News In Brief

China, Russia in largest-ever naval drills
Ap, Beijing

China will join Russia later this week for its largest-ever naval drills with a foreign partner, underscoring deepening ties between the former Cold War rivals along with Beijing's desire for closer links with regional militaries.
China's Defense Ministry said Tuesday that its navy will send four destroyers, two guided missile frigates, and a support ship for the "Joint Sea-2013" exercises, which start Friday in the Sea of Japan and run through July 12.

Sri Lanka to hold polls in ex-war zone
Reuters, Colombo

Sri Lanka will hold provincial elections in the former northern war zone in September for the first time in 25 years, officials said on Friday, a move long demanded by the United Nations since the end of three decades of conflict in 2009.
The Northern Province, which includes the Jaffna peninsula, has been under military control since the end of the war. The Elections Commission said they would probably be held on September 21 or 28.

Xinjiang calm on riot anniversary
Afp, Beijing

Chinese authorities imposed tight control in the capital of Xinjiang yesterday, the fourth anniversary of ethnic rioting which killed around 200 people, said state media and exile groups.
Internet users posted pictures of baton-wielding security personnel in Urumqi, the scene of clashes in 2009 between mostly Muslim Uighurs and members of China's Han majority that were Xinjiang's worst violence of recent years.
Last week two incidents in the region left at least 35 people dead and officials have vowed to crack down on what they call "terrorists".

Blasts kill 5 in Iraq
Afp, Baghdad

Attacks killed five people in town squares in Iraq yesterday, including four who died when a suicide bomber set off his vehicle rigged with explosives just before midday prayers.
The latest violence, which left dozens wounded, comes as Iraq struggles with a surge in violence coinciding with a long-running government deadlock and months of protests among the Sunni Arab minority.
Iraq has seen a surge in violence since the start of the year, with the UN reporting more than 2,500 people killed from April through June, the highest such level since 2008.