BEIJING: China reported one more death from a new strain of bird flu yesterday, bringing the death toll to 32, with the number of infections staying at 129, the official Xinhua news agency said. A 56-year-old man died in the central province of Henan, two weeks after his infection was confirmed, Xinhua cited a statement from the local health bureau. The man had no direct contact with birds, but there were birdcages in the corridor of the building he lived in, the report said.
Death penalty for Islamist
DHAKA: A war crimes court sentenced a top Bangladeshi Islamist to death yesterday for masterminding the slaughter of at least 120 farmers in one of the bloodiest single episodes of the 1971 independence war. A special tribunal found Mohammad Kamaruzzaman, 61, guilty of mass killing, torture, abduction and crimes against humanity. He would “be hanged by the neck till death”, presiding judge Obaidul Hassan told a packed courtroom in Dhaka. The assistant secretary general of the opposition Jamaat-e-Islami party is the fourth person to be convicted by the tribunal.
Seven terror suspects killed
JAKARTA: Indonesian police shot dead seven terror suspects in raids over the past two days, including several with alleged links to a plot to bomb the Myanmar embassy, officials said yesterday. Thirteen suspects were captured as an elite police unit swooped on houses across the main island of Java, in the biggest counter-terrorism operation in Indonesia for months. Pipe bombs, grenades and pistols were also seized.
Top filmmaker probed over kids
BEIJING: One of China’s most famous movie directors is facing a $26m fine for having seven children in violation of China’s strict family planning laws, media reports said yesterday. Zhang Yimou, the maker of Raise the Red Lantern and Red Sorghum, is being investigated by family planning officials in the eastern city of Wuxi, the website of the People’s Daily said.
Anti-corruption activists held
BEIJING: Authorities arrested more than 10 activists who campaigned to have political leaders disclose their financial assets, lawyers said, with one charged with “inciting state subversion”. Police in southern Jiangxi province detained activist Liu Ping, 48, in late April for “inciting subversion of state power”, after she campaigned online for official asset disclosure, her lawyer said.
Furore over Mao kin on rich list
BEIJING: The appearance of a grand-daughter of Mao Zedong, founding father of Communist China, on a list of the country’s richest citizens prompted online accusations of hypocrisy yesterday. Kong Dongmei, in early 40s, and husband Chen Dongsheng ranked 242th with personal wealth estimated at 5bn yuan ($815m) on a list released this month by New Fortune, a Chinese financial magazine. Her inclusion in the list triggered debate on China’s Twitter-like weibos, with some accusing her of betraying Mao’s status as the “great teacher of proletariat revolution”. Agencies
