Anti-terror show of force in Xinjiang

BEIJING • Chinese security forces have staged another mass anti-terror rally in the restive far western region of Xinjiang, parading hundreds of armed men through the streets of the regional capital Urumqi in a show of force after an uptick in violence.

Hundreds have died in Xinjiang in the past few years, mostly in unrest between the Muslim Uighur people and the Han Chinese majority.

Xinjiang deputy party secretary Zhu Hailun said the Urumqi rally, following the ones in Kashgar and Hotan in the Uighur heartland in the region's deep south, was a sign of "real action" to deepen the fight against terror.

REUTERS

Indonesia to tackle marine plastic waste

JAKARTA • Indonesia will declare its commitment to combat marine plastic debris on Thursday when it hosts the fourth World Ocean Summit in Bali, Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar said.

Studies indicate that the country may be the second biggest contributor to marine plastic debris worldwide, with an estimated 1.3 million tonnes originating from the archipelago annually.

JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

Seven killed in Pakistan avalanche

CHITRAL (Pakistan) • An avalanche killed at least seven labourers in northern Pakistan yesterday, with up to four more trapped beneath the snow and efforts under way to rescue them.

The accident, which also injured seven, took place near the Lowari Tunnel in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, said a senior local administration official.

Rescue teams have rushed to the area to help stranded travellers and provide medical attention to the injured.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE