No image available
/ 26 December 2003
Two United States soldiers were killed and four others wounded on Thursday in a mortar attack on an army base near Baquba, 60km northeast of Baghdad, a US military spokesperson said. Baquba, in Diyala, is a hotbed of anti-US resistance where army bases have been periodically shelled by mortars.
No image available
/ 26 December 2003
Four people died and several others were injured in the Zambian capital Lusaka on Christmas after more than 100 houses collapsed following torrential rain, state-run media reported on Friday. Police sources quoted in the Times of Zambia said the collapses occurred in two teeming shantytowns in the city.
No image available
/ 26 December 2003
A series of earthquakes on Thursday shook the Paso Robles area of California, where a magnitude-6,5 quake earlier this week killed two people, flattened historic buildings and caused -million in damage. There were no reports of damage or injuries from the Christmas Day temblors.
No image available
/ 26 December 2003
A suicide bombing on Thursday killed 14 people in the second attempt on Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf’s life in 11 days, raising troubling questions about Musharraf’s ability to hold on to power and keep a militant Islamic movement at bay. After the attack the leader vowed to ”cleanse the country of these extremists”.
No image available
/ 26 December 2003
An infant was killed by falling debris and dozens of people were injured when a strong earthquake shook the border of Costa Rica and Panama early on Thursday, Panama’s federal relief agency reported. The magnitude-6,3 tremor struck at 2.11am local time at a depth of 33,6km.
No image available
/ 26 December 2003
A British lab has provided initial independent confirmation that the United States has its first case of mad cow disease, US agriculture officials said. Federal investigators have been labouring to trace the path the infected animal took from birth to slaughter.
No image available
/ 26 December 2003
Hope began to fade on Friday that the European space probe Beagle 2 had landed safely on Mars after the British-built craft failed for a second time to make contact with Earth and confirm its arrival. In London, experts in the Beagle 2 team have insisted that the silence does not mean the game is over.
No image available
/ 26 December 2003
Christmas joy gave way to sorrow in the tiny West African state of Benin when a Boeing 727 loaded with Lebanese families en route to Beirut crashed into the sea upon take-off. Some government sources put the fatalities at 82. ”We have never had to live with such drama in our country,” a bystander said.
No image available
/ 26 December 2003
Rescue teams and technicians were on Friday feverishly working to contain the spread of toxic fumes after a blowout at a natural gas field left at least 191 people dead and hundreds more injured. More than 41 000 villagers were forced to flee from the danger zone.
No image available
/ 26 December 2003
A mudslide swept over a Greek Orthodox youth camp in California, trapping 24 people as heavy rains triggered flooding in areas ravaged by deadly wildfires last month, authorities said. Fourteen people were rescued on Thursday, but 10 remained missing. Continuing rainfall hampered rescue efforts.