IN BRIEF (Page 11)

Egypt

Militants kill 30 at checkpoints

At least 30 people were killed when Islamist militants attacked several checkpoints in Egypt's North Sinai on Wednesday in one of the biggest coordinated assaults yet in the insurgency-hit province, security and medical sources said. It was the second high-profile incident in Egypt this week. On Monday, the prosecutor-general was killed in a car bombing in Cairo, raising questions about the government's ability to contain the insurgency.

Ukraine

Gas supply halted after failed talks

Russian gas company Gazprom halted shipments to neighboring Ukraine on Wednesday after the collapse of pricing talks, the company said. Russian and Ukrainian energy ministers failed on Tuesday to reach an agreement on future supplies. Russia offered Ukraine a price of $247 per cubic meter, a $40 discount. Ukraine wanted a $100 discount.

SPAIN

2,720 kilograms of cocaine seized

Spanish police said they have seized more than 2,720 kilograms of cocaine and broken up a major international drug trafficking gang whose leader lived in luxury in Madrid, posing as a soccer talent scout. The National Police said the gang employed a network of former Serbian soldiers to transport cocaine in yachts and cargo containers from Latin America to Europe. Companies in Spain and Portugal laundered the proceeds, police said.

Afghanistan

General accused of drug trafficking

Afghan police have detained an army general accused of smuggling nearly 20 kilograms of heroin, police and defense officials said on Wednesday. More than 90 percent of the world's opium is produced in Afghanistan, but such high-level arrests are rare in the country. The trade has funded the Taliban insurgency, criminal networks and government corruption.

Singapore

PM sues blogger for defamation

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong testified for nearly seven hours on Wednesday, answering questions from a blogger he successfully sued for defamation as the Supreme Court decided how much he should be paid in damages. Lee sued Roy Ngerng, 34, for a blog posting last year in which Lee was implicated in impropriety in connection with how funds in Singapore's mandatory retirement savings program are managed.

Saudi Arabia

Prince pledges $32b to charity

Saudi Arabia's billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal pledged on Wednesday his entire $32 billion fortune to charitable projects over the coming years. The prince said in a statement that the pledge will help "build bridges to foster cultural understanding, develop communities, empower women, enable youth, provide vital disaster relief and create a more tolerant and accepting world".

AP - AFP - Reuters

(China Daily 07/02/2015 page11)