IN BRIEF (Page 11)

Palestine

Arafat didn't die from polonium

Swiss and Russian experts who helped exhume and test the remains of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat have ruled out the possibility that radioactive polonium caused his death in 2004, local sources said on Thursday. However, the experts' report, which the Palestinian National Authority received, did not discount the possibility that Arafat was infected with a different poison, sources told Xinhua.

Iran

Convicted drug trafficker spared

Iran has decided to spare the life of a convicted drug trafficker who regained consciousness from a coma after surviving a hanging, media reports quoting top judicial officials said on Wednesday. The reports followed calls from within Iran and appeals from international rights groups to spare the man, who had faced execution for a second time after he was found alive in a morgue.

Nigeria

Pirates take captain hostage

Pirates have attacked an oil supply vessel off the Nigerian coast and kidnapped the captain and chief engineer, both US citizens, security sources said on Thursday. Pirate attacks off Nigeria's coast have jumped by a third this year as ships passing through West Africa's Gulf of Guinea, a major commodities route, have increasingly come under threat from gangs wanting to snatch cargo and crews.

India

Onion shortage 'temporary'

As Indians seethes with anger over the skyrocketing price of onions, the central government on Thursday said that the shortage of the vegetable was only "temporary". Indian Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar told the media in New Delhi that "the onion shortage is a temporary situation.

AFP-Reuters-Xinhua

(China Daily 10/25/2013 page11)