Xinjiang group claims bombings, says linked to Olympics

A group opposed to Chinese rule in the western region of Xinjiang claimed responsibility for bombings around China, saying they were part of a campaign targeting the Beijing Olympics, the Financial Times reported. The video released by a group calling itself the "Turkestan Islamic Party" drew skepticism from Chinese police, who told state media on Sunday that there was no evidence linking fatal bus bombings in the southwestern city of Kunming with terrorism or the Olympics. China has stepped up security in preparations for the Beijing Olympic Games set to start on August 8. Chinese security officials in the past have said Xinjiang separatists from the Uighur ethnic minority are one of the most dire security threats facing the Olympics.