Iraqi officials say gunmen have killed six people in separate attacks near Baghdad. Attackers ambushed a vehicle Monday, killing three people including a senior member of the Iraqi Islamic Party, Ayad al-Izzi. Mr. al-Izzi was to compete in parliamentary elections set for next month. Separately, gunmen opened fire on a bus carrying Shi'ite Muslim pilgrims, killing three and wounding several others. Britain's Foreign Office said it is investigating reports that at least two British citizens were among those killed in the attack.
China's Agriculture Ministry has reported two new outbreaks
of bird flu among poultry in the northwestern Xinjiang region and the central province of Hunan.
The ministry said today (Tuesday) that tens of thousands of birds were culled in both infected areas. China has confirmed three cases of bird flu in humans.
Elsewhere, the Asian Development Bank has announced a 30-million dollar grant for Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos to help contain the spread of bird flu and other diseases.
The World Health Organization says AIDS is spreading rapidly through China and estimates 10 million people may be infected with the virus by 2010. The WHO says the disease has spread to all of China's provinces and autonomous regions -- with injected drug use the main route of transmission. It says a similar situation exists in Malaysia and Vietnam
Delegations from 189 countries are meeting in Canada to discuss climate change and how to cut emissions that hurt the atmosphere. The U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change is the first since the Kyoto Protocol took effect earlier this year. Canadian Environment Minister Sephane Dion opened the conference with a call for governments to improve current efforts to protect the environment
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