World Briefs

Stampede ‘worst-ever’ disaster * DAR ES SALAAM – Tanzanian police yesterday questioned managers of a hall where a stampede killed 19 merrymakers, an official said, in what a newspaper described as the “worst-ever” disaster during Eid al-Fitr.

Algeria flood toll at 29 * ALGIERS – Torrential rains in the Algerian desert created flash floods that drowned 29 people and injured more than 80 others, an Algerian health official reported yesterday. Bombs near Shiite mosques in Baghdad kill 19 * BAGHDAD – Suicide bombers targeted Shiite worshippers as they left morning prayers yesterday at two Baghdad mosques, killing 19 people and injuring 50 others, police said.In a separate attack, gunmen fatally shot six people as they travelled in a minibus in Wajihiyah, a town 60 miles north of Baghdad in a mainly Shiite area.Somali pirates stick to $20 million ransom * MOGADISHU – A Somali pirate spokesman says his group will not release a hijacked Ukrainian cargo ship loaded with arms for less than $20 million.Iran hints at nuclear rethink * BRUSSELS – A leading Iranian nuclear envoy yesterday suggested the country could reconsider its uranium enrichment programme if it gets cast-iron guarantees of regular international fuel supplies for its nuclear power plants.Bombs near Shiite mosques in Baghdad kill 19 * BAGHDAD – Suicide bombers targeted Shiite worshippers as they left morning prayers yesterday at two Baghdad mosques, killing 19 people and injuring 50 others, police said.In a separate attack, gunmen fatally shot six people as they travelled in a minibus in Wajihiyah, a town 60 miles north of Baghdad in a mainly Shiite area.Somali pirates stick to $20 million ransom * MOGADISHU – A Somali pirate spokesman says his group will not release a hijacked Ukrainian cargo ship loaded with arms for less than $20 million.Iran hints at nuclear rethink * BRUSSELS – A leading Iranian nuclear envoy yesterday suggested the country could reconsider its uranium enrichment programme if it gets cast-iron guarantees of regular international fuel supplies for its nuclear power plants.