IN BRIEF (Page 11)

Afghanistan

Bomber kills 13, wounds 14

At least 13 people were killed when a suicide bomber struck at the Jalalabad home of Obaiduallah Shinwari, a prominent politician who escaped unscathed, during a "jirga", an assembly of tribal leaders, on Sunday, officials said. The Taliban shrugged off responsibility for the bombing, which also left 14 people wounded on the eve of a new round of four-country negotiations aimed at restarting peace talks with the insurgents.