Today's other stories in brief
41 killed in Lahore bomb attacks
LAHORE – Three suicide bombers struck a Sufi shrine in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore yesterday, killing at least 41 people and wounding more than 120, officials said.
A large number of devotees were visiting the shrine of the Persian Sufi saint, Syed Ali Hajwairi, in the heart of the city when the attacks occurred. “One attack took place at the gate of the shrine and two were in the basement,” said city administrator Sajjad Bhutta.
The shrine at Data Darbar is one of the most famous in Pakistan, attracting hundreds of devotees every night, with Thursdays being the most popular. The complex includes a mosque and a police station.
Lahore, the cultural capital of Pakistan, has suffered from frequent violence in recent weeks. More than 80 people were killed in twin attacks on the mosques of the minority Ahmadi sect in May. – (Reuters)
Netanyahu sets out price for Shalit
JERUSALEM – Israel would free 1,000 Palestinian prisoners if the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas were to release Gilad Shalit, the soldier its militants captured four years ago, prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu said yesterday.
Mr Netanyahu said Israelis wanted Shalit back safely, but the nation could not “pay any price” because past experience showed many Palestinians had returned to carry out attacks on Israelis after release.
“The German mediator’s offer, which we agreed to accept, called for the release of 1,000 terrorists. This is the price I am prepared to pay to bring Gilad home. I said yes to the deal and it is ready for immediate implementation,” Mr Netanyahu said.
He was referring to last December, when a prisoner-exchange brokered by the mediator appeared imminent but did not come to fruition. – (Reuters)
Polish candidates tied in opinion poll
WARSAW – Poland’s opposition leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski and ruling party candidate Bronislaw Komorowski were tied in an opinion poll yesterday, three days before the final round of the presidential vote.
GFK Polonia’s telephone survey of 1,000 Poles for daily Rzeczpospolita said 45 per cent said they would vote for Mr Kaczynski, and 45 per cent for Mr Komorowski.
GFK said 10 per cent were undecided, but that Mr Kaczynski had a bigger chance of winning the presidential race.
On July 4th, Poles will choose between the two conservative candidates with sharply contrasting views on market reforms, the euro currency and Poland’s place in the European Union in the presidential election run-off.
Mr Komorowski won in the first round, with 41.5 per cent of the vote to Mr Kaczynski’s 36.5 per cent. – (Reuters)