IN BRIEF (Page 11)

Kenya

Somali militants attack village

Al-Shabaab militants attacked a village in the northeastern Kenyan county of Garissa, the Ministry of Interior said on Friday. The Somalia-based al-Shabaab group, which has carried out frequent attacks in Kenya in recent years to try to force the country to pull its troops out of Somalia, struck a university in the same area last month, killing 148 people. A police source said the militants roamed Yumbis for an hour in two trucks bearing Kenyan registration plates.

United States

2 suspected IS recruits arrested

The FBI has arrested two men in California who are suspected of attempting to travel abroad to join the Islamic State group in the fighting, NBC News reported on Thursday. One man was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport, while the other man was arrested in Orange County. NBC cited anonymous law enforcement officials as saying that the two men were unarmed and never posed any threat to the public.

Japan

First lady visits Yasukuni Shrine

Japan's first lady visited the Yasukuni Shrine honoring the country's war dead, including 14 convicted Class-A war criminals, on Thursday in a move that risks outraging neighboring countries that suffered under Japan's World War II aggression. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's wife, Akie, does not hold political office, but her visit could be seen as symbolic. Visits by politicians to Yasukuni have in the past angered China and other Asian nations. She said on Facebook that she was thankful for the peace and prosperity Japan has today.

Yemen

Saudi coalition steps up attacks

Saudi and coalition warplanes extended their strikes on Iranian-backed Houthi militia in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Friday, residents in the area said. They told Reuters that the airstrikes focused on the presidential compound district in Sanaa, which Shiite Muslim rebels seized in September, and Houthi military sites in mountainous areas on the outskirts of the city.

Thailand

Election could be delayed again

Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said on Friday that a general election will take place in April or May 2016, but it could be delayed by three months if a referendum takes place. Thailand's Cabinet agreed this week that a referendum should be held on the new constitution and the military's blueprint for restoring democracy, a move likely to delay any return to democratic rule.

Colombia

Airstrike kills 18 FARC rebels

A Colombian airstrike killed 18 FARC guerrillas on Thursday, the deadliest attack since President Juan Manuel Santos lifted a suspension of airstrikes against the group last month, an official said. The airstrike has raised doubts about peace talks that resumed the same day between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and the Santos government.

Reuters - AP - AFP

(China Daily 05/23/2015 page11)