In brief: Afghan bomber targets soldiers; casualties feared

KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghan officials said a suicide bomber has hit a bus carrying soldiers on a busy road in the capital Kabul and that casualties are feared.

The spokesman for the Kabul provincial police chief, Hashmat Stanikzai, said the bomber was on foot when he struck early today.

The bus was full of Afghan National Army troops, he said.

A Defense Ministry official said five soldiers have been killed and another eight wounded. He asked not to be named.

U.S. shutters Afghan detention centers

WASHINGTON – The U.S. military shut its last detention center in Afghanistan on Wednesday, a day after a Senate Intelligence Committee report highlighted torture of terrorism suspects at former CIA-run prisons in the country.

The U.S. military shuttered its prison at Bagram air base north of Kabul after handing over two Tunisian prisoners to Afghan authorities, and after releasing a Jordanian prisoner, who will be sent home or resettled with the help of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Pentagon officials said.

Under a bilateral security agreement that takes effect Jan. 1, the government of Afghanistan will be responsible for all detention facilities in the country. The Bagram facility thus closed three weeks earlier than it might have.

Yousafzai, Satyarthi receive Nobel Prize

OSLO, Norway – Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan and Kailash Satyarthi of India received the Nobel Peace Prize on Wednesday for risking their lives to help protect children from slavery, extremism and forced labor.

The 17-year-old Yousafzai, the youngest ever Nobel winner, and Satyarthi, 60, collected the award at a ceremony in Oslo City Hall in the Norwegian capital to a standing ovation.

In his acceptance speech, Satyarthi referred to rapid globalization, high-speed Internet and international flights that connect people. “But there is one serious disconnect. It is a lack of compassion,” he said, urging the audience to “globalize compassion,” starting with children.

Hong Kong police clear protest camps

HONG KONG – Authorities started clearing barricades and tents today from Hong Kong’s main protest site, where pro-democracy street occupations have captivated and disrupted the central city for 75 days.

Acting on a court order, bailiffs, police and demolition crews assembled outside Hong Kong’s government buildings, in Admiralty, and began removing barricades at roughly 10:30 a.m.

In advance of the anticipated street clearing, protesters on Wednesday night held a swan-song rally at the site.

Study: 270,000 tons of plastic in ocean

HONOLULU – A new study estimates nearly 270,000 tons of plastic is floating in the world’s oceans. That’s enough to fill more than 38,500 garbage trucks.

The study published Wednesday in the journal PLOS ONE said the plastic is broken up into more than 5 trillion pieces.

Scientists dragged a mesh net at the sea surface to gather small pieces. Observers on boats counted larger items.

Researcher Kara Lavender Law of the Sea Education Association wasn’t involved in the study but said it’s encouraging that the paper’s estimates of tiny plastic pieces is comparable to an earlier study by other researchers using different methodology.