IN BRIEF (Page 11)

Germany

Snowden to testify for govt

German lawmakers have agreed to ask US National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden to testify in their inquiry into surveillance of Chancellor Angela Merkel by the NSA. Merkel's governing coalition and opposition lawmakers established a parliamentary committee in March to investigate the scope of the NSA spying. The committee decided on Thursday to try to question Snowden directly, German news agency dpa reported.

Afghanistan

Taliban to launch offensive

Taliban militants in Afghanistan announced on Thursday that they will launch their spring offensive within days. "The spring operation code-named Khyber will be launched at 5 am local time on Monday across Afghanistan against invading forces with the objective to get the country's freedom from infidels," said a statement on Thursday posted on the Taliban's website. Khyber is the name of one of the famous wars of Muslim prophet Muhammad.

India

Financial tech chief arrested

The head of India's Financial Technologies, which owns a commodities exchange, was scheduled to appear in court on Thursday over a multimillion-dollar fraud allegedly committed at the bourse, an officer said. Financial Technologies chairman Jignesh Shah was arrested late on Wednesday over the alleged fraud, news that sent the company's shares plummeting 5 percent on the Bombay Stock Exchange.

Pakistan

Short-range missile test-fired

The nation's military says it has successfully test-fired a short-range, surface-to-surface ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. A military statement says a Hatf III Ghaznavi missile with a range of 290 kilometers was launched on Thursday at the conclusion of a field training exercise by the Army Strategic Force Command.

Palestine

5,000 prisoners on hunger strike

Five thousand Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails went on hunger strikes on Thursday in solidarity with 120 detainees protesting their administrative detention, a Palestinian minister said. Minister of Prisoners' Affairs Eissa Qaraqe said the one-day hunger strike was a strong message to Israeli prison services that they must stop their aggressive policies against the detainees.

Venezuela

Officials, police break up camp

Hundreds of National Guard members and police broke up four camps maintained by student protesters and arrested 243 people in an early morning raid, Venezuelan officials said on Thursday.

AP-Xinhua-AFP

(China Daily 05/09/2014 page11)