In brief: North, South Korean ships exchange fire

SEOUL, South Korea – Warships from the rival Koreas exchanged warning shots today after a North Korean ship briefly violated the disputed western sea boundary, a South Korean defense official said.

The shots were fired into the sea and there have been no reports of injuries and damage to the ships of either side, the official said on condition of anonymity, citing office policy.

Such exchanges are not uncommon at the sea boundary, the scene of several deadly maritime skirmishes between the Koreas in recent years.

North Korean navy ships and fishing boats frequently violate the boundary drawn by the American-led U.N. command at the end of the Korean War in the early 1950s without the North’s consent. The line cuts North Korea off from rich fishing waters.

‘Honeymoon murder’ defendant in court

CAPE TOWN, South Africa – A British man pleaded not guilty Monday to murdering his wife on their South African honeymoon, denying claims he hired a hit man to kill her in a faked 2010 car hijacking in a township outside Cape Town.

In a high-profile case that has enthralled the British media, Shrien Dewani also pleaded not guilty to four related charges: conspiracy to commit murder, kidnapping, aggravated robbery and defeating the ends of justice.

Dewani’s appearance in a Cape Town courtroom followed a long battle to extradite him to South Africa from Britain to stand trial in the death of his wife, Anni. He initially had argued that he wouldn’t get a fair hearing. The extradition also was delayed by Dewani’s mental health problems, including depression and post-traumatic stress.

Dewani ultimately was extradited in April and found fit to stand trial.

British tabloids have dubbed the case the “honeymoon murder,” and his trial comes on the heels of another high-profile murder case, that of South African Olympian Oscar Pistorius, who was convicted of culpable homicide for fatally shooting his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.