News in Brief

China bus blaze kills 47; probe launched

Afp, Beijing
Chinese police yesterday launched a criminal investigation into a horrific bus blaze that claimed the lives of 47 people, and identified a suspect in connection with the inferno.
Authorities announced that the fire, which engulfed the bus in minutes during evening rush hour in the southeastern city of Xiamen, was being treated as a "criminal case".

US renews military aid for Egypt

Afp, Washington
Secretary of State John Kerry last month approved $1.3 billion in annual US military aid to Egypt, despite concerns over democratic progress by the country's new government, a US official said Friday.
The move came well before Tuesday's sentencing by a Cairo court that handed down jail terms and fines on 43 Egyptian and foreign NGO workers in what Kerry has denounced as a "politically-motivated trial."

Actress arrested in US ricin case

Afp, Washington
A Texas actress was arrested Friday for mailing ricin-laced letters to President Barack Obama, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and a gun control activist, officials said. She faces up to 10 years in federal prison if convicted.

White House chief of staff tours Gitmo

Afp, Washington
White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough toured Guantanamo Bay on Friday with two top senators to follow up on President Barack Obama's renewed vow to close the war on terror facility.
The visit to the prison -- where most of the 166 remaining detainees are on a hunger strike -- was the first by an administration official since one by Attorney General Eric Holder in 2009.

Singapore protests new web rules

Afp, Singapore
Around 1,500 Singaporeans led by local bloggers attended a rally yesterday to protest new government licensing rules for news websites that they say curtail freedom of expression.
Under the rules, websites with at least 50,000 unique visitors from Singapore every month that publish at least one local news article per week over a period of two months must obtain an annual licence.