Afghanistan violence

KABUL: The US military says that a suicide bombing near an Afghan primary school killed 14 children. Authorities had earlier said five children were killed. A bomber was trying to attack a meeting of tribal elders in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday. The military says a total of 16 people were killed in the explosion and 58 were wounded. Khost deputy police chief Yacoub Khan says the suicide blast went off near the entrance to a police and army post. — AP

Tainted milk scandal

BEIJING: Lawyers for the families of Chinese children sickened by tainted milk said on Sunday that a compensation plan announced recently would likely be inadequate and lacked transparency, though they cautiously welcomed any move to help victims. The Dairy Industry Association said 22 dairy producers would make a one-time cash payment to the families of at least six babies who died and the 294,000 other children who suffered kidney and urinary problems from drinking infant formula contaminated with the industrial chemical melamine. —AP

Road accident

TANGAIL: A truck loaded with iron rods veered off a road, killing 24 hitchhikers riding in the back and injuring 13 others on Sunday in northern Bangladesh, a traffic police official said. The accident occurred when the driver apparently lost control and the truck fell into a roadside ditch. At least 23 people died at the scene while another man died on the way to a local hospital. Tangail is 72 km north of the capital, Dhaka. — AP

Stricter building laws

BEIJING: China’s top legislature has set stricter construction standards for schools after thousands of poorly built classrooms collapsed in May’s massive earthquake, killing many students, state media reported. The new law passed by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress says that all schools must now be built to higher earthquake standards than other public buildings.The quake killed 70,000 people in Sichuan province in May. — AP

‘Intruder’ shot dead

BANGALORE: Army guards shot dead Mohammed Mukkharam, 20, in the early hours on Sunday for intruding into the high security defence area and trying to escape when asked to surrender. The youth was shot by sentry guards in the compound of a top army officer’s house on the old Airport Road around 2 am when he tried to jump the compound wall instead of surrendering. — IANS