Today's other world news in brief
Pakistan bomb attack kills 10
PAKISTAN - A bomb attack killed at least 10 people and wounded 40 at the funeral for a Shia Muslim yesterday in the northwest Pakistani town of Dera Ismail Khan.
The attack sparked an outbreak of shooting around the hospital where the dead and wounded were brought, and police fired tear gas in an attempt to restore order, according to journalists at the scene.
Local information minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain said 10 people were killed and up to 30 wounded, though a doctor at the main government hospital put the number of wounded at 40. - (Reuters)
China governor meets protesters
BEIJING - The governor of a Chinese province sat down with protesters after they fought pitched battles with police, a rare concession by a leader and a sign of government concerns about stability as the economy slows.
Xu Shousheng held a meeting with 10 representatives in Wudu in the poverty-stricken northwestern province of Gansu two days after the riot in which dozens were injured, state media said. - (Reuters)
Burma jails hip-hop star
RANGOON - A hip-hop star in military-ruled Burma has been jailed for six years for being part of a political group, the latest in a string of hefty sentences handed down on dissidents, an opposition spokesman said yesterday.
Zayar Thaw, a member of the popular band ACID, was among 20 activists sentenced to lengthy prison terms on Thursday, the spokesman said. - (Reuters)
UN concern over torture in China
GENEVA - UN torture experts yesterday told China to improve its monitoring of abuses in prisons and hospitals, and called for an inquiry into the use of force during a crackdown on Tibet.
In recommendations following its review of China this month, the UN Committee Against Torture said Beijing needed to investigate deaths in custody and provide more information about how it treats detainees.
"The committee remains deeply concerned about the continued allegations, corroborated by numerous Chinese legal sources, of routine and widespread use of torture and ill-treatment of suspects in police custody," it said. - (Reuters)