IN BRIEF (Page 11)

Cyprus

Key vote on bank levy stalls

An official says the Cypriot parliament has postponed a debate and vote on the controversial levy on all bank deposits that the country's creditors demanded in exchange for 10 billion euros ($13 billion) in rescue money. Parliamentary official Antonis Koutalianos said the vote that was scheduled for Sunday afternoon has been pushed back to Monday.

Pakistan

Govt finishes historic term

Pakistan's elected government completed its full five-year term on Saturday, the first in the country's turbulent history to do so, leaving a legacy of Taliban violence, sectarian unrest, chronic power cuts and a fragile economy. Parliament was dissolved at midnight after completing its term.

Iraq

Car bomb at bus terminal kills 9

A car bomb exploded at a bus terminal in Iraq's predominantly Shiite Muslim south on Sunday, killing at least nine people, police said, as the country's delicate sectarian balance comes under growing strain. No one claimed responsibility for the attack, but Sunni Muslim insurgents have stepped up their efforts to undermine Iraq's Shiite-led government and foment inter-communal conflict this year.

United States

Race mishap claims 2 lives

A speeding race car careened off a track and into the pit row during warm-up laps at a California raceway on Saturday night, killing a 14-year-old boy and a 68-year-old man, officials said. Six or seven cars were on the track when the car veered into pit row and ran into the two victims, who happened to be standing side-by-side, Yuba County Sheriff's Captain Ron Johnson said.

Israel

New defense minister named

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has appointed former military chief Moshe Yaalon as defense minister. Yaalon, widely known by his nickname "Bogie", has said the Iranian nuclear program is Israel's top security concern. He also is known to hold hard-line views toward the Palestinians.

AP-Reuters

(China Daily 03/18/2013 page11)