World Briefs

Afghan soldier kills 2 UK troops
KABUL – An Afghan army soldier killed two British troops at their headquarters in southern Afghanistan yesterday, Britain and Nato officials said, in the latest attack by rogue Afghan security personnel on Western troops.

So-called insider attacks have mounted recently as tension between Afghanistan and its foreign backers rises over a series of incidents, including the burning of Qurans at a Nato base and a massacre of 17 villagers for which a US soldier was charged.The latest incident took place in Lashkar Gah city in southern Helmand province, the main area of operations for British forces in Afghanistan.The attacker was shot dead by Nato soldiers, the alliance and the governor’s office said.China must stamp out corruption BEIJING – China could face a threat to its power structure unless it stamps out rampant corruption among officials, Premier Wen Jiabao was quoted as saying yesterday.The latest statement from Wen, who has long pushed to eradicate corruption, underscores broader worry that, left unchecked, the problem could hurt the legitimacy of one-party rule.’Wen Jiabao stressed that the greatest danger facing the ruling party is corruption,’ Wen was quoted as telling the State Council, or cabinet, in comments reported on the government website.’If this issue is not resolved, the nature of political power could change.’Anger over corruption has prompted a raft of ‘mass incidents,’ an official euphemism for protests, worrying officials defending one-party rule and overseeing a smooth transition of power to a younger generation of leaders.No deaths in latest Chile quakeSANTIAGO – A 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck central Chile, prompting an short-lived evacuation order for coastal areas and causing scenes of panic in a region devastated by a massive quake two years ago.There were no immediate reports of deaths or significant damage, officials in Chile said yesterday, a day after the temblor struck.The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in Hawaii said there was no risk of an ocean tidal wave like one that devastated the coast of central Chile in 2010.Officials said that about 25 000 people had been evacuated by the time the all-clear was given a few hours later. Fourteen people were reported injured in the quake.