News in Brief

Apartheid assassin 'Prime Evil' refused parole
Afp, Pretoria

Apartheid-era assassin Eugene de Kock, a police colonel known as "Prime Evil", was refused parole yesterday after serving 20 years in prison. De Kock was sentenced to two terms of life imprisonment plus 212 years for murder and other crimes as head of a police death squad targeting anti-apartheid activists. De Kock is one of a handful of apartheid-era officials prosecuted after being refused amnesty by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), which was set up in 1995 to consider amnesty for those who openly confessed their crimes during apartheid.

1m strike in Britain over pay and cuts
Afp, London

More than one million public sector workers went on strike in Britain yesterday over pay and spending cuts by the government imposed as part of its austerity programme, trade unions said. The strike, the biggest since Prime Minister David Cameron's coalition government took power in 2010, involves a wide range of workers from teachers and civil servants to street sweepers and park attendants.

MERS unlikely to spread in Asia: WHO
Afp, Manila

Asian countries should keep their guard against the deadly Middle East respiratory virus, although it is unlikely to spread to the region, a World Health Organization expert said yesterday. The Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) appears to be less infectious than originally thought even though it has already killed 287 people. The WHO said 15 countries have reported MERS cases, with the virus widely circulating in the Arabian peninsula.

UAE pledges $25 mn in aid to Gaza
Afp, Abu Dhabi

The United Arab Emirates yesterday pledged $25 million in humanitarian aid to "support the steadfastness" of Palestinians in Gaza where Israeli strikes have killed more than 70 people in three days. The Emirati Red Crescent will supervise delivery of the aid, WAM state news agency said, adding that the aid organisation will also set up a field hospital in Gaza "to help the victims of the Israeli aggression".