A round-up of today's other world news, in brief ...
Bomb attacks across Iraq kill at least 15
BAGHDAD – Bombs killed at least 15 people across Iraq yesterday, security officials said, two days after a suicide truck bomb in the north of the country killed 73 people in the deadliest attack in more than a year.
The blasts came as the US military prepares to withdraw from Iraqi towns and cities by the end of June, and they raise questions about the Iraqi security forces’ ability to stand alone in the face of a stubborn insurgency.
A roadside bomb killed three people and wounded 30 in a market in north Baghdad and a parked car bomb killed five people in Karrada in central Baghdad, police in Iraq said yesterday. – (Reuters)
Eight die in blasts in Afghan town
KHOST – Two bombs, one worn by a suicide bomber, exploded in Afghanistan’s southeastern town of Khost yesterday, killing at least eight civilians, provincial officials said.
More than 40 other civilians were wounded in the blasts, according to provincial public health chief Amir Padshah Rahmatzai. – (Reuters)
Pirates free crew of research yacht
MOGADISHU – Pirates in Somalia said yesterday they had freed the seven crew members of a captured Seychelles research yacht, the Indian Ocean Explorer.
The Somali gangs, who have been marauding in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean for several years, still hold 14 boats, with 203 crew members, according to the latest figures from the International Maritime Bureau.
The pirates have seized 31 boats so far this year in 143 attacks, compared to 42 boats in 111 raids throughout last year. – (Reuters)
Target set to build Palestinian state
WEST BANK – Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad has set a two-year target for building a Palestinian state ready for world recognition.
Calling on Palestinians to unite, Mr Fayyad said in a major policy speech yesterday that they should “roll up their sleeves” to ensure all institutions required for a state are in place “by the end of next year or two years at most”. – (Reuters)