LTTE attack claims one

Colombo: Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels hurled a hand grenade into the office of a rival Tamil group on Friday in Sri Lanka’s violence-wracked east, killing one person and wounding four others, officials said. The violence was the latest in a string of attacks in eastern Sri Lanka since a renegade rebel group led a split from the main Tamil Tiger group last year. — AP

4 blasts in Pak, no injuries

QUETTA: Two homemade bombs exploded near a police station and two others went off elsewhere in Baluchistan, damaging a phone line but causing no injuries, police said on Friday. No one claimed responsibility for twin blasts late on Thursday near Sadar police station in Quetta. Also Thursday, two small bombs went off in Kalat, about 200 km south of Quetta, damaging a telephone line but causing no casualties. — AP

Wanted drug dealer held

BEIJING: After five years on the run, China’s most-wanted drug suspect was captured in the country’s southeast, a news report said on Friday. Police acting on a tip arrested Liu Zhaohua, 40, on March 5 in his hometown of Fu’an in Fujian province, the China Daily said. Liu is accused leading a gang that made 14 tonnes of methamphetamine at a clandestine factory in the northwest, the report said. — AP

New Thai Cabinet

BANGKOK: Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra appointed his new Cabinet on Friday, retaining his finance minister but bringing in a trade expert to take over the foreign ministry. Somkid Jatusripitak retains the finance portfolio, a job he was appointed to when Thaksin first took office in 2001 and which he held for most of the prime minister’s first administration. Somkid will concurrently hold the deputy PM’s post. — AP

US citizens cautioned

JAKARTA: The US Embassy on Friday warned its citizens to stay away from a Jakarta shopping mall called the World Trade Centre because of a “possible bomb threat” in the next three days. “The US Embassy and the US Consulate General are aware of a bomb threat against World Trade Centre Mangga Dua in North Jakarta from March 11-14,” said a message posted on Friday on the Embassy’s Web site. — AP

HK leader flies to Beijing

HONG KONG: Hong Kong leader Tung Chee-hwa flew to Beijing to take his new seat on an elite advisory committee on Friday, one day after he said failing health was forcing him to quit two years early. Beijing hasn’t announced whether it would accept Tung’s resignation, but it was widely believed his departure was a carefully scripted event approved by China. The 67-year-old leader rejected speculation that China was dumping him. He insisted he was leaving because fatigue was preventing him from working for long hours. — AP