IN BRIEF (Page 12)

China

Militaries to strengthen ties

Chinese and US chiefs of staff agreed on Thursday to strengthen communication between the armed forces of China and the United States. In a telephone conversation, Fang Fenghui, chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, told his US counterpart, Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, that China is ready to press ahead with the sound and stable development of bilateral military relations.

Turkey

Syrian opposition group holds talks

Syria's main opposition group held talks on Thursday in Istanbul, Turkey, to discuss its stance in the upcoming Geneva international conference. The fresh round of talks are set to run for three days, during which Syria's exiled National Coalition is set to elect a new president to replace resigned chief Moaz al-Khatib.

Lebanon

6 people die in clashes in Tripoli

Overnight clashes killed six people in the Lebanese port of Tripoli, a security source said on Thursday, as a fifth day of violence sparked by the Syrian conflict spread to previously quiet neighborhoods. "Very violent fighting took place last night until 5 am that killed six people and wounded 40. The clashes and shelling affected several areas of the city, including the center," the source said

Saudi Arabia

SARS-like virus claims victim

Saudi Arabia has announced another death from the SARS-like novel coronavirus in its central al-Qassim region, bringing the total number of deaths in the kingdom to 17. A non-Saudi, whose nationality and age were not given, died on Tuesday, the Health Ministry said on its website late on Wednesday.

Niger

2 car bombs kill 20 soldiers

Twenty Nigerian soldiers were killed and 16 others injured when a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden car inside a military installation in Agadez on Thursday, Defense Minister Mahamadou Karidjo said. A simultaneous explosion in a uranium mine in Arlit operated by French nuclear giant Areva injured 13.

United States

Solar plane's trip continues

A solar-powered plane has landed in Texas, completing the second leg of a trip across the United States. The Solar Impulse is making the first attempt by a solar airplane that can fly day and night without fuel to fly across the US. Each leg will take about 20 hours.

Xinhua-AFP-AP-Reuters

(China Daily 05/24/2013 page12)