IN BRIEF (Page 11)

Pakistan

Militants abduct Chinese tourist

Taliban gunmen kidnapped a Chinese tourist in northwest Pakistan near tribal areas where many militants have congregated, officials and an insurgent commander said on Tuesday. The Chinese man is the latest foreigner to be seized by militants in the country. At least five others are known to be captive. The man was taken on Monday from Daraban, in restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, near the border with Baluchistan province and South Waziristan tribal district, both of which are rife with insurgents.

Russia

Train collision claims 4 lives

The Russian Interior Ministry says four people were killed and 15 others wounded in a train collision near Moscow. The accident occurred on Tuesday when several cars of a freight train derailed and hit a passenger train near Naro-Fominsk, a town 50 kilometers southwest of Moscow, the ministry said. The cause of the accident was not immediately clear.

India

Modi prepares for May 26 oath

Narendra Modi will be sworn in as India's prime minister and will form a government on May 26 after winning the general election in a landslide last week, his party said on Tuesday. Modi was scheduled to meet Indian President Pranab Mukherjee in New Delhi on Tuesday to inform him of his intention to form an administration.

Afghanistan

Govt raid kills 10 militants

Ten Taliban militants were killed as government forces stormed their hideouts in Nangarhar province on Monday, the Interior Ministry said in a statement released on Tuesday. "Since launching the joint operations of the police and army in parts of Pachiragam district, 10 Taliban rebels have been killed and six others injured," the statement said. The statement said operations will continue in the district.

France

Deployment of troops delayed

France has delayed plans to redeploy 3,000 soldiers to fight militants across West Africa, saying it first needs to help deal with a fresh outbreak of violence in northern Mali. Paris had hoped to move the troops from Mali, its former colony, and other bases to target Islamist groups operating between southern Libya, northern Chad and northern Niger.

United Kingdom

US urged to find lost yachtsmen

More than 150,000 people have signed a petition calling on the US Coast Guard to resume the search for four British yachtsmen missing in the Atlantic Ocean. British government minister Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, has also urged the USCG to keep looking for the crew of the Cheeki Rafiki, who have not been heard from since Friday.

AFP-Xinhua-Reuters-AP

(China Daily 05/21/2014 page11)