15 dead in Kashmir

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Srinagar: Police say a passenger bus has fallen into a gorge in Kashmir, killing at least 15 people. At least 17 others are injured. Police officer Anil Mangotra said the driver apparently lost control at a sharp bend on a highway near Ramban, a town about 150 kilometres south of Srinagar, the region’s main city. The bus fell 40 metres into the gorge at about midnight Saturday. The injured have been hospitalised, the official said Sunday. India has the world’s deadliest roads, with more than 110,000 people killed every year. Most crashes are blamed on reckless driving, poorly maintained roads and aging vehicles.

Mortar kills four

Peshawar: Police said a mortar round hit a house belonging to a paramilitary soldier in northwestern Pakistan today, killing his wife and three of his children. Police official Inayatullah Khan says the soldier in the Frontier Corps, Dolat Mir, was wounded in the incident in Mera Sheikhan village near the Khyber tribal area. Mir’s son and two daughters who were killed were between the ages of one and seven. Khan said it is unclear who fired the mortar. The military has been conducting operations against Islamist militants in Khyber.

Wen’s warning

BEIJING: China’s economic woes that have brought growth to a three-year low will continue for some time, but the slower expansion remains within expectations, Premier Wen Jiabao said. Wen said Chinese need to recognise the seriousness and complexity of the challenges the country faces. But he added that China’s economic fundamentals remain favourable, even if the economy hasn’t fully stabilised. “At present, our country’s economic growth rate remains within the target range set earlier this year and we are seeing the effectiveness of stabilization policies,” Wen said during a tour of the southwestern city of Chengdu on Saturday. His remarks were posted Sunday on the central government’s official website.

“However, we also need to soberly see that the current economy has not yet formed a stable recovery and the economic difficulties may continue for some time,” he said.