IN BRIEF (Page 11)

India

Convoy attack leaves 19 dead

Suspected leftist rebels killed at least 19 people when they ambushed a convoy carrying regional leaders from India's ruling Congress party on Saturday, officials said, one of the deadliest such attacks in recent years. The rebels felled trees to block the 20-car convoy in the eastern state of Chhattisgarh and then detonated a landmine and raked the vehicles with gunfire, Indian media reported.

Egypt

Court rejects election law

Egypt's highest court ruled on Saturday that parts of a revised election law setting out terms for a parliamentary election were unconstitutional, casting fresh doubt over a poll that has already been delayed. The Islamist-dominated upper house of parliament had approved the law last month and sent it to the Supreme Constitutional Court to check the legality of the voting procedures for a new lower house.

Pakistan

Taliban issue new threat

The Pakistani Taliban on Sunday issued a fresh threat to assassinate former military ruler Pervez Musharraf, who is currently facing a barrage of legal cases in police custody. The retired general has been detained in his farmhouse on the edge of the capital Islamabad since April 19 on charges of conspiracy to murder former premier Benazir Bhutto, the sacking of judges when he imposed emergency rule in 2007, and the 2006 death of a Baluch rebel leader.

Japan

UN urges help for victims

A United Nations expert who investigated the aftermath of Japan's 2011 nuclear power plant disaster said the government and the operator of the facility should do more to help those affected by the catastrophe. A report by special rapporteur Anand Grover said the government's takeover of Tokyo Electric Power Co allowed the utility to evade full responsibility for the nuclear disaster.

Myanmar

11 killed in bus accident

Myanmar state media said a bus traveling from Yangon to Mandalay has skidded off a bridge, leaving 11 dead and 16 injured including an US citizen. State newspapers reported on Sunday that the accident occurred on Saturday when a tire on the bus blew, causing the vehicle to skid and plunge off the bridge into a stream below.

Iraq

Car bomb claims 5, wounds 21

Officials said a car bomb has hit a patrol in Mosul, one of three attacks in the northern Iraqi city that left five dead. A police officer said the car bomb went off early on Sunday at a house as a joint army-police unit was conducting door-to-door searches, killing two policemen and one soldier. He said 21 people, including 4 civilians, were wounded.

AP-Reuters-AFP

(China Daily 05/27/2013 page11)