Militants infiltrate UN's Somalia office, 16 dead
Mogadishu: Seven al-Qaeda-linked gunmen detonated a pick-up truck rigged with explosives at the gate of the UN compound in Somalia's capital on Wednesday, launching a bombs-and-gunfire assault that saw militants pour into the complex, killing at least nine people, including three foreigners, officials said. The seven al-Shabab militants were from what the militia called its martyrdom, or suicide, brigade. They all died in the assault, an official said, bringing the overall death toll to at least 16. The attack comes only six months after the United Nations expanded its presence in Mogadishu, where it had kept only a small operation because Islamic insurgents had controlled much of the capital until being pushed out in an offensive in 2011.
Bribery trial of ex-Finmeccanica CEO opens
Milan: The former head of the Italian aerospace and defence giant Finmeccanica goes on trial in a case involving alleged bribes to win a 560 million euro ($670 million) helicopter contract in India. Giuseppe Orsi, who resigned in February, faces corruption charges in a case that has tarnished the state-controlled company. Also on trial is Bruno Spagnolini, CEO of AgustaWestland, the defense contractor's helicopter division. The accelerated trial opened today in Busto Arsizio north of Milan after a judge decided there was enough evidence to proceed without a preliminary hearing.
Thousands evacuated after Russian blasts
Moscow: More than six thousand people were evacuated overnight in central Russia after a series of massive explosions at an arms depot blew out windows and sparked a fire, the emergency situations ministry said on Wednesday. The blasts began on Tuesday night and continued for hours after being sparked by efforts to dispose of munitions at an arms depot close to the town of Chapayevsk in the Samara region around 1,000 kilometres from Moscow.
Australian charged in attack on Indian
Sydney: Police in Australia charged a man on Wednesday in connection with a vicious gang attack on the owner of an Indian restaurant earlier this month. The 19-year-old man handed himself in to the police in connection with the attack on Himanshu Goyal, 22, while he was closing his restaurant in Bridge Mall at Ballarat in the Australian state of Victoria June 7, according to media reports.
Mandela spends 12th day in hospital
Pretoria: Anti-apartheid icon and South Africa's first black president Nelson Mandela on Wednesday spent his 12th day in hospital — with no official update about his condition. Mandela is receiving treatment at the Mediclinic Heart Hospital in Pretoria, Xinhua reported.
Amitav Ghosh among 12 listed for UK prize
london: Indian author Amitav Ghosh is among a group of award-winning writers and poets to make the longlist of Warwick Prize for Writing here on Wednesday. The biennial prize run by Britain's University of Warwick is an international, cross-disciplinary award open to substantial pieces of writing in the English language in any genre or form.
THREE Indians, Russian kidnapped in Nigeria
Abuja: Three Indian crew members, including the captain, and a Russian engineer were kidnapped by armed pirates who boarded an offshore fuel supply vessel in Nigeria's oil-rich delta region, officials said on Wednesday. The Indians kidnapped were the captain of the ship, chief officer and a bosun. The pirates were not detected prior to their boarding the vessel, Singapore-flagged MDPl Continental One, on June 13 some 7 nautical miles off the Offon oil field, according to a security source.
‘Can't revive laundering cases against Zardari'
Islamabad: The Swiss government has officially informed Pakistan that it cannot revive cases of alleged money laundering against President Asif Ali Zardari as the matter is time-barred, law Minister Zahid Hamid has said. The Swiss Government conveyed its position in a letter sent to Islamabad in February, when the previous Pakistan People's Party-led Government was in power. However, the letter was opened only on Tuesday by law Minister Hamid.
Bandits kill 48 in Nigeria village raid
Abuja: At least 48 people have been killed when armed bandits raided a northern Nigerian village in an apparent reprisal attack targeting a local vigilante group. There was an attack by armed bandits early Tuesday on Kizara village in Zamfara state where 48 residents were killed in apparent targeted killings by cattle rustlers.