IN BRIEF (Page 12)

South Africa

Mandela clinic vigil continues

Critically ill former South African president Nelson Mandela marked two months in a hospital on Thursday, as his compatriots extended their national vigil. The anti-apartheid hero was rushed to the Pretoria Mediclinic Heart Hospital on June 8 with a recurring lung infection. His condition is still said to be "critical but stable".

United States

Gunman kills 4 in Texas spree

A grenade-wielding gunman in Texas killed at least four people after going on a shooting rampage in the Dallas area on Wednesday night that left several other people injured, police and local media reported on Thursday. The Dallas Morning News named the suspect in the killing spree as Erbie Bowser and said he had been taken into custody.

Pakistan

Bomb targets police funeral

A bomb attack killed five people and wounded 15 others after tearing through the funeral of a Pakistani police officer shot dead on Thursday, the last day of Ramadan, state TV said. The attack took place at the police headquarters in the troubled southwestern city of Quetta where officers gathered to pay their respects to the officer.

Afghanistan

Graveyard picnic blast claims 14

A bomb planted in an Afghan graveyard killed 14 women and children on Thursday, many of them picnicking at the graveside of a family member during the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday, officials said. The bomb exploded in a rural district of eastern Nangarhar province.

France

Farmers smash eggs in protest

A group of French farmers has been on another egg-breaking rampage in Brittany, destroying 100,000 eggs outside a tax office over low prices. The nebulous collective has pledged to smash 100,000 eggs in public places every day until the government meets its demands for measures to be taken to raise prices.

United Kingdom

PM calls for online boycott

British Prime Minister David Cameron on Thursday urged Internet users to boycott certain social networking sites, after a teenage girl who was bullied online committed suicide. Cameron described the death of 14-year-old Hannah Smith, who hanged herself last week after receiving abuse on the website ask.fm, as "absolutely tragic". He blasted "vile" websites that allow bullying to take place.

Reuters-AFP

(China Daily 08/09/2013 page12)