IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Russia

FM raps Ukraine's realigned status

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that Ukraine's adoption of a bill to drop its nonaligned status was "absolutely counterproductive". The move "creates an illusion that through this bill, through an aspiration to drop nonaligned status and join NATO - which Ukrainian politicians openly talk about - one can settle a deep crisis of the Ukrainian state," Lavrov said in televised remarks. "Instead it's necessary to put an end to confrontation and start an open, all-inclusive dialogue including with those who rejected the anti-constitutional military coup and refused to bow to Kiev."

Sri Lanka

550,000 displaced by major flooding

Over half a million people have been displaced in north central and eastern Sri Lanka as torrential rains made dams overflow and hampered transport, an official said on Tuesday. The state-run Disaster Management Center said about 550,000 people belonging to 155,565 families have been affected, while 60,000 people from 17,237 families have been housed in shelters.

Bangladesh

Ex-minister gets death sentence

Bangladesh's war crimes tribunal has sentenced a former minister to death on Tuesday for war crimes during the country's Liberation War in 1971. The International Crimes Tribunal found Syed Mohammed Kaiser guilty of collaborating with Pakistani forces and committing war crimes including mass killings.

Greece

PM's support falters in vote

Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras failed to capture the support needed to elect a new president in a second round of voting on Tuesday and now needs another 12 votes in the final round next week to avert a snap general election. Samaras' nominee, Stavros Dimas, the only candidate in the race, had not been expected to win the second round and the score of 168 votes was broadly in line with expectations. But it leaves the result of the decisive third round on Dec 29, when Samaras needs 180 votes, finely balanced.

Algeria

TV reports leader of jihadists killed

An Algerian television network reported on Tuesday that the army has killed the leader of the Jund al-Khilafa jihadist group behind the beheading of Frenchman Herve Gourdel in September.

Abdelmalek Gouri, whose group has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State organization, which has overrun large parts of Iraq and Syria, was killed late on Monday in Isser, about 60 kilometers east of Algiers, Nahar TV said.

Xinhua - Reuters - AFP

(China Daily 12/24/2014 page12)