IN BRIEF (Page 11)

United States

Panel approves CIA nominee

The US Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday endorsed John Brennan to be the next CIA director, after the White House turned over secret memos on the targeted killing of US citizens. Senators approved Brennan 12 votes to 3, putting him on track to be President Barack Obama's third confirmed national security nominee.

Govt relaxes air carry-on rules

Airline passengers will be able to carry small knives, souvenir baseball bats, golf clubs and other sports equipment onto planes beginning next month under a new policy change announced on Tuesday by the head of the United States Transportation Security Administration. The new policy makes US security standards conform to international standards.

RUSSIADancer admits ordering attack

A star Russian ballet dancer who most recently played the title role in Ivan the Terrible at the famed Bolshoi Theatre has confessed to the acid attack on the theater's ballet chief, Moscow police said on Wednesday. Sergei Filin, the artistic director of the Bolshoi ballet, suffered severe burns to his eyes and face on Jan 17 when a masked attacker threw a jar of sulfuric acid in his face.

AFP-AP

(China Daily 03/07/2013 page11)