Briefly

DPRK

Multiple weapon systems tested

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea tested multiple weapon systems from Monday to Wednesday, the official Korean Central News Agency reported on Thursday. Those tests included an electromagnetic weapon system, carbon fiber sham bomb scattering, a mobile short-range anti-aircraft missile system and the combat application and cluster munitions power of a tactical ballistic missile warhead. The tests, conducted by the Academy of Defense Science and the Missile Administration, are "of great significance in the development of the armed forces of the DPRK and are a part of the regular activities of the administration and its affiliated defense scientific research institutes to constantly develop and upgrade weapon systems," the report said, citing the Missile Administration.

NIGERIA

Gunmen kill 50 in a village: Report

Armed men killed 50 people in a village in Niger State in northwestern Nigeria earlier this week, humanitarian sources said on Thursday, in a much higher toll than previously reported. The attackers struck the village of Erena in the Shiroro local government area on Tuesday, in a wider region battling a surge in violence. A humanitarian report seen by AFP on Thursday said "a total of 50 dead corpses" had been recovered. Like other states in northern Nigeria, Niger State faces a spike in attacks linked to extremist groups and local criminal gangs known as "bandits", who attack villages and take hostages for ransom. In neighboring Kebbi, a clergy member said he could confirm that 24 had been killed "but from the reports we are getting today there are more than 40 killed".

Xinhua - Agencies