Shrine suicide attack kills 41 worshippers
Islamabad Two Taleban suicide bombers killed at least 41 worshippers at a Sufi shrine in Dera Ghazi Khan, eastern Pakistan, yesterday — the latest in a series of attacks on minority religious groups.
A third bomber was arrested after the explosives that were strapped to his body failed to detonate, police said. He was wounded in the attack, along with about 65 other people.
The Taleban militants who follow an austere interpretation of Sunni Islam, condemn other interpretations of Islam as heretical and have made repeated attacks on the country’s Shia, Sufi and Christian minorities. They have claimed responsibility for the suicide bombings at the Sufi shrine. (Reuters)
Four die as test flight crashes
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New Mexico Four people died when a business aircraft crashed during a test flight on Saturday. The wingtip of the Gulfstream G650, pictured, struck the ground as it took off from Roswell International Air Centre. Two pilots and two test engineers were killed.
Thousands flee after earthquake
Jakarta An earthquake of magnitude 6.7 under the ocean 200 miles off Indonesia’s main island of Java prompted a tsunami warning which sent thousands of people fleeing from their homes to high ground. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. (AP)
Hole grounds Boeings
Phoenix A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-300 which made an emergency landing in Arizona after a hole appeared in the passenger cabin at 34,500ft (10,500m) had suffered cracks in the frame a year earlier. Eighty other 737s are now grounded. (AP)
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Syrian change
Damascus President Assad appointed Adel Safar, a former agriculture minister, to form a new government in the latest measure aimed at defusing a wave of anti-government protests across Syria in which at least 80 people have died. (AP)
Migrants rescued
Rome Italian police rescued 98 migrants from a leaking boat off Lampedusa island yesterday. Ferries have begun transferring thousands of migrants — mainly Tunisians — to the mainland for processing but the number of new arrivals continues to rise. (AP)
Chernobyl food alert
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Kiev Milk and mushrooms in Ukraine are among foods still contaminated by the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl 25 years ago, according to Greenpeace. Ukraine wants £527million to build a new shell at the plant. Its concrete cover has begun to leak. (Reuters)
Artist detained
Beijing Chinese officials stopped the artist Ai Weiwei from taking a flight from Beijing to Hong Kong. Police searched his studio in Beijing and took staff for questioning. Mr Ai, 53, recently exhibited at Tate Modern in London. (AP)
Hope for giant turtle
Hanoi A giant turtle sacred to many Vietnamese has been captured by rescuers hoping to save it from an unknown illness. The 6ft (1.8m) creature, which has lived in the Hoan Kiem lake, Hanoi, for at least 80 years, has open sores and lesions on its neck and shell. (AP)