IN BRIEF (Page 11)

Nigeria

Explosions rock capital outskirts

Twin blasts at a crowded bus station on the outskirts of Abuja killed at least 35 people during rush hour on Monday morning, witnesses said. It was the first such attack near the Nigerian capital in two years. The blasts destroyed more than 30 vehicles and caused secondary explosions of fuel tanks. The cause of the twin explosions was not immediately clear.

South Africa

Trial halted as Pistorius sobs

A judge has temporarily adjourned the murder trial of Oscar Pistorius after the athlete started sobbing while testifying about the moments before he killed girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in his home last year. Pistorius said he thought there was an intruder in the house and that he screamed, using an expletive, for the purported intruder to get out of his house. As he testified, he began to wail.

Chile

Wildfire death toll rises to 12

Valparaiso officials upped the death toll from four to at least 12, with 2,000 houses destroyed over the weekend by a fire that ravaged parts of the port city. Thousands were evacuated and aircraft were dispatched to battle the blaze. The fire, which started on Saturday, was pushed by strong Pacific Coast winds to ravage more than 700 hectares of forest and hilly residential neighborhoods.

South Korea

Sex slaves issue on the agenda

South Korea and Japan decided to hold talks in Seoul next week to discuss the issue of Korean women who were forced into sexual slavery in Japanese military brothels during World War II, South Korea's Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.

The two governments "have decided to engage in intensive discussions on various subjects at various levels" to improve relations, the Japanese foreign ministry said.

AFP-Reuters-Xinhua

(China Daily 04/15/2014 page11)