IN BRIEF (Page 11)

New president sworn in

Andrej Kiska was sworn in by Chair of Constitutional Court Ivetta Macejkova as president of Slovakia at the Slovak Philharmonic on Sunday. "I promise upon my honor and conscience that I will be faithful to the Slovak Republic," said Kiska, citing the relevant text prescribed by the Constitution. "I will care about the welfare of the Slovak nation, national minorities and ethnic groups living in Slovakia. I will carry out my duties in the interest of the public, observe the Constitution and other laws. I promise," said Kiska.

Iran

MPs demand stronger veil act

Two thirds of Iran's MPs have written to the president urging him to take measures to ensure women correctly observe Islamic dress, denouncing Western cultural influence against the veil. The 195 members of the 290strong Parliament who signed the letter in part blamed satellite television for feeding the trend, ISNA News Agency reported on Sunday.

Bangladesh

17 charged over factory collapse

Bangladesh's anti-graft agency on Sunday filed cases against 17 people for "illegally" transforming a planned shopping mall into the garment factory complex which collapsed last year, killing more than 1,100 people. The Anti-Corruption Commission filed cases against two owners of the nine-storey Rana Plaza in Savar town outside the capital and three garment manufacturers, as well as against architects, engineers and local government officials who approved the construction.

Jordan

'Negligence of Syria' criticized

The unrest sweeping Iraq is a direct result of the world's indifference to the conflict in neighboring Syria, former peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi said in an interview on Sunday. Brahimi, who resigned in May as the UN-Arab League mediator for Syria, said the international community's inaction on the conflict in Syria had precipitated the crisis in Iraq. "It is a well known rule: A conflict of this kind (in Syria) cannot stay confined within the borders of one country," Brahimi said.

Colombia

Ballots cast in decisive poll

Colombians head to the polls on Sunday in a cliffhanger presidential election that has become a referendum on peace talks with leftist guerrillas. President Juan Manuel Santos, who wants a second consecutive term in office, is well advanced on reaching a deal that would end five decades of war with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.

Xinhua-AFP

(China Daily 06/16/2014 page11)