Today's other stories in brief
100 die, scores injured, in Lagos fuel fire
LAGOS - At least 100 people were killed and scores injured when fuel from a pipeline ruptured by an earthmover building a road on the outskirts of Nigerias capital caught fire, according to the Red Cross said.
"About 100 people have so far been confirmed dead from the fire. We have so far rescued more than 20 people with injuries and taken them to hospital for treatment," one Red Cross official at the scene of the fire said yesterday. Volunteers were trying to rescue people still trapped in their burning homes. - (Reuters)
Russia accused of industrial spying
BERLIN - German intelligence officials have accused Russia of employing spies and internet technology to obtain industrial secrets which could hurt Europe's biggest economy.
The domestic federal intelligence agency, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, said Germany was highly attractive to foreign spies due to its cutting- edge technology and market leadership in several sectors. - (Reuters)
Eight jailed for market bombings
MOSCOW - A court in Moscow has jailed eight Russian men for a bomb attack in 2006 that killed 14 people in a busy suburban market popular with immigrants.
The bomb tore through the sprawling Cherkizovsky market on Moscow's eastern fringe, just as immigrants from former Soviet Central Asia and the Caucasus had begun to crowd the stalls. - (Reuters)
California lifts gay marriage ban
SAN FRANCISCO - The California Supreme Court has overturned a ban on same-sex marriages in a major victory for gay rights advocates that will allow gay and lesbian couples to marry in the most populous US state.
The court found that California laws limiting marriage to heterosexual couples were at odds with rights guaranteed by the state's constitution. - (Reuters)
More bones found at Jersey home
LONDON - Another child's tooth and further bone fragments have been found during digging at a former Jersey children's home at the centre of a long-running abuse inquiry. It is the sixth tooth found at the Haut de la Garenne since work began on excavating the cellars earlier in the year. - (Reuters)
Pope thanks virgin women
VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict has thanked consecrated women virgins gathering at the Vatican yesterday for their "total gift" to Christ, praising a holy rite that he recognised was difficult for some non- Catholics to understand.
Consecrated virgins are women who take a vow of lifelong chastity in service of the Church. The Vatican says they are "betrothed mystically to Christ" through the holy rite. - (Reuters)
Unknown group admits bombs
JAIPUR - An unknown Islamist group says it set off co-ordinated blasts that tore through a packed shopping area in a popular Indian tourist city this week, but police say they are still verifying the claim.
Eight bombs killed 61 people and injured 216 in the western city of Jaipur on Tuesday. - (Reuters)
18 die in Afghan suicide bomb
HERAT - A suicide blast has killed 18 police and civilians in Afghanistan's western province of Farah.
The incident occurred in a bazaar near a police station in Del Aram district of Farah, officials said, adding 15 more were wounded. - (Reuters)