Potter film offersUrumqi escapism

URUMQI: The premiere of the blockbuster movie Harry Potter: The Half-blood Prince was delayed for several hours in Urumqi yesterday over safety fears, on the day the riot death toll climbed to 192.

The movie, which had been scheduled for a midnight screening, was not seen until 11 am. But the fact that it was played at all shows this city is edging back toward normality after the July 5 unrest, said observers.

Big posters of Harry Potter and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen decorated the front of People's Cinema, which is one block from People's Square, the center of the bloody violence.