WORLD BRIEFS

CHINA: Two Tibetan brothers killed

Two Tibetan brothers on the run since taking part in anti-government protests two weeks ago have been shot dead in Sichuan province, Radio Free Asia reported Friday. The U.S.-funded broadcaster said they were shot after being surrounded in Luhuo county Thursday. Radio Free Asia, citing sources in the area and Tibetan exiles in India, identified them as Yeshe Rigsal, 40, a monk, and his brother, Yeshe Samdrub, 38. The government blames criminals encouraged by outside forces for a recent upsurge in violence in Tibetan areas, but Tibetan activists say repressive policies are the cause.

EGYPT: Islamists demand change

The Muslim Brotherhood called on the ruling generals Thursday to sack the military-appointed government, saying it has failed to manage the deteriorating security and economic situation. The Islamic fundamentalist Brotherhood controls nearly 50 percent of seats in the new parliament. Spokesman Mahmoud Ghozlan said the military should appoint a Brotherhood representative as prime minister to form a new government. Meanwhile, the ruling generals have a new enemy: the legions of angry soccer fans who have injected fervor into recent protests, demanding the military step down, and battled police for days in the streets of Cairo. Known as Ultras and long viewed as hooligans, they have grown increasingly political, and were pushed over the edge by deadly riots at a soccer match last week.

PAKISTAN: Drone kills a Taliban leader

An apparent U.S. drone strike Thursday in the northwest killed a top Pakistani Taliban commander also serving as a key al-Qaida operative, local officials said. The predawn strike in North Waziristan hit Badar Mansoor's compound near a cattle market in Miram Shah, North Waziristan's largest town. Mansoor was believed to be from Punjab, Pakistan's most populous province, and responsible for bringing scores of Punjabi militants to Taliban camps in North Waziristan.