The suicide bombings in London last July which left 56 people dead cost no more than a few hundred pounds to carry out, an investigation by the British Broadcasting Corporation World Service said on Tuesday. That compares to the estimated 000 that it cost to undertake the Madrid bombings in March 2004, which killed more than 190 people.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said on Tuesday that it has not requested an inquiry into the deaths of more than two dozen Sudanese refugees after Egyptian police forcibly broke up a three-month protest outside the agency’s Cairo offices. Egyptian judicial sources said on Saturday that they would launch a government-led inquiry.
Storms and flooding have killed at least 13 people since torrential rains started in the central Mozambique province of Sofala last week, state-run radio reported on Tuesday. Eight of the victims were struck by lightning and five drowned in floods unleashed by the storms, Radio Mozambique reported.
It was on the third day of captivity that Kate Burton decided she had had enough. ”I asked them to release us. I told them that it had gone on for long enough,” she said. Ahmed, one of the kidnappers, shouted back: ”I can’t believe what you are doing. You are being so disrespectful after everything we have done for you.”
Russia’s image as a reliable international energy supplier became increasingly tarnished on Monday as a stand-off with Ukraine over gas prices disrupted supplies to Europe. The Russian energy group Gazprom accused Ukraine of stealing about -million-worth of natural gas from transit supplies destined for other European countries.
The Bush administration has scaled back its ambitions to rebuild Iraq from the devastation wrought by war and dictatorship and does not intend to seek new funds for reconstruction, it emerged on Monday. Administration officials say they will not seek reconstruction funds when the budget request is presented to Congress next month.
Road deaths during the Christmas holidays were at 1Â 162 by the end of December, the Department of Transport said on Monday. There was heavy traffic on the country’s main routes on Monday as holidaymakers returned home. Meanwhile, the bodies of five people who drowned after their car plunged into the Vaal River have been recovered.
The Eagles swooped into Cape Town and inflicted yet another defeat on the Cape Cobras as the home side finished their season winless. The Warriors overcame an atrocious start to the new year almost to snatch what would have been a remarkable victory in their final Standard Bank Cup limited-overs cricket match against the Highveld Lions.
Cambodia is mimicking Myanmar’s repressive tactics with its arrest of two prominent rights leaders, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Tuesday. Kem Sokha, head of the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights, was arrested on Saturday, while police also seized Yeng Virak, the director of the Community Legal Education Centre.
Australia’s Andy Caldecott, riding a KTM, won the third stage of the Dakar Rally from Nador to Er Rachidia on Monday, fully justifying his late call-up to the race. Caldecott won the 314km timed section in three hours, 21 minutes and 11 seconds from American Andy Grider by 3:04 and by 3:06 from Cyril Despres of France.