9am news briefing

FIVE people had to be led to safety from a block of flats in Pilton today after a fire broke out in a nearby shed.

Flames from the shed licked at the building on Pennywell Road containing six flats and residents had to be evacuated.

Paramedics treated a 42-year-old man for smoke inhalation while four others, including a 71-year-old woman, were slightly affected by smoke, though did not require treatment.

The fire started at 4.39am. It is not known if it was started deliberately.

• HUMAN rights organisations have hit out at the Edinburgh International Festival's decision to accept help from the Chinese government to bankroll this year's event, it was reported today.

Campaigners, including the Free Tibet Campaign Group, say organisers have left themselves open to criticism that they are endorsing crackdowns on Chinese artists, by having the ministry of culture back the involvement of two national companies.

The National Ballet of China and the Shanghai Peking Opera Troupe are two of the main attractions at this year's festival, which focuses on Asian culture.

• THE death toll from the violent disorder that swept across England rose today after a man attacked by rioters as he attempted to stamp out a fire in west London died in hospital.

Richard Mannington Bowes, 68, who was left in a coma when he was set upon by a mob in Ealing during Monday's disorder, died late last night, prompting detectives to launch a murder inquiry.

His death follows those of three friends who were run down by a car as they attempted to protect their community from looters in Birmingham and the murder of a 26-year-old father-of-four who was shot during disorder in Croydon.