Briefly

SOUTH AFRICA

Sibanye says 289 workers trapped

South Africa's Sibanye-Stillwater said on Friday that efforts were underway to rescue 289 mine workers trapped underground at one of its shafts at the Kloof gold mine near Johannesburg. The workers were safe and gathered at an assembly point in the underground gold mine, one of the company's deepest located around 60 kilometers west of Johannesburg, it said. It did not provide details on the incident, though a Sibanye spokesperson confirmed it had occurred in the mine's Kloof 7 shaft.

RUSSIA

Army creating 'buffer zone', president says

Russian forces are working on establishing a security buffer zone along the country's border with Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday. "The enemy's firing positions are being actively suppressed," Putin said at a government meeting, referring to the buffer zone. The Russian president noted the necessity to begin restoration work in the border regions of Kursk, Belgorod and Bryansk and demine the areas where fighting previously took place.

Agencies - Xinhua