In brief: Suicide bomber targets police

Islamabad, Pakistan – A suicide car bomber attacked a police station today in northwest Pakistan, killing three people and wounding about two dozen.

The blast also toppled a mosque next to the police station in Karak in North West Frontier Province, said Ajmal Khan, a government official. Both police and civilians were among the wounded.

No one claimed responsibility, but militants have targeted police, security forces and government offices in various parts of Pakistan in recent years to avenge military operations in the country’s tribal regions.

Diamond’s price highest in forever

London – A 507-carat diamond as big as a chicken’s egg sold for $35.3 million, breaking the record for the highest price ever paid for a rough diamond, the supplier said Friday.

The stone – which weighs just over 3.5 ounces – was estimated to be among the world’s top 20 high-quality rough diamonds. It was discovered in September at South Africa’s Cullinan mine.

London-listed diamond supplier Petra Diamonds Ltd. said the gem was purchased by Hong Kong-based private jewelry retailer Chow Tai Fook Jewelry Co. Ltd.

Court rules out president’s run

Bogota, Colombia – Colombia’s Constitutional Court shut the door Friday on President Alvaro Uribe’s aspirations for a third straight term, ruling unconstitutional a law that would have let voters decide in a referendum whether he could run again.

The high court’s 7-2 decision is not subject to appeal.

Uribe is hugely popular for seriously weakening leftist rebels, but he has also been widely criticized by human rights activists for allying himself with politicians who collaborated closely with far-right death squads.