W O R L D

Disabled man triggers blast at Beijing airport
Beijing, July 20
A Chinese man in a wheelchair, reportedly aggrieved over being assaulted by the police, today set off an explosion at the Beijing International Airport, injuring himself and causing panic.

Security personnel at the site of the explosion at the Beijing airport on Saturday. Reuters

3 women killed in Egypt as rivals clash
Cairo, July 20
Three women died in clashes between loyalists and opponents of Egypt's ousted Islamist President Mohamed Mursi, medics said today, despite warnings by the military that it would crackdown on violent protests.

Soldiers around an armoured personnel carrier near the presidential palace in Cairo on Friday. Reuters

A man dressed in cow costume protests against the consumption of animal products at the third Veggie Parade in Berlin on Saturday. AFP

Afghan Prez signs new election law
Kabul, July 20
President Hamid Karzai today approved the second of two new election laws designed to pave the way for smooth transition of power in Afghanistan next year.

5 jailed in Italy for shipwreck
Grosseto, July 20
An Italian court today convicted five employees of an Italian cruise company for the Costa Concordia shipwreck that killed 32 crew and passengers after it accepted their plea bargains.

Bolivia recalls envoys from Spain, Italy, France
La Paz, July 20
The Bolivian government has "temporarily" recalled its ambassadors to Spain, France and Italy to protest those countries' refusal earlier this month to allow Bolivian President Evo Morales' plane to enter their airspace, a top official said.

Disabled man triggers blast at Beijing airport

Beijing, July 20
A Chinese man in a wheelchair, reportedly aggrieved over being assaulted by the police, today set off an explosion at the Beijing International Airport, injuring himself and causing panic.

Ji Zhongxing (34) reportedly paralysed in a beating by the police, set off an explosive device made from materials used in firecrackers. He detonated the device after he was stopped from handing out leaflets to draw attention to his complaints.

Ji was wounded, but suffered no life-threatening injuries and is currently being treated in hospital, state-run media said.

Pictures of Ji on Sina Weibo microblogging site - showing him throwing up his arms with a white object in his hand - went viral soon after the explosion at 6.24 pm local time.

The explosion created panic in the airport. Ji, hailing from north- eastern Shandong province, fell off the wheelchair and sustained injuries.

Reports said Ji set off the explosion to highlight the violent treatment allegedly meted out to him by the police that resulted in his paralysis.

He reportedly set off the low-intensity device at the arrival terminal, where there are fewer security checks, to highlight his plight.

His identification scotched rumours that the blast was a terrorist attack.

The police cordon at the arrivals terminal exit was later removed and the airport resumed normal services, Xinhua reported. — PTI

‘Disgruntled’ citizen

3 women killed in Egypt as rivals clash

Cairo, July 20
Three women died in clashes between loyalists and opponents of Egypt's ousted Islamist President Mohamed Mursi, medics said today, despite warnings by the military that it would crackdown on violent protests.

"Three persons were killed and seven others wounded by birdshot and stabbing attacks during clashes between Mursi supporters and his opponents," Adel Said, a hospital official in the Nile Delta city of Mansura, told AFP.

The three killed yesterday were all women, he added.

A pro-Mursi protester injured in the clashes, said thousands of loyalists were marching through the city's narrow streets when "thugs" attacked them with guns, knives and rocks.

Tensions are running high in Egypt more than two weeks after the army ousted the country's first freely elected president following massive protests calling for him to go.

Rival protests were staged in several cities yesterday, with tens of thousands rallying in Cairo to demand the Islamist leader's reinstatement.

Before yesterday's demonstrations, the army warned that it would decisively confront any violent protesters.

"Whoever resorts to violence in Friday's protests will endanger his life, and will be treated with utmost decisiveness, within legal bounds," it said.

Mursi's army-installed successor Adly Mansour vowed to fight for stability against opponents he accused of wanting to plunge the crisis-hit country "into the unknown".

"We will fight the battle for security to the end. We will preserve the revolution," he said in a speech broadcast by state television on Thursday. — AFP

Afghan Prez signs new election law

Kabul, July 20
President Hamid Karzai today approved the second of two new election laws designed to pave the way for smooth transition of power in Afghanistan next year. Karzai's signature on the law, which determines how presidential and provincial elections will be run, is expected to alleviate international concerns that the ballot could be delayed or its credibility could be at risk.

His office said Karzai's decree meant the law had come into immediate effect.

Karzai on Wednesday approved a bill giving more power and independence to the electoral complaints watchdog, which was integral to unmasking massive fraud at the last presidential election in 2009.

Donor nations have been pressing Kabul to pass the election laws, seen as crucial to proving that the 12-year war and billions of dollars of aid money have not been in vain.

Afghanistan is due to elect a new president and council members for its 34 provinces on April 5, with Karzai barred from running after serving a maximum two terms.

A corrupt election and a contested result would undermine efforts to establish a functioning state in Afghanistan, where some fear the risk of another civil war as Taliban rebels fight to regain power. It remains unclear who will run for president.

Among a long list of possible candidates are Qayum Karzai, the president's brother, Omar Daudzai, a former chief of staff, and warlord-turned-governor Atta Mohammad Noor. — AFP

5 jailed in Italy for shipwreck

Grosseto, July 20
An Italian court today convicted five employees of an Italian cruise company for the Costa Concordia shipwreck that killed 32 crew and passengers after it accepted their plea bargains.

The longest sentence went to the crisis coordinator for Costa Crociere SpA, the cruise company, who was sentenced to two years and 10 months. Concordia's hotel director was sentenced to two years and six months, while two bridge officers and a helmsman got sentences ranging from one year and eight months to one year and 11 months.

The plea bargains were handled separately from the trial of Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino, who is charged with manslaughter for causing the January 2012 shipwreck off the Tuscan island of Giglio and abandoning the vessel with thousands aboard. The trial opened this week. — AP

Bolivia recalls envoys from Spain, Italy, France

La Paz, July 20
The Bolivian government has "temporarily" recalled its ambassadors to Spain, France and Italy to protest those countries' refusal earlier this month to allow Bolivian President Evo Morales' plane to enter their airspace, a top official said.