■ Afghanistan
US pounds rebel outposts
US fighter jets and helicopters pounded suspected Taliban positions before dawn yesterday in a fresh assault on insurgents in the rugged mountain peaks of southern Zabul province, an Afghan intelligence official said. The latest round of bombing in the Dai Chupan district of Zabul went on for three hours overnight ending shortly before dawn yesterday, said Khalil Hotak, the province's intelligence chief. For nearly a week now, the mountainous region, about 70km north of Qalat, the provincial capital, has been the scene of intense battles between suspected Taliban rebels, Afghan soldiers and their US allies. Dozens of Taliban fighters are reported to have been killed and several others arrested so far, although it has been impossible to get independent confirmation on casualty figures.
■ Indonesia
Peace concert turns violent
A free rock concert meant to promote peace and social harmony ended abruptly with rioting and police warning shots yesterday. At least six people were reportedly injured. Veteran rocker Iwan Fals, whose regime-baiting songs were banned by former dictator Suharto, tried to calm the 100,000-strong crowd with a nationalist anthem as people began throwing stones and bottles. But the concert was aborted minutes later as police fired warning shots to disperse the crowd, the Jakarta Post said. Rioters torched several food stalls around the stadium, which is used for political rallies. There was no reason given for the violence.
■ Malaysia
National Day celebrated
Malaysia yesterday celebrated its 46th National Day with a massive parade, fireworks and flowing tributes to Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who retires in two months after 22 years in power. Officials estimated more than 300,000 people joined Mahathir and other government leaders in Putrajaya, the administrative capital, to witness this Southeast Asian country's most lavish National Day parade since achieving independence from Britain in 1957.
■ Thailand
One dies in gang battle
Rival school gangs battled with knives and guns at an open-air concert and other areas of downtown Bangkok, killing one student and injuring more than 150, police said yesterday. The fighting between rival vocational schools erupted as thousands of people attended a concert Saturday night, staged to highlight the need to prevent piracy of intellectual property. Police Lieutenant General Damrongsak Nilkooha said Surapong Songsawat, 22, was found dead near a pond close to the concert venue at the Lumpini Park Night Bazaar. He had a bullet wound, and a deep cut in his right leg. At least 152 students were injured, with four in serious condition, he said.
■ United States
Police puzzled by pizza man
A pizza delivery man told police he had been forced to rob a bank and asked authorities to help him minutes before a bomb strapped to his chest exploded and killed him. On Saturday, federal agents and police in northwestern Pennsylvania were trying to solve the bizarre case of 46-year-old Brian Douglas Wells, who left to deliver a pizza to a mysterious address in a remote area about an hour before he turned up at the bank with a bomb strapped to his body.
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