Briefly

CHINA

Beijing welcomes UN commissioner's visit

Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Wednesday that China welcomes the upcoming visit to China of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet. The trip, in May, also includes a visit to the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, he said at a daily news briefing. The two sides are currently in consultation over the specific arrangement and China would provide convenience for her visit, Zhao said. Noting China's position on relevant visit is consistent and clear, Zhao said the purpose of the visit is to facilitate exchanges and cooperation between the two sides.

UNITED STATES

6 teens arrested in deadly shooting

Authorities arrested six teenagers accused of shooting into a group that had gathered outside an Iowa high school, killing a 15-year-old boy and seriously wounding two teenage girls, police said on Tuesday. The suspects are each charged with first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder in the Monday afternoon shooting on the grounds of East High School, near central Des Moines, less than 1 kilometer from the Capitol. Police said gunshots fired outside the school came from several shooters from multiple vehicles. Investigators recovered about 20 spent shell casings at the shooting site and found a further 15 in the vehicles that police said were used in the shooting.

PAKISTAN

Islamic State owns up to attack on troops

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for an attack on a security convoy in southwestern Pakistan early on Tuesday that killed at least five soldiers, according to a monitoring group. Pakistani police said the explosion in Baluchistan Province was caused by a roadside bomb but the claim of responsibility cites an Islamic State suicide bomber as carrying out the attack, according to the US-based SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors militant messaging. The conflicting reports could not be immediately explained. It was the second attack in less than a week claimed by the IS regional affiliate known as Islamic State in Khorasan Province.

Agencies - China Daily