IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Pakistan

Shiite mosque blast kills 40

At least 40 people were killed and over 50 others injured as a blast hit a Shiite Mosque in Pakistan's southern district of Shikarpur on Friday afternoon, officials said. Hadi Bakhsh, deputy commissioner of the district, said the death toll may rise as some of the injured were in critical condition.

Afghanistan

Taliban claim attack on airport

The Taliban claimed responsibility on Friday for an apparent "insider" attack at the Kabul airport in which three US contractors and an Afghan were killed. A spokesman for NATO's Resolute Support mission said the Thursday incident is under investigation.

South africa

'Prime Evil' killer granted parole

Apartheid death-squad leader Eugene de Kock, dubbed "Prime Evil" for his role in the torture and murder of scores of black South African activists in the 1980s and early 1990s, was granted parole on Friday after more than 20 years in prison. Justice Minister Michael Masutha said that de Kock would be released "in the interests of nation-building and reconciliation" and because he had expressed remorse at his crimes and helped authorities recover the remains of some of his victims.

United states

Trial begins in boy's 1979 murder

Thirty-five years after 6-year-old Etan Patz disappeared, Pedro Hernandez is going on trial in a murder and kidnapping case that shaped the nation's approach to missing children. Opening statements were set for Friday. Hernandez emerged as a suspect in 2012 based on a tip and a confession that prosecutors say was foreshadowed by remarks he made to friends and relatives in the 1980s.

Russia

Defense chief vows superiority

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Friday he will not let anyone gain military superiority over Russia and that he will fulfill a plan to modernize the armed forces by 2020. Russia, hit by Western sanctions over Ukraine and a fall in oil prices, is expected to enter recession this year but Shoigu said he will carry out the multibillion-dollar plan approved by President Vladimir Putin.

Philippines

Aquino promises justice for dead

Philippine President Benigno Aquino III pledged justice for the families of 44 police commandos killed by Muslim rebels during a botched anti-terror operation, as he led tributes on Friday's national day of mourning. The men were killed in confrontations with two rebel groups in the southern Philippines on Sunday while on a mission to catch or kill Malaysian bomb-maker Zulkifli bin Hir.

(China Daily 01/31/2015 page12)