QUOTE OF THE DAY “I’ll keep going to the protests, I don’t give in.The bill is not effective yet.The president of the Republic must listen to our voices.” Claire Baron, an opponent of gay marriage, after France legalized same-sex marriage on Tuesday Article, this page Car bomb kills 4; other is near Musharraf
ISLAMABAD - A car bomb aimed at a Pakistani Shiite politician missed him but killed four people Tuesday, hours after police defused an explosives-laden vehicle near the house where ex-leader Pervez Musharraf is being held.
Police in the capital were investigating how a car with a bomb inside managed to approach Musharraf’s house.
It was found parked about 500 feet from the main gate of Musharraf’s house on the outskirts of the city, Islamabad Police Chief Bani Amin said. The former military strongman was home at the time.
Musharraf is being held under house arrest in connection with a case involving his decision to fire senior judges while in power.
The car bombing in southwestern Pakistan on Tuesday hit Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province. The bomber targeted Abdul Khaliq Hazara, head of the Hazara Democratic Party, police officer Fiyaz Sumbal said. The Shiite politician was not harmed, but four people were killed and 26 wounded, Sumbal said.
Bhutan holds parliamentary elections
GAUHATI, India - People in the tiny Himalayan nation of Bhutan cemented their young democracy Tuesday by voting in the nation’s second parliamentary elections.
The nation of 700,000 had its first elections in 2008 after the king voluntarily reduced the monarchy’s role in running the country.
A total of 67 candidates competed Tuesday for the 20 elected seats in the 25-member upper house. The five remaining seats are filled by royal appointment. The candidates were running without party affiliation.
However, five parties will contest polls for the more influential lower house, expected in June. Only two parties contested the 2008 elections, when the Druk Phuensum Tshogpa won a landslide victory.
Results are expected today.
Nigeria investigating weekend clash
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria - Nigerian authorities said they will investigate whether the military complied with the rules of engagement in a clash with Islamist militants that a local official said left 185 people dead, mostly civilians.
Preliminary briefings given to President Goodluck Jonathan “indicate that the casualty figures being reported by the foreign media may be grossly exaggerated,” presidential spokesman Reuben Abati said Monday in an e-mailed statement. The military said Tuesday that only six civilians were killed in the fighting.
International rights groups such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have criticized the Nigerian security forces for using excessive force as they battle the Islamist group, Boko Haram.
The fighting in the northeastern town of Baga in which one soldier died started Friday after a military patrol was attacked near a mosque where Boko Haram fighters hid weapons in the past, Brig. Gen. Austin Edokpaye said Sunday. Militants “came out with heavy firepower,” including rocket-propelled grenades, he said.
Baga residents buried at least 185 bodies, while more people suffered injuries and were hospitalized, said Lawan Kole, a local government official in the Kukawa council area.
Edokpaye said Tuesday that along with the six civilians who lost their lives, 30 Boko Haram fighters and one soldier were killed in the fighting. Five soldiers and 10 civilians were injured, and five Boko Haram members were arrested.
The National Emergency Management Agency couldn’t confirm the number of people killed in the clash.
Tripoli bombing at French mission hurts 3
TRIPOLI, Libya - A car bomb exploded Tuesday outside the French Embassy in Tripoli, wounding three people and setting the building on fire in the worst attack on a diplomatic mission in the North African nation since a U.S. ambassador was killed last year.
No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but suspicion fell on the militias and the extremists in their ranks that are fighting the central government in Tripoli for control.
Some Libyans blamed Islamic militants seeking to avenge France’s military intervention in Mali to dislodge al-Qaidalinked forces.
The motive for the attack was not immediately clear. On its official website, the Libyan government denounced such attacks, which it said are “directly targeting Libya’s security and stability.”
French President Francois Hollande called the bombing an assault on all countries engaged in the fight against terrorism.
Front Section, Pages 5 on 04/24/2013