Today's other stories in brief
Anti-Taliban cleric killed in suicide attack
A prominent anti-Taliban Pakistani Muslim cleric was killed yesterday in a suicide bomb attack in the city of Lahore, police said.
In another blast at around the same time, a suicide car-bomber set off explosives in an attack on a mosque in the northwestern town of Nowshera, killing at least three people, police said.
The blasts came as Pakistani forces stepped up attacks on militants across the northwest after the US House of Representatives approved the tripling of aid to Pakistan to about $1.5 billion (€1 billion) a year for the next five years. – (Reuters)
German cargo ship hijacked off Oman
OMAN – Suspected Somali pirates have seized a German-owned cargo ship off the coast of the Gulf state of Oman, the first recorded attack in its territorial waters, Nato alliance staff said yesterday.
The MV Charelle was attacked 60 nautical miles south of Sur on the Oman coast, Nato Lieut Commander Alexandre Fernandes said aboard Nato’s Portuguese warship Corte-Real, which is on anti-piracy patrol off Somalia.
“The Charelle is now heading southwest towards Somalia,” Lieut Fernandes said. “This is the first case of armed robbery outside the normal operations area of the pirates. They are probably looking for other areas of operations where there are less patrols by warships.”
No distress call was heard from the vessel, but the ship was reported hijacked yesterday afternoon, he said. It is not known how many crew are on board or what their nationalities are. – (Reuters)
At least 16 killed in mudslide
IVORY COAST – At least 16 people were killed yesterday in a poor neighbourhood of Abidjan when a mudslide buried their rickety homes.
Reporters at the scene counted 16 bodies being removed from the rubble. Rescue teams are still searching the mud.
The mudslide followed heavy rains. – (PA)