A round-up of the other news stories of the day in brief...
Bomb blast kills five in Dagestan
MAKHACHKALA, Russia – At least five people were killed yesterday in an attack in Russia’s North Caucasus province of Dagestan, state investigators said.
A bomb blast killed five repair workers sent to fix a communications tower that had been damaged in a sabotage attack overnight, the investigative branch of the prosecutor general’s office said in a statement.
Three policemen escorting the workers were injured in the attack, about 80km south of Dagestan’s capital, Makhachkala. – (Reuters)
Explosion outside Athens prison
There was a large explosion outside the main prison in Athens yesterday, Greek police said, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
“It was a really strong explosion that was heard kilometres away,” said a police official, who requested anonymity. The top security Athens prison is in the Korydallos suburb, west of the city. – (Reuters)
Pope condemns gay marriage
Pope Benedict has condemned gay marriage as an “insidious” threat to society, implicitly encouraging Portuguese to work against a proposed law that would legalise it.
The pope, wrapping up his trip to the country, made his appeal on Wednesday in the shrine city of Fatima on a day that started with a Mass attended by up to half a million people. – (Reuters)