IN BRIEF (Page 11)

Iran

Cargo ship fired on in Persian Gulf

An Iranian naval patrol boat fired on a Singapore-flagged commercial ship in the Persian Gulf on Thursday in an apparent attempt to disable it in a financial dispute over damage to an Iranian oil platform, a US official said. The Iranians initially fired warning shots on Thursday after the MT Alpine Eternity refused to move into Iranian waters. The incident occurred a bit south of the island of Abu Musa, just inside the Gulf, according to the US official.

Iraq

Islamic State airs al-Baghdadi audio

Islamic State issued an audio recording on Thursday that it said was leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi urging supporters around the world to join the fight in Syria and Iraq or to take up arms wherever they live. It was al-Baghdadi's first message since a number of media reports said that he was wounded earlier this year in Iraq. Some had said he was no longer running the group and others said he had died.

Brazil

Dengue fever at epidemic levels

Brazilian Health Minister Arthur Chioro confirmed on Thursday that the country is suffering a dengue epidemic, with 745,957 confirmed cases so far this year, a 234 percent increase over the same period in 2014. "Of course, technically we are going through an epidemic," Chioro said, referring to the World Health Organization's criteria that it is considered an epidemic when there are 300 confirmed cases for every 100,000 people.

Burundi

Coup attempt fails, president returns

Burundian forces arrested the leader of a failed coup on Friday, and President Pierre Nkurunziza returned to the capital, his spokesman said. But protesters pledged to go back to the streets. Major General Godefroid Niyombare was captured two days after announcing that Nkurunziza had been toppled. The country is still recovering from an ethnically fueled civil war that ended just a decade ago.

Mali

Peace agreement with rebels nears

Mali's Tuareg-led rebels signed a preliminary peace agreement with the government on Thursday as a gesture of "good faith" to end decades of separatist fighting, but wanted more guarantees before signing a final accord. Mali's government accepted the United Nations - and Algerian-backed deal in March, but the Tuareg-led coalition argued that it fell short of their demands for the northern region, which they call Azawad, and sporadic fighting has continued.

Reuters - Xinhua - AP - AFP

(China Daily 05/16/2015 page11)