World in brief: Dalai Lama blamed for strife

China accused the Dalai Lama on Sunday of stoking Tibetan unrest to sabotage the Beijing Olympics and also berated House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, saying she is ignoring the truth about Tibet.

This month’s violence in Tibet and neighboring provinces has turned into a public relations disaster for China ahead of the August Olympics, which it had been hoping to use to bolster its international image.

The Chinese government said through official media that formerly restive areas were under control and accused the Dalai Lama, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, of trying to harm China’s image ahead of the summer games.

“The Dalai clique is scheming to take the Beijing Olympics hostage to force the Chinese government to make concessions to Tibet independence,” said the People’s Daily, the main mouthpiece of the Communist Party.

The Tibetan spiritual leader called the accusations against him “baseless,” asserting that he supported China’s hosting of the summer games.

KABUL, Afghanistan

Insurgents killed, weapons seized

Afghan and NATO forces killed more than 40 insurgents in an air and ground battle in southern Afghanistan, a security official said Sunday.

Separately, two soldiers from the U.S.-led coalition died after hitting a roadside bomb.

Troops seized dozens of weapons – including rocket-propelled grenades and heavy machine guns – after Saturday’s battle in Dihrawud, a district in Uruzgan province, the Afghan Defense Ministry said in a statement. It said many militants were killed but provided no figures.

An official at the ministry, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release details about the battle, put the number dead at more than 40.

HAVANA

Cuba weighs in on China-Tibet

Cuba on Saturday rejected criticism of China for its crackdown on recent riots in Tibet, which has led to calls for a possible boycott of this summer’s Olympic Games in Beijing.

In an e-mail statement issued by the Foreign Ministry, Havana also accused U.S.-funded Radio Free Asia of being the principal voice behind talk of a boycott.

“The government of Cuba condemns with all of its energy attempts to organize a crusade aimed at undermining this noble undertaking,” the government said.

Protests against Chinese rule in Tibet have drawn a harsh response from Beijing, and Chinese authorities say 16 people have died and 325 were injured. The Dalai Lama’s exiled government says 99 Tibetans have been killed.

Havana – one of five communist governments including Beijing – also is quick to reject international complaints about its own human rights record.

The government added that it believes the Tibet riots were “promoted from outside the country,” and expressed opposition to “any attempt to meddle in the internal affairs of China.”

President Bush has long planned to attend the Beijing Olympics, and the White House said this week that the crackdown in Tibet is not cause for him to cancel.

PESHAWAR, Pakistan

Attack destroys 25 fuel trucks

Twenty-five trucks carrying fuel to U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan have been destroyed in a possible bomb attack on the Pakistani border. Officials say that dozens of people have been injured.

Mohammed Sadiq Khan, a local government official, said the explosions and blaze occurred on the Pakistani side of the Torkham customs post late Sunday. At least 50 people were injured, eight of them seriously.

An official said authorities suspect the blasts were caused by bombs but were investigating.

–From wire reports