World briefs

UK British lawmakers in the House of Commons voted yesterday to allow scientists to create babies from the DNA of three people — a move that could prevent some children from inheriting potentially fatal diseases from their mothers. The bill must next be approved by the House of Lords before becoming law. If so, it would make Britain the first country in the world to allow embryos to be genetically modified.

CHINA Already the world’s largest, China’s online population grew last year but drifted away from Twitter-like microblogs, with the number of microblog users falling by 32 million. The decline shows that Chinese microblogging sites have failed to recover from a major setback in 2013 when a harsh government crackdown on speech chilled discussion on those sites and drove away tens of millions of users. The second-year drop was accompanied by a rapid growth in popularity of newer products, especially the instant messaging service WeChat.
S KOREA A South Korean soldier is sentenced to death for killing five comrades and injuring seven others in a shooting and grenade attack last year. Shooting rampages by bullied soldiers are not unusual in South Korea, which requires all able-bodied men to serve about two years in the military in the face of threats from North Korea.

PAKISTAN A bomb blast targets a Pakistani police patrol on a street in the country’s northwest, killing two officers, police say. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

AUSTRALIA’s beleaguered prime minister rules out throwing his job open to challengers with a leadership ballot to demonstrate his control over his government, warning colleagues that voters crave stability. Only half way through his first three-year term as prime minister, Tony Abbott faces a revolt from within the ranks of his conservative government over poor opinion polling and unpopular policy directions.

CROATIA started to write off debts for citizens experiencing financial problems, aiming at help them to get through tough times due to economic recession and high unemployment, local media reported yesterday. Debts will be written off only for citizens on welfare with an income of no more than USD185 per month and their personal bank accounts blocked for at least a year.

FRANCE Three soldiers on an anti-terror patrol in the southern French city of Nice were attacked by a man with a knife yesterday, a French police union official said. Sarah Baron said the extent of the soldiers’ injuries is not yet clear. She said the attacker was detained but two people with him are believed to have fled after the stabbing in the city center, near the Galeries Lafayette department store.

CUBA has published the first photos of Fidel Castro in more than five months, showing the 88-year-old former leader engaged in what appears to be a lively conversation with a university student.