IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Cameroon

Top official's wife kidnapped

A government spokesman says Boko Haram fighters kidnapped the wife of Cameroon's vice prime minister in an attack that also resulted in multiple deaths.

Communications Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary said the attack occurred early Sunday morning in the town of Kolofata, in the Far North Region. He said the fighters targeted the home of Vice Prime Minister Amadou Ali as well as a local traditional chief. Cameroon's government has become increasingly involved in regional efforts to combat Boko Haram.

Libya

US diplomats evacuated

The United States evacuated its embassy in Libya on Saturday, relocating staffers to neighboring Tunisia under heavy military escort after escalating clashes erupted between rival militia in Tripoli. About 150 diplomats were escorted by three F-16 fighter jets and Osprey aircraft carrying Marines as a precaution, but there were no incidents during the five-hour drive from Tripoli to Tunisia, Libyan media reported. The news was not released until all the staff were safe in Tunisia.

Russia

Fighter jet crash kills pilot

A Russian fighter jet crashed in south of the country on Sunday, killing the pilot, Russian Air Force Commander Viktor Bondarev said. "A pilot has been killed in a fighter crash," he said. "We are investigating this incident and, according to preliminary data, the crash was caused by aviation equipment failure." The MiG-29 jet was on a routine training flight when it crashed in the port city of Astrakhan.

DPRK

New missile fired at sea

Kim Jong-un, leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, guided the military's latest rocket-firing drill, state media said on Sunday, confirming the missile launch which was conducted in defiance of UN censure. State news agency KCNA described the missile launch as a "rocket-firing drill" to simulate a strike on military bases in the Republic of Korea where 28,500 US troops are stationed. The launch was intended to mark the July 27 anniversary of the cease-fire agreement at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, KCNA said.

Liberia

US doctor catches Ebola

A US doctor working with Ebola patients in Liberia has tested positive for the deadly virus, an aid organization said on Saturday. Samaritan's Purse issued a news release saying Dr Kent Brantly was being treated at a hospital in Monrovia, the capital. Brantly had been serving as medical director for the aid organization's case management center there.

Xinhua - AFP - AP

(China Daily 07/28/2014 page12)