IN BRIEF (Page 12)

France

Church attack foiled in Paris

A student accused of planning an attack on "one or two churches" has been arrested in Paris, France's interior minister announced on Wednesday. The 24-year-old, who was detained on Sunday, was known to intelligence services for wanting to go to Syria to fight with jihadists.

Indonesia

Court rejects death row appeal

Indonesia's Supreme Court has rejected an appeal by a Ghanaian on death row on a drug conviction, an official said on Wednesday. Martin Anderson's request for a judicial review was rejected on Tuesday, the same day the court dismissed an appeal by Serge Atlaoui, a Frenchman on death row, said a spokesman for the attorney-general's office.

Israel

War dead honored on Memorial Day

Israelis came to a standstill as sirens wailed on Memorial Day, honoring fallen soldiers, those killed in fighting with Palestinians and victims of militant attacks. Israel said 23,320 security personnel had been killed since 1860, when Jews began moving back to the area of present-day Israel. Of those, 116 died last year, including 67 soldiers during a 50-day war in Gaza.

European Union

Members to rule on GM crop ban

The European Union has started legislative work that would allow individual nations to ban imports of genetically modified crops even if approved by the food safety authority of the 28-nation bloc. Member states recently obtained such power when it came to the cultivation of genetically modified crops. The proposal will go to the European Parliament and the member states for further discussion.

Ethiopia

Thousands rally over IS murders

Tens of thousands of Ethiopians marched through the capital on Wednesday in a government-organized rally condemning the murder of a group of Ethiopian Christians by Islamic State militants in Libya. "Our brothers were murdered, the government must do something," shouted Anteneh Tefera, a young demonstrator. "Their blood is not the blood of animals." The Islamic State group released video on Sunday showing militants in Libya holding captives whom they described as "followers of the cross from the enemy Ethiopian Church".

India

Unseasonal storm kills at least 32

An unseasonal storm with heavy rain and hail killed at least 32 people, injured more than 100 and caused heavy damage to the winter wheat crop in eastern India, officials said on Wednesday. Most of the deaths were caused on Tuesday night by tin roofs blown off of poor people's huts by winds in northeastern parts of Bihar state.

AFP - AP - Xinhua

(China Daily 04/23/2015 page12)