temporary injunction ordering the telecommunications authority to restore access to Twitter, five days after the government blocked the social network, according to Turkey's Dogan News Agency. The telecommunications authority had accused Twitter of disobeying court orders to remove content. The ban came shortly after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to "rip out the roots" of the social network that has been a conduit for links to recordings suggesting government corruption.

United States

Agents sent home after binge

Three secret service agents tasked with protecting US President Barack Obama during his visit to Amsterdam this week were sent home after a night of drinking, with one found passed out in a hotel hallway, a newspaper reported. The three agents have been placed on administrative leave, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday.

Russia

Russia controls all Crimea bases

The Russian flag is now flying over all the military facilities in Crimea, Russia's top general said on Wednesday. The announcement by military chief of staff General Valery Gerasimov came after Russian troops took control of the last naval vessel still flying the Ukrainian flag in Crimea on Tuesday. "The flags of the Russian Federation have been raised at all 193 military installations in Crimea," said Gerasimov, quoted by the RIA Novosti News Agency.

Pakistan

Officials head to Taliban talks

A Pakistani government team was en route on Wednesday to a secret location in the country's northwest for the first-ever direct talks with the Taliban, according to a cleric representing the militants. The talks are part of a push by the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to negotiate a peace deal with the Taliban.

AFP-Xinhua-AP

(China Daily 03/27/2014 page11)