A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Six Chinese gangsters get death sentence
BEIJING – China has sentenced six gangsters to death for murder, machete attacks and price fixing amid growing fears that crime syndicates are muscling in to take advantage of the country’s rapid economic growth.
The execution orders in the city of Chongqing follow the arrests of senior police chiefs, prosecutors and more than 1,500 suspects in one of the biggest crackdowns in recent memory on “black societies”, as the gangs are known. – (Guardian service)
Death toll from Rio violence at 29
RIO DE JANEIRO – Police killed three suspected drug traffickers in Rio de Janeiro yesterday, bringing to 29 the total number of deaths since the city’s recent outbreak of violence over the weekend.
The three suspects were killed after they opened fire on police who were searching a slum for gang members linked to shooting down a police helicopter on Saturday, killing three police officers.
Several thousand police have been mobilised to secure the city and search for drug traffickers who caused the helicopter to crash.
– (Reuters)
US 'will not relax Korean sanctions'
WASHINGTON – The United States will not relax its sanctions on North Korea until it takes verifiable, irreversible steps toward complete denuclearisation, US secretary of state Hillary Clinton said yesterday.
Mrs Clinton also said in a speech that the United States would never have normal, sanctions-free relations with a nuclear-armed North Korea. – (Reuters)
Lawyers clash on Polanski strategy
ZURICH – Lawyers for Roman Polanski clashed yesterday over his legal strategy, with one saying the director will not surrender to US authorities after 31 years on the run and another suggesting he was ready to consider the move.
Attorney Herve Temime said there has been “no change in strategy”, saying Polanski will “continue to fight extradition” to the US for having sex in 1977 with a 13-year-old girl.
Swiss officials tipped off the US and set in motion the Polanski’s arrest last month, according to documents obtained by reporters. A top Swiss official defended the move. – (PA)