News in Brief

Morocco arrests seven 'jihadist recruiters'
Afp, Rabat

Morocco's interior ministry said yesterday that seven jihadists have been arrested for recruiting fighters to join the ranks of the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. The suspects were active in the central cities of Fez and Outat El Haj and in Zayou in the north and also planned attacks against Morocco itself, a statement said.

Ukraine, rebels swap dozens of prisoners
Afp, Donetsk

Ukrainian forces and pro-Kremlin insurgents said yesterday they have swapped dozens of prisoners under the terms of a fragile truce aimed at ending the five-month eastern revolt. Separatist leader Andrei Purgin said 31 guerrillas were swapped overnight for 36 Ukrainian soldiers in a town north of the rebel stronghold of Donetsk.

Poland resumes gas deliveries to Ukraine
Afp, Warsaw

Poland yesterday resumed gas deliveries to war-torn Ukraine, its state-owned pipeline operator said, following a brief interruption brought on by slashed supplies. Poland stopped sending the daily four million cubic metres of gas to Ukraine on Wednesday, accusing Russian's Gazprom of only delivering 45 percent of its gas order that day.

Thai PM to visit Myanmar on first official trip
Afp, Bangkok

Thailand's coup leader and premier Prayut Chan-O-Cha will visit Myanmar on his first official overseas trip, an official said yesterday, as the junta seeks to strengthen ties with its former military-ruled neighbour. Prayut will travel to Myanmar "as soon as possible", deputy foreign minister Don Pramudwinai told AFP, saying the trip could take place by the end of this month or early October.

Three condemned to die for 'China's 9/11' mass stabbing
Afp, Beijing

Three men were condemned to death yesterday and a pregnant woman given life in prison for a mass stabbing that killed 31 people in China, a court said, an attack authorities blamed on separatists from largely Muslim Xinjiang. The three men were convicted of "leading a terrorist group" which planned and carried out the attack, the Intermediate People's Court in Kunming said in a statement. The March 1 carnage at a train station in Kunming, in the southwestern province of Yunnan, also saw more than 140 people wounded and was dubbed "China's 9/11" by state-run media.