3 explosions kill 2in northwest China
BEIJING -- A series of explosions in the Xinjiang region of northwest China has killed at least two people and caused an unknown number of injuries, state media reported Monday.
The blasts, which occurred Sunday, were the latest outbreak of violence to hit Xinjiang. The government-run Tianshan news portal reported three separate explosions in Luntai County, southwest of the regional capital, Urumqi, but the website provided little detail.
The explosions occurred the same day that 17 officials in southern Xinjiang were punished for failing to prevent a series of attacks in July that left almost 100 people dead, including the imam of the largest mosque in China.
The authorities have blamed Islamic separatists for a surge of ethnic unrest in Xinjiang, home to the Uighurs, a Sunni Muslim minority.
Afghan chief vowsmore female roles
KABUL, Afghanistan -- Afghanistan's new president-elect pledged in his victory speech Monday to give women prominent roles in his government and told his nation that women are important to the country's future.
The remarks by President-elect Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai came a day after the landmark power-sharing deal signed by Afghanistan's two presidential candidates. The agreement resolved a drawn-out dispute that threatened to plunge Afghanistan into political turmoil.
Ahmadzai also said his former opponent -- Abdullah Abdullah, who will fill the newly created role of government chief executive -- has turned from competitor to colleague, and the two are committed to improving Afghanistan.
The country's election commission on Sunday announced Ahmadzai as the winner of a two-man runoff, ending an election process that began with a first round of voting in April. The announcement, which didn't report official numbers, came only hours after Ahmadzai and Abdullah signed a political deal to form a national unity government.
The speech Monday took on the air of a campaign celebration, with a large crowd of supporters in attendance. Ahmadzai clasped the hands of female supporters, and he and others raised their hands over their heads, a notable moment in a country where women are often socially segregated.
Tibet student diesin self-immolation
BEIJING -- A Tibetan student died last week after setting himself on fire, in the first such protest in five months, a London-based activist group said Monday.
The Free Tibet group said Lhamo Tashi burned himself to death Wednesday in the city of Hezuo in the Tibetan prefecture of Gannan in the northwestern province of Gansu.
About 130 Tibetans have set themselves afire since 2009 to protest Beijing's rule over the Himalayan region.
Beijing has responded by punishing those attempting to immolate themselves as well as their sympathizers. A number of Tibetans have been convicted on charges of homicide for aiding or inciting others to burn themselves.
-- COMPILED BY DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE STAFF FROM WIRE REPORTS
A Section on 09/23/2014