IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Pakistan

US drone kills seven militants

A US drone fired two missiles at a sprawling compound in a northwestern tribal region of Pakistan on Wednesday, killing seven militants, two Pakistani intelligence officials said. The strike took place in Datta Khel, a town in North Waziristan where the Pakistani army has been carrying out a major offensive against local and foreign militants since June 15, the officials said.

Lebanon

$1b given to fight jihadists

Saudi Arabia handed Lebanon's army $1 billion to strengthen security, former Lebanese Premier Saad Hariri told reporters in Jeddah on Wednesday, as the army's chief urged France to speed up promised weapons supplies. After fighting in the eastern area on Tuesday, where troops have been clashing with militants since Saturday, ambulances entered the town of Arsal amid reports of a truce.

Egypt

Court upholds death sentences

An Egyptian court confirmed the death sentences of 12 Muslim Brotherhood supporters on Wednesday. The men were convicted of killing a police officer last year, judicial sources said. Judge Moataz Khafagy first handed down the death sentence against the men in June and then referred the case to a top religious authority for approval, a required step before carrying out the sentence.

Singapore

Smoke solution has its skeptics

Indonesia's complex rules on land use and the difficulty in prosecuting foreign businesses mean that Singapore will have a difficult challenge as it tries to hold businesses accountable under its new cross-border air pollution law. The bill, approved on Tuesday, has been praised as a bold way to tackle the decades-old problem of smoke from forest fires in neighboring Indonesia that choke the city state. "I am skeptical of whether there will ever be a successful prosecution when this law comes into force," said Eugene Tan, a member of parliament and a law professor.

Philippines

Outlaws increase virus concerns

Wildlife authorities in the Philippines are on alert for the smuggling of wild animals from Africa, as fears grow over the deadly Ebola virus outbreak in West African countries, a senior government official said on Wednesday. The authorities said all personnel from the Biodiversity Management Bureau assigned in airports and seaports nationwide have been tasked to strictly monitor all imported wild animals and exotic pets.

Reuters - AFP - Xinhua

(China Daily 08/07/2014 page12)