IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Bosnia

Threat of new floods 'terrifying'

More than a quarter of Bosnia's four million people have been affected by the worst floods to hit the Balkans in more than a century, the government said on Monday, warning of "terrifying" destruction comparable to the country's 1992-95 war. The floods extended across Serbia and Bosnia, where receding waters in some of the worst-hit areas are now revealing the extent of the devastation. Homes have been toppled or submerged in mud.

Republic of Korea

Condolences to DPRK mulled

The Republic of Korea is considering sending condolences to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea over the recent collapse of an apartment building in Pyongyang. Seoul's Unification Ministry spokesman Kim Eui-do said on Monday that the Red Cross will make an appropriate judgment on it, adding that condolence messages tended to be exchanged through the Red Cross channels between the two neighbors. ROK Red Cross officials were cited by local media as saying that they were discussing whether to send such messages.

Netherlands

Mladic starts his defense

Former Bosnian Serb military chief General Ratko Mladic has launched his defense in his long-running UN trial by calling a former Serb army officer who claims he was never ordered to fire on civilians in the besieged Bosnian capital. Mile Sladoje, a former assistant commander of a Serb battalion in Sarajevo, was the first witness called by Mladic on Monday in the trial on charges including genocide.

Uganda

Nurse jailed for spreading HIV

A court in Uganda has sentenced a nurse to three years in jail after finding her guilty of criminal negligence in a case stemming from allegations she intentionally tried to infect her patient with HIV. The nurse, Rosemary Namubiru, maintained her innocence throughout the trial. Namubiru, who is 64 and is HIV positive, was accused of exposing a child to the virus by administering an injection using a needle contaminated with her blood.

Russia

Putin tells troops to return home

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered troops near Ukraine to return to their home bases, while fighting continued in the eastern parts of the country. Putin specifically ordered Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to pull back forces involved in drills in the Rostov, Belgorod and Bryansk regions to their home bases, the Kremlin said.

Reuters-Xinhua-AP

(China Daily 05/20/2014 page12)