Mayor and villager killed in explosion

TBILISI - An explosion killed the mayor of a small town near the separatist region of Abkhazia yesterday morning, the Interior Ministry said. The blast killed Mujhava Mayor Gia Mebonia while he was inspecting a house damaged by overnight shelling. A villager was also killed and a police officer was seriously injured. The ministry said it suspects that separatist militants detonated the explosives by remote control. (AP)

BEIJING - The prime minister said yesterday that China will take steps to improve its food safety, saying the tainted milk products that are believed to have killed four babies and made thousands of children sick were the result of lax regulation. Wen Jiabao said the milk scandal will spur the introduction of China's first major food safety law and China's food exports will meet international standards. (AP)

TEHRAN - The government has no legal basis for detaining an Iranian-American student doing research in Iran, her lawyer said yesterday. Mohammad Ali Dadkhah said no formal charges have been brought against Esha Momeni, 28, a graduate student at California State University. The Revolutionary Court told her parents the detention was related to her involvement in an Iranian women's rights campaign in 2006. (AP)