IN BRIEF (Page 7)

Turkey

18 miners remain underground

The death toll in this week's coal mining accident in western Turkey is unlikely to rise above 302, Turkey's Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said on Friday. A maximum of 18 people remain underground, Yildiz told reporters in televised comments about the country's deadliest mining disaster.

Thailand

Police arrest protest co-leader

Thai police detained Sombat Thamrongthanyawong, a co-leader of the anti-government movement, on insurrection charges in Bangkok on Friday. The arrest came after the Criminal Court on Wednesday approved arrest warrants for 30 leaders and core members of the People's Democratic Reform Committee on insurrection charges.

Russia

Moscow rips UN report on Ukraine

Russia criticized a UN report on human rights in Ukraine on Friday, saying it lacked any semblance of objectivity, and accused its authors of following "political orders" to whitewash the pro-Western leadership. The Foreign Ministry said the report - which found a deterioration of the situation in eastern regions where separatists are seeking power, and serious problems emerging in Crimea ignored "the crudest violations of human rights by the self-proclaimed Kiev authorities".

South Korea

Arrest sought for ferry owner

Prosecutors said on Friday they were seeking a warrant for the arrest of Yoo Byung-un, the head of the family that owns the operator of a ferry that capsized last month. Prosecutors accused Yoo of embezzling funds from the operator, Chonghaejin Marine, which they see as one of the factors that hampered the operator's safety management and led to the sinking that killed hundreds of school children.

Bangladesh

Boat capsizing claims at least 29

Rescuers recovered at least 29 bodies one day after a ferry capsized in a river during a storm in central Bangladesh. Police estimate the number of missing at 100 or more, officials said on Friday. A salvage ship failed to retrieve the ferry, as strong currents in the river, which is 18 meters deep, brought huge volumes of sand that covered the vessel.

Kenya

10 people die in twin blasts

Two blasts hit Kenya's capital on Friday, killing 10 people and injuring 70 more in the latest in a string of increasingly frequent terror attacks. The blasts came the same week the United States and the United Kingdom issued renewed warnings about possible terror attacks in Kenya, leading to a bristling response from the country's president on Friday, who said such warnings strengthen the will of terrorists.

Reuters-AFP-Xinhua

(China Daily 05/17/2014 page7)